Christmas Night

On Christmas night we had a nice dinner for the crew upstairs with wine and plum pudding and everything. The dinner was so great. I sat with some of the crew from shops and our senior assistant cruise director, but he had to go back to work and couldn’t finish the dinner. Later on the Chief Officer (2nd in command of the ship) and a friend of his from Holland came and sat with us. We were about half way through the courses, when the servers came by and cleared a spot and put out a bottle of wine and made everything really nice in the seat right across from me, and I thought what are they doing, the dinner is half finished. Then the Captain came and joined our table. He was so nice and very laid back. We talked all through dinner and then they were all going to the bar for drinks and invited me along. The Captain bought everyone drinks, I warned him that my laugh got louder the more I had to drink, so he got me two. Everyone rolled out the red carpet for us wherever we went. I had so much fun. It was a great evening. Katie

Merry Christmas from Norfolk, VA

I got an underwater digital camera for Christmas. I cannot think of a more perfect present. Be prepared for lots and lots of underwater pictures from now on. I didn’t take it underwater in Norfolk, VA where we were in dry dock. It was freezing most of the time. I had to go buy myself a coat. This dry dock wasn’t nearly as fun as the dry dock I had in San Francisco. I had to work for part of this dry dock, but it wasn’t too bad. I wasn’t allowed to take pictures in the shipyard because there were a lot of military ships there. I did manage to get a night shot of downtown Norfolk and a picture of my cabin on the ship. The coolest part of dry dock came right at the end when we were leaving and we passed part of America’s North Atlantic Fleet. There were lots of aircraft carriers and big ships that I don’t even know what they are called. The neatest part was when we passed a submarine moving on the surface with people standing on it. I'm back in the Caribbean now. It's back to vacation...I mean work. Merry Christmas!

Katie

More snorkeling the Bahamas

I've just gotten back from Dry Dock in Norfolk and I can finally check my email. I'll tell you more about dry dock later. Before we went to Virgina I had a few more adventures. Here are some more cool snorkeling pictures from the Bahamas. There was a small plane wreck at this sight. There were also scuba divers in the water. I was fascinated with their bubbles.

Katie

Snorkeling With Sharks

Okay, snorkeling with sharks. Sounds a little crazy, maybe it is, but I did it. The tour I went on was in the Bahamas again. The way they managed to keep everyone relatively safe was to put a box of food down on the ocean floor and let the sharks swarm around it, then they let us all off the boat in a group and we just sat together on the surface watching the sharks below. So it wasn’t like we were petting them or anything, but still it was a little scary. The sharks were black reef sharks and they were big. It’s hard to get perspective from the picture, but there were some six-foot sharks way down at the bottom. Once we were all out of the water, the guides brought the food up and then fed it to the sharks on the surface. It was defiantly a unique experience, a little more intense than swimming with the stingrays.

Katie

Snorkeling in Nassau

I’ve done a lot of snorkeling in the Bahamas. It’s so awesome there. I never liked Nassau. The town is pretty gross for the most part. It’s smelly and overcrowded and it just looks dingy in places. It’s not the nicest port to visit, but the snorkeling there is amazing. I got a disposable underwater camera and took some pictures of all my underwater adventures and here is the first bit. The fish were all so colorful and the reef was amazing too. The next time I went snorkeling, it was with sharks. More on that, in the next Chronicle.

Katie

Half Moon Cay, Bahamas

Holland America has it’s own private island in the Bahamas called Half Moon Cay (pronounced key.) Some of the other cruise companies have their own islands too. The company actually doesn’t own the island. They are leasing it for 99 years from the Bahamas. So it’s still under Bahamian law and everything. I was able to get off for just a quick walk on the beach and it was amazing! The sand felt like satin and the water was so clear and beautiful. And yes those are my big footprints in the sand.

Katie

Photo Contest #3

Here's a shot of the side of the ship at sea with a cool reflection in the windows. You can see some of the life boats below.

Katie

Photo Contest #2

Near St. Thomas in the morning. This was back when I was getting up at 5:30AM because of the schedule the guy before me had. I changed that schedule real quick and now I get up at 10:00AM. So there won’t be any more sunrise photos. These files are a little larger than usual, as per request from Uncle Todd.

Katie

Photo Contest #1

There’s a quarterly photo contest that Holland America has and I need to send them my best picture by the end of the month to get in on this quarter’s contest. They only let you send one picture per quarter, so I have to make it count. I’m going to send a few photos over the next few days so cast your votes and tell me which one you like best. This one was taken at St. Thomas at sunset.

Katie

"dam ships"

I’m starting to get adjusted to my new life on the Zuiderdam. Holland America is owned by Carnival… well Carnival owns just about everything. All the Holland ships are something “dam.” There’s the Amsterdam, Noordam, Westerdam, etc. So they have apparel for sale that says “dam ships.” And the puns never end among the crew. ‘you like working on that other ship?’ ‘well you know, these dam ships are all the same.’ Back when Alpha was still roaming the Caribbean, one of the Carnival ships got stuck in some rough seas. I have some pictures of it. It’s amazing they made it out in one piece. Don’t look at the pictures if you get seasick.

Katie

New Cell Number

I've just done my first bit of training on the ship and I'm getting ready to go out on my own now. I'm still a little nervous, but I know once I get through this first cruise, I'll be fine. The ship is nice. It's really big, just about as big as my last ship. I can go eat up stairs any time I want and the food is good. I've had a whole bowl of strawberries at every meal! I haven't even seen my cabin yet. They put me in a guest entertainer's room with a window while I was training. That was really nice. Well I'm off to the bahamas now...such a hard life. I got a new cell phone, so you can all call and leave me messages and I'll call back when I'm in St. Thomas or Ft. Lauderdale. The number is 828-215-0269.

Katie

Landed in Curacao

I made it to my hotel in Curacao (pronounced cur-a-sow.) I wish I had more time to play here, it's a really nice hotel on the beach, but tomorrow morning I'm joining my new ship.

Katie

Halloween

For a little pre-Halloween festivities, Brie, Rebecca and I decided to dress up and go downtown for a costume contest. I went as Sarah from the movie Labyrinth complete will my David Bowie owl. Rebecca was a medieval alchemist and looked really cool with a black wig. And Brie was a garbage bag. All of our costumes were home made. We didn’t win anything in the costume contest, but Brie got a lot of attention and laughs. She had to have all her drinks with a straw.

Katie

Joining my next ship: Zuiderdam

I have just accepted a contract with Holland America Cruise Lines. I will be broadcast manager on the Zuiderdam. As manager I will get my own room and much better pay then I got at Celebrity. My uniform is pretty much my own clothes as long as they are all black. There isn’t a staff mess, I just get to go up and eat with the guests. On Holland America I will be considered a two stripe officer (no cool officer’s uniform though.) My friend Dave got me the job. He’s on a Holland ship too.

The Zuiderdam does an East Caribbean run for the whole time I’ll be there. I’ll be in Ft. Lauderdale most every Sunday. From there the ship will go to the Bahamas, St. Thomas, Tortola and that’s pretty much it. My contract will be short, only four months. I leave in five days and I will be back by March 4th. Which will be just in time for the Oscar Party. It will also be perfect timing to start working as a photographer.

That’s right, as soon as I get back, I’m going to be working as an associate photographer with Woodward and Rick Photography. They are my favorite photographers in Asheville and I’m so excited about working with them. They can’t start me right away and winter is slow anyway so this contract will be the perfect filler (not to mention an escape from the cold.)

There’s no free internet access for me on the ship and since I will be manager and a first timer at that, I imagine I will be very busy to begin with, but I will of course keep you all updated as much as possible. Well I have to get packing and get everything in order before I ship out, tee hee.

Katie

Walking the Dogs

The weather is getting cooler and the leaves have finally changed a bit. It’s starting to feel and look like fall here. Honey is my sister’s hound dog, but somehow I always seem to be the one taking her on a daily walk in the woods. Not only do I take her, but her friend Bella (our neighbor’s dog) comes over almost everyday at right about the time I take Honey for a walk so now I usually take them both. Our pug, Mae, is old and likes nothing more than to curl up in someone’s lap and be petted, but sometimes I make her get some exercise too.

I’ve attached some nice pictures I got on one of our evening walks. And some walking sticks that I’ve been working on. That pitiful expression in the first picture is the same one I see every afternoon from Honey so that I can’t possibly skip out.

Katie

Chimney Rock

Chimney Rock Park is just a short drive from Asheville. Biltmore Estate Employees can get themselves and family members in for free. So Brie and Rebecca and I set off on a spur of the moment adventure (I’m so sorry I forgot to call you Michael, I will get you next time.)

We stopped by an apple orchard to pickup some fresh apples and pet the animals they had. Then we hiked all over Chimney Rock Park. My favorite is Hickory Nut Falls. It’s over 400 feet of cascading water. You might recognize it as the sight of the final scene in Last of the Mohicans.

Rebecca played in the water a bit and then when it came time to take a group picture she put her icy hands on my neck and Brie’s. That’s why our smiles look more like grimaces. We all had a great day and hope to go back again before winter.

Katie

The House

We have long since finished the major construction on our new house and have been living in it for a while. There are still lots of little things to be finished. Putting in a wood burning stove is my top priority, but we are waiting until we sell the house we were living in before we move forward with any major projects on the new house. So if anyone feels like moving to Asheville, we have a cosy little 3 bedroom house with a full basement on the market. And if you just want to come for a visit, you’re welcome to the nice big new house (sans wood burning stove.) I’ve attached some pictures of the new house we’re living in to temp you.

Katie

Movie Review for Vanity Mirror

My horror movie just got a great review. Check it out at:

http://www.pretty-scary.net/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=339

The woman who wrote the article is also writing a book on female horror film directors and she wants to include me in it.

Katie

Mt. Mitchell

Rebecca and our friend, Brie (yes, sounds just like the cheese, but it’s actually short for Gabrielle) and I drove up to Mt. Mitchell to watch the sunset. After driving for an hour to get to the summit which is one and a quarter miles above sea level and the highest peak in North Carolina, we found ourselves enveloped in a cloud! We had been to Mt. Mitchell before and enjoyed breathtaking scenery, but this time it was just fog and more fog. Attached is a picture of Brie and I threw in a nice scenic shot of the mountains that I got the time before so that you wouldn’t be too put off.

Katie

Rejected

Well this isn’t the exciting news I promised, that’s still to come. I’m waiting on pictures to include with that Chronicle. Rebecca and I just got our rejection letters from the masters program we both applied to. So she’s looking into other degrees for teaching and I’m looking for work as a photographer. I’m still going to finish my manuscript. It’s just too good to abandon. Then I guess I’ll have to find an agent and get it published. I also want to make a feature film out of that story, but we’ll see which comes first. Thanks everyone for your encouragement and support. Too bad that program didn’t see the incredible talent they let go ;P

Katie

The News

I haven’t sent a Chronicle for September because I have been completely boring the entire month long. I am still waiting to hear if I have been accepted to the masters program I applied to. In the meantime I have been working on my manuscript (regardless of weather I am accepted to the program, I plan on finishing this novel, getting it published, adapting it for the screen and making my first feature with it.) So I’ve been mainly writing. I’ve also been putting together a photography portfolio of large prints. And that’s boring to write about, but look I just did :)

Rebecca is looking into taking her GRE so that she can get a job teaching (can’t be a Biltmore Estate house host forever.) The old house is on the market! I have also been helping to get the old house ready. Mom and dad have put a lot of work into repainting and fixing it up.

And that’s where things stand now. I’ll have more exciting news later, so stay tuned.

Katie

A Note From Katie

Unfortunately the lack of posts here is not because I have been too busy, but because I have been completely boring this month and didn’t send out any Chronicles. Next month I have a few adventures and I also explain my lack of posts in September. So please proceed to October.

Katie

More Cabin

We've had a full house at the cabin. In addition to Jessica, her boyfriend Jose Miguel came for the weekend as did Kristin, Rebecca’s friend from school. We all had a blast. Miguel learned to shoot a bow and arrow, we cooked dinner one night, we’ve been riding Papa’s four-wheeler, and of course playing lots of Canasta. I even got around to doing some writing. Jessica, Kristin, and Miguel have all gone now, and it's finally time for Rebecca and I to go too. Time really has gone by too fast.

Katie

Blackberry Picking

The other day we went blackberry picking at a local friend’s farm. Jessica had never been before and she didn’t believe us when we told her to get out and start picking blackberries on the side of a dirt road in the middle of nowhere. We suspect Rebecca ate far more than she picked. Grama made a delicious blackberry pie for dessert that night, sorry there are no pictures of that, but we ate it too fast.

Katie

At the Cabin

Our cousin Jessica (the J in JKR Productions, for those of you who don’t know) is visiting for a few days with Rebecca and I at the cabin. We’ve been watercolor painting and swimming in the creek and just having a grand time in general.

Katie

Riding Greyhound to Pennsylvania

So Rebecca and I wanted to take a trip to Pennsylvania to visit my grandparents at the cabin for a couple weeks. Rebecca didn’t want to fly, and with the price of gas, driving was not the most economical way. No, we decided to take the Greyhound bus. It was far cheaper than any other means of transportation. So together we set off on what was sure to be an adventure.

Right off the bat Rebecca realized that she forgot a hat, so she Magivered one out of my fan, and that’s the only picture we got before the camera died. We decided to keep track of all the interesting things we heard and saw on our trip in a little journal. Here are the excerpts:

1 (by Rebecca) Smoker in the Bathroom “That person smoking better put it out, please,” says the bus driver to the skanky man who went in the bathroom.

2 (by Katie) The toilet on the bus might have been more savory than the ones in Knoxville, TN. Upon entering one was greeted by a knocked down stall door that sat crooked on the toilet seat.

3 (by Rebecca) Words of Wisdom from the Bus Driver
“I’ve been held up with guns, knives, and bats.”
“Working for Greyhound is madness.”
“At the Greyhound training school, they teach you to run over kids, if they jump in front of the bus. Because if you swerve, you risk killing 55 people instead of 1 dead person.”
“The only accident you can’t prevent, is when a plane hits a parked bus.”

4 (by Katie) Katie took another reserved sip from her water bottle, not wanting to be too hydrated and be forced to use the tiny, stinky, sloshing toilet on the bus. “Hey, baby.” The words came from behind her. She froze and braced for a creepy hand on the shoulder or a foul smelling crooked toothed smile. The figure passed wearing a head set that obviously belonged on a computer and not a cell phone continuing his conversation. Katie breathed a sigh of relief as Rebecca laughed.

Katie

Rigoletto on the lawn

Asheville may not have much to offer in the way of work, but the town makes up for it in culture. Mom, Rebecca and I went to see Rigoletto on the lawn. There is a company that performs at an outdoor theater near Asheville. It was a great opera and everyone was jealous of the fabulous picnic that we brought. One guy that worked there even took pictures of us.

Katie

Asheville Ghost Walk

The other night I went on a ghost walk tour of Asheville with mom, Tricia, and Brie pictured here with a ghost-detecting meter. The moment the meter was turned on it peaked at the red danger level. It seemed that the spirits really liked Tricia. The ghost tour was a really cool way to see the city. I got some great night shots of Asheville. And did we see any ghosts? Is that last shot of the green woman a specter, or is Katie just being clever with her shutter speed? You decide.

Katie

High Tea

Despite being held in record heat for Asheville, mom's high tea was a smashing success. We dined on a variety of sweet and savory treats all prepared by the Damien women. Everyone enjoyed the cool breezes on our wrap around porch. We were even lucky enough to have our old neighbors from Florida come over and visit.

Katie

Windsurfing Vancouver

I have arrived safely back home in Asheville, North Carolina. I had some terrible flights, but mom hired a driver to come and pick me up from the airport so I felt very important leaving baggage claim with my own chuffer and I got to sleep the whole ride home.

Before I left the ship I had some final great adventures. Dan and I went windsurfing and biking around Vancouver. I told him we had to do superhero poses in our wetsuits because that's what they remind me of. We stopped at a little know ice cream place that had over 200 hundred flavors all right there. It was very cool. When I was in Juneau last Dan and I went hiking up a mountain and stopped in town for dinner with Michael and our dancer friend Terry Lee. And finally no farewell would be complete without a midnight Martini in the Martini Bar. You can probably tell from Michael's picture that he was already on his second one.

So now I'm going to apply to the masters program for creative writing at Warren Wilson College. The program is very competitive so Rebecca, who is also applying, and I are going to Pennsylvania to play…I mean prepare our submissions to the program. I'm set to join a ship in January after the holidays, which is how I like to do it. So now I have six months to decide what I will do with myself. For now, it's time to start writing. Then I suppose I better find some work. Which in this town is easier said than done.

Katie

floatplane

Dan and I had a great adventure in Ketchikan. We went on a floatplane trip through Misty Fjords National Monument. We flew around the mountains for about an hour then our pilot landed in the middle of this lake and we all got out and stood on the floats. It was magnificent.

Katie

Vancouver

I had been windsurfing once in Aruba and Dan (French Canadian audio tech in the theater, and the taller one wearing blue) who lived in Vancouver for a while suggested we make a trip to Jericho Beach to windsurf. I thought he was joking at first because the weather in Vancouver is pleasant, maybe little on the chilly side, but the water is really cold. He said no people do it all the time they just wear a wetsuit. So he and Paul (Scottish AV tech also in the theater) and I went biking around Vancouver and then windsurfing. The water was freezing, but after a little while, you were working so hard to stay up that you didn’t notice how cold it was... that is until you fell in.

Katie

Kyle Visits

My very good friend, Kyle, a former dancer on the Century and now a dancer for Disney in Tokyo came for a cruise on the Infinity. He and Michael and I had a marvelous time together. We stayed up all night watching movies and went out and played and I have pictures of us eating sushi together upstairs on the ship. Then I took a picture of Kyle and Michael during magic hour on the back of the ship and there’s one more of them at the top of Mt. Roberts in Juneau.

Katie

P.S. - If you can’t remember Kyle from before you can look him up in a pervious chronicle from March 2004

Ketchikan

Ketchikan is a nice enough port. There are too many shops for my taste and if you’re looking for something truly Alaskan, you better get a piece from a local artist because everything else is made in China. Like all the ports in Alaska there are great outdoor adventure type things to do. I haven’t had the time to do anything outside of town yet. Right next to the dock they have a lumberjack show that I went to where they do log rolling and pole climbing and all that fun stuff. Next time in Ketchikan I will try for a bigger adventure. I haven't heard from many of you in a while. Time for you to send me an update.

Katie

helipad

Guests aren’t allowed to see the crew areas, but since you aren’t guests I guess I can show you. Actually shooting the crew areas is all Steve’s doing. He was on his last cruise and was going picture taking crazy wanting to show his family everything. One of the other Orchestra guys took a picture of Steve playing with a towel on his head during rehearsal because the air conditioning was blowing right on him and he was cold. Then I got one last shot of Steve being a goofball on the helipad at the very front of the ship.

Katie

Tattoo in Victoria

Steve had wanted to get another tattoo for a while and when we were walking around Victoria B.C. we came across a cool tattoo parlor. So the next time we were at port there, Steve got his tattoo. He designed a bass clef on his computer and Dan the tattoo artist was able to match it exactly. I think it took about an hour and the whole time Steve was just sitting there calmly in his zone so I made him make a face like it was painful. It looked so cool, I decided to get a matching treble clef on my back...just kidding. Sorry, mom, you know how I like to tease.

Katie

Reid Falls

My second time in Skagway Steve and I went hiking to Reid Falls. I shouldn’t say hiking; it was more like walking. But anyway, you literally have to go to the end of town, take the unmarked dirt road to a trail, walk past the old cemetery, go a little ways through the woods and all of the sudden there’s this huge waterfall. The next time I was there, I hiked to the top of the waterfall, but that story is for another Chronicle.

Katie

Hubbard Glacier

Hubbard Glacier is so cool. It’s one of those places the ship goes to and cruises around and no one gets off…no one except me and the ship’s photographer. We were so lucky! We got to ride in one of the ship’s tender boats all around the glacier and icebergs to get some up close and personal video footage and pictures. I touched an iceberg! The guy that was driving the boat got us right along next to one so we could all touch it. That was so cool! And the weather our first time out there was incredible. All the seasoned crew were saying they had never seen the sky so clear at Hubbard Glacier. I am so spoiled! I love it!

Steve got some great shots of the boat and me on it. It’s hard to tell just how big the glacier is and how close we got until you look at the last picture in the bottom right corner, you will see the tiny orange tender boat with the glacier looming in the back. And keep in mind we were still a good distance away from the glacier itself. That has to be the pinnacle of my Alaska experiences so far. But just you wait. There are more adventures to come.

Katie

whale watching

So Dan and I were hiking in the woods and we came across these two grizzly bears! Well okay they were behind a fence, but we were hiking. We went to Grouse Mountain in Vancouver and did the Grind. There is a hiking trail on Grouse Mountain that goes practically straight up. It’s 1.8 miles long and has an elevation of 2,800 feet and they call it the Grouse Grind. Dan and I did it in just over an hour. I had to stop and take pictures a couple of times and it was a good excuse for a break because it was a hard hike. Everyone was steaming and you could see their breath as they huffed and puffed. At the top of Grouse Mountain there was an enclosure that had some bears and wolves and that’s how I got those great shots. I haven’t seen any bears on any of the hikes that I’ve done in the wilderness. I think my laugh is too loud and I scare them all away, plus Dan and I know better than to take food and if we do a really deep in the woods hike we don’t shower the night before. It’s kinda gross, but we haven’t had any bear encounters yet.

I’ve been whale watching a lot in Alaska. I can’t get enough of it. I’ve seen humpbacks on their own doing lunge feeding where they dive down and then spring out of the water with their mouths open catching fish. And I’ve seen groups of them doing bubble netting where they all go below and blow bubbles to catch fish and then they all swoop up together and eat them. One time a whale came up really close to our boat and took a breath and all the vapor wafted over to us. I’ve never been so excited to smell such stinky fish breath in my life.

Katie

Hoonah, Alaska

Icy Straight Point is really a cannery next to Hoonah, Alaska. But I guess if they put "Cannery" on the itinerary no one would get off the ship to go see it. Basically Royal Caribbean International bought this old cannery and fixed it up and put shops in, so that they could have their own private port and not have to pay docking fees. Most cruise lines own an island in the Caribbean that they can do the same at.

Hoonah is cool because it’s small and remote and there’s lots of wildlife. I saw so many bald eagles and humpback whales and dolphins and sea otters there. But as far as everything else about the place goes...eh. The people are nice. Most of the population are Tlinget Indians. The best thing is I can call home easily and talk for a long time.

Katie

Skagway, Alaska

Skagway, Alaska is a really cool town. I’ve been there twice and I will go again once more this cruise, and then that’s it. We will be starting seven-day cruises and they’ve cut Skagway out, which is a huge bummer because it’s not only a cool port town, but there’s lots of great hiking and the sail in and out is beautiful.

My first time in Skagway, I went to the Red Onion Saloon. It’s a neat little bar that used to be a brothel. They have a tour upstairs with one of the colorful servers that Steve, Alex, and I went on. And they invite musicians from the ships to play for beer. So Steve played with some of the other guys from our ship and one other that was docked. And yes, that’s Alex behind the drum set in one shot and no he’s not a drummer, but yes he was drunk. We all had a great time in the Red Onion Saloon.

Katie

Alaska

Alaska is marvelous. Everywhere we go the air is cool and clean and fresh. There are so many bald eagles up here; they’re like pigeons. And we have been so lucky to have had the most wonderful weather anyone could hope for. For my first great Alaskan adventure, I went hiking in Juneau on Mount Roberts with Steve. We had a great time. We made it all the way to the top, but I have to admit we cheated a little and took a tram up for the first half of the mountain. Then we slid on our butts on the snowy patches on the way down and man was is cold.

Now before you all start asking again, I just want to set you all straight. Steve and I are not a couple, neither are Alex and I for that matter. Both Steve and Alex already have girlfriends. And sadly, Steve is leaving tomorrow. He has been a wonderful friend and adventure buddy and I will miss him greatly. You will still see him in the Chronicles, though because I am always a little behind with them. I’ve actually been on two Alaska cruises already. I have just over a month to go up here. So enjoy, and don’t forget to send me email about what you are doing. Really, I like hearing from all of you, even if it’s just to say hi.

Katie

Ocho Rios, Jamaica

I’d been to Ocho Rios, Jamaica a number of times when I worked on the Century and my favorite excursion in the Caribbean was horseback riding in the ocean in Ocho Rios. The Infinity docked in Montego Bay, Jamaica and I raved about horseback riding on the beach to Alex who had always wanted to do that. So the San Francisco Gang was at it again. Alex, Steve and I went horseback riding in Jamaica.

I wanted to go with the same company that I did the last time I was there, but they would only deal through the ship, and our shore excursions person on the ship couldn’t arrange it for us. So we got off and asked a local if there were any other ranches around that would take us horseback riding in the ocean. He found a place that was close by that would do it.

We really lucked out on this one. The place we went to was very small and they didn’t have any big tours for the day. So it was just me, Alex, Steve, our guide and his young son. We got our own personalized tour of the countryside. We went through the mountains and down to a deserted beach. Then we rode bareback in the water. That was a really great day. If you're ever in Jamaica, go horseback riding in the ocean, there's nothing else like it.

Katie

Aruba

Here are some shots that I got from Alex. There’s one of me in Aruba in the water, there’s some from the hike down to the bottom of a waterfall that we did in Hawaii, whale watching in Hawaii, and finally taking pictures at the Wamea Canyon also in Hawaii.

Katie

Aruba

I have some leftover Aruba shots to share. There’s Emilie and I lounging, the beautiful sunset the Alex and I stayed for, a girl on the beach, and some shots that Alex and I took of each other just after the sun set.

I’m actually cruising Alaska at the moment and the climate is totally different. It was weird to go from a Panama cruise, which is really hot to Alaska, which is cold. I had a roll of film with the beaches of Mexico at the beginning and snowcapped mountains in Juneau on the end. So I have a few more Central American pictures to share and then I’ll take you through Alaska.

Katie

Aruba

Windsurfing is so much fun! And Aruba is the perfect place to do it. There are nice steady trade winds all year round in Aruba and I found a place that rented windsurfing equipment and did lessons for beginners. So this time, Emilie, our Assistant Cruise Director joined Alex and I for a fantastic windsurfing adventure.

We had an hour of lessons and going around on the equipment with an instructor and then another hour just to play. We all had a blast. It’s not very hard to windsurf. I think it’s mostly about having good balance. We all got up easily and by the end we were all making turns and having a grand time. Emilie had to go back to the ship afterward, but Alex and I stayed to watch the sunset and just relax on the beach. It was a very fun day.

Katie

Georgetown, Grand Cayman

I had been to Georgetown, Grand Cayman every other week when I was working on the Century, but we always had to tender. There’s no dock and the tender always took a long time and crew had to wait till all the guests had gone. It was always such a hassle, I only ever got off once and I didn’t have time to do much. Well this time I was determined to make the most of it and I did.

Swimming with the stingrays is the thing to do in Grand Cayman. You have to be taken by boat to the middle of this sandbar they call Stingray City. I went with a group of the crew and got a picture of some of the tattooed crew sitting at the front of the boat. It seems like all the crew on ships have tattoos. Don’t worry, mom, I’m not going to get one...yet...tee hee.

Fishermen started feeding the stingrays at Stingray city back in the 80s and now they all congregate there and get fed and petted by tourists. They are still wild, but they’ve become used to human contact and they are very tolerant of people touching and holding and yes even kissing them. They say it’s good luck to kiss a stingray, but I think the locals just say that to have a good laugh at all the tourists who do it. Well, laugh away because I did it.

Our guide brought a bucket of little squid and let us feed the stingrays. You just held a piece in your hand and put it under their mouth and they sucked it out like a vacuum. Well after a while they all smelled the juicy squid and they would swarm around us and brush against our legs. Steve got freaked out and curled into a fetal position in Elisabeth’s arms and I was there to get that picture. I also got a good shot of the underside of a stingray one of the guides was holding. And Steve got a great picture of me petting one underwater. This was a truly amazing and sometimes creepy experience.

Katie

Costa Rica

My first time in Costa Rica I went zip lining, which is the thing to do there. Costa Rica has some awesome rain forests and they have schools for training people on how to zip line and repel and do all that cool stuff when you need to learn how to get really really high in giant trees to do things like study the ecosystem of the canopy of a rainforest. Well these places also do tours for fun so regular people who aren’t scientists can just play and go sliding down the lines from tree to tree.

It was a little daunting at first when I saw how high up we were. It’s defiantly not something you want to do if you’re afraid of heights. I went with a bunch of the crew and they hiked us over to the edge of a mountain and up to this tree stand. The first line, looked really long, but later I realized it was short. We were rigged up with harnesses and they hooked these little pulley looking wheels to the wire cable said lean back and then let you go. It was like flying. You’re just whizzing by with nothing under your feet, but a long drop. Then there was one of the staff on the other end to apply a break with another rope so you wouldn’t slam into the next tree. Then you’d climb across a metal grading to another tree and do the whole thing over again.

It was great fun and definitely a unique experience. At the place I went to, they had the second longest zip line in the world (700 meters long) and I got to go down it. There’s a picture of the line attached. You can see the cable off to the side and then it just disappears into the distance. Yea, I went down that.

That didn’t scare me as much as repelling though. I’ve always thought of repelling as bouncing off the side of a mountain as you go down quickly on a rope, but it can also be sliding strait down a rope, which is what I did. They looped the rope around this figure eight metal thingy for the repelling. One end was attached to the top of a very tall tree and the other went down to the ground and the only thing holding you in the middle was this little metal figure eight thingy and your own hand. Grip tight and you go slow. Grip loosely and you go fast. The woman at the bottom kept saying ‘loosen your grip, you’ll go faster.’ I was just like ‘that’s okay, I like going slow.’ That one made my heart pound, it was awesome.

Katie

Acapulco, Mexico

In the not too distant past Acapulco, Mexico was a place for the rich and famous to get away. Now it’s a huge port town bustling with people and traffic. I didn’t really care for it, but I figured it would be a waste not to get off. I went with Steve to see the cliff divers. There are these divers that get up high on some cliffs next to the ocean and they have to wait for a wave to swell so they can dive into it, otherwise the water is too shallow and they could break their necks. It’s very dangerous and an exciting show to see. It was too hot and my camera was cold from being on the ship so my lens was fogged, but I did get one shot where you can see the little diver at the top of the cliff waiting for just the right moment to jump.

Next Steve and I went to a fancy hotel where Elvis stayed when he visited Acapulco. It was really cool, they had a bar in the pool. So you sat on seats that were in the water and ordered your drinks and food and ate with your body still in the pool. We spent all afternoon there just relaxing. I decided I needed a diva shot next to the pool and just as I was posing, Jason from AV (audio visual department) jumped in behind me and copied me. I had no idea he was doing it until I saw the pictures the next day.

Katie

Hilo

Our last stop in Hawaii was a rainy one. We were on the big island again which is where the lava is flowing, but the crew had boat drill that morning and by the time we got off the ship, there wasn’t enough time to get to the lava. So we rented a really nice SUV, that I got to drive, and went to see the two big waterfalls that were in the area. Alex didn’t make it out this time either. It was myself and Steve, along with Canadian Steve (remember he was one who had the idea to see wine country in San Francisco but decided not to go.) There was Michael again and Trin and her boyfriend Karl pictured below.

We hiked to Akaka falls and got poured on, but hey, we were in a rainforest after all. It was a beautiful site. Akaka falls is 700 meters tall. You can’t tell by the picture, but it’s humongous. Then we all changed clothes and stopped off at a little Hawaiian café in a small town and got Kona coffee and pastries. Next we went to Rainbow falls, and this time we didn’t even have to get out of the car. The falls were right next to the road and it was really coming down by the time we got there, so everyone took pictures from the car. And then it was time to get back on the ship.

And that was Hawaii. I had such a blast and I loved all the islands that we saw. I would love to go back some time and stay for like a week just on Maui or Kauai. There is so much to do and see there. This whole time I had planned to surf, but I was so busy doing everything else, I never got around to it. I guess I will have to save that for next time.

Katie

More Maui

My next day in Maui, Steve and I went on a jeep trip. Alex had had too much fun the night before and decided to sit this one out. So Steve and I got what was probably the last vehicle in town and headed out. The best driving thing to do on the island is take the road to Hana, but it takes all day if you hurry and we only had the afternoon. So we drove around the Northern part of the island along the coast and on to Iao (pronounced Eee-Ohh) Valley State Park.

It was an amazing drive. There were beautiful beaches around every corner and the road was small and winding and ran right along the edge of the cliff. In some places it was so small, if you met an on coming car you had to reverse till there was a pull off and let them pass before you could continue. Steve had a lot of fun driving this one. In the Iao Valley there were beautiful green mountains and a foggy sky, it was like walking into a different world. And that was a great end to our time in Maui. Next up will be our last stop in Hawaii on the big island again, this time on the other side in a town called Hilo.

Katie

Maui

Our next island was Maui. We had an overnight in the port of Lahaina. So I had two days on Maui. The first day, the San Francisco gang went whale watching with our on board naturalist, Dirk. Whale watching is different in Hawaii than it is in Alaska. Dirk said that in Hawaii humpback whales don’t feed, they just have their babies and nurse them until they are big enough to make the trip to Alaska. Then in Alaska, they eat. So in Hawaii, since they aren’t hunting, they play a lot and they breach a lot which is when they jump out of the water. I got some pictures of a baby humpback breaching, but you’ll have to wait for those.

We were so lucky on this trip. There were whales everywhere and one of them even swam right under our boat. It was so cool. There were only five of us crew in the boat. It was the San Francisco gang and Damian (our cruise director with his feet on the cooler) and his girlfriend. So we had the whole boat to ourselves. I can’t wait to see my pictures when they come back.

Katie

Wamea Canyon

Next in our trip through the Hawaiian Islands was the port of Nawiliwili on the Island of Kauai. This island ties for my favorite with Maui (which I will share in the next two instillations.) Kauai has beautiful countryside all over the island. The San Francisco gang had yet another companion this time. In the group photo you will see Steve, Alex, and myself accompanied by Darren and Michael. We rented a car again and this time Steve drove. Because he’s Australian, we all teased him about driving on the right side of the road and when I started taking pictures of him driving he posed real quick like he was crashing. But luckily he’s a very good driver and now he’s taken over most the driving on our trips.

Our first destination was the Wamea Canyon, which is dubbed the Grand Canyon of the Pacific. It was spectacular, I’m afraid no picture can do the place justice. Then we went hunting waterfalls. We ended up hiking to the bottom of a large waterfall down a steep muddy trail that a local told us about. It was a tough climb, but it was worth it. There was no one at the bottom we had it all to ourselves. We all had a great time on this trip.

Katie

Kailua Kona, on the big island in Hawaii

My first stop in Hawaii was in Honolulu. We weren’t in port for very long. I just walked around town and did a little shopping. The city is nice. It’s like what South Florida would have been, if they had taken better care of the place and left some trees around and kept it cleaner. Our next port was Kailua Kona, on the big island. The lava from the volcanoes was too far away, so we went to a place called turtle beach, where they have sea turtles everywhere. You aren’t allowed to touch them, but you can get very close and even swim with them. I took pictures of course and we had fish and chips for lunch on the beach. The weather was kinda blah, but we still had a nice day. This time Michael from activities staff (eating lunch in the picture below) tagged along with the San Francisco Gang.

Katie

Napa Valley

The next stop for the San Francisco Gang was wine country in Napa Valley. But before we got there, we stopped and took pictures at the golden gate bridge and then visited Muir Woods where they have giant redwood trees. Now this trip to see the wine country was a guy named Steve Merchant’s idea. Steve Merchant is a Canadian activities staff guy and when he suggested a trip to the wine country, I knew I had to do it. So it was supposed to be me, and Canadian Steve, and Aussie Steve, and Alex (who is Austrian in case you were wondering) but Canadian Steve decided he didn’t want to go anymore. So we made a joke of it the whole trip and below you'll see we are at a nice restaurant toasting to Steve for having such a great idea.

After that trip we toured around San Francisco the next few days. I stocked up on some professional film to get me through Hawaii. I also went and got contact lens. I have daily wear disposable so I just wear them whenever I feel like it and I wear my glasses the rest of the time. I love it. Now I can still see when I go swimming at the beach or snorkeling. And I don't have to wear my glasses when I get all dressed up and go out.

All these pictures and the ones from the previous Chronicle and the next few chronicles to come are courtesy of Aussie Steve (he's the one drinking a giant latte below.) I was shooting mostly black and white inferred and medium format. That won’t be processed for a while. So I’ll have to share my own pictures later. Doing Black and White inferred was interesting. The film is very sensitive and you’re supposed to put it in your camera and take it out in complete darkness, and since I don’t have a changing bag to do that, I had Alex and Steve lock me up in the trunk of the car to change my film. That was funny.

Katie

Commercial Contest Award

I have some exciting news today. I just won a commercial contest that Celebrity was having with all the broadcast teams in the fleet. Two other ships were chosen as winners in addition to ours. I made 2 commercials one was with Steve where he’s staring out at the ocean all bored. Then when he leans forward to look down at something, his nose touches the glass window and he starts making faces. A cute girl passes by and sees him. He pulls away embarrassed and then a title card comes up saying "Looking for some excitement?" and then there is a short montage of all the sports we have on board.

The next commercial I had the two flyers (aerial artists that fly around the stage during shows) as my actors. They are having a formal tea in our specialty restaurant and the guy is really bored. So he makes a paper football and flicks it across the room into another couple’s teacup and yells in excitement. Everyone in the restaurant stares at him indignantly until he quietly puts his hands down then the title card comes up "Need a change of scene?"

As a prize I get to take 4 people to lunch at any place in any port I want and we can spend up to $150. I’m taking Resty, Brett, and Steve. And my commercials are going to be played fleet wide.

Katie

The San Francisco Gang

In San Francisco we were in dry dock for five glorious days. Dry dock is when they put the ship in a special dock and drain the water out, so you can see from one of the pictures below what the bottom of the ship looks like. There are no guests and nothing for the crew to do but play.

In San Francisco Steve, Alex, and me formed what has been dubbed "The San Francisco Gang." Since San Fran there have been others who have come and gone in the gang, but it still remains: myself, Steve, and Alex. We started making our own tours to the places we wanted to see usually renting a car and driving to see all the sights of a particular place. In San Francisco we had our first big trip to Napa Valley and stayed overnight there. From there we’ve been on lots of great trips together and it didn’t take long for the rest of the crew to catch wind of our great adventures and start asking to join in. One time I went to the mess and a bunch of people came and sat at my table and started asking what was our next trip and could they join in. You will see versions of the San Francisco Gang in later Chronicles, but here is where it all started.

Alex, Steve, and I rented a car and toured the city then went out to wine country to visit some wineries. Attached are some pictures of us riding a cable car and standing at Pier 39 at sunset. Next we went to Napa Valley... more on that next time.

Katie

The Americas

Well, now that I've caught you up with South America I need to catch you up on Central America, San Francisco, and Hawaii. I'm just now leaving Hawaii and I have had such a good time. We have five sea days till we get to Mexico so I'm going to be very busy, but I'll be getting those pictures out soon. This picture was from an early morning at sea when the water was calm and you couldn't see where the sea ended and the sky began.

Katie

Arica, Chile

Good news, the engines are broken! I know I know, you’re thinking what’s so good about broken engines? The ship is still in working order, but we have to go into dry dock for repairs. We will be in dry dock for 5 days in San Francisco! And what work will I have to do while we are there? None, ha! Well, I’m sure I’ll do a little cleaning and organizing in the broadcast room, but for me it’s a paid vacation. To top it off, we aren’t taking on any guests before we sail to Hawaii. We will pick them up when we reach the islands. So the crew will have 4 days at sea with no guests. We will have the ship all to ourselves. There are going to be parties every night. The only down side is that we’ve cut one of our Hawaii cruises. So we’ll only have one week in Hawaii instead of two. But hey, it’s like a 9-day vacation for me. Yay!

So, now back to my tour of South America. I’m almost done. I’ve got Peru to go and that’s pretty much it for South America. Our last stop in Chile was in a town called Arica. It’s the armpit of South America, and I don’t mean that the town was bad. It was nice and quaint. I mean if you look at a map of South America and look on the Western side to where the land dips inward and then goes strait down, right at that joint is Arica. I went on an ancient ruins tour where we saw old Incan ruins and stopped in a small farming town where I took the pictures of the little girl and her lama and the two characters in a local bar. Then we went to the top of some mountains where a medicine woman did a blessing for the fertility of the earth and some dancers did a traditional Chilean dance, that’s what the feet in the sand are. Arica has a huge desert with a river that everyone lives and farms by. It was an interesting place. Next stop Peru.

Katie

Pisco Sours

In the Southern part of Chile I went to an estancia where they raise sheep. They did a shearing demonstration and a herding demonstration where a cowboy/shepard was on horseback directed his dogs who moved the sheep around. I’ve never seen sheep herded that way before...come to think of it I don’t think I’ve ever seen sheep herded. There were lots of cute dogs on the ranch and we had another spectacular meal.

When we arrived, we were welcomed into an old farmhouse full of antiques and were served Pisco Sours. Now a Pisco Sour is a very small innocent looking Chilean drink, but man does it pack a punch. It tastes good, like a hard lemonade and I had two, because I thought they were serving different drinks, but they were the same drink just in different glasses. Right after that we had lunch and I had a glass of red wine with my lamb. I was talking and laughing and having a great time. Then I stood up. It wasn’t until that very moment that I realized I was drunk. Sandy the sports coordinator happened to be along with me on this one and now every time I pass him in the hall he always says something like, ‘hey, Katie, you’re looking a little shaky there. Have you been sampling the Pisco Sours again?’ or ‘Katie, going to the crew bar tonight? They’re serving your favorite, Pisco Sours.’ I’ll never live it down.

Katie

New Manager On Board

My old manager, Sean, has already left the ship and has been replaced by a new manager, Resty. And when I say new, I mean brand new. He’s worked longer than I have, but only as an assistant. This is his first time as a manager. And he got no handover. Usually they send crew a few days before the person they are replacing leaves, that way they have some time to go over things together. Resty didn’t get that and we were expecting an experienced manager to come on, but the one we were expecting left Celebrity and went to work for another company.

So I got a brief handover from Sean before he left and now I’m training Resty. It’s very hard on us both. Resty has company training most of the day and I am trying to do the manager’s job and my job at the same time while teaching Resty and slowly letting him take over. Resty is great though, he works very hard and he’s catching on all right. I’m sure once we get through this cruise it will get better, but right now, I’m beat.

There will be more of my South American adventures coming soon. Right now we’re heading to Aruba. I’ve left you a little behind with the pictures. I’ve already become a shellback. That means I’ve crossed the equator. Before you cross the equator, you’re a pollywog. And they have a big ceremony where a person dresses like King Neptune and everyone gets really silly and they cover the pollywogs in batter and flower and through pies in their face before tossing them in the pool. I was shooting the event so I didn’t have to go through it, but someone still managed to get pie in my face.

Katie

Ushuaia, Argentina

Most of these ports I have been in twice. Once on the way up to Brazil and again on the way back around Cape Horn, through the Straits of Magellan and back toward the Panama Canal to end up in Ft. Lauderdale at the end of this cruise. So I’ve been to Ushuaia, Argentina twice. I’m going to tell you about the first time now and the next Chronicle will be about my second time to Ushuaia.

On this trip, I went hiking to the bottom of a Glacier with Sandy, the Sports Coordinator, Phil a Tasmanian sax player, and Nate an AV (audio visual) guy. We took a lift up to the bottom of this mountain and hiked the rest of the way to the bottom of a glacier that was there. It was about a two-hour hike and man was it steep. That hike has inspired me to work out on a regular basis. Before we left, we stopped off at a little restaurant/cabin and had soup and coffee and red wine. It all tasted wonderful. And the woman who brought us our food was great. She let the boys try three different beers and warned them that Argentinean beers weren’t so good, but the wine was excellent. We finally ended up splitting a bottle of wine.

Katie