Updates

Hi Everybody! Are you still reading? Hope so! I've got lots to say today!

Well, last time we chatted I told you that I was asked to Step up as GAP (Guest Account Purser) for the last 3 cruises on Galaxy. Well, I did, it was tough, but it was worth it! It was really good experience, and I've been told that my manager, Giuber was pleased with how I did, as was the Traveling Financial Controller who was onboard to assist with closing the ship. BUT, it was such hard work, and I was so busy that my tan has left...Don't know where it went, but one day, I looked at my arms, and they were whiter than before...Not good when you spend the winter in the Caribbean, aren't you supposed to leave with a tan? We'll, hopefully I can start working on that again. LOL

Okay, so next, we closed the Galaxy! It was so sad! It was such a nice ship, this ship has a special aura about it, it makes you feel special by just coming there. It's hard to explain what it was, but most people that worked on that ship had the same feeling from it, you were home the moment you set foot on the ship, and you just felt good being there. I hope that this feeling stays with the ship for the new owners. It was hard to leave it. By the time I left on the 16th, the casino and the spa had been completely torn apart, and there were so many people onboard that we didn't recognize - All the new owners crew....It was a tough time those last few days, we had to arrange payroll for all of the crew leaving, and that took a lot of time. Our department was working 12 to 16 hour days, some people even more some days, I think the financial controller didn't sleep for a day and a half at one point. It was crazy. I did come away slightly injured though, after all the stress, I ended up with a giant knot in my back that still hasn't gone away - despite massages and muscle relaxants - I think I'm going to have to go to the spa!

I left on March 16th, to travel back to Infinity. It was a tough day as well! We were required to be up at 4:30 am, to be ready for immigration at 5:30 - but of course, they didn't show up till 8am I think? So we didn't actually leave the ship until 9:30 in the morning. We were all dumped at the airport by 10am, even though, some of us - in this I mean ME! did not have flights until 7:30 at night! So, I enjoyed the airport seats for hours all day in San Juan...not so much...I was so tired! I'd had only 4 hours sleep the night before! For this flight, from San Juan Puerto Rico to Miami, it was 2 and a half hours, but once we took off, next thing I knew we had 45 minutes till landing! I slept so well! Then once in Miami, I had just 1 hour until my next flight to Santiago. Again, I slept quite well on the plane to Chile, probably got about 4 or 5 hours out of the 8 hour flight....but of course, still tired when I got there! It wasn't good sleep, but at least it was sleep! I was then supposed to sit in the airport another 10 hours till my next flight, but lucky for me, I asked if there was an earlier one, and there was, it was leaving in 15 minutes. So I got on that and arrived in Arica, chile a few hours early. I was able to go to my hotel at 3pm, and get some pool time, and rest. I took some pictures of an amazing sunset from the beach at the hotel - to be posted soon!

I came to meet the ship Infinity yesterday morning, but they claimed my medical information was not complete, so I had to go to the hospital for blood tests - does it not seem odd to you that it was fine last time I was on Infinity? And when I went to Galaxy? But apparently, it's not enough anymore! I had to wait over an hour outside for the Port Agent to pick me up to take me there, and then a couple hours there to have these tests done. But, it was done, and I'm onboard now. I was lucky with the new Financial controller, she didn't expect me to work last night so I was able to rest some more, and I'm feeling pretty good today, except for a headache that doesn't want to go away.

So for now, I'm here, I have a new roommate who seems alright so far, the team seems nice but haven't had much time to get to know them. We are on our first of four Panama Canal Cruises before heading up to Alaska (and Home!) I'm currently scheduled to disembark on June 5th, but I'm still keeping my fingers crossed that they will need a GAP before then, so things may still change!

Anyways, keep in touch, miss you all!
Tabs