World Voyage 2014 - All of the fun

Despite the many challenges at work this World Voyage on the Queen Mary 2, I had to make time to have fun. If you're not having fun on the ship, I'm not quite too sure what you're doing then. There are many ways to have fun on the ship. Socializing is one of my favorites. If I dont socialize, I would definitely go completely mental.

I start to have dinner with my assistant, Meagan, Patrick, Dom, and Russell. Fun group. We're all big movie fans. They don't quite understand my love and need for rice, but who does?

Drinking is another way to have fun. Although it's not quite the healthiest thing to do, with the right crowd and a limit, things don't turn out too bad.

The top thing to do is go out to port. There were around 30 ports on the 2014 World Voyage this year. My favorite ports this years were Sydney, Hong Kong, and Lisbon.

I went to the Taragon Zoo in Sydney! Amazing zoo! Fun! Most of the animals were sleeping when we went, but still a blast to walk around and see all the different animals.

I was waiting for Singapore!! Meagan and I did a little shopping and I walked around the botanical gardens. Oh how I wished to stay longer at the bontanical gardens. It was so peaceful and beatiful. I felt like I was in my own little world away from all the madness.

I always love Hong Kong! I went out with Emily my first day. We walked around Ladies Market trying to find gifts and things we probably don't need. The next day I went on an amazing tour as an escort. I got to visit the Big Buddha again and see it with new eyes. We got a good view of the bridge and visited a little fishing village. 

World Voyage 2014 - The Print Shop

I started my World Voyage meeting the ship in Sydney, Australia. On my arrival to the gangway of the Queen Mary 2, I find out that my name is not on the joiners list. Oops! I wait a few hours for the crew office to work it's magic. There was no way the ship would leave without a Chief Printer onboard. I think they would go a little crazy. Justin and I do handover outside in beautiful Sydney and I board the ship immediately starting work. 

I was going into a print shop with a finisher down on the Vario (black and white printer) and the 6010 (color printer) printing like a champ. It definitely was pretty good news. I would go into work starting with tech duties, then print operator duties, and then management work. 

A couple weeks pass by and I couldn't wrap my head around that finisher. Next thing I know, the Magenta stops printer on the 6010 and I turn into a butter fingers. Work seizes on the finisher and the attention soley goes to the 6010 and it's processing units. 

Good news is a few days later I get the Magenta back. In other news, the Yellow stops printing. It stumps me quite a lot. Half way through March and we're still printing on the Vario with a box as our "finisher". Things were not looking up yet.

I continue to email back and forth which everyone I know to help me out with the 6010. Then down goes the Vario. After a panic, a break down, and keeping me from going insane, I finally crack the problem on the 6010. The next step was to try and get the Vario up and running with out replacing the part it wants. 

I'm sure you're wondering, "What does a print shop do without it's only two working printers?"

The purser's help us print the programme in it's back office, while I continuously work to get the printers working again. 

Next arrives Justin Phillips in Kota Kinabalu to save the day by hand delivering parts that we need to fix both machines! Hooray! The week he stayed on was actually the first time I had an actual conversation with the guy.

Both printers are up and running, which means that freedom is shortly around the corner. Before freedom comes, there is a lot of catching up on work and getting reacquainted with my manager role. 

Oh and of course I can also refamiliarize myself with my nice comfy bed! 

Ship Life Print Shop Shinanigans

It's quite rare to hear that a person works on a cruise ship. As a crew member you will get quite different reactions. Some people really hate cruise ships, while others are quite fascinated by the idea. It will really depend on what ship you are working on. Currently I am working on Cunard's biggest Ocean Liner, Queen Mary 2 (ooops too bad I don't have Cundardia...ahhh print shop jokes). Queen Mary 2 has 1,240 crew serving a maximum of 3,056 guests. We're not the biggest ship roaming the ocean, but trust me. This ship is big enough for the transatlantic season.

I've been working on the QM2 since November 2012. (Don't worry I've had a vacation.) Many may think that we don't really work on cruise ships, but this ship will make you work. When you have digital printers printing for more than 1000 guests and all the departments onboard, you will definitely be constantly working. There are a bunch of RICO printers onboard, but who would print 1000+ pages on a RICO when you can get it cheaper from the Print Shop.
What is quite nice about working in the print shop is the fact we can make our own schedule. You will definitely get those occasional days where you are non-stop busy. Phones are ringing. Printers are continuously printing. Emails are constantly coming in with orders. Besides those days, life is great. We get to travel the world on this beautiful ship and fill in the gaps as we please.
What I have found difficult is finding ways to de-stress. When I was on land, I would go out to a cafe and listen to music, go online or read a book. On a ship, depending on the stress, I would blow bubbles, sit in my room alone watching TV, go to Deck 13, listen to music while working or just close the doors of the print shop. You're never really alone on a ship. You see the same people every day, so finding that feeling that you're alone can be quite rare.
Down time is quite a new thing to get used to as well. Sometimes you need to pick up new hobbies or find new things you could enjoy doing. Other wise you may just be stuck doing nothing, eating and drinking. The occasional party and drinking can be fun. Other than that, do as you will. I'm starting to pick up darts. I don't see very many people play darts in the US, but on a ship it is quite popular. I am not very good, but it is a fun game when you're enjoying it among friends. I've been reading more than I usually do, and I got some knitting things to do some knitting. It's always fun to get projects from departments. Sometimes people need a poster done or maybe a calendar made. I wouldn't dare pass up a project as it gives me something new to do. Plus it puts my creative mind to work.
Ship life is a fast pace environment. Everything is constantly moving and you will definitely learn a lot in such a short period of time. There is no time to dwell on mistakes, and there is no time to point fingers. (However pointing fingers will always happen in any work place.) I feel like if everyone just owns up to what they did things would not get so complicated. I've been definitely learning to own up to my mistakes, make sure to find out what should be done for next time, apologize where needed and move on from the whole situation. No need to dwell on things too long. That's when things get messy and grudges are formed.

Below are a few pictures of some places I have visited.

The Falls in Quebec, Canada with my friend Juane

Milford Sound

Sydney, Australia

Another port. Another day. Another blog.

I'm back baby!!!!!! Boston, NYC, NJ!

Woooo. Weeeee. It feels good to be back and writing a blog again. I've probably promised a lot of blogs that I didn't keep up with. All I got to say, "Life happens".
I got carried away being on vacation. You ask, "Vacation from what?" Vacation from working on a ship for seven months. The vacation is almost over too. Oh, but it has been such a marvelous vacation.
Why yes, I work on a cruise ship. I've gotten many different reactions from stating this job. It's a very hectic and hard working job. I work seven days a week plus holidays. I would not be going back if I didn't absolutely love the job. I get to do pre-press work, some design and see print production. I've also newly been trained to be a helpful technician to our lovely Canon printers if they should ever have some problems onboard. Seems like a lot, but I'm the kind of person who likes to stay busy. Also a perk to working on a cruise ship, I get to do some "sneak peek traveling". That's what I like to call it, since at ports I usually get to go explore for about four to five hours. Fun stuff.
This vacation has also been absolutely fun! My first month I relaxed like crazy. I spent lots of time with my family and had a bunch of family meals. Family meal time is always one of my favorites. Enjoying good food and good company. The best combo!
I met my niece for the first time! Cutest little baby girl. That girl has a strong grip. I bet she's going to play some kind of sport when she's in grade school.

I also got to attend my nephew's 3rd birthday party. That crazy kiddo had a blast swimming, getting cake all over himself, whacking that piñata, and opening all those presents!

On my way to NYC I stopped by Boston, MA and visited my big bro. Then I stopped by NYC to visit friends and attend my friends' wedding. Lastly I went off to NJ for training. Yippy!

Find out about my trips in New York City, Boston and New Jersey.

"In New York, concrete jungle where dreams are made of..."

It's always fantastic to be in the Big Apple! I headed here for a wedding and to see some friends. My besty, Susie, was also in town, so we got to hang out. When I arrived at JFK, Moe, Susie and I hung out for the day in the Brooklyn area. It may have been Queens, but I couldn't tell the difference. I was a bit exhausted and didn't really know what to do in that area. We headed into the city to get Korean food. At this time, my friend Zac had joined us and we were all famished. I was excited to get Korean food in NYC! Eating is always a joyful time especially with family and friends!

 Breakfast Time!

 Korean Food with Susie, Moe and Zac.

Soon Doobu! Delicious

Reflecting back on my five days in the Big Apple, I realized how busy I was. You never realize how much work you are capable of doing when you are determined to stick with your plans. Yes, I had work to do. Despite that, I was able to finish it all and stick to most of my plans! Fabulous!
On Wednesday, I headed out on my journey to claim the Cinderella Broadway tickets I bought. I did get lost. NYC Subway is no walk in the park. It's not as simple as SF Bart. Two hours later I got the tickets and met Susie at MOMA. We decided to save MOMA for another time as it was going to close in a couple hours. There was no way we could have seen everything in such a short time. We stopped by Time Square for dinner and then watched the show. Cinderella was really magical! I was surprised to be singing along with some of the songs. I didn't know I knew them. I guess I have the 1997 Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella film to thank for that. VHS days baby!! That was my first broadway show. I was so happy! I was not disappointed at all. It was definitely a whole nother world watching a broadway show! I am so addicted. I want to watch another broadway show!

 Around MOMA area

Time Square for Dinner

 It's Showtime!

My First Broadway Show!

The next day I had met Susie for lunch before she headed back to PA. We ate at The Grey Dog. It was a cute and urban little cafe. The waiters tag your table with bandanas, which was unique. I had a tuna melt and iced coffee. They both satisfied my tummy. At Penn Station, I dropped Susie off and said my "See you again soon." Afterwards I headed out on my journey to Chobani in SOHO. I didn't really factor in how far of a walk it was from Penn Station. It was quite a stroll, but I saw some cool things on the way. I even popped into Bath & Body Works to get the "Carried Away" body wash. "Carried Away" fragrance smells so good! Try it the next time you stop into Bath & Body Works. As I strolled down along into the direction of SOHO, rain had hit. It had come down pouring, so I had run into Subway to wait it out. I had bought a bottle of water and had stayed for a bit since there was an outlet to charge my phone.

 Lunch at The Grey Dog

Thunder Buddies for everyone!

I finally made it to Chobani! Smaller than I imagined. I wished it was a little more seat friendly. There aren't very many spots to sit and enjoy your Chobani. Despite the small space, it's super delicious! I took my Peach & Almond Chobani to go and made my way to Koreatown.

I wouldn't be Marissa if I didn't get lost. When I hopped onto the subway, I was checking to see if it was going in the right direction. Next thing I knew the train was crossing the Brooklyn Bridge. Fail! I hopped off and got onto the right train. I arrived at Madangsui, a Korean BBQ restaurant, and greeted my friends. It was a great little reunion and delicious food!

Friday was a bit stressful. Crazy right?! I was on vacation and I was stressed. In between my joyful adventures in the city, I was finishing up some pre-training material. I had the week to finish it. I thought I was on top of it. I was waking up early and going to bed late. I was surprised at myself that I was able to wake up at 7AM and go to bed at 2AM. The stressful part was that I could not pass a quiz. I even went back to the material to look up the answers and still could not pass. Next thing I knew I was late for my friend's bachelorette party, and I even brilliantly forgot my ID at the apartment. Let alone, the outfit I was suppose to wear was way too wrinkled. I took a deep breathe. First, I decided to take the quiz again on Sunday. Second, I just wore the shirt I previously had worn. Third, I headed back to the apartment to grab my ID. Fourth, I was only half an hour late. Success! The night was really fun. I had some drinks and danced the night away with the soon to be Mrs. Chang. Most importantly I got home safely at 2:30AM.