Seeing Her for the First Time . . .

January 10^th, 2330 hours – Seeing Her for the First Time

Have you experienced ‘love at first sight?’ If so, you have a sense of how it felt on Tuesday morning as I saw the Celebrity Silhouette peeking above the buildings of the port city of St. John’s, Antigua. With only minor delays, I cleared immigration with the assistance of the always present Joseph, and started down the long dock toward the beautiful floating city named Silhouette.

I stopped to take pictures, as much to capture the moment as to relieve the strain on my arms from carrying my far too heavy shoulder bags. But there was no denying the grandeur of the vision that lay before me. The sleek lines and glistening white hull adorned only with the crisp blue lettering that was at once both bold and understated, filled my every sense with her beauty and sense of wonder. Another ship lay at rest on the other side of the dock, but I had eyes only for the ship that will be my home for at least the next four months.

With passport and letter of employment in hand, I presented myself at the foot of the gangway. Only minutes after having been asked to wait, I was met by two ship’s officers who I quickly found out were members of my four person human resources team. Yez (pronounced ‘Jess” . . . no kidding) from Mexico, and Dwight (pronounced, well, ‘Dwight’) from Jamaica escorted me up the gangway and quickly into a corridor which is nicknamed, and again I’m not joking here  . . . I-95. If you have ever lived on or visited the East Coast, you will recognize this as the easternmost north/south interstate in the U.S. This crew only corridor, which runs the length of the ship, is just as busy and generally as fast-paced as its namesake. For a more contemporary reference, think the EAC from the movie Finding Nemo.)

I was whisked into a tiny office, which I soon learned was quite common in size for this ship where space is lavished upon the guests, but at a premium for the crew. Sign-on paperwork was quickly accomplished, and I was showed my office and immediately introduced to my boss, Human Resources Manager, Laura McCauley. With the speed of light, she handed me back to Dwight to be shown my cabin and informed me that she would have time for me after a crew emergency drill and crew cabin inspections. Just like that, I was turned loose on my own to explore the guest areas of the ship. But that story is for another day.

The adventure continues . . .