MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEARS….
First off I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and I also hope you all have a great New Years.
As for me I just spent the last 3 days in Antarctica, which was by far the most amazing place I have ever seen. We arrived to the Antarctic Peninsula on Dec. 23 and spent till Christmas day cruising the archipelago. If you look on a map at South America the “arm” of Antarctica that extends from the main continent is the Antarctica Peninsula and that’s where we were. Ask yourself what you think of when you think of Antarctica. Do things like snow, ice, icebergs, penguins, cold, etc come to mind? Well it should, because that’s what it is, but more then that it is probably the most beautiful place I have ever visited. I hate to say it but it makes Alaska look like child’s play. There are many similarities between the two but also a lot of differences.
On our first day we encountered 30 degree weather encompassing fog, snow, and even some sun in the late afternoon and late evening. The thing about this time of year, which is the “summer”, is that it stays light out all day and night. The sun disappears around 9pm but there is constant light out. Pretty amazing and kind of weird if you have never seen this before. On this day we had scientists from the U.S. base camp Palmer Station come aboard and give some presentations to the passengers. While watching one of these I missed a mother Orca whale and her two babies playing outside the ship. I’m bummed I didn’t get to see them but there are pictures that I can get. Other wildlife we saw are many species of birds and of course everyone’s favorite, Penguins. Types that we encountered on this trip were Adele, Chinstrap, Macaroni and Gentoo penguins. Antarctica is home to most of the species that exist in the world today with some becoming close to extinction. Not being able to get to close the penguins looked like crushed pepper on a white table cloth, only they moved around and could swim. Also impressive was the scenery, including many islands consisting of snow and mountains and then some with snow just a couple feet over the water. Moving the ship through narrow channels is difficult for a couple reasons. One being all the drift ice coming up from the Wendell Sea, which has a huge sheet of pack ice. One these “Ice Bergs,” break off they will float for a long time. Of course they always win in a collision so the best way is to stay away from them. Sometimes they block opening to channels so the ice pilot and captain decide on other routes. The other reason is other smaller excursion ships that also are in the area. These are passenger ships or research vessels. They always have the right of way cause unlike our ship; they can make landings onto the land. The excursion vessels carry a smaller amount of passengers and take small rubber zodiac’s to get to land. The rest of this day we cruised around different areas and took in the extreme nature it has to offer.
On Christmas Eve we did the same thing cruising into different area to witness the wildlife and scenery. The great thing about today was that is was absolutely gorgeous out with 100% sun. Some clouds in the sky provided awesome pictures being in the backdrop of glaciers, mountains, and the water. The weather again was in the low 30’s. Making it colder was the wind sweeping over the ship. We cruised past some bases that are stationed in the area and saw some more vessels cruising around. As for the evening we had one of our production shows to do and then took part in the international choir for the passengers. This took place in the lounge and had a packed house. There were Indonesian, Filipino, and English speaking sections and turned out very nice. After this Kristen and I went to midnight mass, and then went to sleep because Christmas was fast approaching.
Christmas morning I woke to a phone call from Kristen telling me to get out on deck because there were thousands of penguins. We had arrived at Esperanza Island. I suited up in my many layers and snow jacket and then headed outside. To my surprise we were just off an island that was home to a penguin rookery. I’m not sure but I think the penguins were again Adele’s or Chinstraps. Again you could se their tiny bodies on the land, and also hear them. As small chunks of ice floated by some penguins were hulling themselves out and then jumped into the water as our huge ship went by. I was able to capture many pictures of groups of them swimming to shore. Every second they would jump out of the water and then dive under only to leave the water at an astonishing speed. We spent about an hour and a half here and then continued on to other islands. The main island we were heading too was Elephant Island, which was discovered in 1819 by British sailors who were blown off course while rounding Cape Horn. It got its name from the abundance of Elephant Seals that were on the island at one time. We were not going to get there till around 7pm, so as we were cruising we saw some of the most incredible icebergs I could have ever imagined seeing. Some of these we were told today were probably 2 and half square miles and measuring 70 to 110 feet tall. So, this means that it probably weighed around 400 MILLION TONS!!!! This is no joke and is pretty astonishing. Who says water is light. Some of them are so deep in the water they are standing on the bottom of the sea floor. To believe this you have to see them, which I will show because I got some pictures. : ) The crew then had a Christmas dinner in the Lido Dining Room and both Kristen and I had the Surf and Turf (filet and lobster tail), not to mention the three desserts I had just because. The rest of the night was a party as usual.
As of right now we are on a course to arrive into the Falkland Islands tomorrow morning. This island is also known for having a large number of penguin colonies. Unfortunately I have to stay onboard so I will not be able to explore this time. That is okay as we might not even stop at this island due to huge swells and the possibility of the weather changing so fast. This is typical of the area as is Antarctica.
I hope sometime everyone will get the chance to visit Antarctica. It truly is a gem of a place to go to, and only can be seen to be believed. Let me know if you have any questions about Antarctica. I would have written in more detail but this would have turned into a thesis paper. Hahahah However, I do not mind if you ask as many questions as you want. Our ship will be venturing back to Antarctica twice more this season so I will have a more things to report on in the near future. For now have a great New Years and write back when you can. Miss all of you sooooooo much.
Danny
Friday, December 26, 2008
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
12-17-2008 Puerto Montt, Chile
Hello there everyone,
So the last time I wrote (a few days ago), I said we would be getting into Chile and then on into Antarctica. Well we are getting closer to the “Lady in White,” as they call Antarctica. We left Santiago, Chile today. Our changeover is officially complete and now it is up to us, the cast to maintain the shows. I don’t think there will be any problems. Now we have to get ready for Christmas. Kristen and I bought Christmas lights and tree decorations for her cabin today. We even got a gold snowflake decoration that we are using as the tree topper for free. Got to love that.
Well a couple days have passed since I wrote that first paragraph. Today we were in Puerto Montt, Chile. I had to stay on the ship due to IPM (In Port Manning) but that’s okay. We come back here a coupe more times so it is okay. Not knowing what to expect here I was surprised to see a department store and a McDonalds. There is a tiny mall here within walking distance so that’s good to know for the future. The weather here is pretty nice. The temperature is about 60 degrees and there were some clouds in the sky but sunny for the whole day. Behind the town you can see a Volcano...the name I do not know but it rises into the sky with clouds around its top creating a very pretty picture. I was unable to get a picture so hopefully when we return we have the same weather and I will be able to photograph it.
For the next two days we will be scenic cruising through the Darwin Channel, The Chilean Fjords, and then Amalia Glacier and Canal. It will be good to see some gorgeous scenery kind of like what we would see in Alaska but totally different. Again I will get some great pictures.
As for the shows we had our first production show last night on our own. We did “Love Songs from Broadway.” It went pretty smooth except for the rockiness from the pretty nice swells occurring outside in the ocean. It was the rockiest we have seen since boarding the ship. Even though it wasn’t too bad it is a sample of what it will be like as we continue around Cape Horn and into Antarctica. Some of the worst waters are in this area so it shall be interesting. Prepare for some lovely accounts of this is the near future. As well as Pictures and hopefully some nice video as well.
As for now, take care and write me when you get a chance. Hope all is well.
Danny
So the last time I wrote (a few days ago), I said we would be getting into Chile and then on into Antarctica. Well we are getting closer to the “Lady in White,” as they call Antarctica. We left Santiago, Chile today. Our changeover is officially complete and now it is up to us, the cast to maintain the shows. I don’t think there will be any problems. Now we have to get ready for Christmas. Kristen and I bought Christmas lights and tree decorations for her cabin today. We even got a gold snowflake decoration that we are using as the tree topper for free. Got to love that.
Well a couple days have passed since I wrote that first paragraph. Today we were in Puerto Montt, Chile. I had to stay on the ship due to IPM (In Port Manning) but that’s okay. We come back here a coupe more times so it is okay. Not knowing what to expect here I was surprised to see a department store and a McDonalds. There is a tiny mall here within walking distance so that’s good to know for the future. The weather here is pretty nice. The temperature is about 60 degrees and there were some clouds in the sky but sunny for the whole day. Behind the town you can see a Volcano...the name I do not know but it rises into the sky with clouds around its top creating a very pretty picture. I was unable to get a picture so hopefully when we return we have the same weather and I will be able to photograph it.
For the next two days we will be scenic cruising through the Darwin Channel, The Chilean Fjords, and then Amalia Glacier and Canal. It will be good to see some gorgeous scenery kind of like what we would see in Alaska but totally different. Again I will get some great pictures.
As for the shows we had our first production show last night on our own. We did “Love Songs from Broadway.” It went pretty smooth except for the rockiness from the pretty nice swells occurring outside in the ocean. It was the rockiest we have seen since boarding the ship. Even though it wasn’t too bad it is a sample of what it will be like as we continue around Cape Horn and into Antarctica. Some of the worst waters are in this area so it shall be interesting. Prepare for some lovely accounts of this is the near future. As well as Pictures and hopefully some nice video as well.
As for now, take care and write me when you get a chance. Hope all is well.
Danny
Thursday, December 11, 2008
First Real Post
Hello everyone…I said I would be better about writing on this blog and I have not done so…so here it goes. I hope everyone is doing well back home and getting ready for Christmas. I hope Thanksgiving was pleasant.
We are doing well here on the ship. Today is December 10, 2008 and we left Peru today and heading for Chile. If you did not know the itinerary for this ship is South America and Antarctica. We hit Antarctica for Christmas…talk about a white Christmas. : ) Many people have asked, “How is the Ship?” The M.S. Amsterdam is gorgeous. It is one of two flagships for Holland America. It is slightly bigger then my last ship, the M.S. Veendam but has a slightly smaller stage. The décor of the ship is beautiful and has some things The Veendam did not. As for the crew, they are super nice as usual and are easy to get along with. We have already made friends with a lot of crew on board. The quicker to get to know everyone the better.
The second question everyone is asking is, “How are the shows?” They are pretty great. We have around 4-5 day’s to install every show which gives us plenty of time to clean each show and make it look good for our opening night. There are always those moments that get away but after a few weeks those get ironed out. We are doing an opening night show called, “Let Us Entertain You,” and 4 full production shows, “Tribute,” a Vegas review show, “Love Broadway,” and Broadway themed show, “On the Air,” hitting the 50’s, 60’s, 70’s, and “today.” That is a high energy show which of course makes you sweat a lot. Right now we are installing our 4 show called, “Showgirl.” It is a showgirl show with lots of feathers and showcasing the girls…of course. The guys do work a lot in this show as well which is nice….The show is costume heavy which means there are a lot of costume changes not only for the girls but for us guys as well. We will open this show on Saturday night. The time on this ship is going by fast. I feel like we just got here but we have been on for a couple weeks now. Our production staff leaves on the 15th of December as we port in Valparaiso, Chile. Then we are on our own for the next 4 months. Due to long duration of these cruises, (16, 22, etc day cruises) we have a lot of down time. Ramon, my roommate has a Nintendo DS as well as me so that will come in handy. Also I have collected a little library of books so those will be taking up some time as well. Besides that I will be helping Kristen with vents throughout the ship and also plan to teach some crew hip hop classes. It’s always nice to give back to the crew on these ships because they work sooooooo hard. Another questions people have is, “How are the living conditions?” Well my cabin in pretty small but we do have the biggest room out of the cast. It has a pole in the middle making it a bigger cabin…nice. : ) It’s like dorm room living but free. We have a bathroom, TV, mini fridge, closet space…ohhh and curtains on our bed for some privacy. It could be a lot worse I think and we are never in here for to long at a time so it’s not too bad. The best part of working on a ship is the free food. We re lucky in the sense that we can eat our meals in the Lido, which is the casual dining or Buffet style type of eating you find on ships. The food is pretty good...but can get repetitive after a few weeks. It is free though, so you can’t complain. We are also able to enjoy a beverage or few in public areas on the ship...which is weird because you are basically getting paid to drink on the job. Hmmmmmm….. This is mainly in the evening in the bars and nightclub. A few days ago they hosted the Black and White Ball, which is a way to meet the Captain, his staff and the officers on the ship. We are able to go to things like that’s and they provide free drinks o that’s pretty cool. They also have crew parties for the crew as we did a few nights ago while we were doing an over-night in Callou, Peru (Lima). It was on the bow of the ship and is just for the crew so that’s great….again free drinks and food.
The last question people pretty much ask is, “Do you ever get off the ship?” The answer is Yes. We are able to get off the ship almost in ever port. Every port 3 cast members have to stay on for IPM (In Port Manning). Basically a certain number of crew have to be on board in the case of an emergency. This rotates every port so most likely you don’t have to stay on the ship twice in a row. We have been able to get off the ship lately. Most recently Kristen and I got off in Peru. Most passengers g on excursions of shop and I had to get some essentials…..We rode on a 30 minute shuttle ride to Mira Flores which is a higher end part of Peru. They have a pretty nice outdoor mall with restaurants such as Hooters, Tony Romas, Burger King and a Sushi place, not to mention the little fast food places as well. They had a good selection of stores which you would find in any mall in the states or Canada. We were warned many times because it is not the safest place to travel to and the day before a comedian on our ship was robbed. But we had no problem and I was able to get what I needed…2 shower lufa’s, and more razors to shave with. I know…I’m a big shopper. If don’t right you can save a lot of money on these contracts and that’s what I plan to do. I just have to stop my cell phone for a few months. Speaking of which if you need to get a hold of me please email me or send me a message on facebook or myspace as my cell phone will not be working while in South America. My email address is danny.hochman@gmail.com. Or you can comment back to me on this Blog.
Well I hope all is going well back home and I miss everyone soooo much. Please if possible stay in contact as it is good to hear how you are all doing. I will be back April 27th, 2009 and might possible be home for a week then heading back out to this ship for 7 months. I know pretty crazy. I will update that as the time gets closer. Have a good Holiday and I love you all.
Danny
We are doing well here on the ship. Today is December 10, 2008 and we left Peru today and heading for Chile. If you did not know the itinerary for this ship is South America and Antarctica. We hit Antarctica for Christmas…talk about a white Christmas. : ) Many people have asked, “How is the Ship?” The M.S. Amsterdam is gorgeous. It is one of two flagships for Holland America. It is slightly bigger then my last ship, the M.S. Veendam but has a slightly smaller stage. The décor of the ship is beautiful and has some things The Veendam did not. As for the crew, they are super nice as usual and are easy to get along with. We have already made friends with a lot of crew on board. The quicker to get to know everyone the better.
The second question everyone is asking is, “How are the shows?” They are pretty great. We have around 4-5 day’s to install every show which gives us plenty of time to clean each show and make it look good for our opening night. There are always those moments that get away but after a few weeks those get ironed out. We are doing an opening night show called, “Let Us Entertain You,” and 4 full production shows, “Tribute,” a Vegas review show, “Love Broadway,” and Broadway themed show, “On the Air,” hitting the 50’s, 60’s, 70’s, and “today.” That is a high energy show which of course makes you sweat a lot. Right now we are installing our 4 show called, “Showgirl.” It is a showgirl show with lots of feathers and showcasing the girls…of course. The guys do work a lot in this show as well which is nice….The show is costume heavy which means there are a lot of costume changes not only for the girls but for us guys as well. We will open this show on Saturday night. The time on this ship is going by fast. I feel like we just got here but we have been on for a couple weeks now. Our production staff leaves on the 15th of December as we port in Valparaiso, Chile. Then we are on our own for the next 4 months. Due to long duration of these cruises, (16, 22, etc day cruises) we have a lot of down time. Ramon, my roommate has a Nintendo DS as well as me so that will come in handy. Also I have collected a little library of books so those will be taking up some time as well. Besides that I will be helping Kristen with vents throughout the ship and also plan to teach some crew hip hop classes. It’s always nice to give back to the crew on these ships because they work sooooooo hard. Another questions people have is, “How are the living conditions?” Well my cabin in pretty small but we do have the biggest room out of the cast. It has a pole in the middle making it a bigger cabin…nice. : ) It’s like dorm room living but free. We have a bathroom, TV, mini fridge, closet space…ohhh and curtains on our bed for some privacy. It could be a lot worse I think and we are never in here for to long at a time so it’s not too bad. The best part of working on a ship is the free food. We re lucky in the sense that we can eat our meals in the Lido, which is the casual dining or Buffet style type of eating you find on ships. The food is pretty good...but can get repetitive after a few weeks. It is free though, so you can’t complain. We are also able to enjoy a beverage or few in public areas on the ship...which is weird because you are basically getting paid to drink on the job. Hmmmmmm….. This is mainly in the evening in the bars and nightclub. A few days ago they hosted the Black and White Ball, which is a way to meet the Captain, his staff and the officers on the ship. We are able to go to things like that’s and they provide free drinks o that’s pretty cool. They also have crew parties for the crew as we did a few nights ago while we were doing an over-night in Callou, Peru (Lima). It was on the bow of the ship and is just for the crew so that’s great….again free drinks and food.
The last question people pretty much ask is, “Do you ever get off the ship?” The answer is Yes. We are able to get off the ship almost in ever port. Every port 3 cast members have to stay on for IPM (In Port Manning). Basically a certain number of crew have to be on board in the case of an emergency. This rotates every port so most likely you don’t have to stay on the ship twice in a row. We have been able to get off the ship lately. Most recently Kristen and I got off in Peru. Most passengers g on excursions of shop and I had to get some essentials…..We rode on a 30 minute shuttle ride to Mira Flores which is a higher end part of Peru. They have a pretty nice outdoor mall with restaurants such as Hooters, Tony Romas, Burger King and a Sushi place, not to mention the little fast food places as well. They had a good selection of stores which you would find in any mall in the states or Canada. We were warned many times because it is not the safest place to travel to and the day before a comedian on our ship was robbed. But we had no problem and I was able to get what I needed…2 shower lufa’s, and more razors to shave with. I know…I’m a big shopper. If don’t right you can save a lot of money on these contracts and that’s what I plan to do. I just have to stop my cell phone for a few months. Speaking of which if you need to get a hold of me please email me or send me a message on facebook or myspace as my cell phone will not be working while in South America. My email address is danny.hochman@gmail.com. Or you can comment back to me on this Blog.
Well I hope all is going well back home and I miss everyone soooo much. Please if possible stay in contact as it is good to hear how you are all doing. I will be back April 27th, 2009 and might possible be home for a week then heading back out to this ship for 7 months. I know pretty crazy. I will update that as the time gets closer. Have a good Holiday and I love you all.
Danny
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