Serious Trouble...

Ok, first of all this isn't a joke. Last night at around 4am I was in the crewbar (i was drinking Solo...lemonade) and I was having a chat with Ben (Officer on the Bridge...very important guy). We were all up so late because today was supposed to be a very slack day for most of us: arrive in Mallaca, Malaysia at 8am, take a tender to shore and hang out at the beach or take a trishaw again to see sights, then back on the ship for work at 3pm...this didnt happen and I will tell you why.

As Ben and I were talking, an engineer ran up and pulled Ben aside. When he came back, Ben looked grim.

Mike: "whats up?"
Ben: "Our engine is dead. we aren't moving. its very serious."
Mike: "wow, now that you mention it, I dont feel the ship rocking. we ARE stopped. So when will it be fixed?"
Ben: "maybe never. we could be dry-docked and sent home."

Apparantly the bearings in the only engine we have are messed up. we have one propeller working on a cruise ship with 1700 people aboard. Now, i dont know if its still that serious, but that was 4am, and it is now 2pm and we are still in the same spot as we were then (somewhere in the middle of the Mallaca Strait, which unfortunately has the largest population of pirates in the entire world). Last night, Ian and I wandered the top decks and watched the spotlights pacing frantically around the ship. Its very eerie when you are miles from land, and the water is almost completely still. The best way to describe it would be something similar to the movie "The Princess Bride" where Buttercup jumps into the water with the shrieking eels....the water was that still, and out here its very eerie.

I will keep you all posted as soon as I find out anything, but for now we are safe, and from what I am hearing on passenger decks, the captain says we wont be here much longer. That means absolutely nothing though, so I will find out more. If we dry-dock, we will either stay until its fixed provided its a quickie, or maybe even be trans-shipped or sent home. I pray the White Lady gets a speedy recovery. She is far too amazing to have something like this happen to her.

Ok, its formal night tonight so i gotta go grab my tux from the drycleaners and get ready to set up...

That must just suck for all the passengers that just came onto the ship yesterday only to have the ship break down that very same night. They get well compensated for it but still...

In any case, I am happy doing what I am doing, and its all just one big adventure. This may be a career for me. I could very well be a "Lifer".

OH! Good news before I go (i just remembered it lol). Last night Joel told me what ships I could be on after we leave this ship in May. I could either be going to one of the high end ships in Alaska (I will be home every week for a few hours lol), or.....get this....are you ready?.....

The Crown Princess, one of the two highest end luxury ships in the entire fleet....its brand new and needs people to set it up, so for 6 weeks it is dry docked (out of water), no passengers, all I would do is set up the gallery and basically unpack stuff (God...i hate moving lol)...so it would be hard work but no passengers and its dry docked so I can leave the ship every night and do whatever.... now comes the best part....

Mike, where is it docked?

6 weeks. Venice, Italy.

Close your mouth. :)