Personae Nautica & Glossary
On The Flagship:
Bas – The previous GWV Cruise Director
Bacon – Another of several amazing piano bar entertainers
George: Current entertainment supervisor
Jersey – The travel guide
Joli – Haldamir’s wife and my fellow event staff
Stephens – the former DJ (circa 2012 – 2014)
Spartan – my co-librarian for three years running
Striker – One of several amazing piano bar entertainers
Haldamir – The second GWV Cruise Director
On the Summer Seas:
Amras – Party Band leader, Alaskan Nights/Alaskan Highway/Mediterranean Dreams/East Coast Adventures contracts; also, the best friend, the big brother and all around support network. And, in later days, all around partner. And…eventually…the husband.
Alasse: the (former) wife of the above
KitKat: The woman who is both one of my closets friends, and nearly my twin. Also, one of the best bridesmaids ever.
Lark – Party band singer, Mediterranean Dreams contract
Llewellyn: Party Band Singer (male, one of the few), Alaskan Highway contract
Platinum – Party band singer (female) circa Alaskan Highway contract 2011
Predator: solo guitarist on Alaskan Nights contract and onboard computer expert during East Coast Adventures. Nickname earned from his profile in Call of Duty.
Mini-Me: the daughter of one of the medical officers who semi-attached herself to several of us onboard for two weeks during the East Coast Adventures contract.
Nightingale – Party band singer, East Coast Adventures contract
Saerwan: The best (former) Stage Manager in the fleet. Used to be close, but we no longer speak. Last I heard she was in Vegas, married, with a family.
Shadow: The librarian I trained during the Mediterranean Dreams summer, she has since been promoted to a management position.
Tolerance – the roommate from heaven (and there is absolutely a reason I gave her that nickname), Mediterranean Dreams contract. Dear friend. Second of the best bridesmaids duo ever.
In the Office
Charlie’s Angel: the contract handler
Toffy: the shore-side supervisor, and the best one ever
On the Shore:
Barnum: The acting mentor
Torin: the writer, the listener, and the one who always sells himself short.
Silver: The best friend, the big sister, the partner in crime
Lexicon
CD: Cruise Director
EM: Event Manager – entertainment department supervisor
FCC: Future Cruise Consultant
CMO: Crew Medical Officer
eGSS: electronic guest satisfaction survey. Our weekly “report card”
HESS: Health, Environment, Safety and Security program
I.P.M: In Port Manning – the rotation which decides who must remain on the ship so that there is a skeleton emergency crew in place at all times. Taken in turns each port throughout each department.
Marking: the term for when a performer ‘marks’ their moves during rehearsal instead of dancing/singing full-out.
NEOP: New Employee Orientation Program, required every time you board a class of ship that you have either not worked before, or have not worked within the last three year period.
OB: Officer’s Bar (below decks, no passenger access)
PAX NOTE: Passenger Notification Team – group of crew members who are charged with making sure that the passenger base remains informed in the unlikely case of an emergency.
PAX: Ship slang for “passengers”, no one knows why
P.I.N: Personal Improvement Needed. The ship’s version of the “three strikes you’re out” system
SH: Show Host
SLS: Simple Library System – the program that runs the library and it’s not always as ‘simple’ as it should be
Tendering: the process of anchoring off-shore from a (usually smaller) port and ferrying guests and crew across to the dock in smaller crafts.
TD: Traffic Director – group of crew members who are tasked with making sure that guests are safely directed to the boat deck in the unlikely event of an emergency muster, they also serve this function during the once-a-cruise passenger safety drill.
TDL: Traffic Director Leader – the elected person in charge of all the other traffic directors. This job involves a lot of running up and downstairs and checking people off lists and is one I would never want…Amras gets it a lot though
USCG: United States Coast Guard
USPH: United States Public Health