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Contract 3 - Azura
  • The Ships Photographer
  • The Ships Photographer

Contract 3 - Azura

A 249-day adventure by The Ships Photographer Read more
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  • The Ships PhotographerContract 3 - AzuraThe Ships Photographer

    Le Havre, France

    October 8, 2017 in France ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C

    Today definitely didn't go as planned. We were suppose to be docked around noon in Le Havre but an announcement from the captain woke me up around 11. The dock was pull of protestors who had even gone as far as swinging cranes out to block us from docking. At that point the announcement was to let passengers and crew know that we were sitting just inside the port limits waiting to see what happened when the police arrive. An hour later he made a second announcement that the police were not going to be doing anything about the protestors and the police were telling us to leave. So we left and have just very slowly been making our way to Southampton. After some google searching I learned that it's a strike involving pensions and a lot more then just our docking has been affected.

    Amsterdam was the main port this cruise so the passengers didn't seemed to be bothered by the fact that they missed Le Havre. A lot of crew were very disappointed they didn't get to go to Paris though.    Read more

  • The Ships PhotographerContract 3 - AzuraThe Ships Photographer

    Oporto, Portugal

    October 11, 2017 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 15 °C

    IPM and gangway just like last time I was here. We were an hour and a half late docking and getting off the ship though. Just around the port was unforecasted very dense fog. The fog never lifted but everyone said half an hour away in Oporto it was sunny with no fog.Read more

  • The Ships PhotographerContract 3 - AzuraThe Ships Photographer

    Cadiz, Spain

    October 13, 2017 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

    The drills that were suppose to happen in Oporto were today so we couldn’t get off the ship until after lunch. Once we could though we headed into town. Our manager Chris came with us but he complained that he was too hot after about 15 minutes and headed back to the ship. Andy the photographer I was with had never been to Cadiz before so I kind of turned into a tour guide. Taking her to the giant monument, town centre and to the cathedral. We stopped so she could get a sangria and I could get a Pepsi at a little bar/restaurant beside the cathedral. Some passengers from the ship ended up sitting with us to escape the sun. After talking to them for a while we had to come up with an excuse to leave. They were a very nice couple but our time out in port is also our time to escape passengers. They kept offering to buy us drinks so we would stay but we said we had to go.

    After that we found another photographer before heading to a supermarket to pick up some much needed groceries. After dropping stuff off at the ship the three of us are now back in the cruise terminal using the wifi to update our phones and computers.    Read more

  • The Ships PhotographerContract 3 - AzuraThe Ships Photographer

    Malaga, Spain

    October 14, 2017 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    Was not IPM today but decided not to get off. Getting off in Malaga with Jackson and spending the entire day doing nothing on the beach was my favourite day of my last contract. Today would have not been the same and we needed to plan out next cruise. So I spent most of my day in the office working on next cruise's cruise builder.Read more

  • The Ships PhotographerContract 3 - AzuraThe Ships Photographer

    Cartagena, Spain

    October 15, 2017 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C

    This morning was crew rounds so everyone was up nice and early to finish cleaning their cabins. Cartagena was very nice but there wasn't much to do except shop. There is however a roman theatre and museum. The theatre was dedicated to Caius and Lucius Caesar, sons of Agrippa and Julia, the daughter of the emperor Augustus. For €6 I got entrance into the museum and the theatre. There wasn't much to the museum but the tunnel leading between the museum and the theatre was cool. The tunnel use to be beneath the Church of Santa Maria la Vieja. Not much is left of the church but the tunnel is still there. The theatre itself was not the largest Roman theatre i've seen but it's the first that isn't being used. The theatres I've been in have all been fixed up for concerts and plays. This one however has been left as is. If you put one foot outside the designated area there is instantly security guards blowing whistles at you.Read more

  • The Ships PhotographerContract 3 - AzuraThe Ships Photographer

    Gibraltar, Gibraltar

    October 16, 2017 in Gibraltar ⋅ 🌙 20 °C

    Had an interesting day today. Most of the team had mandatory ethics training in the morning. Which was “interesting”. Then Andy (Photographer) and I quickly grabbed some brunch and went to our cabins to get changed to do some much needed shopping. Before we left I was telling her how Jackson (the boyfriend) is going to be in Gibraltar tomorrow and she had a brilliant idea. She said I should leave something in Gibraltar for him. So being all excited I ran back into my cabin and came back out with a note. Locking myself out of my cabin. My cabin key is also my id for getting on and off the ship so I had to deal with it. After waiting for almost 45 minutes I finally got let into my cabin. Quickly grabbed my card and ran to Morrison’s for some groceries. Where Andy was waiting for me. It was a very early sail today (2pm) and with training and then locking myself out I only had about half an hour to shop for some groceries. On the way back to the ship I found the perfect place to hide the note for Jackson. I took some picture clues to help him find it. Which I’ve sent him. He’s very excited because he doesn’t know what he’ll find. I just told him I left him something.Read more

  • The Ships PhotographerContract 3 - AzuraThe Ships Photographer

    Lisbon, Portugal

    October 18, 2017 in Portugal ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    Another IPM day. This time however was also IPM drills after we finished taking photos on the gangway. So everyone who was IPM had to go stand in their muster station for 45 minutes. We were there with a production guy I had never met before so at least we made a new friend well we waited. Then it was nap time until work.

    I only had to work for an hour and a half because Chris (manager) had given me the night off. Which ended up just being a night of laundry.    Read more

  • The Ships PhotographerContract 3 - AzuraThe Ships Photographer
    Girl's night!
    Azura from Aurora taken by JacksonAzura from Aurora taken by JacksonAzura from Aurora taken by Jackson

    Southampton, UK

    October 20, 2017 in England ⋅ 🌧 14 °C

    Another weird, emotionally draining day. I had to get up early for work in the morning (6:00am) but got to leave early at 8:30 to get Jackson (the boyfriend) on the ship with a visitor pass I had gotten him. I however had a meeting so I left him to watch a movie in my cabin. The meeting ended up taking almost two hours. So by the time that was done Jackson and I only had an hour before he had to leave for work. He got to see a bit of the ship and say hi to a few friends. After a very sad, tearful goodbye he left in a taxi to head to work. Then I went back on the ship to also say goodbye to a photographer as well who was headed home.

    We are now going to be heading across the Atlantic for Caribbean season so I headed into Southampton with my friend Ashton (bar steward) to do some much needed grocery shopping and pick up a few other things. Jackson however knew that I was going into Southampton with Ashton and that we would end up at Standing Orders for some food. So when he found out he was starting an hour later then was originally planned he waited there for us to surprise me. So I got to see him one last time. The next time will be when he joins the ship on February 23rd.

    When we were in Standing Orders we got some news. It was up in the air wether either ship would actually sail today as planned. There is a massive storm right in our path with 14 meter swell. So we found out that my ship was now for sure staying but Jackson’s was leaving. They are headed the opposite direction as us so they were going to miss the worst of the storm. Even though we weren’t sailing away from anything the ship still hosted their sail away party on the top deck. I was up there taking photos so I got to see my old ship where Jackson is sail past. My manager had literally told me to forget about the passengers when it was sailing past us that I could go to the front of the ship to see it go past instead. Jackson had told me he was working on the back deck for the sail away but the ship’s were too far apart. The people were the size of ants, so I couldn’t make him out.

    My work shift ended with my manager also telling me that I should be emotional more often. Apparently I had managed to up-sell quite a bit tonight.

    Then after work most of the team had already gone out in Southampton but I was too exhausted to find them and do anything so Monixa (Photographer) and I had a girls night on the ship instead. She was IPM and couldn’t get off and it’s her New Year’s so we went to one of the restaurants for dinner. I had my usual steak which was amazing as always.

    Now I’m completely exhausted so it’s time for some sleep.    Read more

  • The Ships PhotographerContract 3 - AzuraThe Ships Photographer

    Southampton, UK

    October 21, 2017 in England ⋅ ⛅ 13 °C

    After the surprise over night we were also late sailing but we did eventually leave. Before leaving we had time to get off the ship and do some more grocery shopping before the long trip across the Atlantic to the Caribbean. We also stopped at Costa for some free wifi to get our phones up to date before we headed out.Read more

  • The Ships PhotographerContract 3 - AzuraThe Ships Photographer

    Madeira, Portugal

    October 25, 2017 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    I ate way to much. Today was crew drills and then as soon as that was done we got changed and went straight to Kon-Tiki for steak on a stone. It’s a restaurant attached to a house that the family runs that basically all crew go to. It’s packed. There’s one table of passengers and the rest are crew. It was amazing but now I can’t move. We all want to go back to the ship and fall into a food comma but it’s a formal night tonight. So it will be another busy night.Read more

  • The Ships PhotographerContract 3 - AzuraThe Ships Photographer

    St Kitts

    October 31, 2017 in Saint Kitts and Nevis ⋅ ⛅ 31 °C

    Happy Halloween!!!

    Tonight will be a very busy night with all the Halloween shoots but for now I am relaxing out in port. Most of the team went to the beach but after being stuck on the ship for so long I didn’t want to just sit on the beach all day. I also didn’t want to pay for the taxi. So I met up with my friend Ashton (bar steward) and we did some exploring. Now we are relaxing in an Indian restaurant for a snack and some wifi.

    The Caribbean is definitely as hot as I remember and you would never know there was a hurricane based on this island. I’m sure we will see the affects soon enough though.    Read more

  • The Ships PhotographerContract 3 - AzuraThe Ships Photographer

    Bridgetown, Barbados

    November 3, 2017 in Barbados ⋅ 🌫 25 °C

    Finally got a proper lie-in and didn't get out of bed until my stomach made me for lunch. After a quick lunch in the crew mess I went into the cruise terminal for some wifi. It was a very rainy day so I didn't not at all regret my decision not to actually go out in Barbados this time. I did however discover that the wifi in the cruise terminal as not working. So I just ended up buying a ridiculously large bag of Cheetos (which is completely gone as of 5 minutes ago) and walked back to the ship. We were docked beside Adonia which is the first time I have seen her. With Adonia only being a photography team of 2 I really wanted to be able to try a contract there at some point but now with her being sold and leaving P&O in March I won't be able to.

    I had to work in the afternoon and now I'm IPM for the overnight. Most of the team is out at Harbour Lights which is where basically all the crew go at night. I on the other hand am nice and comfy in my bed with tons of movies to watch... but no more cheetos.

    We had two people join today. One of which I already knew. Ina was the lab tech when I first joined the ship and then met us in Athens when the ship went there because that is where she lives. Caroline the other person who joined today is joining as our assistant manager which will take a lot of the pressure off of me and allow me to focus more on the responsibilities of grade 3 photographers not having to cover both roles when being only a grade 2 photographer. Which I am looking forward too. Today the paperwork was started however to get me up to grade 3.    Read more

  • The Ships PhotographerContract 3 - AzuraThe Ships Photographer

    St John, Antigua

    November 6, 2017 in Antigua and Barbuda ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C

    We’re docked with 2 other large cruise ships today (adventure of the seas and celebrity summit). I had to do Gangway in the morning but now I’m off with another photog Marie. After walking around for a while we went to a café called Waterview Café and bar for some lunch and wifi. Both were disappointing. It was a nice view though. The café is normally just over a bridge from the ship but instead you have to go around the back. The bridge is still there but it’s destroyed. There was also lots of little fishing boats just off shore that were half under water. This is another port where you can still see some of the affects of the hurricane.
    We both however did still really need wifi so we are now having some ice cream for dessert. This time both the ice cream and the wifi are good.
    This is definitely not my favourite Caribbean port but it’s nice. You don’t need to walk far from the ship for anything.
    On the gangway this morning was a steel drum band. They had all the passengers dancing. Some pictures of them will be posted later.    Read more

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