My views do not necessarily reflect the views of my employer.
Well hello there,
When I rejoined the Caribbean Princess, I had lots of plans. With the fast Medallion internet, I would be able to keep up with this blog (which I did for 3 weeks) and because I wasn’t completely learning a new job, I would learn a new Zumba routine (which I did not do at all). So now, in real time, it’s August in California and I’m hoping to do both of those things before I go back at the end of September. So on December 5th (8 months ago to the day) I was in Curacao.
The first time I went to Curacao was in 2017 on the Pacific Princess with my mom before we went through the Panama Canal.
I tried to take a similar picture. As you can see, The Caribbean Princess is a much bigger ship. And I was 50lbs lighter.
My first time in Curacao we arrived on King’s Day which was their big celebration. Everyone was wearing orange and it was a huge party. This time there wasn’t quite as much madness. But the colorful houses and the swinging bridge were still there!
Ana and I walked around the town and found a secret beach that tourists don’t know about. I didn’t even take a picture of it. After spending a year and a half in the Caribbean, I’d say of the islands I’ve visited, Puerto Rico, Curacao and Martinique are my favorites. It’s probably because they have the most European feel. Curacao is a Dutch town, and I love sitting at the outdoor cafes sipping cocktails as people walk by on the cobblestone streets. So if you’re looking for the best Caribbean Island, I’m probably not the best person to ask. But if you love Europe and find yourself in the Caribbean, this is my jam. Ana and I sat at a cafe, ordered a local beer and some Dutch food (well I did. It was mediocre) and watched the bridge open and close.
That was something I hadn’t taken the time to sit and watch before.
There’s a video that I’ll post on Facebook as well.
As I made my way back to the ship, I got enough wifi to receive a message from my Cruise Director asking if I could extend until June 29th. That would add seven weeks to my contract. I spent the day mulling over how to respond. I was not happy to be back in the Caribbean for another contract and I desperately wanted to get promoted to Assistant Cruise Director (knocking off the “J” for Junior would get me my own cabin, which would make it easier for me to have family visit, a pay increase and additional responsibilities that I felt I was already doing. I wanted to respond with an ultimatum that wouldn’t ruin my reputation in the company. That night at the deck party, my Cruise Director came up and said that I hadn’t responded to his message. I said I wanted to respond in person. He politely waited for me to say all the things that led to what I’m pretty sure he knew I would eventually say, which was “Yes, but not as a Junior.” He went and grabbed the Entertainment Director and said “Okay.” I jumped around so much that my friend Jill, the Senior Production Manager could tell that I’d gotten the promotion from the deck above.
So now I was stuck in the Caribbean for an extra two months with nothing to be mad about.