July 29, 2012
With 1230 crew members, birthdays are being celebrated all the time onboard our ship. Today’s birthday was unique, however, as it was the first birthday party for Silhouette, herself. For many who opened her and who sailed with her from Europe to the US for the first time, they couldn’t believe that a year had already elapsed. For others of us, she is the only ship we have ever known and her permanence in our ship life means we cannot believe that she didn’t exist just a year ago. For guests, most of who are sailing with her for the first time, there is no sense of the passing of time. At most, it was simply the chance for another party.
To celebrate we planned to take advantage of the beautiful night weather in the Mediterranean and have a brief ceremony on the pool deck followed by the high energy, interactive theme part Celebrity Rox! The plan was a good one and we were looking forward to it for the entire day until 30 minutes before the event was to begin. That’s when the wind picked up. We had a warm and gentle day but now an hour passed sunset, we encountered high winds whipping across the sea. The ship took on a gentle, but distinct, roll and the wind took the opportunity to begin to reorganize those lighter items that were set about on the deck. This begged the question as to whether the party should be moved to its alternate venue in the Grand Foyer. But with only 30 minutes to go until show time it was not deemed possible to make the switch. So, the show was scheduled to proceed as planned.
Those officers who arrived in advance took on the responsibility of securing those items, including free-standing Silhouette banners that would run the risk of becoming airborne. Others spent time talking with the guests, hoping that our engagement would distract them from the blustery inconvenience. The number of quick gusts that agitated many of the women’s hemlines was enough to make Marilyn Monroe blush. However, everyone stayed in good humor awaiting the ceremony. The signal was given and all the officers left the deck and headed for the prescribed staging area. While not all could be in attendance, there were well over 60 men and women in black who were ready to flank out Captain. The awaited introduction came and we processed out onto the pool deck in a half circle at the back of the stage. The executive committee of the ship took center stage just in front of us and last but not least, following his own personal introduction, the Master of the vessel strode to center stage. The Captain’s warm words of greeting to the guests and acknowledgement to the crew were partially obscured by the wind gusting through his microphone. Those of us trying to stand in a perfect arch behind him had to battle the buffeting wind and the rolling deck. But we held our own with minimal swaying as the Captain finished his birthday message and the Executive Chef rolled out a giant birthday cake. I was sure that every office would soon be decorated with white frosting, but fortunately the cake behaved. The cake was cut, a cheer was raised, and the music reached a crescendo as we cleared the floor for the dancers. The galley team made quick work of slicing the cake into several hundred pieces that were quickly dispatched to our guests and Celebrity Rox brought the energy of the ship to a fevered pitch.
Now, of course, our singers and dancers had to fight the elements, but they’ve shown they can do so in the worst of elements with perfect smiles on their faces. It wasn’t their best performance ever, as the rolling deck limited the crispness of the dance moves. And the wind snatched away the singers’ words often just as they left the casts’ lips. But that didn’t matter because it was truly time to celebrate.
Celebrity Silhouette was one year old!
And the adventure continues . . .
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