Finally settling in!

Dwayne (my B1) and I getting ready to sing "The Power of Love".   P.S. - I LOVE that I'm a brunette again!!!! YES!!!
During the Tango Show - Dwayne sings "Night of a Thousand Stars" - this part is adorable...one of his fans decides not to let go and he drags her across the stage! So well played!! haha
Ahh yes - my costume for "Never Said Goodbye" - I actually change out of this behind a panel ON stage!! 2 of the dancers change me while I'm singing. It's SO much fun! And you've gotta love the head piece...amazing of course!
This one is the dancers before West End - Morgan, Amber, Britne, and Gemma.

Well, I'll be back in Miami tomorrow after 10 days of craziness.  Things have really been great though.  The stress is finally starting to subside and I'm beginning to feel like I fit here! The cast has really been amazing. I can't say that enough. Patient, encouraging, uplifting, and so much more.  They are all wonderful and I can tell I'm going to have even more amazing friendships to take away from this contract.  

The shows are going really well too! I didn't perform in the Tango show this week (Tango Buenos Aires) just because it was so close to West End. They really wanted me to focus more on City of Dreams because they needed me to do as much as possible in that show.  Well, I ended up getting 6/8 songs performance ready!  Not too bad I guess for 5 days preparation.  We were supposed to do the show on Day 8, but the weather has been TERRIBLE here so that wasn't possible. Instead, the shows were last night - still a bit rocky - but we made it through.  

I won't say that my performance was amazing by any means, but I felt really good about everything at the end of the night. The singing part came off without a hitch, and I'm pretty sure I made it to all the right blocking places as well.  It was a lot to think about and I can't say I didn't worry that I wasn't connecting with the audience - but hopefully next week that will all be a little easier.  It will be very interesting to see the videos though and start taking notes on things I'll need to work on.  

Other than that, I'm looking forward to the next cruise. I'll finish the rest of West End this time and they'll put me into the Tango Show as well.  I'm very excited because the two men that wrote the Tango Show, Mario and Danielle, are actually on board with us right now (they are headliners with Royal), and they will be able to really work with me on my spanish so that I get all of it right! On top of that, they are very passionate about the show, so they will make sure I actually know what I'm singing about as well.  

I must say that the best part about being on the ship right now is having my own space. It has been so nice to come to my room and listen to MY music, watch what I want to watch, and put my things wherever I want to!  I'm also able to wear pretty much whatever I want during the day in guest areas, and that is SO wonderful. I mean, jeans and a tank top - or just whatever! I'd forgotten how much I stayed out of guest areas just because I didn't feel like putting on my blues (uniform) or dress clothes.  Now I can go whenever I want and there are no questions asked.  YEA!

Mrs. Stricklin - you crack me up! So many questions - so many comments. I love it!  Let's see, I'm sure you've figured out by now that I am guest status just like I would've been on the Radiance. But they do want me to finish this contract instead of leaving and going to the Radiance in April, so I will just be here until June and then hopefully they'll offer me something else.  It is all very exciting, and I feel very blessed that they haven't started letting go of performers just yet with all the laying off that they had to do at the end of the year.  For now, people are still cruising. Our ship is at least 3/4 booked all the time according to my castmates, so they're still making money - they're just cutting back every way that they can...I even heard that on some ships they've started writing employees up if they catch your lights on when you're not in the cabin and things like that...and of course they're asking for employee's input on anything that they might know of that could save the company money. The funny thing about that is, we just had a meeting about that very thing, and they're offering MONEY for ideas to SAVE money...hilarious...makes a lot of sense don't ya think?  haha  

Anyway, I hope that answered some of your questions.  I'll have to read back through and see if I missed anything!

This next week, will still be pretty busy. Though I'm at least 1/2 through the shows and that learning process, I will also start learning jazz and summer breeze sets for the end of the cruise.  This is really like having a 4th production show on a smaller scale because they set the songs, even the dialogue in between, and you just go out and perform it at least once a cruise.  So, thank you so much for your prayers - I have felt them - trust me! BUT don't stop now! With all this memorizing, I'm bound to start running songs together in one big blur, so just pray that I stay focused and productive!  

I miss you all!  More soon!  :)

What a whirlwind!

Wow - that's all I can say! I have been running around like a crazy person since Wednesday night! Trying to say goodbyes, run errands, and pack everything to leave for a 7:30 am flight Friday morning.  In case you haven't heard - I got a phone call while I was substituting (my first day actually) that Royal Caribbean needed a replacement Girl 1 for the Jewel of the Seas by FRIDAY.  I had been sending emails since I got home saying "if you need a replacement I'm here because I don't go back until April", but I never dreamed they'd actually call!  Boy was I wrong!

Let's see if I can give you a run down of the last two days:

  I got into Miami around 9:30 and waited to take the shuttle over to the ship.  I finally signed on to the ship around lunch time and from then on it was just one big mess! I was handed music for 2 of the shows, then pushed into a rehearsal for the welcome where everything was the opposite of what it was for me last time, had costume fittings until 7:00 knowing that I had an 8:00 call for the Welcome Aboard Show...finished the welcome (which came off farely well considering I just met these people...), ate and then rehearsed until 12:30 Fri. night...

 Woke up at 7:30 Sat. morning for required safety training - took my music with me and tried to memorize it during that 3 hour class - then had to get my crew card and emergency card from the office (loooong line of new hires and sign ons), and got finished at 11:30 - just in time to grab a bite to eat before a 12:00 rehearsal. Learned my blocking/choreography for 1/2 the songs I do in the first show - which I will be performing TONIGHT...that was followed by a vocal rehearsal where I sang with the singers for the first time - and I finally finished around 6:00 last night. I took a break on rehearsing and tried to get my thoughts together because my brain was pretty much shutting down at that point.  I order some room service and chilled out for about 2 hours and then my cleaning guy FINALLY came and cleaned my room which gave me an excuse to go back upstairs and practice on my own.  I rehearsed until about 10:30, wrote a few emails, and finally went to bed.  

When I took this contract one of the best parts about it (other than the warm itinerary) was that this ship goes to Labadee. That may not mean much to you, but that is where John is working now!! So, here I thought I'd be in Alaska all summer and probably never have the chance to see John again, and all of the sudden I get this phone call that I'd be joining the Jewel Friday and would be in Labadee by Sunday!!!! I was SO excited and so was John! We've emailed back and forth about it and his boss was ready to give him a really long "lunch" so that we could spend some time together. My dance captain/supervisor was more than willing to work around those couple of hours and schedule rehearsals in the afternoon so that I could see him too!  It was all working out just perfectly! 

THEN - I woke up bright and early this morning so that I'd be ready to step off the ship on the first or second tender and low and behold....the captain makes an announcement while I'm in the shower..."Ladies and gentlemen, I'm sorry to inform you we will not be able to tender at Labadee today due to this bad weather we're having.  It wouldn't be safe for us to put you on the tenders right now and we don't want to risk any injuries. They've also had some equipment come lose on the island so none of that will be in use as well....." etc etc.  Of all things...the weather has kept us apart!! BBBOOOOOOOOO... :(   BUT, I will be back in 21 days and this time I'll know to pray for more than just getting to Labadee...I'll pray I can actually get off the ship and see John too!! 

Let's see....what else...OH! I get my own room this time!! I have my own room and plenty of closet space. I'm considered guest status now, so I get to where jeans during the day and eat in guest areas whenever I want! It's GREAT! I don't know what to do with myself!  

The shows are going to be great. I have some great songs and the cast is very talented.  If you're interested in checking out my male singers here are their websites:

www.andrewjamesperry.com  - B2/vocal captain   

www.dwaynebritton.com   - B1

And I don't know how to let you here Nikki, the G2, but she has a really nice sound too and we blend really well together.

I'm really nervous about performing tonight, but I do have to say...after all the stress that I was feeling up until this morning, the tech run went really well today.  I'm only in 4 numbers so far, and I won't say things went perfectly, but I definitely felt 100x better after the run than I have been feeling.  If you happen to read this today then please say a prayer.  I want to thank all of you that already knew about everything and have been praying. I woke up this morning feeling refreshed and ready to perform, and I know that's thanks to your prayers! 

We have late shows tonight and we've already finished rehearsing for the day, so I don't have anything to do until around 6:00 pm! YEA! I'll be relaxing and probably playing on the internet in my room! (Yes that's right, I have internet in my room now! woo hoo!)  More to come!

Blessings,

Kristian

Cairns & Port Douglas

The Sea Temple Resort in Port Douglas.

We bought King Prawns right off the fresh off the boat in the marina while we waited for the Rhapsody to arrive. They were huge and tasted FABULOUS!

Shauna and I in front of the apartment~.

The gang chowin' down on those Prawns! YUMMY! 6 kilos - think that's enough??

John pointing out the view from our apt. I couldn't believe how gorgeous this place was!

This was actually on the way up to Port Douglas from Cairns. We stayed in Cairns the first night then took a coastal drive about 1/2 an hour to the next port.

Where we had dinner the first night.

This was the pool at The Sebel Reef House at night. The lights made it look unbelievably blue.

From the top of one of the balconies at the Reef House.

The view from our room at the Reef House. Another beautiful resort!!!

This was the view from our dinner table before dark.

Just wanted to share a glimpse of our weekend trip to catch up with the Rhapsody in Cairns & Port Douglas. We had a great time visitng friends, and I looooved being able to surprise John by being on the dock as he got of the ship in there! He had NO idea and it was wonderful!

Now we're back in Sydney and we spent the day visiting the Blue Mountains which are about an hour from here. They were AMAZING!!! I've never seen anything like it in my life!! Mountains and valleys - sand rock, old coal mines, "the 3 Sisters" that we're said to have been turned to stone, and the world's steepest railway and cable car rides! Awesome! haha :) I haven't downloaded the pictures yet, but I promise to get some up ASAP.

I'm also really excited about going to church tomorrow night. Dad emailed and reminded me that Hillsong Church is in Sydney!! I didn't even THINK about that. SO, even though I won't be here for the Sunday service, they have a Wed. night college worship service that I'm going to tomorrow. I'm SO EXCITED!!!!!!!!!!!!! I've always been in awe of their praise and worship and now I'm gonna get to see it first hand! Bring it on Jesus b/c I'm ready to be blessed!!!!! WOOO HOOO!!!!

What else...not much. Hopefully the Sydney Opera House will be open for a visit tomorrow morning...back to Bondi Beach on Thurs. and then maybe a little shopping that evening...and the zoo on Friday so I can see a Tazmanian Devil! Then Saturday we pick John up from the Rhapsody and he and I head over to Perth, WA and I meet the family!!! dum dum dum..... (that's the danger tones if you can't tell...haha)

Say a prayer for safe travel! I can't wait to see everyone again. Another month - it'll fly by just like these last few have. :)

More to come! Blessings~*

Guess who's not home yet!?!?!

Trevor with a Joey at the Koala Park Sanctuary.

Yay I got to pet a kangaroo!!!!

The koalas were even cuter!!!

Precious!!!

Villa, Vanuatu - Bein' crazy at the resort we found!

Our last night of Ballroom Fever!

Bondi Beach in Sydney.

Well, if you haven't talked to my parents yet, then I guess you've noticed that I'm not home and it's after Nov. 11 (my sign off date). I am still in AUSTRALIA~! It was a somewhat last minute decision because I didn't think it would be possible for me to afford it, but honestly everything just kind of fell into place. I had been talking to a few people in other depts. on the ship that were trying to get their tickets changed so that they could extend their stay and enjoy more of Australia. I was told that there was no way to do it, but after a few phone calls and emails to the company and airlines I found a way to change and simply pay the change fee and not buy a whole new ticket!! Honestly, I probably got a dummy that wasn't supposed to do it and just didn't know any better, but either way I'm thrilled and so far things are going wonderfully here!

Right now I'm staying with my friend and colleague Trevor and his family. He is the F&B Manager on the ship and signed off the same day I did. I couldn't have a better tour guide for the area!. I've been shopping, seen all the most beautiful beaches, cuddled with kangaroos and koalas, and had some of the most delicious food I've ever put in my mouth! All I can say is WOW! On top of that, he surprised me with a trip up to Cains and Port Douglas which just happens to be where the ship was going this cruise. So, I was able to surprise John and some of our friends by showing up at the docks as they got off the ship! We are staying in these UNBELIEVABLE resorts! I mean, so nice that I could never afford to come back here in a million years! I promise to upload pictures as soon as we get back to Sydney so that everyone can see them because you will be SO jealous! hahahaha :) We're only going to be here until tomorrow though and then it's back to Sydney for more fun!

Then, John will sign off the ship on Nov. 22 and we are both flying to Perth (which is on the other side of the country!) to see his home and meet the family! I'm really excited about the opportunity to see both sides of the country because a lot of people have said that Perth is the most beautiful part of AUS and no one ever goes there since it's soooo far away.

Our last weeks on the ship were great! We had lots of down time to enjoy the ports and the shows continued to go well. We had a lot of families on board including Mom and Paul and then Simon, Teegan, and Meda's (all dancers) parents. It was really nice to have someone to perform for b/c a lot of the Australian guests love the shows, but aren't much for cheering us on.

It was really hard to say goodbye to the cast. Some of them have truly become very close friends of mine and I can't wait to take trips to visit them and/or see them again in rehearsals. I've spoken to most of them via email and everyone made it home safely with all their luggage in hand after 20 to 27 hours of traveling!

Other than that I'm just enjoying Trevor's generosity here in Australia. I miss everyone terribly!

I see or hear things all the time and think - Gee I wish so & so was here to see that! I hope things are still going well and home. Fill me in on things where you guys are!

Blessings~*

Kristian

1 more day and I'll be in AUSTRALIA!!!

A picture of the huts in Bora Bora. I just love how blue the water is too!!

Just a little proof that the Crimson Tide represents all over the world!!! This was in Tahiti!!!
A picture of Heather and I on the beach in Bora Bora - Just look at how clear that water is! You could literally see your feet even when the water was up to your shoulders!
A taste of my first coconut~ This is the real deal straight from the tree to my tummy!
This was part of the "Welcome Ceremony" at Moe's house. After his family invited us into their home they shared a special blend of herbs with us which was very kind...even though it tasted a bit like dirt and water. :)

This was a waterfall that we visited in Hilo, Hawaii - Behind this were tons of smaller swimming "pools" and waterfalls that we swam in!
While in Honolulu we spent most of the day exploring Pearl Harbor.
This was from Shauna's (right) Jungle Safari Birthday party last week! I was a panther and she was an elephant!!

Well, here I am at sea again...it's been a crazy couple of weeks that's for sure! I've seen some of the most beautiful places in the world and it has been WONDERFUL!

We were in Fiji 2 days ago where a man named Moe invited several of the crew members to come to his home and enjoy a traditional Fijian meal as well as a welcome ceremony. It was so nice to just hang out in someone's back yard again...we spent little to no money and had a great time just being together and visiting with his family and friends.

We also crossed the international date line, so we gained an entire day! I believe with all the gains and losses in time we are now around 17 hours ahead of Alabama?...I think that's right anyway...

More than anything I just wanted to get online and add some more pictures for everyone to see.

The link below is a public album I put up of our Crew Show. We did Pure Country and closed the theatre so that only crew were allowed to watch and it was a blast! They were definitely the best crowd we've had all season!

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2040294&l=dbdde&id=156800509

I feel really out of the loop now since my phone doesn't work any more, so keep me posted on things back home! I hope this message finds everyone well!!!

3 1/2 more weeks!! :)