Hey everybody! I have made it to Australia and have successfully completed two cruises. I am in Sydney right now.
For those of you who don't know, some suckers from Australia have decided to pay me to play trombone for them. I am aboard the Pacific Dawn which is a ship owned by the P&O Cruise Co. which is owned by Carnival, I believe. I am in the "Pacific Dawn International Show Band." Actually, most of the band is from the U.S.A. Only the drummer, who is also my roommate, is not from the U.S. He is from the Ukraine. Well, the saxophonist is technically from the L.A. but is of Italian descent and now resides in Italy. In all, there are 7 of us in the showband. All of the musicians are pretty cool, and fun to hang out with.
The showband plays for all of the productions on the ship. There are 3-4 shows that are performed aboard the ship on every cruise, plus guest entertainers that we back up. There is a motown show, a country/western show, a variety show, a welcome aboard show, and a recently added pirate themed show.
This past cruise was a little crazy, but so far life aboard the ship is pretty good. Lots of free time to read, practice the trombone, learn spanish, eat food, and lounge around. On a typical day, i only have 3-4 hours of work. There is usually a sound check/rehearsal at 5 p.m. and then we do two shows a night. The shows are typically only 1 hour long.
So far, I've been to Vila, Vanuatu, Noumea New Caledonia, and the Isle of Pines, which is a small island off of New Caledonia's main land. So far, the Isle of Pines has been the best stop. I was able to snorkel around coral! It was incredible.
Well, this is all for now. I have to get back on the boat. Hope everyone is doing well. I would love to hear from everyone. I will try to post every week. G'day!
Jon
6 comments:
Hi Jon!!!
Nice blog! I like the address! I'm glad life at sea is going well. What was crazy about your last cruise? What are the cruise guests like?
Miss you and love you!!
Aleza (and Justin)
Hey Jon!
Sounds like fun! We are listening to your cd and love it. It sounds like you are having a great time and are enjoying the adventure. Any interesting animals to discuss? (2 or four legged ones.) Well, keep us updated!
Jessica, Mom, and Lillian (she made any mistakes here--she's still learning how to .type!)
Hi Jon!
Aleza and Justin just let us know about your blog. Jan ran into your Mom a few weeks ago and got an update on where you were, etc. Sounds like a great time! Do you now have a pirate costume for your pirate-themed show? We've never known a pirate trombonist before, but then, who has? Keep the blog coming and have a great time!
Dan and Jan
Ahoy, Jon!
Your mom sent us info on your blog and it is very interesting. Did you ever think you would be a world traveler? I had lunch with your mom yesterday and she told me about some of your adventures. This was very interesting so keep the info coming. We think about you and pray you are doing well. Keep up the good work.
Love,
Mrs. Clough
Hey Jon!
Sounds like you are enjoying your time on the cruise! I am having a good time in SC, but probably not as fun as you are having... :)
Keep sending emails and posting on your blog!
Miss you!
Tonja
Hey Jon! What a life...wish I had a viable talent that could land me a job on a luxury cruise liner...but I guess singing a poor rendition of "I Will Survive" and drinking vast amounts of Keystone Light won't land me a J-O-B. Keep us up on all of your adventures and tell us about all of the interesting people you meet. Don't forget us "little people" back here in the dale! My best to you...-Melanie
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