Travel blog from a musician on board the Silhouette! Check it out!

[dpryo319]

We are going on the Silhouette Dec 12th, which is just after you cycle off.

 

Is the CD Paul Baha (?)? He was our CD on the Solstice in June 2010.

 

Thanks

 

That sounds right! I believe that is who it is....

[The Big Booper]

That sounds right! I believe that is who it is....

 

Paul Baya is the spelling. We had him on Solstice and thought he was very good.

 

[dpryo319]

Paul Baya is the spelling. We had him on Solstice and thought he was very good.

 

 

Yep! That is him!

 

Great guy, Rory and I met up with him a few times...loved to call me "The Mrs." haha ;)

 

P.S. We aren't married... :rolleyes:

[The Big Booper]

Yep! That is him!

 

Great guy, Rory and I met up with him a few times...loved to call me "The Mrs." haha ;)

 

P.S. We aren't married... :rolleyes:

 

You are both professional musicians, right? And in your early 20's?

[dpryo319]

You are both professional musicians, right? And in your early 20's?

 

Correct! He is a pianist and sings as well, as for me, I play clarinet, saxophone, flute. And early 20's indeed!

[derf5585]

Here is the Rory video I taped.

He is the stage band keyboard player

 

[dpryo319]

Sea Days 1 & 2

Did things a lil' out of order from our normal routine this cruise. First day at sea was the Silhouette Circus show instead of Broadway Nights, which will be at the end of the cruise this time. Was a busy day though yesterday: Firstly, I had the opportunity to meet a whole bunch more of the gang from Cruise Critic, as they were having a connections brunch meeting up in Sky Lounge and requested some music by me. I was quite eager to do so, and had a wonderful time getting to know more of you. Thank you to all who have been keeping up with me and my travels. I am glad I could provide some insight for you of ship life before even stepping foot on her floors, and hope that I have not ruined any previous expectations for you.

 

Following the brunch meeting, didn't have much in the schedule until sound check for Silhouette. Then, had the privilege of playing with the Ukrainian string trio, Allegria Strings, up in the Ensemble lounge during one of their sets. We have gradually been working on a set of the four seasons by the composer, Piazzola, and eventually would like to perform them as a complete set before we all sign off on the 12th. Plus, getting the chance to play with them keeps me occupied learning new music, expanding my repertoire, and gives me something to do during my down time.

 

Silhouette shows went quite well although it was sad to see Jan Damm, Andre, & Petra perform their last shows with us as they will be signing off on the 30th, but a new crew of specialty acts are already on the ship and fine-tuning their acts to be a part of the shows.

 

Today, by special request from some guests I met yesterday, I returned up to Sky to play some morning music for them and tonight we have David Meyer's show w/ Dawn once again. Before that however, like last evening, I will be heading up to the Ensemble lounge to play with the Allegria Strings.

 

 

Tomorrow, we're in Labadee, Haiti, a private part of the island apparently owned by Royal Caribbean, so beach and fun in the sun for me (since tomorrow is Tony Daro, the comedian, so band is off!)!!!

 

from: http://roryboltoncruise.blogspot.com

[cruise kitty]

Completely enjoying Rory's blog, hope he'll sign on for another contract after this one, just so I can keep reading it!

 

I wonder if TPTB at X realize what great free PR this is for them?

[dpryo319]

Completely enjoying Rory's blog, hope he'll sign on for another contract after this one, just so I can keep reading it!

 

I wonder if TPTB at X realize what great free PR this is for them?

 

Glad you are enjoying it!

 

And the captain of the ship, and HM at the time (Damien) found out about it and loved the free PR! Not sure about corporate...but because of this, he watches what he says lol and isn't as detailed as in his "first" posts anymore. Luckily as the gf, I get the full story ;) And there are A LOT of funny ones.

 

What is TPTB?? (Not familiar with that acronym..)

[sarecca4]

your bloge is treat. We are on that same cruise , quite enjoying the Penthouse Suite.. thank you...

[cruise kitty]

Glad you are enjoying it!

 

And the captain of the ship, and HM at the time (Damien) found out about it and loved the free PR! Not sure about corporate...but because of this, he watches what he says lol and isn't as detailed as in his "first" posts anymore. Luckily as the gf, I get the full story ;) And there are A LOT of funny ones.

 

What is TPTB?? (Not familiar with that acronym..)

 

Hi! TPTB= the powers that be

 

would love to hear the really 'funny' stories, but understand why we can't , still loving the blog!

[dpryo319]

Hi! TPTB= the powers that be

 

would love to hear the really 'funny' stories, but understand why we can't , still loving the blog!

 

Ah...ok! :) Glad you like the blog!

 

And I wish I could spill the secrets...a cruise would be no fun without the "behind the scenes" kind of stories ;)

[cruiseman111111]

Nice blog...

 

Passing on the good word, since his blog has seemed to get a lot of hits lately, to any who are interested in reading/following his travels on the brand new Celebrity Silhouette!!

 

My boyfriend, all the way from Prairie Du Sac, WI, is the orchestra pianist on board the ship and has been keeping a blog since "meeting" the ship in Emshaven, Holland, way back in the beginning of July! Everything from what rehearsals are like, to training, to all the variety of shows, the different restaurants, extraordinary food, being a spa "model" on embark day, to him traveling all the way to the Holy Lands! He has quite the personality and his blog sure shows that! Anyone cruising on the Silhouette between now and Dec. 12 has the chance to run into him and see him play, as well as the fantastic orchestra he is apart of! (Can't leave any of them out, never been on the ship to hear them, but recordings of them are just phenomenal!) :)

 

 

Here is the link : http://roryboltoncruise.blogspot.com

 

and some youtube videos for viewing :

 

Clips of some celebrity shows throughout (Mainly beginning, 9minutes, and 11 minutes, and at the end)

 

 

And some of his promo videos that he used to audition for the cruise:

 

Cocktail Pianist:

 

 

Piano Bar:

 

 

if you would like to be in contact, my e-mail is damarapryor09@gmail.com :)

[dpryo319]

11/21/11:Labadee, Haiti & 11/22/11:San Juan, Puerto Rico

Haiti was absolutely gorgeous! This little private section of the island that Royal Caribbean rents out has it all: roller coasters, flight lines, beach and parks, spas, and tons of local shopping areas. Of course, there is a fee for most things, and instead enjoyed a crew bbq and then some fun, relaxing time at the beach and in the water. It was a beautiful day to be out, and on our return to the ship, a local marching band was striking up some tunes. It was like a ship lifestyle but on land. The company had signs up all over the island and shuttle services to take guests anywhere in the private land.

 

Since Tony Daro, the comedian, was in the theatre that night, band had the night off and David, Dawn, and Jason treated us to a night out at the Bistro for some delicious crepes and drinks! Afterwards, caught the Newlywed, Not-so-Newlywed game that Paul hosted in the theatre and had some more fun.

 

Today, was spent in beautiful San Juan, PR! It was a reunion for me since w/ my college choir we toured to San Juan and Ponce for 5 days back in January, and man was it good to be back. I even found some of the same places where I ate back in January in the Old San Juan: El Jibarito for lunch for some delicious mufongo (dried plantains) and pork ribs and then over to Old Harbor Brewery for a refreshing island mojito.

 

Back on the ship, we had Jason's impression show again, and it was just as strong as the first time, hilarious guy he is, and he was real nice to us and didn't schedule a sound check until after 7pm so we all got to enjoy the day in San Juan!

 

It was a great couple days before heading down to the Virgin Islands the next few days.

 

from: http://roryboltoncruise.blogspot.com

[dpryo319]

11/23/11: St. Maarten & 11/24/11: St. Croix

St. Maarten was another beautiful day, didn't get out much, but it was nice to have some lunch outside on the open deck of Oceanview. It became quite humid later on, which played into the fact they ended up canceling the Celebrity Rox theme night outside by the pool just after it had rained a bit, making things a lil' slippery for the dancers. We didn't even know it was raining since we were inside doing our mid-cruise variety show with David Meyer and Jason Hewlett. The combo of these two entertainers, sharing the same stage, in my opinion, is phenomenal. We had such a fun time together, perhaps since we were very familiar with both of their shows and could just enjoy ourselves rather than worrying about the music on the pages. I was sad to see them leave today (Thurs.), but am anxious for the chance to work w/ some new entertainers on the 2nd half of the cruise.

 

St. Croix was today and yes, Thanksgiving also! Most of the day was rainy so didn't get to really enjoy the island that much but 2 great things that happen every Thanksgiving holiday for me: the food and the football! And this year was no exception. Down in the mess they had quite a holiday spread for the Americans on board complete w/ turkey, ham, roast beef, gravy, real *mashed potatoes, and even some stuffing/dressing w/ a cranberry glaze over top. It wasn't my family's home cooking which I have been accustomed to every other year, but it sufficed, quite nicely I might add. Then for the game, my Green Bay Packers played today and won, making them division champs and 11-0! We are now in between big band sets down in the grand foyer and have another at 9:30 coming up shortly, but I cannot complain that, even being away from friends and family back home, I'm still enjoying my Thanksgiving holiday here on the Silhouette! Happy Thanksgiving to all my friends and family, near and far!

 

Just need some of that homemade pumpkin pie... :-)

 

From http://roryboltoncruise.blogspot.com

[dpryo319]

11/25/11: St. Johns, Antigua

Well today, day after Thanksgiving, for all you Americans is Black Fri. Now, down in the Caribbean, they don't exactly have that, but I enjoyed rummaging through the various shops in town looking for great deals, just like you did starting at midnight this morning! Haha! :P

 

Managed to find a small cafe, have a couple drinks and enjoy some free wi-fi!

 

Had boat drill this morning, which is always a blast as you know... ;) Then got off the ship as soon as I could!

 

Tonight, we have a new entertainer in the bunch, Judy Kolba, singer/comedian apparently, so excited to do her shows for the first time tonight!

 

Heading back to the ship shortly, when its not intermittently raining here in the afternoon...

 

Cheers to all, hope Black Friday for you guys wasn't too hectic, those that partook!

 

http://roryboltoncruise.blogspot.com

[dpryo319]

11/26/11: St. Thomas

Today was our first return to St. Thomas, the shopping capital of the Caribbean, though Rory didn't spend his wad! It was another beautiful day in the tropics, got to get out and get some internet again at the Barefoot Budha Cafe. :)

 

Returning back to the ship, I met up with the fabulous Judy Kolba and got to work with her one on one up in the Ensemble lounge as we fiddled away with some of her old music she was hoping to bring back to her cabaret show. Some guests even stayed and listened, even though we weren't giving a public performance.

 

It was a night off for the band with a magician and comedian in the theatre tonight, so a non-stressful evening you could say, nice dinner, went to the late show, practiced a bit afterwards, and here I am now talking to you. :)

 

Things change up a bit tomorrow though w/ 2 Capt.'s club celebrations and Lindsay Hamilton is back for her cabaret shows tomorrow evening. Now it's 3 sea days on our return back up to NY (my last visit, sadly to say before signing off the next time.)

 

http://roryboltoncruise.blogspot.com

[dpryo319]

11/27/11: Sea Days 3 & 4

Lindsay Hamilton was back tonight, but before her shows we had 2 Capt.'s club celebrations up in Sky at 12:15 and 2:15, which made the 1st half of the afternoon pass by rather quickly. Then had a brief rehearsal w/ Lindsay, was a little different setup however since we have Broadway Nights tomorrow night, so the set was up in the back behind the curtains and the band was all the way out on the front of the stage.

 

So, woke up to a nice, but unexpected pay day (earlier than usual), and ended the day with 2 great audiences followed by a wine and cheese night downstairs in Mingles crew bar.

 

Well, you work one day and relax the next I guess...just a sound check for Broadway Nights this afternoon and the two shows tonight, nothing out of the ordinary. Heading back up to good ole NYC!

 

http://roryboltoncruise.blogspot.com

[dpryo319]

11/29/11: Final Sea Day & 11/30/11: NYC & Final Turnaround

Well, the last sea day was very comparable to last cruise's last sea sea day, haha. Paul and I shared some of his favorite music in the grand foyer with the guests and joined along w/ Sara for one last time, since tomorrow she will be signing off along with about half of the dancers and the specialty acts here on board. It is the first big "changeover" as they like to call it here in the cruise entertainment business. The new cast of "Silhouette 2" was already on board about mid way through last cruise if not at the beginning, and they had about a month's worth of rehearsals and preparation already before signing on, so its just a matter of fitting them into everything now. Following the afternoon's recital w/ Paul, we had a brief sound check w/ Lindsay and then did the 2 Farewell shows w/ Lindsay and the comedian from earlier in the cruise.

 

After the shows, it was the last night for some of the dancers w/ the Everybody Dance competition, so of course went and supported them, and then enjoyed a round of martinis and social hour w/ Lindsay and the band.

 

Back down in the Mingles bar, the cast about to leave in the morning were holding a lil' get together, so we all kinda flocked down there to share one last night together. It is rather difficult to say goodbye to someone who you just met 5 months ago, and are not sure when or ever will you cross paths again the future, but such is the cruise life, although I'm confident if going on another ship in the future, I might just run into someone I now know. As big as the cruise industry is to some people, its quite small in the grand scheme of things, where familiar faces seem to pop up here and there.

 

Heading to bed here now, early day in NYC!

 

This morning will be my last time returning in to the city for one final visit. A bunch of the gang took the crew shuttle bus over to the light rail and from there onto Manhattan and the city. I was fortunate to meet up with a good friend of mine from college actually who moved out there, and we got to spend the day together and him showing me around his neck of the woods. We grabbed a cold tap at this place that was literally the oldest pub in the nation (nice lil' gimic to have for ya, huh?) It had been there since 1854, and hey, it's 5 o'clock somewhere!!! :)

 

Following that we found a great lil' corner pizza shop that was selling pizza bye the slice for only $1!!! Not a bad deal...

 

We made it over to the 9/11 memorial site later on in the afternoon, and witnessed a beautiful review site of all of the events, despite not being able to enter the actual site.

 

Now, back on the ship, we are just about to head out and depart for what will be my final Caribbean cruise here aboard the Silhouette. Welcome Aboard shows tonight at 7 and 9pm!

 

http://roryboltoncruise.blogspot.com

[dpryo319]

Well, we opened up the Dec. month with a bang indeed! The grand foyer is starting to get decorated with Christmas trees and other holiday decor, which I think puts everyone in the holiday spirit!

 

First formal night of the cruise, and the Silhouette show to accompany that. Both houses were packed full! I was quite in shock actually, and they were two terrific shows for the new members of the cast, and two great ones for us band geeks to leave on (those of us that are signing off)! We now have a contortionist on board who also does the silk routine, a new clown, and a uni-cyclist in the cast. Sadly to say, I will no longer get to wear my awesome Silhouette costume again nor will I get to sing along to my favorite songs like "O-Dami-geyo", which the guys and I came up with as a replacement of "Tuna with mayo!" Just for fun! :)

 

Lindsay is back with us for one more time tomorrow night and then for the mid-cruise variety show, otherwise was a pretty average day at sea.

 

Ciao!

 

http:/roryboltoncruise.blogspot.com

[dpryo319]

12/2/11: Sea Days #2 & 3

A relaxing day at sea once again w/ a short rehearsal for Lindsay's show tonight.

 

Just before the first show, I was fortunate to be featured once again with the Allegria Strings from Ukraine up in the Ensemble Lounge. We are looking forward to on one of the sea days returning back to the states of playing a full concert in the grand foyer, complete with costumes and featuring The Four Seasons by Astor Piazzola (a take-off of Vivaldi's Four Seasons in the form of a tango).

 

Lindsay's shows brought the house down and to all of our surprise, 2 completely sold out audiences! I think she was the most surprised of us all! Nonetheless, it was a great way to go out with her main stage show, and hoping that our paths cross once again in the future. It is such an honor to share the stage with such a performer and artist.

 

Today (Day 3), David Merry, the comedian and magician, is back in the theatre so the band is enjoying the day off, and celebrating with a farewell dinner up at the Lawn Club Grill for those of us leaving. Can't wait for some steaks (that Chris has decided to grill for us all), skewers, flatbread pizzas, and more!

 

http://roryboltoncruise.blogspot.com

[dpryo319]

12/4/11: Ahoy St. Maarten!

Pulled into the Philipsburg port early this morning around 9 or so. Through my friends at the Shore Ex desk (who I owe immensely for making this whole contract possible), I got sent on the Lord Sheffield Tall Ship boat tour today. It's a 72 ft. Brigantine ship w/ square sails, and we sailed out to a place nearby (where I went sea trekking and helmet diving actually last time in St. Maarten), dropped anchor, snorkeled around for a bit (though it was an overcast of a day so vision underneath was kinda cloudy), and when we got back on the boat, some homemade bbq chicken and ribs hot off the grill were ready for us! Along with the lunch, they brought around drinks, snacks, a fruit platter, and some bread and cheese, so I never turn down the chance when someone wants to wait on me. :) And of course there was the rum punch to top it all off!

 

Nice, relaxing day out on the Lord Sheffield the water and rocking motion practically put me right to sleep, and even the sun came out for a bit as we were sailing around the harbors of the island.

 

Judy Kolba is in the theatre tonight once again, so just about to head off to her show now and have some more fun, I guess...what else is there to do??? :o)

 

And onto St. John's, Antigua tomorrow!

 

from http://roryboltoncruise.blogspot.com

[dpryo319]

12/12/11: Disembark/Signing Off, Arrivederci, Hasta La Vista, Ciao, Bon Voyage!

We had to be up in the Sky Lounge by 6:45am for immigration and U.S. Customs. If that wasn't bad enough, they were 2 hours late on top of it! Made for a long morning of sitting around and waiting, and doing nothing, and waiting some more...haha. Finally, around 10:30, I successfully passed through immigration, cleared out the remainder of my cabin, said some last goodbyes and headed off the ship. Once on the bus taking us to the airport, it was bittersweet leaving everything behind, sort of mixed emotions-excited to be going home, but sad to be leaving everything that had made such an impact on me for the past 5 months...

 

Hard to believe it has come to this, that I am writing my final day aboard the Celebrity Silhouette, but all I can say it has been an amazing 5 months traveling throughout the Mediterranean, Europe, crossing the Atlantic, and heading down to the Caribbean.

 

I would like to take this time to thank each and everyone you, my readers, my followers and my supporters of my musical endeavors. For those of you I have had the privilege to meet aboard the Silhouette, thank you making each and every cruise a memorable one for me. I hope you have enjoyed this "light" reading material :) and updates of my ship adventures, by sea and by land. For those I have been able to convince and take a cruise with, I hope I have not steered you wrong by any direction, as I feel the Silhouette has much to offer its guests and crew.

 

As for the future for me, time will tell. I am not sure of any exact, upcoming contracts w/ any ship at the moment, but I do know that having successfully opened up the Silhouette, I would like to continue working at sea, traveling, and continuing to do what I love with my music. It's a great passion of mine, and I hope this has provided some insight as to that passion I speak of. I will be sure to keep any updates w/ where I might be next, but for now, I will be home for the holidays visiting those near and dear to me, as I feel its important to keep that as well, as exciting as ship life may be.

 

Thank you all once again for the wonderful experiences we have been able to share together. I will never forget the memories created on the Silhouette, and will always remember a life at sea, Celebrity style.

 

I would like to wish everyone a safe and very happy holiday season, a Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year 2012, wherever you may be!

 

In the words of my 1st Capt.(Capt. Dimitri) "This is Rory Bolton from the blog site...out."

[dpryo319]

Celebrity: Take 2!

That's right! As of tomorrow I will be leaving to open up the new Celebrity Reflection as the orchestra pianist...meeting the ship in Bremen, Germany, and then...let the cruisin' begin! A tour taking me up to Feb. from Europe to the Med, across the Atlantic, and ending up in the Caribbean! Welcome back to all my readers!

 

See you all on the other side!

[maggie.1008]

We cruised with Rory on Azamara Journey this year. Very talented. Wish he was on our Nov. TA on the Equinox.