What Time is it, REALLY?

January 15^th – What Time is it, REALLY? . . . More to the Point, What DAY is it?

Clocks and calendars are interesting devices. They help us break our lives into measurable units, upon which we construct repeatable and comfortable schedules. But when one is serving on a cruise ship, and probably any ship for that matter, the conventional measures of time are meaningless. The primary calendar is the cruise itinerary, for our only anchor points are ports, the most important of which is our embarkation/debarkation port, the place we begin and end each cruise. And since we are in the hospitality industry, each day requires us to serve our guests and our work schedules accommodate that service.

When your office is continually moving, time, itself, can be unpredictable. Early and late in our Caribbean cruise cycle, we cross a time zone. Meaning that every few days, you are setting your watch forward or back. The first experience I had with this change, I was determined to get it right. So, determined to get it right, that I did so . . . twice. It took place on the crew wine and cheese party night, and the cruise director reminded us all to set our watches back before we left. Apparently, my manager and I chose to do so right at that moment to ensure we didn’t forget. However, when my alarm went off at what appeared to be much too early a time the next morning, in my semi-awake state I was convinced that I hadn’t set my clock back, yet, and proceeded to repeat the process. Halfway through getting ready, I realized my mistake, and flew into work at 8:58am. Still on time, as we don’t have to report until 9am, but definitely later than I intended.

(LOL . . . as I wrote this on my afternoon break, I received a call from Laura. She had just agreed that I should head back to my cabin to take a break, and then realized fifteen minutes later that she and I needed to conduct a sign-off meeting for the dining staff who are leaving the ship on Tuesday in just ten minutes. I now understand how firefighters get dressed so quickly! The meeting went fine, after all that rush. . . Thanks for asking . . .)

The day of the week really doesn’t matter much, either. Sunday looks like Wednesday, and Tuesday like Friday. Today, was Jan 15^th, the eleventh day of Voyage 015 for the Silhouette. In your world it is Sunday, which means little to us, as we are at sea today. However, our great fortune is to have a Catholic priest on board for this voyage, and he has offered to say a mass for the crew at 10:30pm, tonight. So, my first Sunday on board, I will actually get to go to mass on a Sunday. Not something to take for granted, anymore . . .

Speaking of time, I need to pull on my evening dress uniform and Encounter Guests for a half an hour with my team. That will be followed by an HR team meeting, and then after grabbing a quick dinner, we will be back in the offices, preparing for the Turnaround Day on Tuesday. Since I’m going to mass at 10:30pm, it makes sense to put this time to good use.

And the adventure continues . . .