It's a Small World "After all"

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July 28, 2008 Early Morning.. aboard Disney Wonder, somewhere between Florida and Castaway Cay in the Bahamas.

8 Days ago we got a phone call from Disney Cruise Lines. It seems that there is a two week gap between one duo leaving the ship and one duo coming aboard, so Disney called us to check our availability at such short notice. Being the middle of Summer, every day was booked and some were doubles. The possibility of playing for them seemed pretty grim, but Lynley immediately started calling people about canceling contracts just to see if it was even remotely possible to make it happen. Keep in mind that The CalypsoNuts have never cancelled a contract for a better opportunity and rarely even because of something as severe as imminent hurricane damage, but this time was different and we were hoping that people would be as excited for us as we were for ourselves.

To make a long story short, all went well and we're aboard Disney Wonder with one night in the books already. The staff and crew are wonderful. the food is wonderful, the kids are all well behaved, the food is wonderful, and last night went great.

We played in the Promenade Lounge which is kind of an open area midship that most people at least walk through on the way to dinner, so the visibility factor is top notch. People stopped for a cocktail before or after dinner, some stayed the whole time, some had kids with them and some did not. The history of entertainment in that lounge allowed us to pull out stuff we haven't done in a long time. I forgot that we even knew Le Freak.

The audio/technical crew help us set up, tear down, and all the gear was already poolside waiting for us today. Needless to say, the staff here is amazing.

A little late dinner and a stroll around the deck last night, reminded us that the one thing that we hadn't had was sleep. So we wandered around below deck until we found our cabin, put in a movie and never saw past the opening credits. It was off to the land of the one letter alphabet. zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

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July 28th, 2008 late night.. aboard Disney Wonder sailing from Castaway Cay toward Nassau

Today started off like most days on a cruise ship for us. I slept in while Lynley went shopping and visited the spa. That's just the way things work out for us and we're both ok with that.

Top Deck today at the adult pool appropriately named Quiet Cove. This is the storybook cruise ship stage. To the right, Ocean. To the left, Ocean. In front of us, a pool and a bar. Behind us, who cares? The sets were space apart by at least an hour and in one instance, two. It makes for a long day, but the long breaks rock. Time enough for me to eat dinner and for Lynley to, well, shop.

We found out that the last break is as soon as the fireworks start. I did, I said fireworks. The shoot fireworks from the bow during the Pirates in the Caribbean party. The Disney cast in in full pirate regalia and it's a wonderland at sea. Crazy!
Oh, I forgot to say... The Flying Dutchman from Pirates of the Caribbean is moored at Castaway Cay where we were docked today. Crazy too.

A day off tomorrow, but the cruise director staff has asked to see us sometime during the day. I hope we didn't do anything wrong- we need a ride at least as far as the mainland.

Nite! zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

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July 29th, 2008 evening.. aboard Disney Wonder sailing toward stop 2 at Castaway Cay in The Bahamas.

A day off at sea is a good thing. Got a chance to see Mickey and Minnie taking pictures with kids. It's pretty cool to see the awe on a kid's face as she gets her turn to meet Minnie or Mickey in person and one on one.

Dinner tonight in the Animators Palette was great. The restaurant starts out in Black and White and ends up in brilliant color. it's not easy to explain, but it's fun to see.

Tonight was our first stop in the crew lounge. A lounge, pool and private bar just for staff and crew! Yay! It's all the way forward on deck 5 and you can't really get there unless you know where you're going. I guess the best thing about it is that crew can literally let there hair down and relax under the stars away from the hustle and bustle. Navigating the endless spaghetti of corridors and halls behind the scenes can be a daunting task filled with equal amounts of, "Uh, help, I'm lost" and "Excuse me sir, why are you back here". Nobody knows who we are and we look like guests who have wandered too far from the buffet.

Fun out here. The smiles from the crew get friendlier with each day as they get used to seeing us around the parts of the ship that is "Their World".

Missing friends, family and the furry kids, but not homesick yet,
Manana,
The Nuts

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July 30th, 2008 5pm Castaway Cay in the Bahamas

Hot and Humid today on Castaway Cay, but not only did the tech staff load all the gear onshore and set it up under the gazebo, but the gazebo had huge fans to keep the air moving so it felt like 80 and not 180. Trent (dj from australia) showed us the maze around the huts to get to the crew area for lunch and water stuff. Parasailing, Glass bottom boats, pedal big wheel boats, big balloon tired wheelchairs for folks who were a bit less physically able and needed a little assist to get to the beach and down to the perfectly greenish blue water.. Lunch on Castaway Cay was hotdogs, burgers, pork, and piles of fresh fruit and vegetables. Entertainment was Us "WITHOUT PANS". First time ever for us. Not only that,,,,this week we aren't even called The CalypsoNuts "World traveled entertainers extrordiniare and winner of numerous internationally recognized awards". We're simply "Calypso Magic" and that's weirdly working for me.

A few hours of down time and then two sets tonight in the Promenade Lounge that went great. People who had only known us for 4 days were making sure to stop by for a last farewell. They get off in Port Canaveral and we continue on back to Nassau on leg 1 of cruise 2.

Started the cramped feeling tonight. The shows are going well, but there needs to be a place where we can run the night and find what made it work and what could be better. Right now that's in our 8x9 foot crew cabin. If all that was needed was a place to sleep and to get ready for work, then it would be easier, but we need a little more room to set up a few pieces of gear and not have to tear it down to use the bathroom. I'm not complaining, because this is the way it is for crew aboard an ocean liner. We're considered Vendors, so we have full passenger status, but we stay in a crew cabin. Gone are the deluxe accommodations we're used to, but sailing right at the waterline is as smooth as smooth can be. Two big round Neon lights in the ceiling and a neon strip light above the bed, means shadows shadows everywhere and not an incandescent bulb anywhere. The bed is 41 inches wide. Guess who is 41 inches wide when he lays on his back? Let's just say I'm not laying on my back until we get home to the furry faced CEO's of CalypsoNuts international.

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July 31th 2008 ..Back aboard Wonder and sailing toward Nassau on a 3 day.

For paperwork reasons and for customs, we had to disembark this morning and immediately embark again for this sailing. No biggie, just one of those things that has to be done.

On the way back aboard we met Jonathon who actually made contact with Lynley first about booking these cruises. It was like laying eyes on an old friend you've never met. Just like the tech staff and the cruise director and her staff, Jonathon is an amazingly nice person. The first things out of his mouth were "Is everything ok, Is there anything I can do to make you more comfortable down below? He had originally offered us a passenger cabin, but the popularity of these sailing dates have the ship at 100% capacity. No Worries. He asked us about playing aboard Disney Magic from Aruba and around toward Port Canaveral where she'll make the turn toward Norfolk and some time in dry dock. Hopefully our schedules will be easier to move this time.

We played tonight in the Promenade Lounge and it's weird to see people doing the exact same things in the exact same way just with different faces and names. All new passengers except 25 or so who opted to stay aboard for another 3 days.

Had an hour and a half break between sets 1 and 2 so we went to Parrot Cay dining room for dinner. Wow, sweet onion soup rocks. Grouper with baby prawns and mashed cauliflower is pretty awesome too.

1 is the loneliest number, but Z is awesome in groups of bunch zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Tomorrow we'll be back at Quiet Cove pool deck for the adults. It's a good gig, made better by the tireless tech staff. Andy, Mike, Emit, Franklin, and Chris all seem to pull shift work when it comes to getting our gear wherever it needs to go. Disney does it right.

Nite Everybody

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August 1, 2008 Evening..Sailing aboard Disney Wonder

We just finished our first set on deck and had to run to the cabin and write in the blog.
During the first set and just as the sun was setting, Lynley told me to look toward the horizon at about the same time the Captain came over the ship's intercom to tell us about 2 waterspouts on the port side of the ship. It was as if the Captain was chiming in to say "Lynley's right folks, those are waterspouts." Very cool.

More later, Peace

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Sunday, August 3, 2008 1:50am ..Aboard Disney Wonder, sailing toward Port Canaveral

Ok, it's taken a few days for things to sink in and for us to get things in perspective as to what's been going on during the last week or so. So what's all the hubbub? The hubbub is that all this started with a mouse. Walt Disney drew a mouse, animated it (Steamboat Willie), and all these years later not only is that mouse still around, but he's known all over the world by kids and adults alike. I mean, who doesn't know Mickey Mouse? This ship and its concepts are amazing. I'm sure Walt would approve.

Well, it's Sunday morning around 2am and we're off the Florida coast on our way back to Port Canaveral to end a cruise and start yet another. Sure, this is a vacation machine, but you should see the faces of these folks when the come aboard and right up until they walk across the gangway back towards home. Because this ship and its 3 and 4 day cruises is normally part of a vacation package offered by Disney, a large portion of the travelers have never stepped on a ship before, much less stayed aboard for 4 days and traveled to Nassau or Castaway Cay. It's crazy adventure for some of these folks who have never seen the other side of their own state or city.

We, The CalypsoNuts (Calypso Magic onboard), are really proud to be a part of their vacation memories. Some people dance, some do the walk-by boogie, some jump onstage and bang congas (a big no-no at home), but EVERYBODY smiles and says "You're good, thank you."

We'll pick up another 2700 people tomorrow and the Wonder will do her thing all over again. The well oiled, tip top shaped, vacationland at sea will once again create memories by the thousands for people who subscribe to the idea that Disney is not just for kids!

No matter what our future involvement is with Disney Wonder, we are proud to have spent this time aboard helping to make those memories.

Missing friends and the furry faced feline CEOs

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Tuesday, August 5, 2008 ...laaaaaate

Lounge gig tonight. Promenade Lounge is not normally busy. It's kind of like a lounge on the way to dinner. People stop in while they're waiting in line and people stop in after dinner while they're waiting for the next show, or comedian in the theater. Tonight we themed it and called one set " Family Dance Party" and on "80s dance hits" or something. It just so happens that we filled the room and it also just so happens that that was the set that Audio visual came with a camera to records us. The video footage will be nice to show corporate a normally empty lounge, filled with dancers and partyers.

The Captain made an announcement that because the crew was as awesome as they are, the ship would stay docked in Nassau until 2am, and that means "crew party" The tech crew was done their duties by midnight and a quick jaunt off the boat to Senor Frogs was a guarantee of a good time. They had their party hats on all the time mindful of the little ship's clock in their heads ticking audibly. "23 minutes until all aboard, 22 minutes until all aboard...4 minutes to all aboard". Lynley and I were back aboard by 1:30AM, but there were others who had just ordered another yard of margarita when we were leaving and it's a twenty minute walk to the ship's gangway. I hope they run. Dropping no names here, but a good percentage of the ship's staff will have a leeeetle beeeet of a headache in the morning.

Tomorrow morning we sound check for a 2-3o'clock, 1 hour gig on Castaway Cay (Key). I said already, but I'll say again, This little piece of the Bahamas that Disney leases is beautiful and the stereotypical deserted island. Huts are spread throughout the island and are of course manned/womanned by Disney folks selling glasses, sunblock, tees, etc. The Beach is A M A Z I N G. perfect sand, perfect shallow green water, plenty of sea life and Disney's Flying Dutchman in the shallows. It's a Disney Island Paradise.

We're also scheduled onboard in the Promenade Lounge for two shows tomorrow night before we pack it up and hurry below for palletting. Joel is working endlessly to try to get our gear pre-cleared with customs so we just walk on through when Thursday morning comes (and it's coming fast).

Peace,

NUTS (Magic)

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Wednesday August 6, 2008 ..10AM!!!!

POLICE STYLE KNOCK ON DOOR AND IMMEDIATE ENTRY. " CABIN INSPECTION!" "Uh, we're the band?" "UH...THEY'RE THE BAND" RUMBLE RUMBLE . "SORRY"

wow, aspirin

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Thursday August 7, 2008 ..It's a Wrap

12 days flew by. It feels like we were just dropping the gear off at the warehouse yesterday and today we picked it up to go home. We (the musician people) cleared customs a while before we (the musician people's gear) did. But, we're clear the gear is back with us and the van is a much rougher ride than the ship.

We learned a lot about playing aboard the Disney Wonder this week.

We learned that:
If the buffet is closed, Sally at room service will send us food.
Even after 12 days onboard, you still get lost
Knowing where the laundry room is, is a good thing.
Hot is hot, no matter where you are.
When you've climbed that last flight of stairs, you still haven't
In heels, Lynley prefers the elevator.
Elvis may be the King, but he still answers to the Captain..
Letting one kid play congas will meanan instant 12 piece band.
Stuffing pillows between the wall and the mattress, makes a bed alllllmost big enough.
The word cabin is gaelic and directly translates as closet.
The climate control knob has 2 settings, oven and meat locker
The milk machine is coldest at 3am. (when Sally sends cookies)
A seagull carrying a 1/4 pound hotdog in his beak can still fly, kinda.
A kid carrying a 1/4 pound hot dog over his head has a chance of it getting stolen by a seagull.

Our last night onboard was really nice. We finished up the gigs, saran wrapped the gear on pallettes and started the rounds for goodbyes. We finally made it to the cabin in time for just a few hours sleep before jumping in the van to do what we do best. Drive!

Thanks very much to all the crew, staff and management of Disney Wonder for a great time.
M I C, see you real soon, The Nuts