As the end of the rehearsal period neared, it seemed as though we had only just begun. Things I needed to do and people I needed to see had to be taken care of quickly!

The cast

The final weekend I spent time with my first ship roommate. She is a close friend, and I wanted to see her as much as possible before we went our separate ways. She and one of her new cast mates joined me for a nice dinner at a lounge on the water. We were served complimentary pink champagne and had some delicious sushi.

Out with the girls

The following morning I had a coffee date and great talk with one of the singers in my cast, and in the afternoon was able to see some family friends. They picked me up at the apartment and took me to the St. Regis at Bal Harbor for a lovely bite to eat (sushi again!) and a refreshing cucumber martini. We walked around the hotel before we left so I could see the beautiful view from the restaurant. Next rehearsal period, I hope to have a meal there! The best part of the day was catching up with my hosts. After 6 weeks with new people, it was comforting to talk with people that know my family well.

Tuesday afternoon we performed excerpts from our ballroom show for an audience of 200+ head honchos from our cruise line and some of their sister companies. The rest of the week was spent finishing up our final show. It was a busy week, and we had to be ready to jump between all 3 shows. By the end of the week, I felt exhausted but accomplished!

Roomies post-performance

After our last day of rehearsals, I spent more time hanging out with my current cast. After working so hard with them in the studio, it was nice to get to know them on a more personal level. We went to Duffy’s again for a few drinks on Friday night and had a great (albeit late) night. Saturday was spent running errands and getting a few things for my cabin, and then I had to rush to pack.

As I was jamming a few final items into a tote bag, it ripped beyond repair. I had to order an Uber and run to Target to buy a new bag so I could finish packing! I finished everything around 10:30pm, and then crashed into my bed.

All packed! Just a few things…

Sunday morning I woke up early to make a cup of coffee and get ready to join the ship! We were picked up at 7am and driven straight to the port. Seeing the ship, I was filled with excitement! I’m looking forward to the next few months onboard. Now the real work (and fun) can begin!