LAND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

After five LONG days at sea, we touched land today!!!!!!!! I felt like I was slowly going crazy with cabin fever!
Brazil is HOT!!!!!!!! I applied 50 spf (that's right mommy, 50) because we have our show tomorrow and there is nothing worse than dancing with your sunburns :/ We made camp at the beach and then proceeded into the water for an intense seaweed fight!!! There was so much seaweed and we couldn't venture too far out because they were shark infested waters. I still have yet to see a fin.....one of these days hopefully. The beaches there are very hectic and lots of people are trying to sell you things. They push carts around all day selling anything from movies and cds to pineapple on a stick. I had fried cheese on a stick and it was very yummy. Thank goodness I have made friends with Brazilians on board because NO ONE SPOKE ENGLISH!!!!!!! We had the most difficult time trying to catch a taxi because you don't hail them the same way you do in America and each driver has their own rules about how much it will cost and how many people they want to take. This is a very confusing process when you aren't speaking the same language:/ But we made it back to the port and no one was mugged so the day was a good one lol.
We have a show of Broadway Rhythm and Rhyme tomorrow night followed by a mini show (just one dance) in the Viking Crown. I think everyone is happy to be productive again, we were grateful for our vacation but its time to get active. Especially me because I hate the gym and I really should be going on my days off BUT I choose to play games instead lol. Oh well, I will dedicate time to the gym in the future. HA HA that's so bad I'm totally saying that everyday and not following thru...... :D
I'm looking forward to Rio in a few days because I will hopefully be going on the tour that takes you all over! And then I will have my friend Paulo (the one who danced the samba with me :o) be my tour guide everywhere else. It's nice they take care of us, warning us what areas to stay clear of and translating everything because we are pretty obvious looking tourists.
Hope all is well back home! It's weird to be out in beach wear this close to Christmas but as the Brazilians like to remind me, Santa wears shorts and sandals ;)
Love,

A Day of Thanks :D

Welp, today was my first Thanksgiving away from home :( It really wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. They had cocktails in the Viking Crown for the American guests and crew. They had mini burgers and mini hotdogs lol. Of course, I went straight to the mini pizzas :D And since it was one of our cast members' birthday as well, the Hotel Director gave us permission to dine in the restaurant. (Don't tell anyone but I had THREE deserts because it was free) :o hahahhaa. I got to Skype my family today which made me so so so happy. I had been looking forward to today for a long time and I'm so glad it worked out perfectly!!!!!! I got to see my PUPPY OZZY BOY!!!!!!!!!!!! Yay I miss that little rascal even tho he has eaten pretty much every shoe I own :/ Let's see, SO MUCH has happened since I was on last I don't even know where to begin!!!!! I guess I need to update this more often!!!!!!! LOL.
We successfully opened both shows and our director left very pleased with us :D Our first official day off was in Lisbon, Portugal. I spent the day wandering the streets with some of my friends that are in the band. We found the embassies (is that even a word?) and made a game to find the American embassy. We found it but got in a little trouble with the Policia for trying to take a picture! WOOPS!!!! Silly tourists!!!!! It was such peaceful place, I was so content just walking up and down the alleyways. However, when we boarded the ship we learned we had a show that night!!!!!!!! The guest entertainer had some issues getting on the ship (it was rumored he was hospitalized but that was never confirmed) so we needed to fill in for him. The only problem was, we were starting to hit the high seas that night and my oh my were we rocking!!!!!!! Our first show was a hot, hot mess and our second show was done in our flat shoes and we took out a lot of lifts and turns for our safety. It's a really funny experience when you are trying to move to one side and the whole ship shifts the other way because you feel the pressure!!!!!! We would leap and land way, way far over because the stage had shifted beneath us!!!!!! So that was interesting to cope with!!!!! I have never had to dance on a moving stage lol.
Our next stop was Spain and when we entered, we went under a mini Golden Gate Bridge! We were dancing underneath the stars on the back deck and we watched the top of the ship pass beneath it. From our spot it looked like we wouldn't fit but of course, we were fine haha. Seems they like to copy San Francisco because they also had the steep hills and trolleys. They had a mini Jesus statue that sat on a distant hill and I can't wait to see the real one in Brazil!!!!!!!
Today I took a tour of the bridge. I sat in the captain's chair and wore his hat but I was careful not to touch anything!!!!!!! It's a lot of buttons and machines and I am really happy that my job is to dance and not drive the massive ship with all the people on board!! The tour guide thought it was really funny when I asked if he could see whales on the radar. I can't help it, I love the ocean!!!! LOL :D
We crossed the equator tonight!!!!!!!!!!! WOOT WOOT!!!!!!!!! Only one more sea day til we reach the beautiful beaches in BRAZIL!!!!!!!!! I can't wait to get MY TAN ON!!!!!!! Although, I will def. wear sunscreen because Robert, one of my fellow dance mates, was outside for 10 mins. before it started raining and he got BURNT!!!!!!!!!!!! 10 MINS!!!!!!!!!!! That is one POWERFUL SUN!!!!!!!!!! So basically, I need to be careful.
OOOH do I have the HOOK UP!!!!!! So, this very gay boy swept me off my feet and led me in a samba dance (so smooth I thought I was going to melt on the dance floor!) He is from Brazil and he is going to be my tour guide while we are there :D Now I don't have to wander around aimlessly because I will have someone who knows what's up!!!!!!
I have new hire training tomorrow!!!!! YAY!!!!!!! And then we have rehearsals because we are learning a Christmas show!!! I like it because it will put me in a bit of Christmas spirit even tho I am far away from home. I love you all so much and I'm happy I got to see some of you on skype today!!!!!!!!!! Hopefully sometime I will be able to call all of you and get updates but for now I promise to update my blog more often!!!!!! Happy Thanksgiving from almost Brasil!!!!!!!!!!! :D
LOVE ALWAYS AND FOREVER,

Opening Night- Boogie Wonderland

Boogie Wonderland opens tonight!!!!! We are all so excited (and a little nervous!) We have been having a lot of technical issues- our sound guy has NO idea what he is doing and our Production Manager had issues with his visa so he cant join the ship til week 2. This means we are opening both shows without a boss and all our cues (lights, sound, stage staff) are led by him. So right now, its all a guessing game about what will work and what won't.....we are praying it all pulls together for tonight!!!!! Our director is very happy with our cast though, she says we look amazing and are ready for an audience. So no matter what is going on behind us or around us, at least the singers and dancers will be giving a good show!!!!
My feet have returned to their normal state...THANK GOODNESS!!!!!! My show shoes couldn't fit over my swollen marshmallows!!!!!!! And my blisters have hardened but they will prolly scar because, lets face it, they won't get a decent rest from the heels lol.
I'm still adjusting into the life on board a ship. It's been really rocky and will only get worse when we are crossing the Atlantic :/ Brian (one of our singers) is going to lend me a pair of ear plugs that he swears will help but I think I am so sensitive to it all and just need to take my Dramamine. During the days its not so bad, we are sailing now and I feel we are pretty solid, but at night when the winds pick up, woof. My first night I did throw up.....gross. And since then I take my pills regularly. And its funny because even when we are docked, I still feel like we are swaying. Everyone else laughs at me cause I'm also saying "are we moving!?!?" No one else feels like that but maybe its just another adjustment for me that will come with time lol. It's that feeling after you have been in the ocean all day and then you are laying in bed and you still feel like you are in the water! Mel, do you remember that time in Florida when we were boogie boarding ALL day and it took us FOREVER to fall asleep cause we couldn't shake that sway feeling. That was also the time when I got really, really burnt which then blistered my shoulders and I cried when I was partnering with Justin for our duet the next day....good times. HA HA.
Today we had ice cream!!!!!! :o AND they sell chocolate milk in the slop chest (which is a little goodies shop for crew and staff members) so I am very content right now :) Luckily they serve cereal at all meals so I won't starve!!!!!!!!!
Tomorrow we will start working on Rhythm and Rhyme, which is an easier and shorter show :) Then its only a few more days til we reach Lisbon, the first port we can get off!!!!!!! And since they are adding in a Brazilian cast, I really won't be working very much :o Lots of time to explore and memorize the ship and see the world :D
Well, I should go get ready for the show!!! I need to preset my costumes cause I have SUPER DOOPER quick changes and I need all my costumes, and wigs ;) to be set up a certain way or I won't make it on stage on time! I hope the seas are calm tonight or I will be falling over trying to pull my pants on (which I have done several times in rehearsals already!!!!!) You would think, as a dancer, that I am in control of my body but I am very much a klutz. :D
LOVE YOU ALL!!!!!!!!!! <3

Toto, I have a feeling we aren't in Kansas anymore....

The Vision Cast has safely landed in Greece! After 24 hours of travel and little sleep, we are all exhausted and not looking forward to our five a.m. wake up call to board the ship and sit thru meetings, fill out paper work, and rehearse :/ We just have to get thru our ten days of tech runs and then we are living the life!

My feet are SWOLLEN!!!!! I'm so embarrassed!!!!!! My feet look like logs and my toes are sausages!!!! Hopefully they will be back to normal when I board the ship tomorrow!!!!! AH!!!! We spent five hours chillin in the German airport and my first European purchase was a Starbucks frap :D It was 40 degrees outside so our landing was a bit bumpy (causing the steward to spill coffee on my brand new PINK sweats.....where's Grandma's Tide-To-Go when you need it!?!?!) We then landed in Athens, Greece just a few hours ago and rode the bus an hour to our hotel. Unfortunately, the area we are staying is close to the port so its pretty dirty and not at all like all the pictures I've seen of my beloved Greece. We won't be going out tonight since we have a long day ahead of us (and the euro exchange is about 1.60 to the American dollar....EEK!!!!) We passed a few columns on our way into the city which was exciting, but I guess I will just have to wait for another time to explore my favorite place.

 I also had a lady come to me, speaking what I think was Greek, thinking I could translate what she was telling my cast member Neeko. Apparently, I LOOK GREEK!!!!!!!!! I smiled, shook my head, and shrugged and she used gestures to let us know she needed help getting her money into a machine because she couldn't reach. SOOOOOO CUTE!!!!! I made a friend! My new goal will be to get a pen pal, but maybe one that I can understand!

Well, I should hop in the shower and get some sleep. Who knows when I will get a good nights rest between my work hours, adjusting to my new environment, and the inevitable motion sickness that will hit me. I don't know when I will have internet next, but at least you all know I am safe! Hope all is well on the other side of the world!

Bon Voyage!!!!!

This is my last blog while I am still in the states!!!!! In just a few short hours, we are off to the airport to catch our flight!!!!! We fly nine hours into Germany, have a five hour delay :/ then a three hour flight to Greece. All in all, it's about 24 hours of travel. YUCK.

Our runs went amazing! We had a great audience for our official office run; they were clapping, singing, and jamming with us to the hits of the 70's in Boogie Wonderland. Our bosses seemed really happy and our director says we are ready for the ship. :)

She also warned us that our 10 day install period will be difficult. We have five days for each show to prepare it with lighting, sound, and costumes. But they aren't full days-we can only be in the theater for two or three hours a day. SO we will be getting no sleep rehearsing elsewhere and helping open the shows. Meaning we won't see daylight til day 11. But I can't complain too much, after our install we have a ten day cruise and we land in Lisbon, Portugal so I will see plenty there!

My phone will be shut off while I'm gone and that's a bit unsettling for me, but maybe it will help open my eyes to the beautiful world without all the technology. I will still be taking pictures of this beautiful world with my digital camera tho ;) lol.

Hopefully, you all received my email with the itinerary details so you can track my travels by day!!!!!!! I will keep you updated as much as possible!!!!!

Love to all,

Shannon

Florida Day 32

Welp, we are officially down to single digits!!!!!! That's right, Vision of The Seas will be leaving in 6 days!!!!! We have finished both our shows and our office run is on Thursday. We preform for our bosses and the other 5 casts that are in rehearsals, a full crowd. :)

I'm a little nervous, but with more practice away from the mirror and constantly listening to my music, I should be ready. However, the shows are in three inch heels. That's right-kicks, turns, and leaps....in THREE INCH HEELS. So this rehearsal week I will be killing my feet and fighting thru my already stinging blisters:/ Gotta love those.

We are all getting excited to board! Last minute shopping excursions have commenced and we all have lists of things we want to do before ship life; such as cram as many movies in as possible or enjoy things only America offers.

Once on board, I will be in install rehearsals for the first 10 days. Unfortunately, that means I will miss a lot of Greece, so we will be cramming as much as possible into the day we get there. In those 10 days, we are getting fitted into our costumes and doing numerous tech runs for lighting and sound. It will be exhausting but once that is done, we are free to leave the ship whenever we are docked :D

I'm still not sure what I'm doing with my phone but I will use the internet on the ship to keep my blog updated, it should be the cheapest route. I'm working on getting Skype onto my iPod so if you can, download Skype and I can call computers for free and phone for 2 cents a minute. I don't think it can do the camera because its just a iPod not the iPhone but still I can talk!!!!!!

Not much else to report, we will be super busy these next few days cleaning and rehearsing our numbers but I am planning on coming to Starbucks a few times to get some more music, Facebook, and of course update my blog. Hope all is well in your parts of the world.

Love you all!!!!! <3