Opening Week

Second week is complete and all the shows are open!  What an exciting feeling.  Monday night we opened Ghostlight to outstanding applause.  The audiences really seemed to love the show and when I talked with guests in the days that followed all of the comments were extremely positive.  It is a difficult show, in that I have to be 8 completely different characters in each of the musicals that we review.  It is good, hard, rewarding work. 

Tuesday we did our first interactive party.  It is a 60’s inspired night called Groove.  We get to wear these blue cotton candy dresses and interact with the guests, which turned out to be a lot of fun. 

Wednesday was opening night for PULSE.  But more importantly, it was the first time I was able to get off of the ship since boarding on March 11^th.  Eleven days on the open sea without dry land under my feet.  We got off the ship for one hour to have lunch in Cozumel, Mexico.  The opening of PULSE went well.  The show is billed as “the music that makes you want to dance” and it definitely does just that. 

On Friday, we were in Costa Maya, Mexico and I got to get off the ship again for about an hour and a half to get a little tan and take a break from rehearsals.  It is awesome to see the ship from land.  Our juggler, Nazar, is from Ukraine and the first English word he learned to describe the ship was “catastrophic” and I think that is perfect.  It is larger than life!  But living on it day in and day out makes you forget just how big catastrophic it is. 

We also opened Solstice the Show on Friday night.  The show is fairly easy for the singers (a well-deserved break) and really highlights the Cirque-like acts.  They are incredible and the audience loves it.  After the show we were given our official welcome, with drinks, snacks and a cake.  It was a lovely touch and a great way to end our opening week!

I moved out of our guest cabin into my own crew cabin this week.  The accommodations are a lot simpler, but I think that in time it will be able to be a sort of home away from home.  Good thing I’m not claustrophobic!  I am glad that this week is over.  Hopefully we will be able to get off the ship more next week and see some of the sights of the Eastern Caribbean!

Week 1

My first Celebrity Solstice cruise is complete.  It has been a complete whirlwind of events, emotions, outfits, names … and a lot of fun. 

This week we had 3 ports of call: San Juan, Puerto Rico, Philipsburg, St. Maarten and Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas.  I have been so busy with rehearsals, watching the outgoing casts shows, filling out forms, security training, Sexual Harassment training, life boat drills and getting lost on the many decks of the ship to step on solid land this cruise.  Sleeping on the ship is a lot like when we used to take family trips on Tomahawk, my dad’s 40’ sailboat.  The rocking of the boat would put us right to sleep.  Coming on the Solstice, I didn’t think that I would be able to feel the rocking because the ship is 317.25 meters long, but I was mistaken.  One of the male dancers was a little sea sick the first few days because he had never been on a cruise ship before, but he is doing much better now.  I think that the Atlantic crossing will be pretty rocky, but hopefully I can handle it!

This week my Vocal Captain duties were taken away and given to one of the other singers, for no wrong-doing of mine, but simply because he was promised the position by the director before rehearsals started.  The decision to make me captain initially was done without the director’s input and has now been changed.  She told me that she would definitely recommend me for the position on any future contracts I may accept, so that is definitely a positive reaction. 

The shows are going to be awesome!  I’m excited for next week to come when we can just perform for an audience with full costumes, make-up, lights…everything. The crew mess hall is not the most delicious place I have ever eaten, but it makes due in a pinch and when we have time to get dressed nicely, we are allowed to go to the guest dining hall, Oceanview Café.  The buffet-style food there is much better and there is always something (if not everything) that looks appetizing.  More to come.  My adventure has only just begun.

(Our Guest Cabin 8167)

Last Day as a Landlubber

Tomorrow I board the Solstice!  And I will not be back on solid land (for more than overnight) until October.  Guess I've got to get my sea legs ready.  I also got my address for the next 7 months.  Feel free to send letters, care packages, reminders of home, etc.

Crew mail - Royal Caribbean Cruises, ltd.
Attn: Jessica Ernest - Solstice
2935 West Corporate Lakes Blvd.
Weston, FL 33331

We only get mail on our days in port (Ft. Lauderdale and then Barcelona) so it may take me a little while to receive it, but I will let you know as soon as I get anything.  Thank you in advance!

SL8 Cast Picture

Mind Blowing Specialty Acts

One of our three shows on the ship is called Solstice.  It is a Cirque du Soleil-type show.  That is the show that I fly in the harness for the opening number.  The singers have a very easy show.  We only sing la's, ooo's, ahh's, lay-oh's, hi-yah's...and the most exciting "fee-ten-nay-oh".  From what I hear we get very exciting costumes, inspired by the zodiac signs.  Apparently, I am based off of Cancer.  So, I'm a crab. Yay!  Anyway, the main attraction of Solstice is the Cirque acts and a few of them joined us in rehearsals this week.  We have a hand balancer and a hula hoop girl, so far.  They are both insanely talented and my jaw drops every time I watch their act.  I am going to have to work hard not to get distracted by the hula hoop girl and her amazing skills while I am singing!  Once on the ship we will add an adage couple and a juggler.  I am sure that more pictures of their amazing talent will follow.

Straps

Aeriel Hoop

Hand Balance

A Magical Week

This past week has flown by.  However, not too much happened.  A lot of rehearsing.  We have been doing full runs of all three shows.  It is exhausting, but the shows are going to be fun to perform.

We also had our last music rehearsal on Wednesday with the music director, David Nagy. He taught us all the music and helped us master our harmonies.  Now that we are not rehearsing with him we have to focus on harmonies, lyrics, choreography, spacing and dialogue!  It's a lot to think about, but I imagine that less that one month into the contract it will all be second nature to me. 

(Jessica, Philip, David Nagy, Tim & Hannah)

The best part of the week was our day off on Saturday.  One of the boy dancers in our cast has worked at Disney World since he was 16.  He told the cast that he could get us into the park for free, so 5 of us rented a car and drove the 3 hours to Disney on Saturday morning.  We got to Magic Kingdom at 11:30am and got right into the park.  His manager also gave us three FastPasses to get us on to any ride without having to wait in line!  So, we rode Space Mountain, The Buzz Lightyear ride and Splash Mountain without waiting more than 10 minutes.  It was amazing! Two people of the people I went with had never been to Disney before, Hannah (from England) and Sanci (from Hungary).  Being with them, reminded me just how magical Disney is.  It really is the most magical place on Earth.  After watching the Castle show, we got a meet 'n greet with the cast.  We got to see the princess, Mickey, Minnie and so many other characters up close.

(Sanci, Hannah, Thomas, Jessica & David)

After Magic Kingdom, we rushed over to Hollywood Studios (aka MGM) to watch the Beauty & the Beast show in VIP seats.  After the show, we rode the Star Tours ride, the brand new Toy Story ride and Rockin' Roller Coaster.  We didn't get to ride Tower of Terror because the line was 70 minutes, but all the other rides made up for it.  We left the park at 8:30pm so that we could get back to Ft. Lauderdale for rehearsal the next afternoon.  I may have been tired Sunday, but it was definitely worth it!  It was a great day spent cast bonding.

This time next week I will be on the Solstice sailing in the Caribbean!  More adventures to come!