Not Just Another Mediterranean Cruise

This cruise started with a surprise.  We normally have our first show on the first full day of the cruise.  For some amazing reason, it was postponed until the second full day so we got to actually spend a day in France! Matthew, Hannah and I went to Nice, France.  We had a wonderful day chatting, eating, drinking wine and enjoying one another company.  We found this crazy gelato stand that had unheard of flavors.  Hannah had “Bailey’s”, I had Chocolate Ginger and Matthew had Avocado! It was a wonderful day with wonderful people.

 

(Hannah, Matthew and Jessica)

 

In Civitavecchia I was able to go on an olive oil tasting tour.  I didn’t know what to expect, but it turned out to be delicious.  We first spent time walking around a beautiful Italian village and then went to the olive vineyard.  The villa used to be owned by Napoléon Bonaparte’s brother.  It is now owned by another family and is used to make olive oil.  We were given a buffet of delicious olive oil and other snacks.  My favorites were the green olive paste and the bruschetta. 

 

Napoli is probably one of my favorite ports that we go to, and this time did not disappoint. As my cruising time comes to a close, I finally made it to the Blue Grotto on Capri.  I have tried to go before, but the tide made it impossible to anyone to enter the grotto.  This visit we were lucky!  We took the ferry to Capri, a motorboat to the entrance to the Blue Grotto and a row boat into the Blur Grotto.  It was not a cheap day, but the view inside was stunning and it allowed me to cross off another thing on my TO DO list. 

 

(Matthew, Jessica and Maarten)

 

Back in Venice, I was not only able to see Shannon, but I got another surprise! Simone was a foreign exchange student from Italy at Gorham High School my senior year.  When I knew that I was coming to Italy on the Solstice, I contracted him on facebook to see if he lived in any of the ports we were going to and then kind of forgot about it.  It just so happens that Simone did not forget about it and he contacted Shannon (who he had seen in Venice before) to see when I would be there next.  So we all were able to catch up and talk about life.  He looks and acts exactly like I remember him from 5+ years ago, except that his English is amazing! It was such a treat!

(Shannon, Simone and Jessica)

(Maarten, Jessica, Nic and Shannon)

 

Our last stop of the cruise was Dubrovnik.  I had such a wonderful time sea kayaking last cruise that I recruited more friends and went again!  I good time was had by all…minus the sore arms.

(Dejan, Sanci, Brook, Matthew, Tim, Vanessa, Jessica and Maarten)

 

As we get closer and closer to the end I find myself craving American and Maine-specific foods a lot more than past months.  I really want Pad Thai from Lucky Thai, Amato’s pickles and a pazzo bread, homemade nachos right out of the oven made with Hint of Lime chips, my dad’s meatloaf, Cool Ranch Dorito’s (although I do have a bag of those hidden in the back of my closet from when we were in Florida), Simply Lemonade, and almost anything from Jan Mee II (but especially the crab rangoons).  Honestly, most of all, I miss eating anything in the breakfast nook with my mom, dad and Andrew.  I have the most amazing family (aunts, uncles, grandfather and cousins, included) that a girl could ask for and I can’t wait to be back in the same country as them! Homeward stretch continues...

P.S.  You may be wondering about the extremely attractive, tall, sandy haired man who has begun to appear in my pictures recently.  His name is Maarten.  He is from Belgium.  He works as International Cruise Director Staff here on the ship.  And I am very pleased to get to call him my boyfriend.

Dreams Come True

This cruise I was able to do so much.  I think it is settling in that I only have 4 cruises left until my 7 month contract is over and that has inspired me to get out and do everything that I have always talked about, but had yet to do.  I haven’t been a Tour Escort a lot recently because I have done most of them and have been enjoying just hanging out with my friends in the ports, but one tour that I have signed up for multiple times and never was able to do is this tour called “Leisurely Tarquinia & Ice Cream Tasting”.  Ice cream tasting?!?  Yes, please!  So this cruise I decided to sign up for it one last chance and, guess what, I got it!  I had Lemon, Mint and Nutella gelato.  It was delicious ice cream and I am so glad I was able to finally go on the tour.

In Napoli, Matthew and I decided that we were going to go find this pizza place that is hailed as “the best pizza in Napoli”.  It was even featured in the book “Eat, Pray, Love”, if any of you read it.  So we went walking through Napoli with our map, only to find out that they were closed for the summer holiday!  Luckily, we found another delicious pizza place.  After all, you can’t go too wrong with pizza!

In Venice, I wandered around and got lost with Matthew and Maarten.  We took some beautiful pictures of Venice and had a wonderful day.  I also bought new watch bands for my watch.  There is this Italian company called Full Sport that makes convertible things.  They have bags that you can change the handles and pocket watches that you can change the color and tons of watch faces that you can change the color of the bands.  There are so many options for the watch face and a rainbow of colors for the bands.  I bought 5 different colored bands and a black watch face with numbers.  It will be a great souvenir to have from my contract…and it was made in Italy!

(Jessica and Matthew)

 

(Jessica and Maarten in Venice)

(My watch with 4 of the bands)

 

When we were in Dubrovnik I was finally able to do something that I have wanted to do for quite a few cruises.  Sanci and I saw an ad for sea kayaking months ago and decided that we wanted to do it!  However, the last few times we have been in Dubrovnik Boat Drill was scheduled so we weren’t able to have as much time off the ship.  This cruise the scheduled Boat Drill was rescheduled for a different port which meant that I GOT TO SEA KAYAK!  It was an amazing experience.  We kayaked over to an island and then to this small, private beach in a cave.  At the beach we were able to snorkel and swim.  We saw so many fish, the water was clear and the sun was hot.  It was an unforgettable day. 

(Jessica and Sanci ready to paddle)

(Sanci and Jessica - post snorkeling)

 

Later that day I was able to participate in another rare life experience.  Ringmasters, the barbershop group here on the Solstice, has a tradition of singing tags and drinking beer as we sail away from a port once a cruise.  The boys teach each person a vocal part and then we all put it together and it sounds awesome.  Sometimes we learn 8+ part tags, 8 people are each singing something different.  It is such a great experience and I really love it. 

(Jason, Jakob, Rasmus and Jessica)

 

 

And now on to my last 3 GREAT cruises! Homeward stretch!

Lazy Bones...

Because I did so much with my family last cruise, I decided that this cruise would be full of relaxation.  I didn't do too much except see a beautiful sunset in Venice before dinner...

...and do the most amazing underground tour of Naples.  Matthew went last cruise without me, so he promised that he would show me where it was.  Turns out he loved it so much that he took the tour again with me!  You start the tour by climbing down thousands of steps into the dark, damp underworld.

Once all the way down, we were give candles to walk through tiny passageways into an underground water cistern.  It was so humid that you could see your breath in front of you.

After that we went to see remains of a Roman theater that was buried beneath houses.  They can't excavate anymore of it because there are so many people living on top of it and they can't kick them out.  It was such a great tour and a great way to escape the heat for a couple hours. 

(Maarten, Matthew and Jessica)

I'll have more exciting adventures this cruise.  Only 2 months until my contract is complete.  I have to make the most of it!!

Ernest Family Vacation

I had the absolute pleasure of having my family join me for last cruise.  It was a Greek island cruise and we had the most amazing 12 days.   Here is a photo journal of some of the amazing things we were able to see and do.

(My paper chain countdown to their arrival)

Port Day 1: Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy

(At the Trevi Fountain)

(Family at the Colosseum)

(Dad, Me and Andrew inside St. Peter's Basilica)

Port Day 2: Naples, Italy

(On the island of Capri)

(In Pompeii)

Port Day 3: Mykonos, Greece

(With the Delos Lions on the island of Delos)

(Getting completely soaked on the boat ride back to Mykonos)

Port Day 4: Ephesus (Kusadasi), Turkey

(Family in Ephesus)

(On the dock in Kusadasi)

Port Day 5: Athens, Greece

(At the Parthenon)

Port Day 6: Santorini, Greece

(At the black sand beach)

(In the town of Oia on Santorini)

Port Day 7: Valletta, Malta

(Being the Celebrity X on the pier)

(Looking out over the Grand Harbor in Valletta)

(Lawn games at the Lawn Club on deck 15)

(After seeing my show, PULSE, the first formal night)

There was always plenty to do on the ship (not a lot of sleeping in time, sorry Andrew) and we had an amazing cruise.  I think I may have made my parents cruise people!! I am so thankful that they were able to join me.  Only 2 and a half months until my contract is over.  I have no idea where I will go next, but I am so happy to have had this experience!



Four Months Onboard

We have been on the Solstice for 4 months as of today!  With that much time spent together comes some amazing experiences and friendships.  This week’s post will try to further introduce you to some of the people I spend my time with.

Hannah Marie

The first day of our cruise was spent in Cannes, France where the Cannes Film Festival is held.  Hannah and I HAD to find the casino where it is held and the red carpet that the stars walk.  We found it!  And I was able to spend a wonderful day with my best mate on board.  Hannah is from London, England.  She has done one other contract on the Solstice and has worked professionally for many years all over England and even China.  I am truly lucky to be getting the opportunity to work with her.

Sanci and Brook

Brook is not in this picture, but I feel like my stories about him should go hand in hand with Sanci. Sanci and Brook are both dancers and best friends. Sanci is from Hungary and Brook is from Washing D.C.  I feel like I have a special bond with Brook because he graduated from Point Park University!  He was a senior when I was a freshman and he graduated with a Dance degree, so I didn’t ever get to know him, but thinking back, I’m pretty sure I do remember seeing him around campus.  I love these two boys.  They have the best chemistry with each other and we always have a good time together.  In the next picture, I went for a picnic in Civitavecchia, Italy with Hannah, Sanci and Andrea (the new contortionist in our cast) and ended up meeting a few others by the water.  We were having our picnic by the water and it was so hot, so suddenly Hannah says, “Let’s jump in the water”.  But we didn’t have our bathing suits! So…we jumped in with our clothes on.  It was so refreshing. 

(Mathieu, Lorie, Jessica, Hannah, Sanci, Louise, Andrea)

Nazar and Matthew

I have a habit of spending a lot of time with people that are older than me.  Nazar and Matthew are two of the older people in my cast, but I tend to hang out with them all the time because they are awesome!  Nazar is from the Ukraine.  He has worked on the Solstice for 3 years, 5 contracts.  He is the most amazing juggler I have ever seen.  (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=no1TMRQvNIU)  Matthew is from St. Louis, Missouri.  This is his second contract on the Solstice as Clown 1, he likes to call himself.  Matthew is always up for an adventure and that is just one of the reasons I enjoy his company. We explored Napoli and had an awesome time just enjoying each other’s company.

Nazar, Jessica, Matthew

Dyma and Andrii

On Venice Day 1, I had a picnic in a park with Hannah, Matthew, Nazar, Dyma and Andrii.  I guess I like to hang out with people from the Ukraine because, like Nazar, Dyma and Andrii are also from there.  Dyma is a hand balancer and straps act on the ship.  This is his first contract on the Solstice, just like me.  He is extremely talented and I could never dream of being able to do what he does.  Andrii was the bass guitar player in the Solstice Orchestra and he signed off the ship today.  His contract on the Solstice is over.  But for the past 4 months he has been a wonderful addition to our team.  In Venice, I was able to spend time with Shannon Mosey and her friends again.  It was great!

Clockwise from me: Jessica, Matthew, Hannah, Nazar, Dyma, Andrii

In Dubrovnik, Croatia I jumped off a cliff with a bunch of my cast mates!  There is a place just on the outside of the city walls that you can jump into the ocean.  There are two levels you can jump from.  When I first got up on the cliff, my heart stopped.  I saw other people jump and knew that I could too, but I was scared! I finally worked up enough courage to do it and I jumped from the highest rock!  The free fall was amazing and the water was the perfect temperature.  I ended up jumping 3 times.  It was awesome…a great day spent with great people.

Louise and Jessica

It was odd spending the 4^th of July in Europe on the ship.  There were no fireworks, cook outs, or family, but there was a party!  The Solstice has a crew of 1,200 people and only 28 of them are from America.  I also had the privilege of singing our National Anthem before the evening shows in the theater that night.  It was quite an honor. 

Thomas, Vanessa, Nazar, Brenton, Jessica, David, Dominique

There are so many people on this ship that I would never in a million years get to know all of them, but I feel so honored to have had these people be a part of my life for the last 4 months and the next 3.  I am very lucky to be working with such incredible people.