Today, I began my contract as Wardrobe Supervisor on the Norwegian Pearl. For the next 6 months, I will call this massive cruise ship home. After about a year and a half break from ship work, I returned very excited to see what this adventure holds in store for me. Nearly all of the ports on the itinerary are new to me and you know I plan on taking full advantage of the opportunities to explore them.
As I arrived to the smaller than expected Grand Bahama Island, I was met with the fascinating experience of seeing a ship in dry dock. This is what happens when a ship needs massive refurbishment, from the inside out. The Pearl is about 6 years old and this is its first time in dry dock. Somehow the ship was balanced on cement blocks and connected to the dock with a few cables. I’m really not sure how the ship did not fall over or crush the blocks. I suppose it has something to do with physics?
There was a very dauntingly steep gangway that led to entrance of the ship and the whole set up looked a bit like Waterworld – scaffolding, ropes as thick as my waist and steel grated walkways everywhere. I trekked up the gangway, trying not to look down while balancing my suitcase, hiking backpack and new camera bag in the extreme heat and likely 100% humidity. I met security and introduced my sweaty and exhausted self. They directed me to personnel to begin the sign on process.
The ship looked and felt so different than what I remember…the passenger hallway carpets were all covered in plastic with boxes and new equipment everywhere. There was also very *limited* air conditioning, although slightly more in crew areas, and the fumes of paint and who knows what else were pretty much everywhere. I had never been on this particular ship before, but my very first contract was on the Gem, which is the exact same ship as the Pearl.
I settled in to my single room for the week, which helped the adjustment to ship living much more enjoyable. J In dry dock, the crew all eats together, at designated times by department, which made me nervous as first for the food options, but therewas actually plenty of good vegetarian options to keep my hunger at bay. I joined the ship in its second week of dry dock, so the cast was midway through their install process. A stitcherhad already arrived to assist the outgoing Wardrobe Supervisor and myself with the fittings and they had completed the first of two production show alterations.
The two production shows on the Pearl are “That’s Entertainment” and “Encore”. There are also three more shows – a Sailaway party, the Welcome Aboard and Farewell Variety shows – in which the cast performs one or two number. They also participate in a few late night parties – White Hot, Norwegian Night Out and Dancing with the Pearl Stars. There is no Nickelodeon program on the ship, partly because of the low number of families with children cruising on this itinerary. While I do enjoy their programs for sure, it’s also a sizeable chunk of work that I do not have each week. “That’s Entertainment” is a revue of mostly Hollywood themed numbers, including a tribute to silent films/Marx Bros/Charlie Chaplin, Marilyn Monroe’s “Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend” and Viva Las Vegas. There are some fantastic showgirlcostumes in this show, which of course, I love! Then “Encore” is a Broadway revue, paying tribute to “The Producers”, “Wicked”, “In the Heights”, “Swing”, “Movin’ Out” and myfave, “Mamma Mia”. Given these particular shows, the costuming is a little less showgirl and more modern Broadwayrealism, sadly. The shows are very good though and I enjoy working with them. The only thing I’m missing is aerial work as there is none at all in the shows.
I was so happy to see two great friends from a previous contract, Betsy and Ian, amidst a sea of 1,100 new coworkers! The new cast was very busy with rehearsals, but I gradually got to spend a little more time with them, in between fittings, at meals and every venturing out in Freeport from time to time. There was a nightly shuttle that took crew out to the only spot on the island with any sort of tourist-friendly nightlife, Port Lucaya. It was a pretty disappointing, man-made outdoor mall with souvenir shops and themed bars and restaurants. There were a few places with free wifi, so of course the crew descended upon those hotspots with furor. Still, I was thankful to have a place to go most nights off the ship, to catch up with the world on Facebook, etc. The Greek restaurant there was fairly decent though and warranted a couple visits. I also got to sample the local Bahamian beer, Sands, which also falls into the fairly decent category. Mostly, it was cheap and allowed me to sit closest to the wifi router! There was cheesy touristy music nightly as well, but it was still nice to have some entertainment while the ship was out of commission.
The Wardrobe crew took a field trip one afternoon to the botanical gardens in Freeport, called Garden of the Groves. This was definitely a highlight. The gardens spanned over 60 acres and consisted of all the luscious tropical flora that is native to the local climate. There was an abundance of hibiscus, orchids, palms, bromeliads and my favorite, bougainvillea. Many water features, including a few waterfalls, kept the gardens very interesting and scenic. There was an herb garden and a meditation labyrinth where I spent some time and just beside the labyrinth was the perfect spot to film a short yoga sequence. By default, it could be considered a hot yoga class, as it was easily 95 and humid! I also tested out my new-to-me camera, a Sony a220 DSLR -lots of fantastic subjects to shoot for sure. After a few hours there, we returned to the ship, happy to see one of the jewels of the island.
After one full evening of absolutely zero A/C, I was really ready to be done with dry dock. The ship was shaping up nicely – new paint, carpet and recalibrated stabilizers (the things that keep the ship steady on the water) were most noticeable. Our journey to Miami on Saturday night to pick up 2,300 passengers the next morning could not come soon enough. The crew was very busy setting up the restaurants, casino, staterooms and cleaning everything possible. We were ready to get the shows up and running and the fittings had all been completed. Most importantly, the A/C was cranked and ready to greet the guests with the arctic blast. The dock began filling up with seawater so that the Pearl could once again float and sail out of the dock. This was actually a really cool process to witness, but not one I necessarily need to repeat. 😳
