I apologize for such a long time in-between postings but my laptop crashed on me not to long after my last post. Anyways, things on the ship continued to be pretty dull until about the last 2 or 3 weeks. We got a new drummer and bass player and brand new cast all of which were much younger and willing to go out and have fun. It was really a blast those last couple of weeks. From the picture above you can see that I visited the Segrada de Famalia in Barcelona, Spain. It was truly breathtaking and without a doubt in my mind was the most amazing thing I have seen yet.

As for the “second” trumpet player drama everything turned out. I remained lead trumpet and we actually became roommates. Sometimes I forget to remember that everyone is human, and yes he does have amazing range, but he also has issues with the things that I find to be fairly easy. It worked out great, if there was anything that I couldn’t handle I would pass off to him and he usually had no problem with it. It was a great experience and I really enjoyed working with him.

The ship was a fantastic adventure for me. I got to see Rome, Venice, Florence, Pisa, Naples, Croatia, Greece, Spain, Egypt, France and a little more. I do know that I will not want to return to the ship unless its a short contract in a location that I really want to see. I have listed some of the Pro’s and Con’s for me, as a trumpet player, about the cruise ship life for any of you who are thinking about it.

Postive

•Professional Experience
•Sight Reading
•Lots of Performances & Playing
•Playing Multiple Styles and Genres
•Meeting Many People & Making Connections
•You Get Paid

Negative

•Destructive to Chops (if you’re not used to playing high and loud all the time)
•Lonely At Times
•Lacks Creative Expression
•Lacks Rich Harmonies

Ultimately I am very excited to head back to the states and begin planning my life for the next year.