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 Day 6 of CTTE, disembark day.

When I first booked my flight home from Orlando I picked a flight in the evening, to allow for plenty of time to talk to fellow CTTErs and to have lots of buffer. Then AC announced the flight time was changed to be 12h30; and then AC changed it again to be 11h30. As a result I will be a walk-off passenger, which is to say I will not have RCL handle my luggage; I will walk off with it myself. The plan is to disembark at the earliest possible moment and get a ride on a shuttle back to the airport. Hopefully this works out. My flight arrives home at about 14h30 so I will have the remainder of Saturday and then Sunday to decompress from this crazy voyage and then I start my new job on Monday.

I will have seen 20 bands perform though the last five days. This is more performances all at one trip than, if combined, all previous live music shows I've ever attended. 

plaid like an octopus

Day 5 of CTTE

On this day the ship will dock at RCL's private island Cococay. I've watched a ytube video about this island and I think I'll probably stay on the ship unless someone actively invites me to join them.

noon District 97 at Pool Stage

14h30 Martine Barre at Pool Stage

15h30 Table Tennis

18h15 Jane Getter in the Star Lounge

19h15 Dining Room

21h30 Jakko Kakszyk in Royal Theatre, general seating

23h LNL

four times, for each one

Day 4 will start much the same as Day 2 with running on the running track, head back to my cabin to clean up; then play Table Tennis.

6h Running track

9h30 Table Tennis

12h Moon Safari, Pool Stage

13h Saga in Royal Theatre, general seating

16h Alan Parsons in Royal Theatre, Red Laminate seating

17h30 Dining Room

19h30 Klone, Pool Stage

21h30 Adam Holsman, Start Lounge

23h LNL

wrist watches go on strike but get a spare

Day 3 of CTTE and the ship arrives at RCL's private Haiti peninsula called Labadee. I'll have to see if I join anyone to go there or if I just go for a walk on my own. I'll bring a bit of cash to buy a small souvenir and will likely return to the ship, perhaps to have a nap before the first shows start.

8h Labadee

14h Jane Getter at pool stage

15h Table Tennis at Deck 13

17h15 Marillion for Red Laminates in Royal Theater

18h30 or whenever Marillion ends, Dining Room

20h30 Stu Hamm in Star Lounge

21h45 Cabin Door Decoration tour decks 8,9,10

23h LNL

Not as many performances scheduled today due to Labadee and a few bands that I've listened to in advance and have decided I'm not interested in seeing them.

two times seventeen hundred and fourty-red

CTTE day 2, as previously mentioned, the published schedule is subject to change and I may make alternative decisions based on people I meet. As it stands at present, ahead of this day beginning, here is what I have planned:

6h running track; I'll go for a run on the running track on deck 12 and will pop down to the fitness center deck 11 to see who else is up at that time of day. Reason for running on the deck at that time is so there are few other people around to obstruct the track. Also, I may or may not pause my running as sunrise down there will be after 6h so if the weather is good I'll see about taking a few photos with my mobile device.

After running I'll return to my cabin to shower, shave and get into my day clothes, then I'll get breakfast at Windjammer.

9h30 There is an FB group for CTTErs and I posted about playing Table Tennis and how I love playing it; apparently there is a place to play on deck 13. I will hopefully have scoped this out yesterday as the plan I posted on FB was to meet there at this time to play.

Sometime before noon leave the Table Tennis to grab a sandwich at Cafe Promenade on deck 5

Noon Le Orme in Royal Theater

13h The Flower Kings in Studio B

14h Jane Getter Q&A in Royal Promenade

16h Pattern Seeking Animals in Star Lounge

17h30 Dining Room

19h30 Riverside at Pool Stage

20h30 Walk through halls of decks 2,3,6 and 7 checking out cabin door decorations and taking some photos of them.

22h Brook Hansen in Schooner Bar

23h LNL

when all else fails, jump a hulahoop

If on Saturday I successfully tested negative from a C19 test; if my flight to Orlando yesterday was unencumbered and my shuttle from MCO to the port went smoothly; if this morning I successfully make it to the port terminal and pass their health check I will be boarding RCL's Mariner of the Seas for a Cruise to the Edge.

My boarding time is 11:30am and once boarded I have two important things to do - something called 'Laminate Pickup' and Muster. Laminate Pickup is that each CTTEr has been split up into a red group or a blue group since the biggest theatre within the ship can't seat all of us at once, half will get to see, for example, Transatlantic on one day, and then on a subsequent day the other half gets to see them. The laminate we get includes the colour we have as well as what specific seat we have in the Royal Theatre. Muster is to watch a safety video on my mobile device and then report to B13 muster station where an RCL employee will confirm that this was done.

The band schedule has been published, and while it is subject to change, and I may make alternative decisions when on the ship; this is my plan for today:

At boarding do the Laminate Pickup, Muster and then explore the ship.

14h McStine & Minneman perform in the Royal Theatre (decks 3,4,5); general seating

15h After that first show I'll go to my cabin, 7307 and check it out.

16h Sail Away and Welcome; I'll probably head up to the pool deck (deck 11) before 16h as I'd like to be able to see shore and dock at moment of ship leaving it, which is supposed to happen at 16h. 

16h30 Wishbone Ash at Pool Stage; since I will already be there, I'll stick around for this performance.

17h30 ...or whenever Wishbone Ash has finished their set, I'll head to the dining room (decks 3,4,5). Unlike normal RCL cruises, there are no specific meal times; upon entering each CTTEr is seated with whomever else is arriving at that same time.

19h Transatlantic in the Royal Theatre, Red Laminate; so I will have an assigned seat.

21h Nektar in Studio B (deck 3)

22h McBroom Sisters in the Star Lounge (deck 5)

23h Late Night Live in the Star Lounge; following that off to sleep.

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buckets of sloth driven erotica

If I had known about CTTE back in 2014 when I believe the first one happened I would probably have found a way to attend annually. I somehow came upon it in 2019 just a few weeks before the 2019 cruise sailed. I was not in a position to be a last minute attendee so I signed up for the 2020 edition of it.

As we all can attest, the year 2020 did not go as planned. Fortunately the organizers of CTTE postponed it two years, for the first week of May, 2022, and carried forward our booking without any additional cost. So the cruise I am going on in five week was paid for in 2019.

There are some particular items needed as compared to what is a normal cruise, for example, high fidelity ear plugs to protect my hearing from the dozens of live concerts I will attend. Various band t-shirts just to show what kind of music I am interested in. Magnets and cabin door decorations that describe me and/or my musical tastes. One person told me 500$US of cash so that I can go to the temp-store setup on the ship that has t-shirts and CDs of the bands that will be performing. I don't know that I will bring that much.

I have booked a cabin for myself; so while this did cost me more, it means that I have full private use of the cabin to come and go as I please and to nap whenever I want or be dressed or undressed however I want. I will gauge how much time I spend in the cabin; if it turns out mostly just for sleeping, I will see about sharing a cabin in a subsequent year to lower my cost.

I have organized with another couple to share an Uber from Orlanda airport to Port Canaveral as we all arrive at the airport at about the same time.

New this year is all of the COVID requirements, including having been vaccinated, and having had to have a COVID test within a few days of cruise departure. This shouldn't be too difficult to manage.

when the raspberry coloured truck meandered

In my previous post I mentioned I hadn't heard yet about a job offer from an interview I had last Friday, I got the message this morning and I did not get the job. For the two other preliminary interviews I had yesterday, the recruiter in the first one was difficult to understand so it was a very brief meeting. In the second it went much smoother and I learned all about the job and that I would be good for it, except for the fact that there is a six week training program beginning April 18th and I have a vacation already booked for the first week of May (CTTE) and so I am not eligible for that cohort. The recruiting agent indicated she would keep me on file for next hiring/training time and if I am still looking at that time she will contact me.

I still have half a dozen leads of which one is a fixed meeting next Tuesday. 

when the couch counts to 79

So, COVID-19 is becoming more and more of a thing.

I have two travel events happening in the next four weeks. The first is a local trip, taking an intercity bus to Sherbrooke on Friday morning, and then an intercity bus from Sherbrooke Saturday evening. This is a very much low risk event as it is closer to the present and does not involve leaving the country (or the province).

March 26 I fly to Miami, the 27th get on a cruise which returns on the 1st of April when I fly back home again. This has higher risk as it is further into the future, which allows COVID-19 to expand its reach, and it is a trip in a different country, where travel rules can change at any moment.

Perhaps I should get insurance for the bigger trip.

At this moment there is no news from the organizers of the CTTE that anything is different. So this is good.

I was going to go to the gym today, but I forgot the access pass at home. I will be sure to bring it tomorrow.

This post is so flush with reality it is like eating dry ice.