the blog

Word of the day: Comfort

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 15, 2011 (At Sea)

Today was all about comfort food. For breakfast, I had oatmeal and a fruit plate with orange juice. For lunch, a BLT with potato chips and orange juice and for dinner, pork ribs with potatoes and a chocolate cream pie for dessert. Then, a cup of peppermint tea with honey. Ahhhh! I don’t know why I ate comfort food all day but it was obviously what I needed.

The I-95 is busy all day. As I said before, it is the main artery of the crew area. It gets you to the messes, to cabins, to various work areas and offices, to passenger areas and it is where passenger luggage gets sorted and loaded before being delivered to staterooms. It is where all the vital crew information is posted and where the discounted items are sold to the crew. It is a long brightly lit corridor where people meet as they are coming and going, commuting to work as it were. I bump into people who look familiar and they call me by name. I can’t remember anyone’s name so I smile and nod and say “good morning, afternoon or evening.” I really have to try harder to remember names. It is very important and makes other feel special. My mission today is to call three people by name without peeking at their name tag.

I go to a drug lecture today. The slides are terrible, there are so many derogatory racial connotations through the presentation and the information is dated. I make a note to speak to the presenter about my concerns.

Another reception line today and I’m still enjoying being a part of this special routine. My face is frozen in a smile but I feel as if I’ve done a good job.

I job shadow in the art gallery, the shore excursion and the cruise programs Bingo game. The art auction is a success with many items purchased for more money than I make in a year! The guys at shore excursion promise me a free tour of my choice in one of the ports. I’m think one of the Helijet ones to the glaciers. And I watch as people spend $100 to play Bingo with the hopes of winning a free cruise. These people sure know how to have fun!

The evening ends with a late night meeting with Filippo. He serves me his favourite Italian tea with lemon. It is delicious! I tell him about my mattress and he gets on the phone to order me a new one. He is so efficient!

I return to my cabin and sleep finds me.

The voyage continues…