Victoria, Canada

My day in Victoria was a good day. I liked hanging out there. I took a walk to downtown. There was this abortion protest going on. Oy. My tour was later in the day so I had a little bit of time to kill beforehand. It was busier than I thought it would be for some reason. There are some really cool building there too.

My tour, which I think was a really bad choice…was a waste. I did the Double Decker tour. You get on a bus with an open top and drive around and see the city and surrounding areas. Don’t get me wrong It was really cool to see everything. Camera work wise…not so much. Lol. Not a very smooth ride. Obviously very windy. It was either the wind or trying to get a clear shot through a crappy cleaned window…not to mention dealing with reflection. So I opted for the clear picture. With either the in or outside option the shaking of the bus was something I couldn’t avoid.

After my tour I went around and got all the same shots so I had something to work with. It wasn’t the worst edit, but it def wasn’t the greatest. While getting some extra shots I wondered to the Tim Hortons that I saw on my tour. Lol the coffee just wasn’t as good as the Tim Hortons in Buffalo. I was a bit sad. I wandered some more found this like hostel/café/bar place. It was cool there. I had some local beer, which was really good. ☺ just chilled. To me it was a very chill out place to hang out.

San Francisco

… It's hard to figure out how to start this post! Lol I absolutely loved San Francisco! I mean I wasn’t that excited to go to San Francisco, but once I stepped outside I was instantly blown away by the atmosphere, and vibe of the whole place.

I have never been to San Francisco, I was happy to go to a place where I haven’t been of course, but I never expected to REALLY like this city. It sounds uber cliché, but it was hard to leave this city. I loved it.

Ok… so what I did. Lol My tour was bright an early. I went a tour called “The city of San Francisco. We first went to the Golden Gate Bridge, which was really cool to see. We Drove over the bridge to this vista spot. It was really cool to see the city from afar, and the bridge from that side. From there we went to the de Young Museum. There was this one wall art piece that I really - really liked. I don’t know why, I just did. I had a pic of it as well. I was like 20 feet high. I forget the details of it, I wish I could explain it, but it’s of something that the human can’t see regularly. After the Museum we drove around a bit, shopping area, china town, the painted ladies. Otherwise known as the “Full House” house!!! It was really cool to see in person. I didn’t get a pic of it though, cause we went by so quickly. We didn’t stop. ☹ Our last stop was to downtown San Francisco. I saw city hall. Amazing looking building.

So, that was my tour… oooooooooohhhh!!!! I almost forgot the coolest part. Lol. We went to twin Peaks. From there you saw the whole city, the bridges and everything. I really enjoyed the view. I could have stayed there for hours! I got some good pics.

After my tour I went out and wandered around. I went around the pier, including Pier 39. I got a couple of pictures of the sea lions just took over those docks. Lol That whole thing was weird to me. I guess it’s a big deal to everyone though. It’s pretty funny to me though. I got entertainment from it. lol After that I walked around a lot. Downtown, Chinatown, random places. Let me just say in the 5 mile radius that I walked I must have counted 15 starbucks. They aren’t joking around. Two were diagonally across the street from one another. And it wasn’t like oh its impossible to get to one so they put the other one there, like I hear it is in Texas, but seriously two that close. Lol

All I know is I got my peanut butter. Lol Yes, I really love peanut butter. Its just we don’t have it onboard all like that. I can get it, I have a couple friend offer to get me some, but its not crunchy, and organic peanut is seriously the best! Anyway… just being in San Francisco was really awesome.

When I got back to the ship…I saw my freaking boss once again! ugh. While walking around I didn’t use my iPod this time around. So I’m crossing the street to the ship terminal, and I see him, and out loud I say “ oh god, fuck sake.” Lol the people crossing the street with me probably thought I was nuts. Lol. I was like oh jesus please don’t see me. Lol I don’t think he did thank god. I wasn’t gonna have my manager ruin my day out. After getting back on the ship I had to shoot San Fran sail away. There was a beautiful sunset. I didn’t edit the sail away, Marek did a sweet job at it. It was cool sailing under the bridge. I took pretty sweet pictures too! I got a shot of this woman with the bridge in the background right after we sailed under and she was like crying. I guess it was such a big deal to her. She said she had a fear of heights and she climbed it, walked across, so to sail under it was like a huge deal with her. I have to say it was a cool moment to sail underneath it.

When I was done with sail away Marek was like I hope you didn’t get a lot. Lol. I had no idea what to shoot, Marek didn’t really give me direction so I just shot. Lol I was supposed to just do people, and him scenics. I was like…opps. Lol When I saw the edit I loved it! He used a lot of my scenic shots! I got a really sweet time lapse! He used it. ☺ When I saw him I was like “so, I see you used some of my shots. You liked them didn’t you.” Lol. We just laughed, and he said I had some really good ones. ☺ I was happy.

I’m gonna miss San Francisco. Hell when I there I felt as though I could live there!!! I could really see myself living there. Hey who knows. I was surprised- the city was smaller than I realized. Its like only 46 square miles, or something like that. It is such a beautiful city! I’m definitely going to visit again. ☺

Lahaina

For my stop last in Lahaina I did whale watching. Aghhhhh!

I was really sick oh whale watching. My manager forced me to go on this one. This guy. Oy! I cant even believe him. He says to me “ Amber its easy, you get one or two whales breeching, get a couple passengers ooohh-ing and ahhh-ing and we’ll sell a ton.” Yeah asshole I’m gonna make sure to que the fucking whales! Oh and not to mention I’ll be sure to tell the ocean to be calm like a pond for me as well.


I saw some, but it was the end of the season. I did get a few good shots, nothing better than I already had though.

After my tour I got my hair cut. I am gonna miss this hair stylist for sure. He did my hair great! Next month I have no idea where I’ll be getting it cut cause in LA you’ll pay like 100 for a haircut! I paid 30 for this guy. He was awesome!! I cant help but brag about him. Keeping hair short is such a task. Lol

I ran into my boss once again in port. What the first thing he said to me? “Did you go on tour?” now mind you we ran into each other while I was on my off time, and while trying to get a coffee. Not only did he disturb that, but he interrupted my moment where I was deciding what new coffee drink to feel out. I always get the same thing, so I wanted to switch it up. So while we was going on about work BS I was getting pissed that he was ruining my moment of decision making. Coffee is a serious thing. Lol ok back to what we were discussing. Now I get paid to go on tour. If I miss a tour I’m in a deep shit-trust me I learned the hard way. So don’t ever ask me did I go on tour, like your making sure I did. Seriously. Than he’s asking me about my senior. Dude. Than he’s attacking me about how video doesn’t do enough gallery hours. Than he’s like you guys don’t work enough. You’re not dong this and you’re not doing that. Sweet jesus! I’m like all I want is my coffee and for you to get the hell out of my face with work bullshit!! I mean why could he talk about what he was doing in port, or like how great a day it was, or some other shit. I hate how he always bitches to me on my happy time.

Ok done with that whole thing. Oy!!

I didn’t see as much of Maui as I would have liked. I seen enough of whales, too much I should say. I liked Lahaina though. I liked its village feel. The history behind it is very interesting as well.

Honolulu-Diamond head

I did a tour early in the morning in this port. I did the diamond head trek again. This was my first tour in this port too. First and last. It was a quick hike, but it was a little cloudy. Views weren’t that bad, but they could have been better.

I wanted to go surfing again, but my hip just was not having it. the hike didn’t do it any good either. So I opted out. ☹ I finished shopping for my family too! I drank/ate lunch with some friends. Watched my one friend get drunk off two drinks, a guy no less. It was pretty entertaining to watch him make a fool of himself in front the servers. Lol. The lunch ended with him hating Jagerbombs,(which is a sin!!) and writing “I looooooove you soooooooo much” on the check to the server. Lol

I had a sushi date which was of course yummy! ☺

Good news for me on the port was that I thought I had to shoot island night like last cruise, but My senior was like no I made a mistake on the schedule. Sweetness!!!

Nawiliwili- Last time around.

To start my day I did crew drill.

Than to again be approached by my boss…first question “are you working today? Than “What tour are you doing?” “Are there a lot of people on it?” than follows that by “oh you had a day off, that’s two days in a row.” Which I don’t know where he got that that from because yeah I got lucky cause I didn’t have to go on tour, but this day I had to do drill. Go on tour, Than shoot 50’s night later that night. Which meant editing two things as well in that day. So he can f- off. ☺ but he kept saying how Video doesn’t work enough. So my day started off on a crappy note.

I did pretty much the same tour as last cruise. BOOO! When they tell you that new management makes the difference THEY ARE NOT KIDDING. Seriously. Ever since the photo manager has changed, the way I look at my job has really changed as well!!

So the tour I did was Wailua River/Fern grotto again.

So nothing new to really show you. ☹

Kaua’I was my favorite island. There is such cool stuff there!! It so beautiful, and green. The coastline is amazing!!

Odds and ends

So this cruise wasn’t that bad. Last Hawai’i. Hawai’i will be missed. I wont miss those sea days though that’s for sure. I will miss sleeping in. lol

Alaska is coming.

Every since the new manager came on my life on board has become increasingly more 7th layer of hell-ish. I say that because when I first met him I introduced myself to him, because video didn’t really meet him. We missed out on the lil meeting they had cause of tour stuff. He asked me about me job, and if I liked it. I told him I loved to be honest. So we had a lil convo about that, but his words to me were “well if you love your job so much you must not be working hard enough.” HOW FUCKED UP IS THAT?!! I mean seriously I am a rare breed where someone actually likes the work they do, and you shit all over it!! ugh. So I kinda brushed that off. Than I saw him in every port, with him saying you’re not working enough. You’re not working enough. Than he tries to get me to some how tell him dirt on my senior. Like he’s searching for something. Now the funny thing is my senior and him never have had the same conversation that me and him have had. He’s much more hostile towards me. My senior is boggled by this.

With everyday that has gone by I have heard just about all I could take from him. But here’s the kicker. I was working in the gallery, and he touched me. For some reason he touched my hair! I looked him straight in the face and said as nice and as polite and sweet as possible ”please don’t touch me again” he def didn’t like that. So he preceded to play 20 question about my senior’s knowledge in the gallery. Dude I don’t keep tabs on my boss, isn’t it the other way around? Again he was waiting for me to be like “oh marek never does gallery hours” which is not the case. And than he was trying to get me to say “ marek doesn’t know what he’s doing in the gallery” ok even if he didn’t do you think I would tell his boss that??!! He was again looking for dirt. I wasn’t going to rat out my boss to his boss if marek didn’t know what he was doing in the gallery. Since he didn’t get what he wanted from me he walked about really pissed and with an attitude. I have to say I was amused about this. Lol

We’ve been doing the new promos for the new itinerary. I got to do the casino and Art Auction promo. I was a little intimidated with the assignment, but marek helps me with the feeling. He gives me the info I need, and lets me do what I do. ☺ he’s good about that. I got to make these cool commercials. Now Marek tells me most Videographers don’t really care for doing them. Its takes more time to shoot it than to edit it. so I don’t mind it. after I did both I was like hmm not too bad. ☺ I thought they came out good too.


Three weeks left. ☺ I’m gonna miss Marek man. Seriously. He’s a good senior. I’m learning a lot form him. I would love to work with him again. My photo manager, if I find out he’ll be on the same ship as me I will deny that contract for sure! Alaska is coming and me and marek and stacked up with stuff to shoot. The re-po cruise we each shoot 3 things in a day a couple of days in a row. Crazy. Once we get to Alaska I’ll be doing tour everyday. Which if I have to do whale watching there I wont mind cause the waters are calmer, and I’ll see Orca whales!! ☺ **hopefully** My photo manager is thinking about putting me on double tours... which is insanity. Thank god its only two weeks of that. I feel sorry for the girl that replaces me. She’s a 1st contract and American which means in Alaska she will be over worked!! Alaska has that law where you cant work on Alaskan soil unless you are American. It gives us a bit of job security, but everyone of the crew members is like HAHA.

I’ll let you know how that goes.

My last port in Hilo.

It was a sad day, but a good day. I Missed my tour because Immigration was that morning. No crew can go ashore until every crew member had gone through immigration. They did what they always do too… the guy says to me "why are you up here?" Lol I’m required by princess, but customs are like you don’t have to come up. Whatever, ya know. I just do what I’m told.

I missed my tour by 15 minutes. I’m not broken up about it Cause I did this tour already. It was the waterfall and lagoon trek. My first tour in Hilo.

So in turn I finally got a day off in Hilo. I took a friend along with me, and let me just say first, before you go shore with anyone…and you happen to be the walking type-make sure to ask them if they like AND can take a long distance walk.

We walked from the ship to downtown Hilo. We stopped at Hilo bay. Not too bad. I took him to see the ice pond. Stuff I always see, but he never has, so why not show him cool stuff. There are some pretty cool pics. I posted my favorites. :-)

I got a fresh pineapple it was soo good. ☺ I did a little bit of shopping for the fam. Ice cream was had!! That was amazing!! Lol

I ran into my boss as well. and of course he did the why aren’t you working thing to me. At the time I didn’t know he’d make a habit of this.

The big island was a really great island. I finally got to hang around in Hilo too. Not my favorite island but there is some really cool stuff to do and see! ☺