Katie’s Greener Pasture

The girly-girl of our team: Katie

Katie, for personal reasons, has decided to take a leave of absence with no return date. This is very sad for me, as she was just starting to warm up to me. I will miss your freckles, I will miss your crazy English sayings and your laughter, and you are beautifully unique.

Saying good bye and hello has become second nature to any seasoned cruise ship worker. One can always tell which crew members are on their first contract because they are the ones you see crying when their friends leave. It really is a pathetic sight. The spa girls are best known for their emotional break downs when their Italian officers leave to go back home to their wives…what a mess!!

Sometimes I can’t wait to see someone go, and I am sure the same is said about me; with so many egos and personalities we cannot like everybody and then there is a decision to add them to Facebook when they ask you to be their friends. I don’t understand why people ask you to be their friends on this social network when clearly we did not get along. Clearly the chemistry was not there! Desperate! Desperate! Desperate! Again like the spa girls.

Now I know that I am giving the spa girls a bad reputation; however, their reputation has been long standing in the industry, and I must admit that their reputation is slowly changing for the better, in fact on this ship, they are pretty conservative… for the most part.

Right now I am sitting back stage waiting to take off a fly on entertainer: Claire Gobin – Violinist who is doing a Broadway medley.  The ship is rocky and the rest of the team is in the Pasta house. I wish I was with them, but alas, I am back here listening now to her Beatles Medley.  I can’t help to think of how many fly on acts I have said hello to and good bye to over the years. A fly on act is an entertainer who comes on board for two days, does their show, and then leaves again in the next port and unless they are regular acts, it is almost impossible to get to know them. With Claire I met her five minutes before her show, I asked her what I ask every performer: 1) How do they want to be intro’d, 2) What is their last piece, 3) do they come out for a second bow, and 4) Are they married and if so what were the colors of their wedding – it never hurts to get ideas.  That is about the extent of our interaction.

I will admit though, with this contract it is going to be a little more difficult to say good bye to my team because we started up this ship together. As Katie is the first one to leave, I want to wish her the best with life, the best with Steve - her almost fiancé, the best with her gran. I will miss you and as you would say Katie,  “don’t lose the Plop!”

The sickly romantic couple - Katie and Steve