Better at Bocce

April 3, 2012 

My first foray into Bocce was not going to result in my being invited onto the professional Bocce tour . . . even if there was one. Yet I had so much fun mingling with our guests in that way that I looked forward to the next event when it came. Once again the weather was gorgeous on Deck 15 and the green lawn looked spectacular under the brilliant blue Caribbean sky. Tim and I sallied forth to do battle with our guests and officer peers. This time with a bit of a clue as to what to do, I hoped we actually be a bit more competitive.

By random draw the officers are paired to play against guest teams and we drew a young couple from England on their honeymoon. They were simply lovely and it was a close match but on our final tosses we couldn’t make any magic happen and they got the win. However, there are always more guests to play than officer teams and so we were paired two more times to play in first round matches. Surprisingly, against more experienced teams who seemed to know the game, we won the next two matches. This meant we would advance to the second round. We now appeared to be on a roll and we easily dispatched our opponents and would move onto the third round of competition.

In the third round we were paired with a serious ten year old boy and his dad. The little boy took his time with every shot and was very competitive. After two ends we were up two points and they would need a stirring come back to win. The younger son of the family came up to me and started badgering me to lose because I was a nice person who wanted to make the passengers happy. I stared seriously into his eyes and asked him whatever gave him that impression. He continued to plead and taunt until . . . I threw him over the side of the ship!  Okay, no I didn’t but in my mind I did. Instead Tim and I put on the most dominating display in our brief bocce career winning the maximum number of points (4) for that end and vanquishing the lad and his dad. When it comes to competition I don’t believe in losing on purpose.

The final round brought us to play another team of officers, our Hotel Director, Damien, and our Bar Manager, Clint. Damien has been the reigning champion for several cruises partnered with our Associate Hotel Director, Robert, who was off ship at a conference that day. Clint had willingly stepped up and the game was on. After two ends it was tied at 1-1 with the third and final end ahead of us. With only one toss left by Clint we were closest to get the final point. Clint does not have the expertise of Damien but he let go with the perfect shot. Just before it rolled to a stop it nicked Tim’s closest ball out of the way and settled gracefully into that first spot. By the narrowest of margins we had lost our chance at championship glory.

Bragging rights would remain with the HD, but we had made a statement and enjoyed a grand half an hour on the lawn. Perhaps there is a bocce championship in our future, but for now we needed to appreciate our valiant effort.

And the adventure continues . . .

Holy Week Begins

April 2, 2012

For the last ten years the rhythm of my springtime has centered on the season of Lent culminating in Holy Week and the celebration of Easter.With my dramatic change of venues for this Lenten season that rhythm was fundamentally disrupted. There would be no parish setting and no fullness of the traditional liturgies which I had grown to love over the last decade serving as a deacon. This year would be fundamentally different.

As I have mentioned Celebrity Cruise Lines guaranteed a priest on board throughout Lent. So that was one consistent theme during Holy Week, 2012. Of course, the priest was onboard primarily to provide services for the guests. Yet the visiting priests knew the importance of the Eucharist to the crew and easily agreed to celebrating a weekly mass with the crew members in addition to the daily masses they offered with the guests. But what would happen with Holy Week and the fullness of the Triduum? That would take a very real commitment by our guest priest.

I met Fr. Ed Condon on the first day of the cruise even before we sailed. As I crossed Deck 4 just before we departed I encountered a trim, white haired figure in a Roman Collar. We spoke quickly and agreed to meet for coffee the next day to ensure our bases were covered. Over coffee I learned that Fr. Ed had been a Navy Chaplain for 25 years so he definitely had a heart for serving the crew. He agreed to mirror the guest services as much as he could during the Triduum to fulfill the need of our members.

The first liturgy we would celebrate together was Palm Sunday, the kickoff of Holy Week. We had joked that we should have taken palm fronds off of the trees at one of our prior ports to ensure there were palm leaves for the celebration. What a surprise it was to learn that the Apostolate of the Sea had already taken care of that and a shipment of palm leaves had been sent to us. Fortunately the supply was so vast that there were extra above and beyond what was needed for the 400 people who showed up at the guest mass so we were able to bring palms down later that night to provide to our crew. Over 40 crew members were able to attend our Palm Sunday 10pm mass and they were delighted to receive the palms.  It was a great pleasure to narrate the Passion with Father reading the part of Jesus and my crew mates proclaiming the other voices. Holy Thursday was an unexpected blessing for our crew to receive the opportunity to attend the Eucharist, again, on this night at which we remember the institution of this central sacrament of our faith.

Good Friday was a most unusual day. We arrived in St. Maarten that day. Because it was Good Friday all of the shops and most of the restaurants were closed. This busy Caribbean vacation port took on an almost ghostly feel. It did not make many of our guests happy but it made me think of what it would have been like if you had been in the shops in Jerusalem when the spectacle of the Crucifixion was taking place right outside the city walls. It was a strange day and place to adhere to a time of fast and abstinence. For us it was still a business day. But I skipped breakfast and taught my morning class with a true sense of service in the midst of the emptiness of self-denial. For my mid-day meal I went ashore to The Greenhouse and had my one meal of the day, albeit delicious fish tacos. The restaurant was mostly empty except for a few tables of crew members which made it a very surreal experience. I returned to the ship to celebrate the Good Friday Service with our guests in the Silhouette Theater. Due to my schedule I would not be able to join the crew service that night but later heard that there were so many crew standing in the hall outside the training room that Father did not believe he would have enough pre-consecrated hosts to distribute. He completed Good Friday with zero hosts to spare.

Due to a Sign Off meeting on Easter Sunday morning I was unable to serve at the guest Easter mass. However, I did arrive thirty minutes before to ensure they were properly prepared. Between 500 and 600 guests attended that mass, while a non-denominational Christian service at the same time drew another 100 or so guests. I took care of my morning responsibilities knowing that I would celebrate Easter with my crew. The ship put on a nice Easter Sunday brunch in the crew mess and I ate my first waffle in nearly four months! The day was bright and sunny as Easter mornings should be, and it ended once again late at night in my training room, with over 80 crew members in attendance for Easter mass.

It was a very different Holy Week and yet alike in so many ways. Our celebrations were far simpler. There was no Easter Vigil with all its rich symbolism. Yet it was a chance for people from all over the world to come together to celebrate the central truth of our faith. It was still an undoubtedly Holy Week.

And the adventure continues . . .

The HR Wheel Keeps on Turning

April 1, 2012

High turnover is expected in the hospitality industry and cruise ships take that principle even further. Not only are there the normal challenges of hotels and resorts but when you factor in many months in succession away from family without a day off it becomes even more challenging. Now complicate that equation by embracing the Celebrity approach of trying to hire established HR and training professionals into those two roles and you will understand the probability that the wheels of change will keep turning. Finally, factor in a growing fleet which needs to staff one brand new ship later this year and you complete your understanding of the challenge.

A major component of any HR or T&D conference call is to simply introduce the new players to the fleet-wide team so that we can at least connect a name with a ship. The last time that Laura and I participated in one of these calls together, we determined that there was a full third of the list that appeared to have been a new addition over the past three months. This is unquestionably a very real challenge for the team on shore that works to schedule coverage for each of the ships. It is as if you are trying to assemble a jigsaw puzzle and people keep changing the size and number of pieces as you do.

With Laura heading off to Century and Tim to become the new HR Manager on Reflection when the new ship opens, the question that hovers is who will be the new HR Manager for Silhouette later this year. We received word that Pete would be coming to Silhouette when Tim left in June. But would he be the permanent replacement? At first the answer seemed to be yes, and then we heard that Becki, who I met on Summit would get the assignment after a short stint of vacation coverage by Pete. That plan seemed solid for about a week and then the answer was apparently up in the air, again. Pete, Becki, or someone new, the answer was as changing as the tides.

The same uncertainty appears to hover over T&Ds. Mary on Summit was awaiting the name of who would replace her so she could take vacation from Summit, even with her vacation only a week away. She subsequently heard that she would need to extend a couple of weeks in order to fill the void. Although I have a proposed sign off date, there is not a name of a replacement that accompanies that projection, which means that it is far from certain.  This is one of the less attractive sides of life onboard a ship. But how can an officer complain when our contracts even when extended are generally still shorter than the rest of our crew? This uncertainty and constant change appears to be just the nature of the beast. The HR wheel continues to spin and where it will stop nobody knows.

And the adventure continues . . .

Spring Break Cruisin’

March 31, 2012

During the season between New Years and Spring Break, especially if you are on itineraries of twelve days in length, your clientele will tend to be older. These are the people who have time to cruise for twelve days and who do not have children in school. This pushes the age demographic way up. There have been voyages when the number of passengers under the age of 20 is less than 20 out of a passenger complement of 2900. Also, those still in the work force are especially under represented. This means that our youth program; Quasar, our nightclub; and our Molecular Bar are all distinctly under utilized.

But in the second half of March all of that changed with the advent of Spring Break. In the blink of an eye the demographic dramatically transformed. For the cruise that just started on March 29^th, we now have over 200 minors and another several hundred in the 20 to 40 age group. These aren’t Disney numbers, of course, but we don’t try to be Disney. The 40 to 60 demographic skyrockets and the number of guests over 75 dwindles precipitously. The entire energy of the ship changes. Our target market is more the successful 40 to 60 year old and Spring Break instantly returns us to that sweet spot.

The first thing you noticed is that the volume level of the entire ship increased from virtually the moment the guests came onboard. The area around the Grand Foyer was almost always packed on all three of the levels surrounding that central gathering space. The Molecular Bar forward on Deck 5 was consistently full. There are some cruises that it more closely resembles a saloon in a ghost town. From the very first night the Specialty Restaurants each had good crowds and ‘packs' of children or teens could be seen roaming the ship. When you went onto the pool decks the quiet conversation around the pool was replaced by the delighted squeals of children and the more raucous conversation of younger adults. The youth program was packed to the gills. In fact, we brought on three additional youth workers just for the duration of that one cruise. Food signs in the buffet were added at a kid-friendly level and a Kid Station with all the most popular foods for children was set up.

It was amazing how quickly the entire tenor of the ship changed. Without question it will change that quickly back after this voyage. In fact, I have been told that the pendulum swings so rapidly that it will actually peg to the far other end of the spectrum on the very next cruise. There are benefits of both demographics when you work on a ship. But for now I’m enjoying this one cruise of higher energy and the sound and vibe of a younger clientele.

And the adventure continues . . .

Sign Off Meeting . . . and Looking Ahead

March 30, 2012

The Sign Off Meeting at the end of each voyage is my responsibility. This is a meeting where we gather all crew members preparing to leave us at the end of the current cruise to prepare them for the tasks that must be completed before they leave the ship, the details of their disembarkation day, and to remind them of things they should do on their vacation should they be returning to a Celebrity ship in a couple of months. Most, in fact, do return to Celebrity and the greatest number of those return to our ship.

I always welcome them to the ‘Best Meeting of Their Contract’ and their energy is high, knowing that they are going home in just a few days.The meeting covers a lot of detailed process but I tend to liven it up with a steady patter of jokes throughout to get keep their attention since the attention span in the room is as distracted as high school seniors preparing for graduation. For those who have signed off before the process is familiar and the meeting is probably overkill. But for those who are signing off for the first time they hang on every word, intent on not making a misstep that could stand in the way of them successfully traveling home. Beyond delivering the content, though, there is a ongoing emotional reaction that I experience. The longer I’ve been on the ship the more faces are familiar to me, more faces have names, and those names often have shared memories. This begins the two day process during which you truly begin to grieve the loss of new friends at least for the time being, if not forever.

That is one of the hard realities of life on a ship. You consistently are saying goodbye not sure if you will ever see the other person, again. We always bid goodbye expressing that we look forward to ‘seeing you soon,’ but there is no guarantee. With no real expectation it becomes a wonderful surprise if we see them at a sign on meeting two months later. But so many more seem to go than ever return.

As I proceed steadily through the second half of my contract I draw closer to my own Sign Off Meeting. Many thoughts race through my mind during my descriptions of the process. Will I conduct my own sign off? How will it feel to walk down the gangway and then turn and look at the ship that has been a part of me for virtually every hour for the previous four to five months? How will I spend my time at home? Will I ever walk up that gangway, again? None of these questions have definitive answers but as each day passes they become more pressing both intellectually and emotionally. This was heightened when Laura left. She had always stayed in the back of the room when I conducted the meeting, but on the day of her Sign Off Meeting, she expressed her thank you as a senior officer to the departing crew and then quietly slipped out the back. Her absence from the meeting was a glaring reminder of what was actually taking place.

Two days after the Sign Off Meeting we reach port and the Disembarkation takes place over the course of the morning. That morning we rarely have to mourn the loss of friends. In the midst of signing them off we are already beginning to sign the new crew on. By the time the day ends they are on their flights and we are heading back out to sea. Goodbyes and new Hellos are simply the consistent rhythm of life on the ship.

And the adventure continues . . .

Movie Nights Continue

March 29, 2012

Teamwork at sea is absolutely essential. You depend on each other for not only your work but your support network for daily life. So, it is fairly common that work teams try to spend time together just to relax. Your immediate team is like your close family, the people you interact with on a daily basis, the people you trust with your highs and lows. It is important that you take to simply relieve stress In their company. Work teams often eat together. Some enjoy bike rides or shopping trips when they are in port. Some hang out in the crew lounges together. Some enjoy beach time when in port. For our HR team the answer is movie nights.

In reality the movie doesn’t matter. In fact the movie tends to be the last thing we decide upon. The night is the most important. We look for an evening when things don’t begin too early for anyone the next day. Since we generally can’t start the movie until 9:30pm or later, it is critical that no one has to bounce out of bed at 6am or earlier. The second most important thing seems to be food and beverage. Since the HR Manager has room service privileges the staff begins to speculate  on what they will feel like eating that night, generally some treat that they have longed for but haven’t had lately, hamburgers, quesadillas, and desserts are generally the order of the day. The place is always clear, it must take place in the HR Managers cabin sine he or she is the only one with room. It has a proper living room area and so four adults can relax comfortably and watch a movie without being on top of each other. Yes, four could fit in my cabin, but two would be on my ‘couch light’ one on my bed and one could pull down the bunk above. But my TV screen is small and I don’t have Surround Sound.

Okay, the movie does matter a little. To keep us all happy it must have laughs and some adventure. Rush Hour 3 was our choice when we had movie night with Laura. For Tim’s first hosted gathering we were subjected to Hangover 2. This movie is not to be confused with Oscar nominated films. It has a few ‘cringe worthy’ moments. But as a vehicle to sit and laugh, and laugh at each laughing, it was the perfect choice.

When Tim joined I wondered if we would quickly reform the camaraderie that marked Laura’s tenure. The movie night sealed the deal. Since Tim is a bit of an overgrown kid, the movie was virtually background entertainment as we commented and tormented each other like the rather dysfunctional family that we are. We knew this tradition, no matter the composition of our team, must endure.

And the adventure continues . . .

Fun Times, But No Anonymity in Labadee

March 28, 2012

Labadee is as close to a tropical island as we get. As our own private resort in Haiti it is a very controlled environment which allows both guests and crew to relax. If you have sailed with any other cruise line you understand the ‘private island’ experience and what it has to offer. For Disney Cruise Line fans, think Castaway Cay. Yes, many of our Food and Beverage crew are working, but even they enjoy working outdoors at the beach instead of in their normal duty stations onboard ship. For crew members who can take a break on the island the chance to put on swimwear, sandals, dark glasses, and a hat and be incognito for a day is truly a treat.

With only two Labadee days left this season I chose to take advantage of one of the islands ‘excursions,’ the Dragon’s Breath Zip Line. It is a half mile zip line that soars off the top of a peak at one end of the beach on the Atlantic side of the peninsula and sails 500 feet above the ocean on the way to a gentle landing at the far end of the beach. It is very dramatic and definitely not for anyone who has a fear of heights or the ocean, but for me it is exactly in my wheel house. After a quick bite at the crew barbeque I headed to the sign in shack to register for the next ‘tour.’ The journey started by me being fitted with a harness with so many straps and connections that you quickly gain assurance that if you don’t do something completely stupid you will be very safe on this adventure. As we waited for our tour to begin, the three people in my group sat on the beach and watched the current crop of participants come sailing by.

As I watched one young lady head into land I determined that she did not have enough speed to make it to the end of the line and was destined to be stuck on the line over the ocean about 50 feet from shore. As I peered to see what guest it was I realized it was a fellow crew member, Kacey, who was now hanging in no woman’s land (or sea). Kacey is a little bit of a thing and without the assistance of the normal trade winds to push her along she didn’t have enough mass to complete the journey. Young and determined I could see she was trying to decide if it might be wise to unclip the harness and drop the remaining 15 feet into the ocean. Fortunately, she thought better of it. A few minutes later, one of the line guides waded out into the chest deep water and threw a coiled rope up to his stranded guest. Kacey caught the rope and he step by step towed her to the terminal platform. With that image clearly in my mind I heard my guide call and my companions and I headed up a short hill to take a trial run.

Fortunately your first ride is not on the main line but on a much smaller and shorter line to teach you the basics of hooking in, zipping, and stopping. There is no question that some anxiety can kick in for a moment when, after you are hooked in, you step out onto the exposed platform and sit back into the harness dangling your feet in the air. The goal is to lay all the way back into a horizontal position to pick up the maximum speed and then at the predetermined point, sit up to slow your speed so you can sail gracefully into the platform. Okay, not so gracefully as a braking system at the end ensures that even if you haven’t slowed yourself down, the line will. However, you are jerked to such a sudden stop and are swung up toward the main cable. If you don’t have your feet apart when that happens your legs may encounter that cable with unpleasant results.

Despite the initial trepidation the short 75 meter ride was uneventful, although the sound and force of the breaking certainly got your attention. With that we loaded into the open air truck to head to the top of the hill. What happened next may have been the most thrilling part of the entire afternoon. As we proceeded up this narrow and rutted ‘road’ we came to a very sharp switchback (or perhaps a backswitch, ask my family for the explanation). Just as we slowed to navigate this turn three locals on dirt bikes decided they were going to pass us on the inside, i.e. terrifying drop down a cliff side, of the road. Our driver yelled and slammed on the brakes. The three young men smiled and waved and took off up the hill in front of us. Certainly enough to create an adrenaline rush to feed the thrill ahead.

The view from the top of the hill was amazing. The beautiful ocean and white sand beach below us, our ship in the distance, and green forests all around. They asked if we had brought our cameras. A cruel question since they tell you to leave valuables behind so that you don’t risk dropping them. However, the mental snapshots taken are permanently in my memory. When you strap in and step off the platform at 500 feet above the beach it is definitely a rush. Not wanting to run the risk of stalling like Kacey I decided that I would torpedo as long as I could only sitting up just before the landing platform. When given the signal they released the brake and off I went.

It was as close to flying as I ever will experience. It wasn’t even the slightest bit frightening. The rush of soaring above the waves was simply amazing. My strategy worked and with little ado I flew down the line enjoying every moment and came to a proper landing at the end platform. My only regret was that it was over too soon.

With the adventure part of my day completed I chose to spend a quiet hour on the beach hoping that warm water, warm sand, and warm sun would melt my cares away. And they did. I lay in the sun for about twenty minutes and just when I started to feel too warm I jumped into the ocean for a quick and cooling swim. With about 45 minutes until I needed to head back to the ship I returned to my chaise lounge to catch a quick nap, after carefully setting my alarm. Only the alarm would not be necessary. A few minutes after I closed my eyes I heard voices nearby and soon they penetrated my sleepy fog. “That’s the officer who won Dancing With the Stripes last night.” I wanted to keep my eyes closed and feign sleep, but knew that I was now back ‘on the clock.’ I opened my eyes, greeted our guests and exchanged pleasantries for a few moments. The apologized for disturbing my ‘down time’ but I told them it was my pleasure to talk with them. As I closed my eyes one more time the voices returned, with a slightly different pitch, tone, and timbre. There would be no anonymity in Labadee today.

But ultimately our guests are why we are here. I did end up catching about a 15 minute nap but more importantly I engaged our guests. Soon the time would come to put back on the uniform and ‘officially’ go back to work.

And the adventure continues . . .