Mom comes to visit – What Kelly is laughing about

My views do not necessarily reflect the views of my employer.

My mom and Ron Voyage came to visit toward the end of my first contract for the Western Caribbean run. They stayed in a Suite on the Fiesta deck (I’d always wondered what those Fiesta Suites looked like) and my mom followed me around to all of my activities and took pictures. With all that media, I was able to write a blog post telling you what I did on the ship. Well now, almost a year later, my mom came on for the Eastern Caribbean run, but this time she’d be staying in my room, so she would get to see behind the scenes. And all the new things I was doing that I had since added to my repertoire.

As I excitedly told anyone who would give me a fragment of attention that my mom was coming on, Matt, my Cruise Director, and those with connections tried to figure out what we could do to make her visit special. What tours would she like to go on? She’s not really interested in tours. Or the Caribbean. Is there an available guest cabin? She stays in guest cabins all the time. She stays in suites. The special thing would be for her to stay in my cabin in my bunkbed. Alcohol? She doesn’t really drink that much. Dinner in the dining room? I was more excited to show her the Officer’s mess. So I stocked up on club soda, and wiped the dust off of the ladder that hooked on to my top bunk. While the things people were excited about while cruising as a guest were commonplace for my mom, this week I could show her what my world was like from a crew member’s perspective.

Matt gave me a break from the Medallion Class sail away party (that my mom had seen us rehearse the week before we debuted it) and put me on the late drill. Last time, my mom had seen me do the lifejacket demonstration in the Princess Theater (I was then 3rd in Charge and not very important). This time I was 1st in Charge of Muster Station C (in the Crown Grill) and I was making announcements over the microphone. When people would ask if my mom was having a good time, I would reply that she felt satisfied after seeing the safety drill. She is more excited about me having this job than I am, and she just loves actually seeing me do the things she’s been imagining me doing while she cruises on other ships. After the regular drill, she came with me to the Late drill (obviously for the people who just barely got on the ship or missed the first drill for another reason).

I did my favorite Welcome Aboard Trivia, where I ask ship specific questions, some of which people will know the answers to, and some of which I WANT them to know the answers– like where the bathrooms are. I’d been asking, ‘Who is the Godmother of the Caribbean Princess?’ for months. The answer is Jill Whelan, who played Vicki on the Love Boat TV show. This week Jill was actually sailing with us!

Afterward, we met Matt and Jarred for sushi at Vines (the wine bar on the ship) and we were served by one of my favorite Muster personnel, Marija.

On Princess Cays (Sunday) I handed out Water Shuttle tickets. They had just changed the name of the boats that take people from the ship to the shore from Tenders to Water Shuttles. I was not happy about this change, because it robbed me of my jokes! I would say over the microphone, Ladies and Gentlemen, a tender will be coming for you shortly. There is one way to make them come quicker, and that is to sing to them. Please join in with me… Love me Tender love me true…. and, Remember the last water shuttle from the shore to the ship is at 3:30, so make sure you Return to Tender (to the tune of ‘Return to Sender’) before 3:30. The jokes just didn’t work with Water Shuttles. But I told them anyway.

We went to lunch up in the World Fresh Marketplace with Andi and Matt.

Here’s my cabin:

Yes, that’s a tree in the corner. While I was on vacation, they found a tree in locker 10 and it ended up in my cabin. I loved it. It made me feel just a little bit like I had a view of a garden. Plus it was a great thing to show off when people came to visit. Everyone was baffled that I hadn’t gotten in trouble for having it.

There’s my bed and the bathroom. The top bunk folds down.

The next day was a Sea Day (Monday). I started out by teaching Zumba in Club Fusion (my mom took a video that I’ll post on Facebook) followed by Line Dancing in the Piazza (the line dancing is usually in Club Fusion right after Zumba, but they must have had something special going on in there), again there’s another video of that. After that I took a pointless shower (because I soon be very sweaty again) before heading up to the pool for Music Trivia. This has become another one of my favorite events. We hand out papers and pencils to anyone who wants to play by the pool. It’s called Trivia, or name that tune, but Matt plays songs that everyone knows, and everyone sings along, and everyone grades their own papers, so basically everyone wins. While Matt plays the songs, I dance ridiculously up in the bandstand, and then get compliments for the rest of the week for my great moves. Anyone who brings up a paper or a pencil gets a prize.

I had a break after that, so we raced down to the Princess Theater to see the Q&A with Jill Whelan. There were video clips of things she’d done throughout her career. She was really cool and down to earth. I was just really excited to get to know the person I talked about every week in Welcome Trivia.

That afternoon I played Professor Moore in the High Seas Heist Kickoff

And then I think I did TV theme song music trivia and the Majority Rules Gameshow. The TV theme song music trivia is another one of my favorite things to do, and even though I had told my mom all the answers and all of the jokes, she still only got 14/20 right. The people she played with were justifiably disappointed in her helpfulness.

The next morning we were in St. Thomas. We sailed in at about noon, so I taught Zumba and then we set out. We went to my favorite place for grilled cheese, Tap and Still, right on the Pier, and then walked down the road to Kmart where we stocked up on cheap wine.

That evening, after the 24K Gold Deck party, we had a little wine and cheese cabin party with the team.

We borrowed furniture from all available cabins

And here we are with most of the team (Andi had gone to bed): From the left: Molly, Michelle, Matt, my mom, me, Sammi, Jarred and Gabi

The next day we were in St. Maarten, so I took my mom to Airport Beach. She’s not really a beach person, so we stayed long enough for about 6 airplanes to fly in and then we headed back to the ship for a nap.

Can you see the plane by my mom’s hair? There are also some videos here that I’ll put on Facebook.

That night we went down for Family Dinner and our regular table was full so we had to sit at a rectangle table which isn’t quite as fun to add people to.

In the back are Pitchy (David Pitchfork, the Entertainment Director, the Business and Brand Director (known as the BBD), Kim, one of my favorite Family table members from Production, Elke, the Guest Services Director, then up front there’s Alan, me, Jarred and Andi

I have to say, being able to bring my mom down to the Officer’s Mess and chat with people from different departments before they rushed back to work was more fun than specialty dining. This is the part of cruising that she doesn’t get to see as a guest.

That night we did the Read My Lips Competition. Matt and I do the song from Dirty Dancing and we usually win. This is another one of my favorite activities.

Earlier that week I ran into the Captain and told him my mom was sailing with us this week, and he told me to send him an note and he would give her a tour of the Bridge, so on the next Sea Day (Thursday), while I was teaching Line Dancing after Zumba, my mom went up to the Bridge to meet the Captain and the other important people up there.

She loved the view of the Crew Pool at the front.

Then she rushed down for the Paper Airplane competition, which I hosted.

Here’s a lady with her Shark Week hat on backwards. On the weeks that I don’t teach Zumba, I host the Shark Week Family Fun Fair, which is basically madness in the Piazza with a bunch of kids playing games for shark prizes.

Here’s Molly holding the Ring of Fire (the guests try to fly their paper planes from Deck 6 through the ring of fire)

That afternoon, I played Tiffany Chastain for the High Seas Heist. Spoiler Alert: the perpetrators are Professor Moore and Tiffany Chastain. So since I play both characters, I am the jewel thief.

Here I’m being interrogated by Officer Garrett, played by Cruise Director Matt

Here I am taking invitations for the Captains Circle Party for our most travelled passengers.

Here are the couples for the Marriage Match Game Show

I’m over in the corner. I’m the one who picks the couples.

Here is Nancy at the Balloon Drop Party. She and Marlon (dancing behind her) are the singers for the party band, Static. They are hands down the best party band I’ve ever worked with. They make every set a party (which makes my job MUCH easier). They are absolutely incredible entertainers.

On the last sea day, I don’t think I was scheduled to work the Egg Drop Challenge, but I often show up for it anyway. I like playing with my friends, Matt and Andi, and I like dressing up and looking ridiculous. As you can see, I dress up in garbage bags and caution tape to protect myself from falling eggs. When the contraptions hit the ground, I determine if the egg survived.

Matt wears a chicken costume and cries when his ‘babies’ crack under pressure.

That afternoon, I had time to show my mom the new Family Fun Pool which was built during dry dock.

There is also this little water table thing for the kids club. It has little representations of places from all over the world including St. Thomas, the Panama Canal, Sydney Opera house, San Francisco, Alaska and Antarctica.

Here I am with Gabi and Michelle, both of whom had recently joined.

That evening, Jill Whelan was a panelist on the Liar’s Club gameshow.

The final night, I told my mom to caffeinate enough to stay awake for the only Princess Drag Show. Miss Champagne (Andi) does a great show after 11pm in Skywalker’s lounge. I help with her quick change.

And then I was up at 6:30 the next morning to say good bye to my mom and the 3,000 other disembarking guests. It took me 2 cruises to catch up on the sleep I’d skipped, but when good things happen, they don’t feel real until I tell my mom about them. I felt more complete with her being able to see what I’d been up to this contract.

Mom comes to visit

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