G'Lovers Travels

San Franbloodysisco 23rd & 24th Jan 2011 Off on my adventures again! After spending 58 nights in the UK I'm ready to scoot back off. Part one takes me from London Heathrow to San Francisco I join P&O Arcadia on Monday the 24th Jan and will be sailing on her until our arrival in to Southampton on 29th March. We're on a world voyage and I join it a month in. The itinerary is amazing and I shall be adding a further 12 out of the 22 ports to my 'seen' list. It's one of my nephews 8th birthday today. Ironically I started working on ships for 2nd time around on my other nephews 7th birthday back in 2009! I'm currently sat at Heathrow airport waiting for my gate number to appear on the screens. My plan is to sleep as much as I can on the flight as I arrive early afternoon local time and hope to actually see a little bit of the city before heading to my hotel bed! Well here I am, San Franbloodycisco! The flight was 10 hours and uneventful. The trouble was I've been spoilt in the past by having at least 2 seats to myself! I was in seat F this time (I think it stood for 'For Fucksake') as I was 2nd in a row of 4…..my worse nightmare. EcoNOmy meant NO leg room. I watched 3 films and read a little - barely sticking to my plan of sleep :( The flight was 10 and a half hours long. Once I'd checked in at my airport hotel I had a shower freshened up and got the Bart in to the city. (Bart being the local underground system…..confusing I know as it's also the currency in Thailand! (BHT) I ventured into the Union square part of town. Lot's of shops and very 'American' in my opinion. Do you know what though? I think I love America! I went in to Starbucks and bought myself a decaf Cappuccino. I walked. I didn't know where I was going but I went through streets, I loved that if someone saw me reading the map they helped me, and told me to walk 3 blocks this way or 2 blocks down. As I walked across one street in the distant I saw my weakness……No before I tell all, let me explain: I have a slight obsession……with monkeys, well it's more of a love affair with Orang-utans actually but even so I adore the designs by Paul Frank (the most common being a chimp called Julius. Well in the distance on a San Francisco back street I saw Julius looking at me, I nearly wet myself! Just a look wouldn't hurt right? So I went in…….The sales assistant told me that they have a 30% sale on every thing in the store apart from the T-Shirt table and bikes (well I was hardly going to buy one of those - tempting as it was!) Before I left the UK my Dad gave me some money for my birthday in March and I wanted to get something from him I would like. I got 2 TShirts and a pair of pyjamas. Now I've had a pair of PJ's previously from the UK and they were really expensive (£75-£100) These were $55 on the tag but not forgetting the 30% discount they came to $43.50 bargain! When I pulled myself away from the Paul Frank store I wandered back to Powell Street which was where I got off of the Bart and I noticed Macys store on my way back. Now I'm not a shopper at all but I had to say I'd been to Macys! There were 7 floors to this department store, I wandered around the make up and perfume and wasn't at all interested so I left! I then got the Bart back to the airport and then the free shuttle bus to the hotel. It's now 2.50am I'm sat up in bed having been asleep since 8.30pm. My body clock's up the creek. It's 10.50am at home you see so I think it might take me a few days to adjust. What with all the time changes on board which will be happening in the next few days I best prepare for a messy sleeping pattern for a while! I'm excited with a bit apprehension about joining the ship. I hope the team I'm working with are nice, and they like me? - I don't often go through life wondering whether people like me I am who I am and if they don't like me it's fine. But working on a ship so closely together it's hard to pull away from awkward situations. I'm sure I'll be fine. Wish me luck! It's now 5.30am on the 25th Jan. I've spent my first night on board. All I can say is It's different! The ship is huge. Yesterday is a little bit of a blur actually. We got on to the ship really early (pick up from the hotel was 6.45am) The new team I'm part of seem really lovely - management equally. There's just a lot to take in and a lot of different things I'm going to be doing. I keep getting told how different the passengers will be to the passengers on my last ship (Ocean Village) and although I understand these ships attract a certain clientele I can't see how people can possible be so different? (we're all human right?!) It's a child free ship which I won't be used to. I also feel like I'm never going to find my way around! (but it's only been one day) I've seen quite a lot of people from OV who work in bars & the restaurants. I also noticed on the wall of pictures a few familiar faces. Basic rules for me seem similar to those I've had previous. One that's different: If I want to go to the crew bar I have to be in uniform though as I'm an officer! I can however go to the wardie out of uniform. I will have to learn to dance (which will be a challenge, but before arriving I knew this would be something I'd have to do.) My uniform is very smart (even though I had to troop around the ship yesterday in search for half of it because mine didn't arrive in time! I'm now on the ship for 9 days (without being able to get off) I am IPM (In Port Manning) at our next port (Honolulu, Hawaii) and all the other days are sea days. So this is plenty of time to learn to dance! As soon as I get internet access on the ship I'll add this to my blog. I really hope I settle soon, I do want to enjoy it I just don't feel at home yet. I am not open to it being at all like OV but I'm not going to change who I am and not be as friendly as I was on there. I got on with all of the crew on board OV and plan to hug and kiss and say hi to anybody I recognise on here….even if I do get some funny looks along the way! …..I don't think I'll get called 'Kerry G' for a while (which makes me sad!)