The quaint non-touristy town…Dubrovnik, Croatia

On our first cruise of the Mediterranean, the Norwegian Jade made a stop at Dubrovnik, Croatia…which was our next stop after our visit to Venice, Italy. I was so exhausted from walking non-stop in Venice that I wasn’t sure if I was going to get off the ship to explore…and I’m glad I made the decision to view the city.

Dubrovnik instantly became one of the favorite places to visit. Croatia had a civil war in the 1990s and has just begun to re-invent itself enough that tourists can come and safely visit the country. So, because of their civil war, the city wasn’t toured like major cities like Venice, Rome or Barcelona…leaving the city clean and unchartered. The harbor was untouched…it was the only one that we’ve visited that I felt I could swim in without my skin burning off because of the contaminated water. The water surrounding Dubrovnik was clear as turquoise glass. You could see down for what seemed like miles and miles.



The people of Dubrovnik were so kind and helpful. We asked this lady on the street where to eat and she directed us to the best place…where the food was cheap and the beer was tasty! You could really trust the people of Dubrovnik and know that they were happy that you (as a tourist) were there. You didn’t have to worry about pick-pockets or thieves. They were happy for the revenue tourists were bringing to the city…because of the civil war tourism hasn’t been booming which has lead to a decline in their economy. Though, today Dubrovnik’s tourism has taken a turn for the better…and I’m glad that we were able to experience this town before it gets polluted with tourists.

When I was there I chose to climb up the city wall and walk around the entire city. Yep, that’s right! The city of Dubrovnik still to this day has a standing wall that encompasses the entire city, which is very unusual. If there was ever a city to have a wall around it, it has since been removed…but not in Dubrovnik. The city wall gave Dubrovnik another interesting characteristic which sets it apart from all other Mediterranean cities.



Up above the city wall, you could look down on the city seeing everything…locals attending church, hanging laundry out to dry, boats pulling into the harbor, tourists shopping for souvenirs, children playing soccer, etc. You could also view the outside of the city as well. The views from the city wall were spectacular…check out some of my pictures.

Cleansing more than the soul…

The ship was in Istanbul, Turkey for three consecutive days and I was able to venture into the city for two of those days…with wonderful experiences to share…one in particular.

The city of Istanbul is the only city in the world that spans two continents (Europe and Asia). It also has tons of biblical history…hence its old name “Constantinople.” Though, despite all this, there is something this city has that none other can compare to…a “hamam” or a Turkish bath.

Istanbul has a huge Muslim populace. As a Muslim, you may not drink alcohol and females may not show their body in public, but they sure no how to cleanse themselves. Well, at least some do. This cleansing process is not only a cleansing of the skin…it’s also serves as a spiritual experience.

There were a few people from my department that went to the Cagaloglu Hamam and raved about their experiences. I decided to partake in this “hamam” and see what it was all about for myself. I chose to go with a girl, Wendy, from the ship that I’m not familiar with, but we work in the same department…because I was too scared to go by myself.

So we got the address of this place and ventured out in Istanbul to find it. We found it nestled in a neighborhood near Sultan Ahmet Square…and you couldn’t miss the place. There were signs everywhere promoting this “300-year old” hamam…and ranked among one of the “1,000 Places You Must See Before You Die” publication. We went inside, paid for our service (the Full Oriental Treatment, which was 50 Euro…whew!) and then were directed to the female side. Yes, fortunately the hamam was separated based upon gender!

We were issued a little room (camekan) with a bed, mirror, vanity with hairdryer and a pestemal (cloth) to wrap around your naked body. We quickly changed into the pestemal and were lead into this large steam room (hararet), which was the main room of the bath. This room was made of all marble had several sinks on each wall and a dome roof with skylights. But most disturbing of all…the women in this room were all completely naked! Wendy and I sat for awhile (about 30 minutes) and steamed on the hot marble floors. Every once and awhile we would splash cool water on ourselves from the sink, but never removed our pestemal.

Then a woman came into the room, bathed herself and came over to get Wendy to begin her treatment. I waited, and waited and waited…for nearly another 30 minutes and still no sign of a woman to start my treatment…by this time I was getting really hot not only because of the temperature, but because I’d spent the same amount of money as Wendy and I wasn’t being helped…and other women were being helped and they had come into the room after I did…so I just decided “what the hell” and I yanked off my pestemal and went totally nude. I thought why not experience this fully…when’s the next time I’ll be here?

Within the next few minutes, a woman, Anna, came into the room, bathed herself and then came over to help me. She issued me over to this huge round heated marble base (gobek tasi) in the middle of the room. I lay down on the marble base and rested my head on a pillow…she immediately began massaging my body with a light soap suds…I knew right away I was going to enjoy this. Next, Anna exfoliated my body with a course glove (kese)...and boy did I need that! Then, she massaged me with a brush (made of some type of hair) and lots of foamy suds. Lastly, she washed my hair and gave me a head massage. She rinsed me off for the last time and thanked me. By that time, I was in such heaven that it all was a blur. I sat in the hararet for a few more minutes…rinsed off again and went back to the changing room.

I looked at my watch and realized I had spent more than two-and-a-half hours at the hamam and had a matter of minutes to get back to the ship…so much for relaxation! I hurried to dry off, got dressed and gave Anna her tip. I quickly sipped a piping hot green tea, if you can do such a thing (burnt my mouth)…and rushed back to the ship. What a day of beauty!

About Cagaloglu Hamam:
The Cagaloglu was a gift to the city in 1741 from Sultan Mehmet I. It is believed that other royalty has since used the hamam including Florence Nightingale, King Edward VIII, Tony Curtis and Cameron Diaz. The hamam has been featured in 138 television segments including “Indiana Jones,” and a Visa Card commercial…and has been featured in The New York Times articles.

Public baths were originally founded by the Romans. They were public because of the lack of water and because of the Koran’s (Muslim “Bible”) demand for cleanliness. Today, most Turkish homes have plumbing; the baths are still utilized as a social institution.

Finding Love in All the WRONG Places…(Part Four)

The last story I’m going to tell will end on a positive story about true love…or maybe lust…we’ll just see how it works out. Another girl that I work with Amanda, met a contractor on the ship while we were in dry dock. NCL contracted several craftsmen to help with the construction of the casino for the two weeks we were in dry dock. Amanda met this contractor, Brian, in our crew bar. She saw him starring at her from across the bar…and finally got the guts to go over and ask him what was going on. From then on, those two were inseparable. They did everything together and were always performing public displays of affection (PDA).

Before the casino was completed, Brian was forced to return to his home in Denmark. Amanda was devastated. She wasn’t herself for days. She received his contact information, but didn’t hear a response back from him. After a week, she finally heard from him and found out that he was sick when she’d called him previously. He also told her that he thought he loved her…and he told his parents about her…and he broke up with his girlfriend as well. Then, he proceeded to ask her to marry him and move to Denmark.

This turned Amanda’s world upside down. She’s resigning from the ship this week and is going home to St. Lucia for a few weeks to get her visa to live in Denmark…and she’s taking what she can and is moving to Denmark to be with Brian…what a crazy story…huh?

Finding Love in All the WRONG Places…(Part Three)

Another story involves one of my friends in my department, Montsi. This is her first contract onboard ships…just like Megan…she’s naïve to this “dirty” ship life dating thing. Montsi has been dating this photographer from Serbia…who I call Igor, but his name is Ivica (coincidentally his first contract too) for a few months. Montsi and Ivica really fell into this relationship fast. After a few weeks of dating, they were saying “I love you.” Now, for me…that’s kind of a BIG deal. Love is a BIG deal!

Igor and Montsi were connected at the hip and did everything together…so much that I never saw her anymore. He would leave love notes and developed photos he took of her on her door…really sweet gestures, but just wait!

A few days ago we were in Dubrovnik, Croatia. Montsi asked Igor if he was going out in the city because she wanted to go out with him. Igor lied to Montsi and told her he was escorting a scheduled tour with the passengers. He finally confessed that he was meeting his girlfriend for the day in Dubrovnik because she drove up from Serbia to see him. So he lied to her…so he could be with his GIRLFRIEND the whole day long…what a jerk! Now, I have to tell you that Montsi knew he had a girlfriend, but even so, I find this situation wrong at all angles.

First of all, Montsi shouldn’t have gotten attached to someone who has a girlfriend. Secondly, Igor shouldn’t have started a relationship with someone from the ship when he knows that his girlfriend is waiting for him back home. Montsi was really upset about the whole situation, but really there’s no one to blame in this instance because they’re both in the wrong. They’ve talked this situation through and are going to continue on with their relationship…I really am having a hard time respecting their decisions.

Finding Love in All the WRONG Places…(Part One)

Ship life is very difficult because there is temptation in every direction you look. Considering the passengers are very cute, on vacation and want to have a great time…and then you have the crew who are just looking for a little action or release. Relationships onboard ships are very difficult as well because you have to work together, live together and you play together…it’s a lot of “together” time.

I’ve been onboard ships for almost two years now…and I have several juicy affairs, true love and just plain hot sex stories to tell (keep in mind this is not from personal experience). I’ve never seen animals like crew members aboard these ships…I like to call them the “salty seaman.” Do you get it? The life many lead are so dirty and dishonest.

Ship life can be lonely at times…so the crew desires some companionship during their contract time aboard the ship. This becomes very sticky because some of the crew have families, girlfriends and wives back home waiting for them. For instance, one of the firefighters on our ship in the Hawaiian fleet began dating one of our production show dancers. This would’ve been fine, but the man had two young children and a wife living in the same state we were cruising…Hawaii. You’d think he’d be able to see his family enough to realize what he was doing was wrong…but no! A few weeks into the affair he brought his wife and children onboard for a cruise…how awkward! And continued this affair even after he was off the ship on vacation leave!

Fate meets the Acropolis

When the ship was in Athens, Greece I had several hours to go and explore the city, but no one to go with. After my morning duty of greeting the passengers as they disembarked the ship, I ran to DJ Bob’s room, jumped on his bed and woke him up to go with me. He said that he would go under one condition…that I would go find this girl named Anna Maria…that he met 7 years ago. Not realizing what I was promising, I was like yeah sure…just as long as I get to go to the Acropolis I was happy.

We took the Metro to the Acropolis and walked up the hill to the Parthenon. What a sight to see! The only thing I would’ve changed would be the scaffolding that was surrounding the building. The country has been renovating the Parthenon since 1992 and will continue to renovate for another 10 years...so a lot of things were roped off, but despite that what an incredible adventure. To think that they built this structure on such a hill without our technology these days…I can’t believe it! Of course, we were taking pictures to capture this event in our lives and we started getting creative. Little did we know we weren’t allowed to jump in the air, or stand on top of rocks or broken columns…oops! We got whistled at a total of 6 times…I think. Needless to say, we hurried out of there as soon as possible to avoid getting into trouble.



So we saw the Acropolis…and now it was time for me to fulfill my promise. Bob was determined to find Anna Maria…and that’s all he talked about the entire day. He did an exchange program in school and stayed with Anna Maria’s family for one week. He said that that was the best week of his life and he fell in love with this Greek goddess.

All Bob had to find Anna Maria was an address from seven years ago when he stayed there. He had no idea if they were still living there. While we were on the Metro looking for this area of the city where she lived, Bob decided to tell me that he hasn’t talked to her in years…thanks Bob! After changing a few Metro lines, we made it to the area and walked up to the street. We immediately asked some older ladies about the address and they didn’t speak one word of English…how convenient. We asked a guy at a street kiosk and he pointed out the apartment building on a map of the city.



After two left turns and six city blocks, we were at her street…I had to get back to work so I turned around, headed back to the ship and left Bob on his own adventure. I didn’t hear from Bob until after work that night. He called my cabin and filled me in on the most romantic story…EVER!

He ended up finding the apartment building, going to the door and ringing the doorbell. I was shocked he found the place! He rang the doorbell and no one answered. He rang it again…and was starting to walk away when he heard the buzzer release the door. He walked inside and up the stairs to the family’s apartment and there at the door was Anna Maria’s mother. She had this very puzzled look like she didn’t have the slightest idea of who he was. Bob said…”Remember me? I’m Bob. I know Anna Maria.” She didn’t speak any English, but she opened up the door when she heard Anna Maria’s name. Needless to say, he ended up eating dinner with her parents and getting a homemade bottle of wine to take back to the ship, but he didn’t see Anna Maria.



He found out that Anna Maria was in Switzerland studying. Her mother actually called her up on the phone and Bob got to speak to her for the first time in seven years. He said that during the entire conversation he had butterflies in his stomach. While talking to her over the phone, she asked him to come and visit her when he’s on vacation in Switzerland.

Now, as a hopeless romantic, when Bob was telling me the story of the day’s remaining events, I got goose bumps. I couldn’t believe that he’d actually talked to her, made plans and visited her home that he hadn’t seen in seven years. What a story!

A boat ride in Venezia

The Norwegian Jade ventured to one of the most visited cities in Italy, Venice. The “city of love” as I named it. This is one of the biggest destinations for honeymooners as well…and I got to experience this magical city for myself.



I couldn’t wait to get off the ship even though I had a few hours. Walking through the city streets is just amazing. The city of Venice is made of thousands of islands…and it’s true the city IS sinking. We were there for one of the nicest days they’ve had all spring…perfect for walking around and soaking up the Venezia culture.

I escorted a tour to St. Mark’s Square…and it was very interesting and educational. We went into Doge’s Palace, walked through the Bridge of Sighs (one of the most famous bridges in the city) and shopped in St. Mark’s Square.



Though, I have to tell you about the most amazing experience I had in Venice. We had an overnight in the city so a big group of the cruise staff started walking the city streets to find this popular jazz club. We walked and walked and walked…keep in mind of the bridges and islands…it was very complicated to get around in the city without getting lost.

After about an hour-and-a-half, we found this jazz club. Through our venture to the club we discovered several landmarks and eclectic bars we hadn’t planned on seeing, which made the walk worth it. So…we finally arrived at the club at 1:50 a.m. and it was closing at 2 a.m. so we were able to take a few pictures and then stood outside trying to decide what to do next.



We all wanted to continue drinking, but couldn’t decide where to go. I heard some loud music playing from a canal near us…I ran over to the bridge and started dancing…it was Britney Spear’s “I’m a Slave.” This guy, Santo, driving a boat (called Air Force with a “Miami Vice” license plate on the back) was blaring his music and when he saw me dancing…he immediately reversed and parked beside the bridge. A few of us ended up getting in his boat and took a ride down the canal under the Rialto Bridge to this hip night club called Piccolo Mundo (Small World).

I wasn’t too keen on going out that night because we’d worked several hours that day, but the boat ride experience made this night even more memorable! We sang and danced to several American classics sung by Britney Spears, Prince and Justin Timberlake…and they (at least Santo) love the American pop stars just as much as we do! If anyone’s planning a trip to Venice, just let me know…I have Santo’s contact information…and maybe you can experience a boat ride in the city as well.

Napoli Stands for Pizza

I was able to get off the ship in Naples, Italy this past week. I only had a few hours off, but I knew that I might not ever be back there…so I decided to adventure the city with a few other cruise staff. I went with Tommy, another host, Greg, sports director and Julius, the pool attendant. We started walking away from the terminal and immediately as you step outside the building you see this magnificent castle up on a hill. Then you focus down towards the city…and you realize it’s a metropolitan city.

Actually, I read in my travel guide book that Naples is the third largest city in Italy…and it shows. A lady we met in Rome warned us about Naples. She was British and she put it...”that city is dodgy.” She warned us to be aware at all times because pick-pockets are predominant in the “dodgy” city of Naples. Though, us as a group didn’t have any problems in the city…probably because there’s strength in numbers and I was with all guys…they wouldn’t dare touch me.



We started walking around the city and found several castles. Of course each charged an entry fee…so we just decided to take pictures from the outside and move on. We ventured to the Municipal, which was a big inside market with a beautiful glass ceiling and marble floors. While we were there it seemed as if we couldn’t get away from these vendors begging to sell us tourist junk. The ruder we acted towards them the pushier they became.

We ended up taking our pictures and walking quickly out of the Municipal onto a busy city street lined with bakeries, cafes and boutique shops. You could tell that we had made it to a ritzy part of the city, which made the predominance of homeless begging for money and street performers accepting donations great. We stopped at a bustling bakery (because we knew it would be good) and ordered a Neapolitan (for Naples) which was fresh bread rolled with cheese and proscuitto (or ham). It was quite delicious! We took our snack to go and moved on to the center of the city, which held the governmental buildings.



We walked and took pictures of places we had no idea what it stood for, but it had to be something because other tourists were taking pictures too. Actually, we got caught in some type of strike/parade/riot. It was organized because the police were escorting these people through the city streets. I had no idea what they were shouting for, what their signs said or what purpose they had to be there, but I couldn’t take my eyes away from them…and I snapped many pictures.

Then we moved to the shore side to another castle sitting right on the water. The castle was in a shape of an oval and translated from Italian to English meant “the oval castle.” How original…right? It seemed as though there were a thousand high-end hotels lining the coast and the locals were bathing in the sun and enjoying the nice afternoon weather. We walked around the castle because I wanted to get a better view and we ended up walking into a private dock. Before we knew it there was a car of Italian guys yelling and screaming at us. We just played dumb…because we couldn’t understand them and we walked away very quickly. Oops!



By this time, we had to be getting back to the ship so we grabbed some pizza at a local restaurant, ate fast and walked back to the ship. Supposedly, pizza was invented in Naples, so of course we had to try out the pizza. It was made of thin, chewy crust with a little cheese and lots of fresh tomato sauce with proscuitto ham slices scattered on the top. The Italians eat their pizza by rolling it up from the end first kind of like a burrito…and we decided to try it out. Even though we rolled it up, the slice was so huge I only needed one to fill me up.

Naples was a fine city to visit, but the majority of the attractions our shore excursions sold were outside of the city including the Amalfi Coast, Isle of Capri, Pompeii (the city that was covered by lava in 79 AD) and Positano (it’s a real city not just from the movie Under the Tuscan Sun). Hopefully the next time we visit Naples, I’ll have enough time to take an excursion outside of city.

Viva Roma! ...sorry this is a LONG one...

I made it to Rome this past week. Yes…Rome, Italy! The Norwegian Jade, the ship that I’ve been working on for the past year-and-a-half, has begun cruising the Mediterranean Sea. Actually, this is our first 12-day cruise…and I’m a part of it. How exciting! Well, other than the ports of call…this transition from the Pride of Hawaii to the Norwegian Jade has been a nightmare, but let’s not go into that story.



So my friends, Bob, otherwise known as DJ Red Light, (he’s from the Netherlands) and Montsi, another hostess, ventured from our port Civitcivecchia, Italy to Rome. We got off work around 10 a.m. and began our journey to the local train station in Civitcivecchia. Of course, we made it to the train station, but alongside what seemed like 100 passengers. And these passengers for one reason or another are the dumbest people! There was a kiosk to buy your ticket…all you had to do was follow the instructions…they were even in English. And these guys couldn’t figure it out, but I’m digressing…back to the story.

We took the Express train into Roma, which was about a 50-minute ride. As soon as we got to the station (or stazione), we immediately ran outside to soak in the sunny weather, the fresh Italian air and bustling city. We first walked to the Coliseum and boy was that a tourist trap. There are so many vendors and “tour guides” that are just waiting to rip off those dumb travelers. We waited in line for what seemed like hours (really only 30 minutes) and then we were inside experiencing the excitement that Romans did back centuries ago. As largely traveled as the Coliseum was that day, it was amazing how peaceful and quiet the inner walls were. The structure itself was absolutely incredible. What an accomplishment for the Romans at that time…and to think that it’s still standing today is crazy. After we finished our tour of the Coliseum, we walked outside to the courtyard area, we saw this local dressed up as a gladiator and started taking pictures. Little did we know…we were going to be paying for those pictures (on OUR own cameras). For 3 pictures, we had to pay 5 Euros (like $8-9). What a rip off!



After the Coliseum, we decided to wander the streets of Rome to find our own discoveries, but of course we had a map to guide us along the way. We found the Forum, which is a bunch of ruins from the Roman days. We stumbled upon a monument to a Roman emperor and it was guarded with the Roman military. We were there just in time to see the guards switch duties…I even captured it on camera!

We walked further to the Trevi Fountain, which is the infamous fountain where you look away from it and throw a coin into the fountain over your shoulder. They say you must throw it over your shoulder to ensure a visit back to Rome. This was another tourist trap area. People were swarming over each other. Before we ventured any further into the city of Rome, we stopped for some Italian pizza…and boy, was it delicious! We found a heladeria…and purchased some ice cream for dessert. The ice cream is so much better here…I’ve had so much it’s coming out of my pores.



After lunch, we continued on our journey to the Pantheon. Inside this Parthenon-looking building was a Basilica, or a church. In the roof, there was a hole in the middle, which allowed sunlight to come inside and fill the room with warmth. It was absolutely beautiful. Afterwards, we walked a ways to the Spanish steps…this was actually the only disappointment I had all day. I guess I was expecting something a little more grandiose than what I saw. We also were running late to catch the metro back to the train station (or tren stazione) so we didn’t have much time to soak in the atmosphere. We took a few quick pictures and we were off.



When we arrived at the Rome train station, we hadn’t checked to see what times the train was running back to the Civitcevecchia…and we became very lucky. We arrived at 5 p.m. and found a train departing in 15 minutes. We purchased our tickets and started walking towards the tracks…little did we know the tracks were at the whole other side of the station and we arrived at the tracks just as the train was pulling away. Immediately I panicked and went into crazy mode, because we’d been briskly walking/jogging and we missed it. The ship was scheduled to pull the gangway for departure at 7:30 p.m. that evening…I was just thinking “Oh my God” we’re going to miss the ship and get fired. Luckily, we looked at the board for more departures and found another train leaving in 20 minutes. It reassured me a bit because I recognized some passengers from the ship that were in the same situation as us, but I was still worried I was going to get fired…or in trouble for that matter.

We got on the 5:39 p.m. non-express train back to Civitcevecchia and we were off. The train was scheduled to arrive in the port at 7 p.m. perfect for us to meet the ship with sufficient time. As we got into the ride, the train got slower and slower and we were actually stopped for a time being. The train became delayed 15 minutes for arrival…and we were going to have all we could do to make it to the ship in time. As we arrived at Civitcevecchia, we ran (actually sprinted) alongside some other crew members to the ship. We hopped on the shuttle bus and arrived at the ship around 7:28 p.m. (whew!).

What a crazy experience! I’ve never come that close to miss the ship in my almost two-year career with the company. I guess I learned my lesson, but it was still all worth it because the day was packed with such history and splendor…and I have it all caught on film. The one thing we didn’t do was a visit to the Vatican, but that’s for another visit to Rome. Enjoy the pictures!