Elephant Island

We are getting closer to Antarctica. Today we were able to see Elephant Island as well as many whales and birds. It isn’t as cold as I expected it to be. I am spending NYE in Antarctica…crazy.

Day In The Life Of A Cruise Ship Dancer

Okay so I thought it was about time that I share more about actual cruise life. This is what a busy day in the life of this cruise ship dancer looks like:

9am: Possible deck sale if it’s a sea day. I picked up another job working occasional special sales for the shops. I absolutely love it since I have a ton of retail, fashion and PR experience. Very fun.

11:45: Notes and rehearsal if we have a show that night.

1pm: Lunch, coffee, TV.

2:30pm: Teach a ballroom dance class to passengers. I’ve never taught before so it’s quite an experience, but I’m learning a lot at the same time so it’s rewarding.

3:30pm: Gym. Basically, if you see some blonde chick kicking Rockette style next to the treadmills, it’s me.

6pm: Din.  

8pm: Show time!

10pm: Show time again!

11pm: “Midnight” buffet followed by sleep, Apples to Apples or having some fun in the OB.

If it’s not a busy day or it’s a port day I’m either sleeping or exploring. There is a lot of free time which can make you crazy, but I try to stay occupied. I read a lot and started writing my own book as well. I’m counting down the months until I’m home while taking advantage of my awesome job and traveling while I can. Dancing on a cruise ship is a sweet deal if you can get past the homesick part (which can be terrible at times!) Free food, free gym, free laundry, free travel, performing is great and the people are usually really sweet!

Falkland Islands

We took an unexpected trip to the Falkland Islands this week. We were all so happy that they speak English there. It was a super cute town with English pubs and British telephone booths. We had good fish and chips at one of the pubs. There were adorable Villas built to commemorate Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee that I really liked as well as the gorgeous, colorful flowers surrounding them. Hopefully we get to go back there soon and I also hope that this doesn’t screw anything up with Argentina since they aren’t fans of the British.

 

 

 

 

 

Prettiest Place I've Never Been

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil is stunning…at least from the ship it is. The day we arrived was extremely disappointing and actually kind of scary. We heard rumors that Americans weren’t going to be allowed to leave the ship and these rumors were true. I certainly enjoyed the view, but hopefully someday I can come back and actually explore. I was however able to see the Jesus statue in the distance!

 

Overnight in Argentina

In an effort to save some money, I’ve been really bad about updating my blog. Sorry! Last weekend we had an overnight in Buenos Aires. We spent the day at a huge mall with tons of designer shops…I even found a Starbucks! Holiday SB never tasted better! Kevin and I ended up going to see La Casa Rosada after shopping. It’s always cool to see a piece of history and we were even able to go inside. Later, we got ready and pretty much all of the crew went out to a club. They gave us our first drink for free at the place we went…that would never fly in NYC! It was nice to dance the night away and actually be out on land for more than an afternoon.

 

Today I'm back in Montevideo doing some Christmas shopping. We are doing secret santa within our cast so I am on the lookout for a thoughtful present. I'm not the best shopper so hopefully I can find something. Last night we ate in the fancy dining room on the ship to celebrate an important anniversary in our friend's life. Ship life is good. Dancing is always fun and I've started training for the Rockette audition already. Trying to stay busy, but I've been missing home a lot lately. As of today, I will be home in 6 months : )

White Water Rafting

I did something that I knew would freak my mother out so I didn’t tell her until after. I went white water rafting in Chile! The area was beautiful as we were surrounded by mountains and a volcano.  At one point, we were able to jump out of the raft to swim in the 16 degree water. It wasn’t as scary as I thought it would be! I definitely love doing things in nature and have been surprising myself every day. I’ve never done stuff like this before.

Dance

We have been dancing the tango, mambo and Mexican hat dance with one of the guest entertainers, Juan Pablo. It has been so much fun! Here is one of the costumes.

4x4 Tour

I did yet another thing I never thought I would do. I went off-roading in Argentina! Bet you didn’t know I was so outdoorsy, huh? It was raining so the narrow, dirt roads were pretty much just big puddles. At one point, I thought the car was going to flip over when we went down a steep hill and through the water (scary!) We drove past beaver dams and cool scenery for about an hour before we made it back to the main road.

The history of Ushuaia is kind of weird and interesting. I guess it used to just be a place that prisoners were sent and didn’t become truly livable until about the 90’s. There aren’t many legit houses. From what we saw today, a lot of people live in little shacks surrounded by stray dogs and gorgeous views. We ended our tour with a BBQ in someone’s home. I think these experiences have been more valuable and educational to me than learning about them in school. 

 

Shake It

I realized that I don’t really talk about my job much other than the traveling. As I was onstage yesterday, I had one of those moments where I thought to myself…OMG I can’t believe this is my life. I’m not trying to brag, it’s just that I’ve been fighting to make my passion a career for as long as I can remember, and I’m doing just that. Passengers have been commenting that it looks like we truly enjoy each other and performing. I’m glad it appears that way, because I really do love performing for audiences from all over the world with my amazing cast, even if that means I’m temporarily far away from home. One of the shows that we do is all about the guys, but it also requires one dancer to shake what her mama gave her. This past weekend, it was my turn. I’ll have you know that I’ve become an expert shimmier and this is a peek at what we get to shake it in…

Puerto Madryn, Argentina

We dancer girls spent the day together in Argentina. We walked around this cute little beach town, stopping at a café and playground along the way. Next time we are here we plan to do some serious shopping…all of them were closed from 1-5pm for siesta. When we got back to our room, we decorated our mini Christmas tree and made paper snowflakes. So excited for Christmas in South America!

Doing Some Reading

I am currently reading a book called “Wild” by Cheryl Strayed through which she shares her many misfortunes that ultimately lead to her decision to distance herself and hike the Pacific Crest Trail. It takes great effort just for her to survive the journey, which allows her to realize just how strong she is and what she is capable of. I am also discovering more about myself through my own experience. I can relate to the author in that when there is a setback in my life it takes time alone (or time on another continent) to remember who I am and what is important to me. I have always known what I want in my career. Now it’s becoming increasingly clear what is essential to me in other areas of life, especially relationships. I am stronger than I thought and know what I deserve. Read the book if you get a chance.

Buenos Aires, Argentina

Buenos Aires is beautiful! I was able to spend one more day hanging out with a certain someone who is now finished working on my ship … We walked to the cemetery that Eva Peron is buried in. This was one of my favorite places so far. 

 

 

 

After that we spent some time at the Japanese Gardens which were gorgeous as well. I can’t wait to have an overnight here next month! We want to go out and hopefully tango : ) … I was really sad to see him go, but that’s how things go in this job. Goodbyes never get easier. Ever. Who knows what will happen in the future though. 

Montevideo, Uruguay

We went to this market in Montevideo with tons of meat. Basically a vegetarian’s nightmare. I ordered a massive steak. So worth it! I really wish I would have paid more attention in Spanish class. I can understand and say a few things, but I couldn’t have a conversation. This is a really pretty place with great, sunny weather. Later on, we found a nice café with Wi-Fi and I ordered a cappuccino with an entire chocolate bar melted into it…dream come true! Sad that one of my good friends is leaving tomorrow, but I’m so fortunate to have had someone to explore these gorgeous places with and to help me get used to ship life. Anyway… my blog is being taken over by pictures, but I want to show you the cool sights. I’ll try to write a better update soon.

 

 

Ushuaia

 

We reached Argentina the other day. All I did was go online and sip Argentinian wine all day long. It was amazing.

Glacier

We woke up to a glacier this morning! Very cool.

 

 

Puerto Chacabuco, Chile

Today I went on an excursion in Patagonia. We began with a 2 hour hike where we saw colorful birds and flowers along the way. So many people were looking for birds like the Chucao that I think they scared them away. It was funny because once the group moved on, me and one passenger saw this bird and took some great pictures as it wasn’t frightened. I think the most beautiful part of the tour was the waterfall at the end. The weather is surprisingly chilly here (ha!) I arrived on the ship with sundresses and no coat only to discover that I’d freeze my butt off if I didn’t get one ASAP. Anyway…after our trek, we had an awesome lunch with lots of lamb, potatoes and flan in this gorgeous building overlooking the mountains. They greeted us with champagne and Chilean wine (yum!) There was live entertainment and somehow I found myself on the dance floor doing some Chilean dance with a scarf. Many of the passengers taped it and took pictures so maybe I’ll be a YouTube star soon. What a fun day.

 

 

 

Chile