the blog

Promises, Promises

The adventures of Carol Brown, representing Norwegian Cruise Line on a 6-month mission on the open sea to train the crew, explore new ports, seek new friends and experiences, and to boldly go where she has not gone before.

Carol’s log: Cruise Date: May 16, 2011 (Ketchikan)

U.S. immigration is playing hard. Any non-Americans who are recent sign-ons have to report to immigration not once, but twice today, first at 6:30 a.m. on the ship then, at 9:00 a.m. at their offices in Ketchikan. Why the double-barrelled approach? Your guess is as good as mine.

It is a beautiful day in Ketchikan when we arrive though the rain is threatening. I walk back from the immigration office and decide to call my children. It is so good to hear their voices and to catch-up on all the news they have to share. The children are doing well they tell me. They are taking care of each other and the house. I’m not really missed except by my baby, Cainen, and my daughter, Camara. I realize that I miss them, something I’ve wanted to do for a while. I also call my Aunt Sonia who has recently had surgery to see how she is doing. She sounds well and my worry about her is lifted. I call my mother but can only leave a message. I’ll try her again. It starts to rain while I’m on the phone but it a gentle rain and not too cold. I head back into the dry safety of the Star.

I get lost heading back to my cabin because they have blocked off my usual route because of the gangway. I go down a flight of stairs, turn right, then left and right again. I’m lost. I retrace my steps and go the other way. Left, right, left. Still lost. I bump into Jorge, the cruise consultant, who is also lost. We wander together until someone finds us and set us in the right direction. It turns out his cabin is next door to mine and we weren’t too far from home.

The matrix is still kicking our butts. We enlist the help of the Chief Financial Analyst with the Excel formulas and we think we are saved. It isn’t until we sit with Filippo that we realize we still have a long way to go.

All day folks have made me promises. Hal, the Barbadian Executive Housekeeper made me three promises. He saidhe’d replace my sagging mattress today. He also said he’s get me one of the warm Norwegian Cruise Line jackets for when I’m on gangway duties and he said he’d take me for dinner.Carol from Peru who works in Personnel promised we’d have lunch together. None of these promises have come to fruition, yet. I’m not holding my breath but I have hopes that they will all deliver.

The voyage continues…