One Night Only – (04/13/2011)

Despite the fact that I wrote my “final” entry a few days back, I find that it’s necessary to write one more, granted, it will be a short one, as I’m currently sitting on the floor in the airport awaiting the boarding call for my flight home.

This contract has been extremely surreal from beginning to end, but most surreal at all, is that I began this contract on the World Cruise, the most prestitigous, elegant and high end cruise that the line has to offer. A cruise where people expect to be treated a certain way, expect the best, and get the best. When that wound up, a normal cruise boarded, fourteen days and there for fun.

And then there was last night.

One thing to remember about cruise ships is that they can’t sail empty. Well, they can, but they attempt to avoid it at all possible costs. It’s just not practical. So once in a very great while, you get a one night cruise. One night on board, usually sold for $20 – $30…and you party your way overnight to whatever the next port of call is before the major cruises pick up again.

If you think the concept of a “booze cruise” is a bad joke. Think again.

When I walked into the topside bar last night to say my goodbyes, the first thing I was told – by my supervisor no less: “Sweetheart, nametags off. Tonight…we’re not crew”

That should give you an idea of the tone for the night. If you put a drink down, you would find it gone, because no one was keeping track, the DJ was spinning tunes so quickly it was hard to keep up with him, and thank heavens no one was trying to sleep because you could hear the noise from the party all the way down on the lower decks. Apparently it went until 4, but I was a good girl (as almost always) and turned in at 1…

And was up at 5:30 am for shore-side immigration.

Bottoms up….