January 31, 2018 Disembarkation Day! Today, my 190-ish (amount, not age) guests leave the ship and I receive a new glowing, kind, and excited batch of 140+ guests for the next 10 days through New Zealand and Australia. YAHOO! Before that happens though, a little prayer... may customs be gentle to them, may the port... Continue Reading →

January 29, 2018 The ship was cleared at 8am, and I was zipping down that ramp a minute later. I walked all the way down the boardwalk, about 1.5 miles, sat and watched the paddle boarders and kayakers for a bit, and read the tsunami evacuation notice. You can never bee to careful. It basically... Continue Reading →

January 28, 2018 Napier, New Zealand, with a population of 65,000 inhabitants, was completely destroyed by an earthquake in the 1930s. The town council decided to rebuild the city center, which is directly on the coast, in an Art Deco style. They have dozens of classic cars giving city tours, a lot of their artwork... Continue Reading →

January 27, 2018 Oh. My. God.... I took the COOLEST tour of Weta Studios! For all of you non-film majors out there, this is the company Peter Jackson co-created decades ago and used for Lord of the Rings, the Hobbit, and James Cameron used for Avatar. Others like District 9, King Kong, Avengers... the list... Continue Reading →

January 26, 2018 A very unexciting day at the Hospitality Desk today! Had my daily complainers come by and re-hash their week-old issues that they just can't bring themselves to forget, and is therefore ruining their tour & cruise. I'm sorry you were forced to roll your luggage across the street in Sydney when you... Continue Reading →

January 25, 2018 ...and so many other great questions today At Sea. I wrote down a couple of doozies, but then it made me sound ungrateful for this amazing job. Delete.

January 24, 2018 We docked in Burnie, Tasmania, for only 6 hours today. Possibly 5 hours too many. The most exciting thing I found was this purple berry bush in the Visitor Center's parking lot. Below you will find photographs of both sides of the ship in dock. Port side bundles all of the wood... Continue Reading →

January 23, 2018 I could live in Melbourne. The only problem is that it is one of the most expensive cities in the world. Not that Los Angeles, Washington D.C., New York or San Francisco are affordable either, but those of us who have lived there find a way. Melbourne has beautiful buildings, several gorgeous... Continue Reading →

January 22, 2018 I learned a valuable life lesson: Don't brag too much about what you have in your first aid kit because you just may have to use it. I woke up the first morning on the cruise with a nasty sinus infection so I had a crack into the Mexican meds. Pounding headache... Continue Reading →

January 21, 2018 Me and 180 guests. 20 days. So, what are some of the things I bring on a 20 day cruise? Good Italian espresso, sweetened condensed milk for amazing coffee, and satchets to make a cup at a time, since we don't have Keurig machines in our cabins. #CruiseFail Great British lemon and... Continue Reading →

January 20, 2018

January 19, 2018 Put on the uniform, put on a smile, hang the "Welcome Desk" sign up, and the first person to approach...yells at me and calls me an Idiot. Here's a Life Hack: if you are a Dick, stay home. I don't resemble the weather front that delayed your flight, so why are you... Continue Reading →

January 18, 2018 Being a full-time director, you sleep in hotels anywhere between 200 and 250 days a year. All different types of hotels, beds, pillows, sheets, soap, shampoo, carpet, artwork, some with amenities, most without. Luckily, I am an easy-going, tough gal, and am use to the variety, but today... Was excruciatingly difficult. The... Continue Reading →

January 17, 2018 I wondered around the Harbour for a quite a bit this morning and then return to the hotel to get some paperwork done. I've been working on a bi-monthly newsletter for my student tour company and that takes up quite a bit of time. I'm no stranger to research so finding new... Continue Reading →

January 16, 2018 Today, I got my lazy butt up early and headed down to the Royal Botanical Gardens and walked every single inch of it. Had a nice chat with a groundskeeper as he replanted some shrub. Well, he talked while I just watched and imagined him waving to me from the Bachelor Rose... Continue Reading →