Merry Christmas

Last cruise was a fun cruise! In Huatulco, Mexico, Dave and I did a boat cruise tour; in Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala, Nipples had organised for a group of us to go to a water park for the day. However, when we got there it was shut so instead we went to a resort for the day and played in the pool for hours. In Puntarenas, Costa Rica, Brett and I did a bit of a boring tour. The fun part of that tour was the Aerial tram, but that only went for 10 minutes. The rest of the time our guide walked us around a National Park describing every single plant we came across. Someone really into gardening and botany would have loved it. The lunch was good but the heat that day was really really hot.

Life on board was very festive. Two nights before Christmas Dave and I hosted a Christmas party down our hallway with some of the other guest entertainers. On Christmas Eve all the crew had a White Christmas party. We all got dressed up in white and had a great time. Christmas morning all the cast went round to Hayley’s to open our presents. We went around the circle and whoever guessed who their Secret Santa was got to open their present and if you got it wrong you’d have to wait til the next time round. My Secret Santa was Jayne who got me a big bottle of Miracle my favourite perfume. Ceri my Secret Santa from the Entertainment Department got me a beautiful pair of earrings. After opening all our pressies we then got ready and headed out to spend the day in Aruba on an island with a water park. There would have been about 50 of us that went, including the Captain. For $25 there was all you could eat and drink plus full use of the water slides and snorkelling equipment. The fish were so beautiful and would come right up to you.

Christmas night we did early shows of Curtin Up followed by a Christmas Variety show which I sang “All I Want for Christmas”. After that all the crew gathered into the International Show lounge to play Bingo. The cash jackpot was $5000 plus there was a raffle with loads of cool prizes. I won nothing though L.

On Wednesday we arrived back in San Juan and I spent the day shopping. The shopping mall there is fantastic. It’s huge!

Today I’m in Aruba and Brett and I have just come back from a turf and surf tour. We went in a submarine type boat and then did a tour of the island. It was great. I really like Aruba.

This cruise of course is a New Years cruise we New Years Eve should be fun. What I’m looking forward to most of all is January 6th. Only 8 more sleeps til my wonderful husband comes onboard. I so can’t wait to see him!!!

That’s it from me. Not sure when I’ll update this again. I’ll probably be having way too much fun with Chris!!! I’ll leave you with a bit of a commentary on my photos so you can get an idea of who is who.

Missing you all heaps. Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!!!!

Photos

Dave & I on the ferry across to the island Christmas Day

Brett & I snorkelling in Aruba Christmas day. We were about to feed the fish.

Brett & I after we’d been snorkelling. Brett kept throwing the bread at me in the water and huge fish would swim right up to me. Man did I scream!

Brett, Hayley and I at the white party.

Martin and Joe. Martin is from the UK and reminds me of my brother in law Gareth. Martin is Senior Assistant Cruise Director on board. Joe is our production manager, I also worked with him on the Pacific Princess.

Hayley and I Christmas morning.

Danielle, Tara, Dave, John, Jayne & Hayley on Christmas morning.

Me, Erin, Kim & Nate Christmas morning.

Ceri, Martin, Me, Matty, Bobby, Nipple & Dave at the resort in Puerto Quetzal, Hayley took the photo.

Me on the Aerial Tram in Costa Rica

Me making the most of my boring tour in Costa Rica (you know it really wasn’t so bad, just really hot)

Dave and I with Dick and Patty. Dick is another Guest Entertainer onboard. Dave and I worked with him on the Pacific Princess too. He is a comedian. He and his wife Patty are lovely.

Do You Know The Way to San Jose??

I can say I do now! This past cruise Dave and I escorted a tour to Costa Rica’s capital city San Jose. It was a really great day. Our tour guide was really knowledgeable, we found the day really interesting. Our ship docked in Puntarenas early in the morning and we then travelled 2 hours to San Jose where we visited a museum and a theatre. You can see a photo with me standing outside the theatre. It is really beautiful inside and decorated with real gold. The photo with the Red Cross looking 4WD is a street in San Jose. Included in our tour were a beautiful lunch and a visit to a market where I bought some beautiful things.

Two days later we docked in Peurto Quetzal in Guatemala and Brett, Matty and I escorted a tour to Antigua. Antigua was once the capital of Central America. It is an amazing place. All the streets are cobblestone. There are ruins everywhere. We visited a jade factory before walking to an old convent. We had to walk because our bus broke down and was being fixed. We had a few whinging passengers as a result but that didn’t phase us, we had a ball. Matty is such a funny guy, the three of us had a lot of laughs that day, it was fun. In the convent we spent ages exploring the place it was fascinating and so picturesque. We then walked to a hotel for lunch. This hotel was great. It’s a 5 star hotel built in the remains of an old monastery. The lunch was like attending a wedding reception, it was very very nice. After lunch our bus was finally repaired and we then went to Antigua’s central square for a little shopping before travelling and hour and half back to the ship.

Today we docked in Huatulco, Mexico for 5 hours and had a relaxing beach day.

I’m so excited!! As of today there is only 3 weeks til Chris comes onboard!!! I can’t tell you how much I’m looking forward to January 6!!!!!!

Christmas is obviously creeping up quickly. As a cast we each have a Secret Santa and also as a department we have one as well. On Christmas Day we’ll be in Aruba. It looks like we’ll be spending the day on an island with a many of the crew at a water park. Nipples has organised a great deal where for $25 we get lunch and drinks, the use of the facilities and for a little extra can go helmet diving (I believe Aruba is the only place in the world at the moment that does helmet diving).

I thought you might like to see what my cabin looks like so what better time than to show it in it’s festive state. The lights on my tree flash except I couldn’t seem to get a photo showing them all flashing. The last female singer that was on for Christmas left the decorations packaged up under my bed. Cool hey!

I’ve also included some photos of a power snorkelling tour Erin and I escorted last cruise. The photo with those yellow things is what you hold out in front of you under water and basically is a lazy way to snorkel. Heaps of fun though! On that tour we also got to snorkel around a sunken German WW2 ship. That was an awesome experience.

Tomorrow we will be in Acapulco which is where I will post this blog. The next time I’ll be there will be when Chris get’s on…. YIPPEEE!!!!

I hope everyone is happy and well and looking forward to Christmas! Back home Chris picked his brother Gareth up from the airport yesterday which is so good that they will get to spend Christmas together. He lives in London, and we haven’t seen him since our wedding last year. Plus they haven’t spent a Christmas together for years. It would have been so good to be home for Christmas.

Well I think that’s about it from me, I’m sure I’ve babbled on enough and updated what’s going on in my world.

Take care all and MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Today I’m in Aruba and I have had no sleep and a throat infection!! Not happy!! Besides that though I’m great! This afternoon I’m going Power Snorkeling… I’m not really sure what that is but it’s meant to be fun and Erin and I get to go for free which is great. My friend Nipples (don’t ask me how he got that nickname, from my last contract… I can’t remember) is the Shorex manager on board and happily sends me off on tours as a ship ‘escort’… which basically means I get to go for free and have a good time.

I can’t believe in 20 days time it will be Christmas. Christmas for us will be spent in Aruba. We are all planning on trying to get into one of the hotel/resorts here for Christmas lunch. Some of the girls are going to try and book it today so fingers crossed we can get in somewhere.

In two days time we’ll be back in San Juan which will mean it’s been 10 days since we were in Acapulco and the end of my 4th cruise onboard. The punters (as I like to call them) have been nice this cruise… Dave and I even got fan mail. We’ve had many compliments which has been nice. Hopefully they’ll still think I’m good after tonight. We have two shows and it’s my biggest sing… Brendan if you’re reading this I have confidence you teaching will serve me true and I’ll be able to sing over it.

Anyway, to sum up my time this cruise for you all…

After Acapulco (otherwise known as turnaround day to us) that night the cast performed Welcome Aboard (a 6 minute Ricky Martin number)… which I’m not in on this ship so as the cruise director was short a guest entertainer he got me to perform 3 songs as part of the whole welcome aboard show. Each cruise during the welcome aboard show the Cruise Director always finds out in the audience which couple has been married the longest and gives them a bottle of champagne. During my set I asked who in the audience had been married less that 20 months… when no one answered I said I guess that means I win that one and jokingly turned to Gavin the Cruise Director and said I think I should win a bottle of champagne. In the second show I came backstage and found a bottle of champagne in my dressing room… the couple who had won it the show before decided to give it to me. How sweet…. Although I copped it from the team… it was funny…. I didn’t dare try that joke again for the second show. So here is a picture of me outside my cabin with my champagne… I thought you’d want to see me in my new dress mum.

The next day we were back in Huatulco to once again glorious weather. See the photos of some of the guys having fun on the banana boat. The next day we were in Puerto Quetzal, Guatamela followed by a sea day which saw me finally start my interior design correspondence course.

The following day we were in Puntarenas, Costa Rica which turned out to be a really fun day. Dave, Brett (dancer), Matty (Aussie Cruise staff guy) Carly (Aussie spa girl) and Julie (Canadian spa girl) and I got a taxi 40 minutes from the ship up to the mountains to a place with great views and fun activities. Up there you can go on ATV’s, zip lining, swimming, horse riding, rock climbing. Matty, Carly and Julia went on the ATV’s but Dave, Brett and I just hung out and had a great lunch and met Billy (he’s a white nosed something… part of the racoon family I believe), we then went for a bit of a bush walk and lazed around in the hammocks. I took heaps of photos… honey I’m loving our camera!! We really felt like we didn’t work on a ship for a day… it was nice to get away.

Anyway I guess that’s it from me. Not much more to report. I am trying to get into a routine with going to the gym doing my course… however I have to say this cast is a bad influence on me a the moment… too many late nights in the crew bar!! I so can’t wait til Chris gets onboard 4 weeks and 4 days to go!!!! I can’t wait!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am missing him and Megsie sooooooooooooo much!!!