Things that make me smile!

Things that make me smile!

Hello sorry I have not blogged in a while, but here is a good one that I hope will make you smile as it has done for me! This last week I met this lady whose name was Carrie, and her husband. She is from Texas and is a surgeon. This was her fifteenth time on this same exact cruise with NCL. When first meeting her I thought she was going to be a pain, just because she expects so much being a VIP member of this ship, most people pretend they are kings and queens when they are VIP. But Carrie and her husband were different, they were some of the nicest people I have met on this ship yet! Every time we saw each other we made a point of saying hello and asking how each other day was, and really getting to know each other! By the end of the cruise I was looking forward to our next encounter, just to say hello! The very last night of the cruise she came and found me to ask if we could take a picture together so she can remember me for next year! As we were saying our final goodbyes, she told me she was a cruise critic and was writing an article on our ship for a review, and wanted to simply thank me for making her vacation that much better. That is what makes me smile, that is why I keep pushing forward during twelve hour days.

Alright few other things that have recently made me smile, I was working in gallery today and I saw this teen boy around 14 walking down the hall towards me with this giant Mohawk, I did not think too much of it. Then heading the same direction 30 seconds later I see this other little boy walk past with a Mohawk around the age of 11 or so, then following him was an older gentleman around 50 with a Mohawk. Come to find out a family of about eight all decided to visit Hawaii with Mohawks, even down to the three year old little girl getting pushed my mom in the very back of the line in a stroller.  That is what makes me smile, that is why I keep pushing forward during long days. 

So I have one more thing that has made me smile just recently. I was walking threw the crew mess where we eat and I see this guy leaning back in his chair, mouth wide open passed out—snoring. Now this is a normal occasion around here, you randomly find crew taking naps in the most random places, but what made me smile was what was on the table in from of this guy. When I walked by there were two empty coffee cups, an empty redbull and twenty or so empty packets of sugar. Wow, the life we live.

Well I hope me sharing some of the things that make me smile got you to smile a little as well! Hope you all are having a great time doing whatever you doing! 

dayyy thirty four

I think it is wild that I have already been away from Colorado for Thirty-Four days! I cant help but think has it gone by fast… or slow? When I think about it, I feel like I was in STCW just yesterday, fighting fires and studying like it was finals week all over again. But when I think of today, I feel like I have been here three months by now. Each day of work I have a morning shift, an afternoon shift, and a night shift. Between those shifts I do laundry, take a nap, or simply prepare for my next shift. Working a schedule like this makes me feel like I live three days in one, which then eventually makes me feel like I have already been here for three months! I have made some great friends already, ones that I hope to have in my life for a while, and ones I cant wait to eventually introduce to all of my friends everywhere else! I have realized that Colorado is a special place, it has so much to offer, and is greatly missed; but change and adventure is always a great thing!

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The small things that are missed!!

Its crazy the different life style of living on a ship – you began to miss the small things in life. I am going to write a little list that I want everyone to show a little appreciation for next time because its currently apart of your lifestyle that maybe one day you will miss as well….

Driving A Car with the windows down, blasting music.

Watching a full movie all at once.

Making a dinner for yourself.

Having a day off.

Having a window in your room.

Going to a concert / show.

Not sharing your room with someone else.

Having your own washer and dryer.

Not having to wear a tie every night.

… && the list could go on….

I am not one that is complaining about such an amazing time in my life, just remember that those are things that are missed here living on board the Pride of America. Now to give you a list of things that make up for all of the things that I miss…

Swimming in the ocean.

Beautiful Beaches.

17 different restaurants to eat at.

Production shows to watch every night.

Amazing people from across the world to meet.

Falling asleep to a ship swaying back and forth.

A housekeeper.

Sunsets / Sunrises

Full moons and palm trees

White Hot Parties

Simply being in Hawaii

&& the thought of coming home to see all of my wonderful friends in four months!

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Haleakala Crater

So I woke up at 3AM this morning for an adventure I will never forget. One of my friends rented a car and we drove up to Haleakla. Haleakla is a crater that is on the island of Maui about two hours or so away from our port. Traveling up this road as it twisted up the mountain side I kinda got a little sick…. We got to the top of the crater around 5AM so it was still dark, after a quick nap in the car, we headed to watch the sun rise. At 10,023 Feet it was as cold as Colorado but it was the most amazing site! Being above the clouds and the sun as it rises was such an amazing feeling! I began to wonder if this is what Pilots see during sunrise! I will have to as Preston Dale for that answer one day! I just want to say that living here in Hawaii has been so wonderful so far! It is currently my one month anniversary, only four more months  before vacation! Wow has time flew by!

Aloha Polynesia Show!

Hey everybody, so I put a little video clip in this blog! It is the Aloha Polynesia show that is on board the ship! It takes you threw all of the different dances that the island have to offer. The neat thing is I get to work with these dancers every Saturday! They are models for the guests during embark! They are all so nice and it was amazing actually seeing them do their traditional dances. Ohhh and yes those are all real tattoos on the men.

excuses.

I take anywhere from two hundred to a thousand pictures a day..... and ohhh boy have I heard some great excuses of why people wont let me capture a moment. I'm hiding from the police. I'm on the run. I will break your camera. I don't want my wife to see me with my girlfriend. Simply pretend like they don't speak English. Its against my religion. I don't have my lipstick on. And sometimes throw their hands in the shape of an X and yell at me to get out of their face.

I now am beginning to feel like I am taking something from people. Stealing. Taking their soul. Hurting them in some way. Why can I never give the passengers something... always just taking their picture.

All I'm asking is for a simple smile or simply saying no thank you... not tonight.

A smile takes less than a second. You're on vacation people... pretend like you're happy I'm only trying to do my job!!!!

Where is the love on this boat?

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WAIKIKI AQUARIUM

Guess what! I have a full day off! So I visited the Aquarium. It cost only nine dollars and it was amazing! My favorite was the seal. We met some cool people that worked there and had a lot of fun. It does make me wonder if the fish are happy in the tanks.... do they feel trapped or do they feel like celebrities? Either way at least they are close to home. Up next I'm heading back on board to do laundry eat dinner and go to a show. My life is good.

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the new family

Eating. Thanksgiving lunch

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Thanksgiving Lunch

So this is my first post on my new phone. So i hope it works! The ship made us such a great lunch. Then we headed to the beach. Now waiting to go shoot the luau. Such a good day so far.

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248 Hugs Today!

248 Hugs Today!

90 Degrees in Helio today, no wind, no shade – want to talk about hot! Now imagine wearing a full furry penguin suit for three and a half hours! I seriously was sweating so much I thought I was going to die. But the show must go on…. Listening to skrillix and all of my favorite whomp music I danced better than those little penguins on Happy Feet! Trying to persuade passengers to take a picture with me to meet quota. I received 248 Hugs today from all kinds of different people ranging in age from two years old to eighty years old. Overall it was a pretty fun time, just thought I might actually die from the heat one day! 

A Sunken Ship

A Sunken Ship

So I found out an interesting fact today! The ship that I  am currently living on has sunk before. After dry docking in Florida it tried to make a trip to Germany, during this trip in the harbor to began to sink.  It was then restored and re-named Pride of America and is now fully functional again! I was told that because I live on a once sunken ship I must always be wearing a black pearl to send good vibes back to the sea gods. Pretty neat fact huh!?

Below is a picture of myself on the grand staircase! This is where I shoot all of my formal pictures of the passengers. Because of copywrite procedures I am not allowed to show you any of the guests so I took a picture of myself!

Also my new address is:

Josh Laydon – Photo Dept.

Pride of America

PO Box 135035

Honolulu, HI 96801-5035

Out on the town –

Out on the town –

Last night was really the first night I got to get off the ship and go experience the nightlife of Hawaii! And let me tell you… it was an amazing time! We are in port of Maui and last night we visited the Ale House. Dj’s, Drinks, Friends and good times were had. After the Ale House we headed back towards the boat to a secret employee beach spot were there were crewmembers and a bonfire. With the waves crashing behind us, the sand between our toes, and the bonfire lighting up the night sky we had a ball! Laughs, stories, and massages were in the air. My new best friend Dustin and I went and explored back in the jungle and we found an abandoned house! Tearing threw walls and bouncing off the front porch reminds me of adventures back in Colorado! Making new friends, and making new memories has put a smile on my face! 

Connections –

Whats up everyone! I just wanted to fill you in on how I am trying to communicate with you all! My phone is kinda broken or does not get signal at all… So I can only text and call when im in port. The internet for me costs more than Ten Cents a minute! So it’s a lot of money to just get on to chat with you all. I want this blog to be the way you can see how I am doing, what adventure I am on, and what not. I also will answer any questions you have, simply just as on my facebook wall and I will try and answer them on my blog! Also this will explain why I “mass post” all of my daily blogs all at once! So I hope everyone is doing great! This week on board we have 2,334 passengers. A lot are families with kids here to celebrate Thanksgiving!! This will be my first holiday aboard NCL, I am excited to see how it turns out! Love you all talk to you soon, and again, if you have any questions for me just let me know!! 

Bags Under My Eyes –

Wow I sure to feel how tired I am today! Working anywhere from ten to fourteen hour days has caught up to me… Is there a day off ahead, nope. Kinda sucks. My feet hurt so bad, almost every night by the end I am limping. It is hard work. All of the passengers hate the photographers, because we simple force them to take pictures; so much for free style cruising huh… Sitting here with an hour break, I am falling asleep as I type this but I cant nap anymore because I am afraid I will never wake up in time for work. Pushing forward, and saying in the back of my head, overtime, overtime, overtime. Wish me luck folks, today I have bags under my eyes. 

Workin’ The Grind –

I am working full force now… Tuesday: Gallery 8am, Set up, 3pm, Restaurants 5pm. I did not finish my work day until 11pm. Wednesday: 5:30am Ready to shoot on Kona, 3pm, set up, and back to restaurants at 5pm not finishing until 11pm. During this crazy day of work I managed to get an hour nap… other than that, work, work, work. This job is a pretty standard shoot to sell imagery. Herding passengers to take a quick photo with “surfer dude” READY SMILE.. 1..2…and..3 snap. Next group please “Welcome to Kona”.

Hard work… yes. Worth it… Totally. Waking up today at 4:45am to prepare for the long day, sitting outside watching the sun peak over the horizon while standing on deck six, with the mass amount of water under my feet. It’s a beautiful sight. Heading back to the vessel on the tender a pod of dolphins play in the wake, an amazing sight. White sand between my toes, and the sticky, salty air around me, I call this home. My feet hurt, I am tired, I hate saying Aloha – yet I know this is where I belong. The new chapter of my life, a new experience, a time to love every person I encounter, and to keep smiling. I am home. 

Gallery Opps --

Last night was my first night working as an offical NCL Photographer. I worked in the gallery, pushing to sell images. $19.95 for your first embarkation photo, and $5 for your second. Up sell, up sell, up sell… For every Folio ($14.95) I sell I receive a $1 bonus, for every customized bobble head ($124.99) I sell I receive a $5 bonus. Believe me, I am going to be workin’ that floor! It was a really fun time; the only part I wont enjoy is I have to wear a collared shirt and tie everyday past 5pm.

Also I took a few pictures of my cabin to show you!! This is what I call home! I live with another crewmember, his name is James. My cabin is located on deck three which is below sea level. Just a quick little glance! 

The Departure --

Finally as a crewmember sitting on deck thirteen I watch the city lights of Oahu fade off into the distance. The moon is nearly full, and making a beautiful glow on the ocean surface. Today we got 2,300 new passengers aboard, and 20 new crewmembers who are now starting their own STCW training. I am sure I looked just as afraid as they did walking on board today; its hard to imagine that it has only been seven days. Tomorrow we start another training course in customer service and what not; I also start training in the photo department. New things everyday are happening, and my new lifestyle is forming slowly.

The Practical --

Bell rings, we have sixty seconds to put on our gear and be prepared to fight a fire. With the Hawaiian sun beating down on us we mob out to a simulated 40 foot Class D fire. Fire hose in hand, and all of the material we have learned we attack the fire. Making a wall of water to shield the heat to allow one of us to turn off the fuel valve. We meet accomplishment. Next phase… Zero visibility room. With all of our gear and in three person teams we step foot into a room that has zero visibility, we must find a way to escape. A venture around walls and threw rooms, up ladders, over obstacles. Taking almost twenty minutes we meet accomplishment. Phase three, water safety. Flipping life rafts, struggling to board life rafts, water safety and rescue. Yet again we meet accomplishment. A day of fun, knowledge, and accomplishment allows us to not be just STCW, now we are certified staff on NCL! Sorry that this is the only picture that I took, because we were training in a military facility, all locations were made confidential.

Age.

Age

Just a quick thought to ponder as I lay here in bed, under the ocean, hearing waves crash above me. Age. What is age? Why is age so important? Who determined the time, that determines your age? And what is it about age that is so mysterious yet allows you certain privileges? I have been trying to figure out this girl’s age for the past six days now. She will simply just not tell me, and apparently it is rude to ask a lady’s age (As I found out; after asking her). She keeps her age such a secret, going to the extent of hiding he ID card. Age. Why is age so important? Why is it the older we get the more respect we get from someone who has “less of age”? Why is it that every 365 days we must add another year to a number that we have been counting since day one? Are we counting each year we lived, or are we counting to see how long it takes us to die?

This is just something to think about…

&& Happy unbirthday to you….

Age.

Day 6 -- Leaning

I Start off the day waking up at 0645; I am scheduled to be in class at 0630. Fifteen minutes late does not cut it working aboard the Pride. As I race threw the maze of quarters and decks to the SOLAS room all I can think about is, “Will I be terminated immediately?” In mad panic I burst threw the door to meet a new professor named Don, he says, “Well good morning we have been expecting you!” He then says you’re just in time, please introduce yourself and tell us a little something about you. I respond, “Hello my name is Josh Laydon, I am a photographer, and I am late.” After a little chuckle, Don says well you have pretty good timing… its nice to meet you, now lets all take a ten minute break. I was off the hook…

Later we began watching movies of huge ships sinking to the bottom of the ocean. One with 243 passengers and crew on board, never to be found again, not even one clue to where they mysteriously disappeared. One cruise ship where the crew gave up, took off on lifeboats, and left the passengers to be swallowed by the sea. And one where the ocean became so ruff the boat simply turned over and slowly sunk to its death. This upcoming year it is Titanic’s 100^th year anniversary….

I live on an 80,000 Ton chunk of steal. Yes that’s 80,000 elephants all piled on one scale; now that is a lot of elephants. And we simply float above the water like its nothing. The life of a “pirate”, a cruise employee, or simply someone who lives at sea is a lifestyle, a hobby, and something I am going to have to get use to. I lean with it as I walk with it , I got a swagger in my step, and honestly, “EVERYDAY IM SHUFFLIN’”

Welcome to my new life!

Day 5 --

Alright I got some good news, I passed the fire 101 test, which is the hardest test we have to take. I am pretty excited about this accomplishment, so we went out for drinks and dinner on the island of Kauai to celebrate not getting sent home yet another day! As each day passes by I still ponder the question of how I ended up living on the ocean and working one of the most amazing jobs there is. Is it luck, skill, or simply just what life has in store for me. Either way I am living it to the fullest. With such a huge staff there are so many different types of people working on board ranging in age from 81 to 18. The average age of the crew is 23, which fits me pretty well being 22 and all. Am I home sick yet… kinda, not really though. I have talked to friends and family almost everyday since departing. The Colorado life was a good life and such a huge chapter that I will never forget, but the next chapter that I am starting is going to take the book of Josh for a whole new spin. So as I lay here preparing for the next day and about to wake up at 0500, I smile and remember all of the good times, and the times to be had.

Good Night. 

Friends :)

I love you all. You all have had such a huge impact in my life. The Emily’s – I hope you can be as cool as the Josh’s, and you keep those boys safe and happy for me. Max, you my friend have a genuine love that a lot of people will never really grasp, keep a hold of that, never let it go, and live life every second you can to the fullest. Steven, I am a secret Dave Mathew’s lover.. ha ha ha just kidding, but seriously man you are an amazing guy who can travel far in life, you know your business, and when Im rich you will be the person I call to handle my money! Skeeter, I love you man, I have tried to teach you all that I know, so you take over that town, remember to love and share you knowledge with everyone around you. Mr. Patrick, I don’t even really know you but it seems like you got your life together, and I can see us one day meeting up and accomplishing big things in this world of ours. Ali, gosh I miss you. We are so much a like and I have no idea what I would have done without you. I love you so much and I sure do wish you were here so I could huge you! Celeste, you are wonderful and amazing, you have an amazing heart and such a long future. Keep staying strong and fight for things you believe in. And my new friend, and a best friend, Rob. Dude I love you man, you are one of the kindness people I know, you will fit the Colorado lifestyle so well, I hate leaving so soon, but we will meet my friend.

I love and miss you all! 

Ohhh the places you’ll go and the people you’ll meet...

Day 3 –

Ohhh the places you’ll go and the people you’ll meet.

Welcome to NCL. 946 Crew Members. 2,800 Passengers. 17 Restaurants. 6 Bars. The only US Flagged ship in the world. Welcome to Hawaii. 4 Islands. One week of pure excitement for the passengers.

As for me… I have not even really ventured higher than Deck 3 (There are 15 Decks).

What is happening in my head……………….

Basic First Aid. CPR. Man Overboard (Code Oscar). Firefighting 101. Self-Safety. Vessel familiarization. Code Bravo. Guest satisfaction. Escape routes. Emergency Procedures. Code Alpha. Crowd Control. Drug Lectures. And the list goes on……….

Are there even guests aboard this ship you may ask? Ohhh yeahhh Im still living and training on a full working ship I just have no idea what is going on. Swaying back and fourth as we cross the Pacific Ocean from Hilo I’m currently taking a quick break from an intense study session to ensure I pass all my tests and don’t get asked to go home just to keep you updated on this crazy new life I am living.

As I walk down the hall I pass dancers. Band members. Waiters. Magicians. Game-show hosts. Life Guards. Bartenders. DJ’s. Cooks. Guest services. Hotel management. Security guards. And possibly an Elvis impersonator… but I’m not too sure. Ohhhh the places you’ll go… and the people you’ll meet.

Im excited to actually put on a uniform and join this marching band of cruise employees but for now Im pushing forward and learning the required safety procedures. Soon I will have my chance in joining this crazy cast of people to make an impact on the cruise of a lifetime!

PS) This picture is taken with my phone :) 

A New Chapter --

I want to start and say this blog is not about my English skills, or my vocabulary, or my sentence structure. I am going to be all over the place bouncing from story to story, from laughs, to frightening experiences and simply updating you on my current adventures in the wonderful life of Hawaii!

5AM – Location: DIA – Lost my credit card

Fifteen minutes before boarding the plane that is taking me on the trip of a lifetime, I realize I have lost my only money source--my credit card. Just my luck. Thoughts running threw my head – “No money for food”, “No money for the Taxi”, “No money period. For… the next day, the next week, the next month? Who knows, all I know is my credit card is gone. In a mad panic I call Sarah Schwab because maybe I left it in the car, maybe I left it in the house… Yet still… no luck.

So what can I do except board the plane.

As the doors are about to close an airport employee enters the plane, guess what he has… yes my credit card. This is scare #1 of my new Hawaiian adventure.

After ten hours of traveling I finally land in Hawaii – let the adventures begin :)

n     I hang out with my best friend Josh Bailey and Mr. Lucas Arnold.

n     I eat homemade, right off the tree, guacamole

n     I dip my feet into the warm waters of the Pacific Ocean

n     I board my cruise ship and walk into my new life story!

I will keep you updated of all of my new adventures, my new friends, and my new life! I am now living my dream, and I want to share every bit with you.

Aloha.