Contract 3 - Azura | FindPenguins

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The Ships Photographer Contract 3 - Azura
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- Aug 31, 2017, 5:32pm
- ⛅ 17 °C
- Altitude: 158 m
- Canada Ontario Centennial Park Toronto Pearson International Airport 43.676579, -79.61241943°40’36” N 79°36’45” W
Day 1
Pearson Airport
August 31, 2017 in Canada ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C
Arrived at the airport, said goodbye to my parents and now waiting for my flight. I've never been at the airport before when it's really busy so having to wait in line to get through security and having a hard time finding a seat at Pearson was new. Today was also a little different because at the same terminal I am leaving from, a co-worker of my Dad's and a family friend is arriving back in Canada a couple hours before I leave. So my parents got to go to arrivals and visit with his family well they waited for him to arrive.

A couple weeks ago I got a text from my Aunt that a package was being put together of Canada pins and flags for me to take with me. I wanted to say a huge thank you to Neil Ellis, MP for Bay of Quinte for all of them. They are packed in my suitcase headed to the UK and I look forward to passing them on during my travels.Read more
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The Ships Photographer Contract 3 - Azura
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- Sep 1, 2017, 7:43am
- ☀️ 10 °C
- Altitude: 18 m
- England Hillingdon Heathrow Hilton Garden Inn London Heathrow Terminal 2 51.471252, -0.45269451°28’17” N 0°27’10” W
Day 2
Central Bus Station, London
September 1, 2017 in England ⋅ ☀️ 10 °C
Survived the very bumpy flight and now waiting at the bus station for my bus to Southampton. I can only sleep on a flight if I have the window seat so that I can lean against the wall. For this flight I was stuck in between two ladies so I was surprised that I at least got 20 minutes of sleep before they brought around the snack of spiced bread. Before that, for dinner was the choice of chicken or pasta. I went for the chicken, which was okay. Now I'm completely exhausted and very excited to get on the bus so I can have a nap. It takes two hours and fifteen to get to Southampton.Read more
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The Ships Photographer Contract 3 - Azura
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- Sep 1, 2017, 1:25pm
- ⛅ 20 °C
- Altitude: 12 m
- England Southampton Southampton Central Railway Station 50.905266, -1.41437350°54’19” N 1°24’52” W
Day 2
Ibis Budget Hotel, Southampton
September 1, 2017 in England ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C
It's only 1:19 and it's already been a very long day. I managed to sleep for an hour on the bus to Southampton. So I've at least got some sleep in the last 24 hours.

I walked to the hotel, getting there around 10:30 to see if I can check in early or at least leave my suitcases there. There was no early check in but I got to ditch my suitcases, which felt great. Then it was just trying to fill in three and a half hours until I can check in. I went to McDonalds, got some stuff from Poundland (the uk version or a dollar store) and now I'm sitting outside the hotel with still over half an hour to go before I can check in.

Once I finally do get into my hotel room all I'm going to do is sleep and relax until leave tomorrow to join the ship at 9am.Read more
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The Ships Photographer Contract 3 - Azura
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- Sep 2, 2017, 1:11am
- ⛅ 12 °C
- Altitude: 66 m
- England Southampton Bassett 50.938656, -1.40267750°56’19” N 1°24’10” W
Day 3
First Day
September 2, 2017 in England ⋅ ⛅ 12 °C
Survived my first day. Ended up getting thrown in the deep end. Products and prices are different and I have no idea where things are stored. Yet I got left in the gallery by myself for a while. It ended up going okay though. Basically everyone who came up to the desk was looking for directions and they all wanted to get to places that people had asked about before. So I actually knew where to tell them to go. I'm also starting to find my way around. I can get to my cabin, the photo gallery and the mess. But not to the mess from the cabin. So if I want food I have to go all the way up to the gallery, walk to the back of the ship and then walk back down. Not the fastest way to get there but I can at least get there.

Tonight three of the girls on the team and myself went to a restaurant called Glasshouse. One of them was a vegetarian but the rest of us had steak. It was so good! Now I am in need of some sleep. I start at 8:45am tomorrow and it's an hour forward tonight. So it's basically like starting at 7:45am. Good night.Read more
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The Ships Photographer Contract 3 - Azura
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- Sep 3, 2017, 12:58pm
- ⛅ 19 °C
- Altitude: 12 m
- France Nouvelle-Aquitaine La Rochelle La Ville en Bois Marais Perdus 46.158047, -1.15339946°9’29” N 1°9’12” W
Day 4
La Rochelle, France
September 3, 2017 in France ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C
Got thrown into the deep end again last night. My first formal night and I got put on the busiest portrait. I was going crazy and was completely exhausted by the end of the night. It however was the joiners party in the crew bar so I headed there with the team and met up with some friends from my old ship as well.

After a interesting drama filled night I had to get up early this morning for inductions (training) with two other photographers. Then four of us headed out to get some lunch. After wandering around for a very long time we decided on Le Canet. Which fit for one of the photographers who is vegetarian and myself who doesn't like seafood. Finding a place to eat that fit those categories was a challenge.

Le Rochelle is really pretty but expensive. I would want to have more time to see more of the port. We didn't get to see much when we were starving just looking for food.

We are now sitting in the restaurant waiting for our food. After this we are just headed back to the ship to get ready for work.Read more
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The Ships Photographer Contract 3 - Azura
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- Sep 4, 2017, 3:59pm
- ⛅ 24 °C
- Altitude: 23 m
- Spain Basque Country Bilbao Iglesia Catedral de Santiago - Done Jakue 43.256962, -2.9234643°15’25” N 2°55’24” W
Day 5
Bilbao, Spain
September 4, 2017 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C
Our trip back to the ship yesterday was not as easy as we thought it would be. After lunch we walked around for maybe 25 minutes thinking we had tons of time since it was almost 2 hours until we start work and only a half hour shuttle to the ship. When we got to the shuttle buses however, we could not see the end of the line of people waiting to get on the shuttle. When we started following the line we still could not find the end. We eventually did find find it and quickly messaged Chris our manager about the line. Letting him now we might be late and so he also knew when we did start trying to get back to the ship.

We couldn't believe it when we were all the way through the line and getting on a shuttle bus in about 15 minutes. We then however ended up in a line again at the other end of the shuttle. Waiting to get through the port's security. Then after that, another line to get through the ship's security. In the end though we got on the ship and still had 20 minutes to get ready before we had to head to work.

Today has been a lot more relaxing. I had to get up this morning for inductions again. This morning was also crew rounds though so I would have had to get up anyways. After inductions I couldn't decide whether to go out in the port or not. I was still completely exhausted but really wanted to go. But as soon as I was back at my cabin I was sound asleep, so my decision was made for me. I woke up about an hour ago feeling awake for the first time since I joined the ship and still had more then enough time to have a shower, work on my blog and edit my photos from yesterday. So in the end I'm happy I didn't go out. I needed the nap a bit more.Read more
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The Ships Photographer Contract 3 - Azura
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- Sep 6, 2017
- ☀️ 20 °C
- Altitude: 28 m
- Spain Galicia A Coruña Church of Saint George 43.37175, -8.39634643°22’18” N 8°23’47” W
Day 7
La Coruna, Spain
September 6, 2017 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C
IPM (in port manning) today so I was not able to get off. I still had to get up to take Gangway photos for two hours in the morning but spent the rest of the day doing laundry and relaxing in the cabin. Before I opened the gallery by myself. Which meant I got to finish an hour early.Read more
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The Ships Photographer Contract 3 - Azura
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- Sep 8, 2017, 12:18am
- 🌧 16 °C
- Altitude: 4 m
- Guernsey St Peter Port South Beach 49.458694, -2.53430849°27’31” N 2°32’4” W
Day 9
St Peter Port, Guernsey
September 8, 2017 in Guernsey ⋅ 🌧 16 °C
Surprise sea day! Although it wan't really a surprise. We don't dock in St Peter Port and the water was to rough for the tender boats to go ashore. They had an idea it would be like this yesterday however. So we knew it might be a sea day instead of a port day. I was suppose to start work at 3pm but since it was a sea day my cabin mate Naz and I got a call at 10am to come into work. Then it was the last day to buy photos before the passengers leave tomorrow (aka photomania) so it was crazy busy. I survived my first photomania on Azura though. Now I'm in bed with very sore feet, not wanting to move and probably will just be going to sleep.Read more
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The Ships Photographer Contract 3 - Azura
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- Sep 9, 2017
- ⛅ 16 °C
- Altitude: 20 m
- England Southampton Southampton Cruise Port 50.907177, -1.40726550°54’26” N 1°24’26” W
Day 10
Southampton, UK
September 9, 2017 in England ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C
IPM again today but it means I don't have any IPMs for the upcoming Norway cruise. I slept in and then was on embarkation. After we had an hour break before I was in the restaurants taking photos for the night. We got off early at 9pm, so four of us went up to the planet bar. Which I had never been to before. It was busy though so we went to the Manhattan instead. A band called Soundwave was about to start so we stayed there. I got my favourite mocktail called a Mango Mule. After that it was bed time because it's an hour forward tonight.Read more
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The Ships Photographer Contract 3 - Azura
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- Sep 11, 2017, 11:13am
- ⛅ 14 °C
- Altitude: 11 m
- Norway Rogaland Fylke Stavanger Stavanger Domkirke 58.969925, 5.73250258°58’12” N 5°43’57” E
Day 12
Stavanger, Norway
September 11, 2017 in Norway ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C
Had an interesting formal night last night. A woman threw up (multiple times) right beside my portrait so I had to improvise a bit with the way I was shooting. Then the captain's speech was late which pushed all our breaks back. Meaning my dinner was potatoes and chocolate. Yummy.

The night ended on a good note however. I was just getting into bed when there was a knock on the door. I opened it to find James (one the photographers) with a bottle of alcohol-free champagne he had won in the crew bar. Since my cabin mate Naz and I don't drink he gave it to us. So that's sitting in the fridge waiting for a party night in the crew bar.

Today I had to get up early for gangway. I was with one of the new to seas again. So I spent most of the gangway helping him with how he was calling the passengers in. As soon as that was done however I quickly got back on the ship and got changed to head to Starbucks for some food and wifi. That is where I now sit. Updating my phone and downloading some new music. Next we are going to wander around a bit, getting some photos before heading back to the ship to relax before starting work.Read more
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