The crossing
On the morning of May 17th, I awoke from the most amazing three hours of sleep I had ever gotten in order to prepare for my departure on the ms ROTTERDAM. a king sized bed all to myself had enveloped me in its comfy confines for the evening and it didn't want to let me go. And, I'll have to admit, I didn't want to let it go, either. But sometimes you have to bid adieu to even the most cozy of relationships, and so I gave the bed of the gods a groggy goodbye, packed my suitcase- which had somehow exploded clothing casualties all over the room in one night- and headed downstairs.
The lobby was buzzing with activity- people adding to the luggage totem pole forming near the front desk, other sleepyheads munching sluggishly on danish, and the eager ones outside- their morning preparations complete- and waiting on the shuttle, even though it would be another 20 minutes before it arrived.
I headed to the omelette line- which would become a refrain during the actual cruise- and grabbed a pastry, a coffee, and an orange juice and a seat. All was delicious and all was quickly consumed (with the exception of the seat, of course- I wasn't THAT hungry). I realized that there were still some things I needed to pick up before we left, as toiletries and such were not easy to come by on the ocean, go figure. Kmart was across the street, but didn't open until long after we were gone. Thus the shell station convenience store became
my stop.
Man, Florida was pretty muggy that May morning. As I did much running to make sure I got back in time, I had inadvertently invented the brand new, all-new, for the latest season, for ALL seasons: "sweaty chic". That's right- wear a sassy dress shirt, a vintage skinny tie, a pair of pants that slightly hugs the ass. And, the piece de resistance, sweat to the point that it's dripping off your chin. I tell ya, there is no better way to gain that second-look glance that says "what the hell are you wearing?" That's right baby. Then walk in, grab that toothpaste and pay for it like "what???"
At any rate......
It took us about 20 minutes to get to the ship, maybe less. Passing through minor forests and swamps, we suddenly came to a rather industrial looking area that became completely invisible once I saw the jewel of the seas- the ms Rotterdam. Okay, okay- that's a rather trite, unimaginative way to describe it, but I can onlyt speak to how I was affected knowing that I would be living on this vessel for the next 8 months. And like a jewel, it was beautiful and exciting- and you hesitate at it because, well, I don't know.... because maybe deep down inside you wonder if it's too good to be true- or that if you touch it, it might lose its value.
More on that later....
So, as to be expected, embarkment onto a ship is full of a whole bunch of bureaucracies that are important to the safety, understanding and well-being of each worker. I hastily brought my luggage into my room (which Melodie, the F1 pointed out to me) and headed to a morning of meetings and drill tests, finding out where my assigned lifeboat was and the like. By 11am, I was in the Showroom at Sea where we were preparing for the first round of rehearsals. There I met my fellow cast members: Erwin, the zany M1 with the mellow soulful pop Musical theatre voice; Morie, the M2 with the bright voice and personality to match; Vinnie, the Male Comic whose person and voice are as unmistakeable as they are irreplaceable; Melodie- the F1 of the aforementioned F1s- who's got a voice with big brass cahones and Talia- the FL- and therefore my on-stage partner in crime- the sweet soprano who can float high notes as if they were in the middle of her range. Though I was admittedly shy at first, I was also pretty certain that we would get along famously. The rehearsal went well, and we had a break for lunch.
After lunch, I was put on a sort of signature scavenger hunt. There was this card that we needed to complete in order to get our ship identification, without which we would not be able to get off the ship. You see, the ID is not only the way that you prove that you are an employee of the ship to the customs agents at the gates, it proves that you have an actual passport to the agents as well- people without passports cannot travel, after all. So, I was keen to get the card completed. The only thing was that I could not find all the people
needed to sign. Some people told me that it is done on purpose- that the card often times is not finished in a day. All I could say was thank goodness I had a whole week of sea travel or else I would've been PISSED not being able to get off the ship at a port.
After I did all that I could, I spent some time getting my room together and prepared to take part of my very first performance- the opening show known as "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now". Yes, you are correct- it is named after the Jefferson Starship song of the same name- and we do sing and dance to it. THe show ends up showcasing all of the singers and the two dancers (minus Vinnie, for some odd reason). We each sing a solo excerpt- mine being "Man of LaMancha". It's light, it's easy, it wracked my nerves horribly. I mean, this was the first time I had been in a long term performance contract in years. The need to make a good impression was extremely strong, especially given the fact that most of the cast knew and had worked with each other before I got there. But, I think I did a fine job- I mean, I didn't crack or anything, and I took command of the stage for my solo. That's all I could ask for.
Not bad for a first night on the ship. I spent the rest of the evening in my room (after a midnight rehearsal for the Broadway show) in contemplation. Will I sully this diamond opportunity? You see, I took a hard look at myself and realized, well before I took this gig, that I've had many great opportunities that I took for granted. Chances that I ruined due to my own lack of trust in the universe, or even my own pervading impatience. I have always wanted things now, now, now, and not been good with falling in love with the process. And all of this was based in a fear of failure- a fear that I brought into reality more times than I really cared to know or admit. So, right then, I made a pact that I would try hard to kick those fears to the curve- to accept my imperfection and to let go of my past habits. And to accept that it would take some work, but it's a helluva lot better than living the same life, making the same decisions. A prayer, and a little writing, I closed my eyes to my first day.
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