Revenge and Headbutting

Revenge

12th August 2011

Waking up for morning sale wasn’t as bad as I thought it’d be. Mainly because, during the night, I kept waking up and drifting off again.

At 04.30 Sandra came back to the cabin with Hernan, David and Zoran. Zoran ripped open my bunk curtains (it’s not the first time that’s happened) and woke me up telling me he’d just got a call from Jomar.
 Apparently Jomar said I needed to get out of bed asap, get ready and go out free shooting on gangway. He wanted me out there now.

At the time I had absolutely no idea what time it was let along whether we were still at sea or in port. The others were rolling up laughing because apparently I was still asleep talking to them, complaining like a baby that I didn’t want to work free shooting on gangway because my wrist was sore and I was too tired. Again Zoran tried to convince me to get out of bed to work to which my reply was several “baby like” no’s. Sandra finally kicked them out of the cabin and I carried on sleeping. All I can say is, I’ll have my revenge on Zoran… it’s just a matter of time!!

I was partially awake when the alarm went off at 6am however I didn’t get out of bed but drifted off for another 10 minutes. If the phone hadn’t rang, I wouldn’t have woken up. It was Edi, from Laundry, calling to make sure I was out of bed as I was completely shattered by the end of the night.

Throwing my clothes on I headed down to the lab for the reprints only to find that there weren’t any, they’d all been taken up to the gallery at midnight.

Opening the gallery with one hand wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be. There were a couple of panels I had to budge with my shoulder rather than two hands but I was open just on time and soon the people started flowing in.

This is my second morning sale and although I’ve heard the questions before, it never ceases to amaze me. The guests have been on the ship for a week. Most have already been in the gallery while the few odd guests haven’t.

One guy came over to me and I know he’s purchased photos before. He asked me how to find his images. I told him they were all displayed by country unless it was formal night which was displayed by dining room and studio. The guest asked if there was a quick way to find the photos to which my reply was “no, this is the only way I'm afraid. The kiosks are closed as the cruise has ended” (meaning he couldn’t view his photos digitally). Then he asked if he could view and purchase the photos online once he got home.

Picking up two photos the guest came over to the desk a short while later. I told the American man how much the total amount for both photos, before asking for his sea pass card. He was shocked by the price and said he’d changed his mind and only wanted one photo. Choosing the picture, I asked again for his sea pass card. Before finally handing it over he said “I thought everything was half price. They should be discounted, it’s the last day of the cruise”. Looking miffed when I told him we didn’t have last minute sales, he signed his receipt, snatched the photo out of my hand and stormed out the gallery.

Next another American guy came in with his much younger Filipino wife. They were on the kiosk (even though it was supposed to be closed – it wasn’t) and looking through their pictures. The man came over and asked how long it’d take to print his order of 4 pictures as he was leaving in 30 minutes. I explained that the kiosk prints wouldn’t be ready as there was no one working in the lab. “Why not?” he snapped. Lack of sleep was starting to kick in and I was losing patience. I explained that as last night was really the last opportunity to buy photos, we were over whelmed by people ordering re-prints. The re-prints then had to be printed for that night due to the large amount of guests disembarking the Mariner first thing in the morning. Due to everyone, like this guy, wanting prints at the very last minute the guys in the lab had been working until about 3am. “So basically these kiosks don’t work and they are only here for decoration?”  How the hell do you reply to that politely? All I could do was bite my tongue and offer to find their prints in the gallery.

Twenty minutes later and I’d found their prints. They’d chosen four prints and came over to the desk. I rang everything up and just as I said the price both pulled out coupons from their pockets. Two Diamond and one gold coupon. Fan-bloody-tastic!

Gold coupons give the guest their second photo for half price. Diamond coupons is any photo of their choice for free. So after 30 minutes of dealing with this couple I was charging around $32 instead of roughly $95.

Checking the sales and how much we’d sold, Zoran had obviously won the little competition last night. In the end, Zoran had sold $378 more than me and in total approximately $4,200, while I was around the $3,800 mark. Either way, that night I was the second best seller. Some people didn’t even get near to $3,000 so I was happy getting close to $4,000. Maybe next time…

Paco, who should have been in the gallery at 7 finally made an appearance at 8.50, 10 minutes before I was supposed to close up. Taking the keys from me he told me to go have breakfast and he’d close up. Deal! Skipping brekky I ran straight back to my cabin and jumped into bed.

My alarm was originally set for 11.15 but Sandra finally woke me up at 13.30 while on a break from embarkation. There wasn’t much I could do and no point in going out as I’d previously planned so I headed up to Back Deck for a couple of hours to type up a few new blog entries. I’m slowly getting on top of my blog updates but seem to spend my time either sleeping or working.

At 17.00 I was in the lab collecting the prints to be displayed in the gallery. The door came open and in walked Jomar with a new hire who’d just joined the ship. His face was so familiar but I couldn’t place him. After they’d left, the penny dropped and turning to Ritesh I told him that Alex, the new guy, reminded me of someone who went to Miami training with me and Hernan. It couldn’t be, could it?

Later on, up in the gallery Alex came over and said to me “I remember you from training in Miami”. So it was him! He was one of the few that’d been sent home for either not being ready or their English not being good enough.

I was kind of worried about Alex though. Although he’s new he just seem too quiet and slow. I needed to show him where the folios were and by the time I was at the other end of the gallery he was just coming around from the desk at the opposite side. Fingers crossed he was just tired from travelling and would speed and talk up.

Paco asked me to take Alex to the staff mess for dinner. Joining Whitney, who made a comment when Alex had gone for another drink. “He doesn’t seem the type to fit in with the photographers. You’re all loud, different and weird” Geez… Thanks Whitney! She had a point though. I was actually a little worried for the new guy (who comes from Belarus).

Back in the corridor I bumped into Hernan and David. As soon as I asked Hernan if he’d seen the new hire he cut me off telling me it was Alex from Miami training. He’d remembered him as well. Speaking to Hernan and David quietly I told them what Whitney had said and pointed out. I agreed with her to a certain degree.

The only thing that was on David’s mind was that this new guy was quite possibly gay and sharing a cabin with Paco… so he’d better watch his arse. Literally. Hernan could see where I was coming from but said we all needed to give him time to adjust and maybe he’d liven up a little bit. Too true, Hermanastro!

After work Alex was starving so I took him up to the Royal Café to see what food we could shift from the kitchen. The guys are always so over the moon when they see us (and within that comment is an overdose of sarcasm). A couple of crew members working inside the kitchen said there was no food for us. All of a sudden one of the chefs, from Indonesia, came around the corner and asked me what I wanted. I asked if there was any food going, anything welcome but as there wasn’t so not to worry. Calling me back, he told me to stay put and told the guy who usually refuses to give us pizza on formal night to get us two pizzas ready as well as sorting out some of the sandwiches that’d only to go waste. BINGO!!!

Walking around the I-95 with a tray of food wasn’t the best idea and we’d get in serious shit if we were caught. Ritesh spotted us and said he’d go and get a bag or something so we could sneak it into the corridor easier.

Alex and I ran down to Laundry were there were no cameras around. After shifting the food into the bags and dropping a couple of slices of pizza (Laundry are going to love us!) we ran back to the corridor. Everyone was waiting for us. Munch time.

It was about 1am and once again I was due on Morning sale for the people disembarking from Genoa. The plan was to go and play football… or in my case left handed ping pong. Sandra and I will be masters of ping pong by the time we’ve finished our contracts, until then, we are still crap and in need of a lot of practise. I played for a bit with Sanela, the supposed professional tennis player and coach, but she couldn’t hit the ball for love nor money. She was worse than Sandra and I and that is saying something.

Just as I was about to call it a night there was a huge bang followed by shouting. Looking over, David had his head in his hands. Running over to the pitch there’d been an accident while the lads were playing football.

Two people had jumped up to header the ball and instead, they’d headered David straight in the face. His eye was puffing up before our eyes. Telling him to stay put I ran down a to Deck 11 for ice. David appeared 10 minutes later and his eye was swelling closed. Although we were worried, it was typical of David to swell up and none of us could stop laughing. Especially with an enormous bag of ice covering half his face. It was a good job I brought the camera with me.…

Huge Bag of Ice!

Accident while Playing Football - Hernan and David

In the FACE!

This is what happens when crew members play football!!

Crack Goes The Wrist

Crack goes the Wrist

5^th August 2011

Due to David and my poor performance in Genoa, we weren’t scheduled for another gangway. Instead we were lumbered with setting up the studios. Camila was on the gangway today dressed up as a dolphin. Usually we use the Sailor for the Cannes gangway but there’s been a switch. We were below are image target and the dolphin is always popular on gangway. I’m not sure if the guys on gangway hit their target. 

Originally a few of us were going to try and go out for a bit but because of the schedule and it being formal night we decided to catch up on our sleep and get ready (mentally) for a long evening shooting. 

As much as I love gangway, doing both gangway and formal night is physically and mentally draining so it was a welcome break.

Within two hours, five of us had set up all the studios. The meeting was at 18.00 so we had a couple of hours to laze about. There was no point in going out in Cannes. If we didn’t have to tender to the port and back, we’d have gone out. Tendering takes times while you wait for the boat to fill with guests etc. It can easily take 20-30 minutes each way. We didn’t want to chance it.

Surprise, surprise! I was on Titanic again while the new hires were all on good back drops or centrums. Finally caught up on sleep, I was full on energy and smudging like mad. It wasn’t long until I didn’t need to smudge. There was a queue of about 50 people at my studio. For once it was proving to be more popular than LSP. That never happens! I was supposed to close my studio for Ressi but there were so many people waiting that I carried on shooting. 

Ten minutes later Sanela, Camila and Leandro came up and were watching me pose the guests. Camila walked over to the guests at the front of the line, pulled my studio sign in front of them and said something. She pointed out the times on the sign boards and then told the guests the current time. I was trying to eavesdrop while concentrating on posing the couple in front of me and get through the queue as quickly as possible. 

The couple Camila had spoken to came into the studio and asked if my studio was closed. Camila had told the guests my studio was closed! This had confused the guests a bit. It was contradictory, I’m shooting in my studio while someone is saying it’s closed. I was far from happy! How dare someone come into my (or anyone’s studio) and tell the guests in the queue, especially those at the front, that I’m closed and they can’t have their photo taken. If anything it’d be the person shooting in the studio to say that they are closed.

I told the guests I was obviously open as I was allowing people to come in to MY studio. I know what the schedule says and yes, I should’ve closed but if I got the image count up by keeping the studio open while I had a massive line, Jomar wouldn’t mind. We needed an image count and I was doing my part to get it up. You can't turn guests away if you're still shooting, it's a golden rule

Camila, Sanela and Leandro stood at my studio for another 10 minutes, they should have been shooting in Ressi. Getting annoyed, I quietly asked them “aren’t you supposed to be in Ressi?” They nodded and Camila told me to hurry up. My temper was running low. First trying to close my studio, second standing around watching instead of shooting Ressi and finally telling me to hurry up and talking to a senior member of the team the way she was, in front of guests. I wasn’t having any of it and Camila’s attitude is starting to grate on a few members of the team. 

At times like this, I wish Stu was around, he’d sort it with a smile on his face. Trying to keep my temper, I told Camila and the other two they needed to go and shoot, I’d join them once I got through my queue. They watched me. “GO!” They finally walked off. 

It wasn’t long until the queue had gone right down and I put the closing sign in front of my studio, finishing off the remaining couple of people in the line. 

Looking to my right I saw Sanela fixing her hair in the mirror. What the bloody hell was she doing? She was supposed to be shooting Ressi. I might not have been in Ressi from the start but I was pulling my weight elsewhere and still working, not fixing my hair trying to skive Ressi.

I joined the others in Ressi for 5 minutes and only shot 26 images. They’d done the lot! Running for a quick cigarette it was back into the studio for another session. 

Straight away there were people standing in line for their photo to be taken. Once the session had finished (which was on time) I went into the office to download my images. Checking what the others had got from their studios, Titanic (my studio) was proving to be one of the most popular. Not only that, I was feeling on top form and taking a leaf out of Stu’s book. I’d been cracking jokes and laughing with the guests so their smiles were more natural and relaxed. This actually came across in the prints so fingers crossed they’d sell.

Towards the end of my second Ressi session I was holding my camera up high, in my right hand. We do this to avoid hitting guests who are sitting down eating. As I was moving along the table motioning for a couple to move in for a photo, a waiter pushed past me. I almost fell forward while the weight of my camera went in the opposite direction. My wrist had been cramping for a couple of days from the amount of images we’d been shooting and I think it’d simply had enough. There was a loud crack from my wrist. A sharp throbbing pain started pounding in my wrist. Even one of the guests heard it. I didn’t stop, I was nearly done. Biting my tongue I shot the remaining three tables without saying much. 

Setting up my studio again the pain was getting worse. I quickly took my test shots and the pain was enough to make your eyes well up. Looking at my wrist, my hand had swollen up like a balloon! Just what we didn't need!

Quickly putting the CLOSED sign in front of my studio, I went into the gallery and spoke to Paco. Straight away he said I’d sprained my wrist and needed to go to the medical. He spoke to Jomar who had a look and said the exact same thing. 

Paco went to get a pink medical slip while I ran to soap up my hand and get my ring off. It took about five minutes to get the ring off! Talk about sausage fingers!

The medical was closed so I rang the nurse on duty. Jomar had to come down and fill out some paper work. He was far from happy but what could I do? The nurse pointed out it was the second accident in two weeks in our department and both had occurred in the dining room. First Zoran, now me. Jomar pointed out something I’d never thought he’d admit. The dining room was too crowded with guests, photographers, waiters and assistant waiters plus the lighting is dim which doesn’t help. 

Getting an x-ray, my wrist wasn’t broken or fractured. Wrapping my wrist up in a bandage, the nurse gave me an injection for the pain. For a small prick in the arm there was so much blood and the pain of the injection rivalled that from my sprained wrist! Am I turning into a wimp or what?!

Talking to the doctor he asked me the question you always get asked and dread at the same time. "Can you work?" He looked at me with a half smile on his face waiting for me to say what he’d predicted. “Yes, I can still work”. His face suddenly changed and he looked confused. He’d expected me to say no. Asking me as if I was as thick as two short planks, how I’d be able to take photos with one hand. I pointed out that although I am a photographer, there are other jobs within our department which don’t consist of holding a camera. I could work on gangway in costume, selling in the gallery, shooting on tripod. Luckily, he marked me off as “fit for duty”.

Getting the schedule for the morning, I was working gangway in my favourite costume: Lady Corsica/Crete Girl. Later on I’d be in the gallery for the evening. 

Speaking to Jomar he sadly told the nurse he was now down another photographer (we still didn’t have a full team). I said I hadn’t been signed off duty and I’d still be able to work, just not take photos. In a way, I thought he’d be glad I’d still be able to work in some way, rather than placing my work duties on the rest of the team. It didn’t work. Saying goodnight, he told me to go to my cabin and rest. 

Hernan was a star and bought me some pizza down – I was starving!!

Tomorrow was another day and I was looking forward to hitting the gangway in Corsica in my favourite outfit. Even with my hand and wrist bandaged up I was going to kick arse and get the image count up and surpass out 600 image target.