ALMOST THERE...

Well I’m in Seattle waiting to join my ship tomorrow. I’ve heard from both the acupuncturist on board and the spa manger a few times easing my mind on the days to come. The first few days on any new ship can be trying and they assured me that all is well and the transition should be easy. I will go aboard approximately at 10am – 11am and do not have to be at the spa until 1pm.

The Moore Hotel is downtown just two or three blocks from Pikes Market Place, a huge world famous farmers market that overlooks the water. Downtown is also filled with cafes etc. so everything you need and your yen to explore while waiting to board your ship is near. I did a lot of research trying to find a place to stay that was clean, in a good location and a fair price. For a room with private bath it runs about $85 per night and a little less for a shared bath. I could not be happier.

So with that said I am going to enjoy my last few hours of vacation before I start my next adventure. It may take a little time before I get back online on the ship but I will do so as soon as I can and keep everyone updated on what I find and how things are going.

As always thanks to those of you that are following my blog and I’ll continue to do my best to keep you informed and to answer your questions

- larry

TIME TO GET SERIOUS

Okay time to get this going again. I am on my way to my next ship the Royal Caribbean Rhapsody of the Seas joining on 8/19.

Ports of call so far are Alaska, Hawaii, Tahiti, Moorea, Bora Bora, New Caledonia, Vanuatu, Fiji, Samoa, Singapore, Bali, New Zealand and Australia. Lucky me!

After leaving the Carnival Dream I visited family and friends, worked on private clients and took my grandkids Basil and Dioni on a road trip from Sun Valley, Idaho to Mammoth Lakes Ca., Disneyland and Yosemite.

Now it is time to get busy with work and preparing to join the Rhapsody. Over the last few weeks I have been getting everything together and been in contact with Stephanie Kimbers.

I have made sure all my paperwork is together and I have 2 copies of everything. That includes getting your medical done from an “approved” maritime doctor. Do this well in advance at least 4-6 weeks prior to joining your ship. I had to apply and received an Australian Visa so that is completed. Also in this case I had to send paperwork to the London office for a “Seaman’s Book” which is required by Royal Caribbean.  Make sure you also have a valid passport that has time to spare according to Steiner regs and either Stephanie or Dan will send you your immigration papers. So to recap when you join the ship make sure you have a valid passport, medical, immigration papers, any visa. I also have copies of acupuncture license and nccaom certification.

I have my flight information from Steiner and it is confirmed. I have also confirmed my transportation needs to and from the airport and to and from the hotel in my port of departure. I personally like to arrive a couple days ahead of time just in case there are any problems with the flight. So in my case I am arriving in Seattle on 8/17 and I board of 8/19. It is also a good idea to arrive at the ship around 10am to embark. Hopefully you can get on a bit early rather then be rushed getting to your cabin and then to spa tours. Your first day is crazy anyhow so you want to make it as easy on yourself as you can…good luck with that…lol

So I guess that is all I can post to this point. Once I get on board and catch my breath I’ll start posting with “Work Hard” and “Play Hard”. As before I will be honest about everything I encounter and give all of you any information I think that will either help you on your ship or help you decide if this is something you want to try.

Also any of you seasoned “acupuncturists at sea” please give me any insight you have. I certainly don’t have all the answers and would greatly appreciate any of your thoughts and suggestions helping me to become better at my job.

FINAL BLOG OF MY DREAM ADVENTURE...

Okay finally as promised it’s time to catch up with the blog.

First I’d like to say how much I enjoyed my time on the Dream. And what made it such a great time is the staff in the Cloud 9 Spa, they truly were a great bunch of people and I miss many of them.

Okay enough of the mushy stuff and down to business. On that subject I’d like to say that what I have posted on my blog is what I have found on my first contract as an “acupuncturist at sea”.  I by no means know all the answers and I have an awful lot to learn from others. I will do my best to continue to post what comes my way and try my best not to sound like a know-it-all as I am far from one.

For me the entire contract has been a learning experience and I am looking forward to learning from everyone that comes my way. Listen to the staff in the spa and your managers; they are there to help you. Listen too corporate as they are there for the same. Though at times they will push you to make your numbers know that they have been where you are and they know the challenges. Lisa Forsythe makes rounds on ships and is full of knowledge and gives it freely. Everyone is there to help.

A couple days before my last port day in St. Thomas I packed up everything but my essentials that I would need to work for the next week or two. I then shipped a couple boxes of belongings home from St. Thomas. This didn’t cost too much as it is a US port and had a US post office. It was certainly less then having to pay for extra baggage on flights home and not hassle of carrying everything with me.

Customs was also a breeze. You have to go through them on the ship before you take belongings off to be sent home. My manager Georgena gave me a great tip.  Don’t box anything up and put it in your roll away luggage for customs inspection. Then roll it off the ship carrying a couple empty boxes and tape to the post office. This made carrying everything a lot easier. Thanks Georgena…

As it turned out I disembarked on May 21st as planned. Customs again was a breeze. Those of you that are close friends know that I then rented a car and drove to Clearwater to spend a night with my mother before leaving Florida.

They also know that the next day I flew to Atlanta to see someone very special to me. She lives about 90 minutes north of Atlanta and drove down to spend some time together. She is affectionately known as “My Little Hippie Girl”.

With both of us being old hippies I surprised her as a couple months earlier I bought tickets for the closing night of the play “Hair” in Atlanta. We ate at her favorite restaurant and though we had not seen each other in a very long time it was wonderful for both of us. A couple days later I left Atlanta and flew back to Idaho.

But on the way back I made a stop in Las Vegas where a close friend, Tim, joined my for a night. We met up with another friend that now lives there and went to the play Absinthe. One reviewed called is Cirque de Sol meets Rocky Horror Picture Show. It was extremely entertaining and we never laughed so hard.

After the show Steve took off and Tim and I made our way back to the pai gow and craps tables at the Mandalay Bay where we were staying. Fortunately we were lucky that night and I made around $400 and I think Tim made around $300.

The next day I flew to Merced and made my way to Midpines outside Yosemite where a very good friend of mine, Dean had stored my van while I was on the ship.

The next day I drove to see more old friends, Chuck and his wife Kalyn outside Grass Valley near Tahoe. I met both of them years ago in San Carlos, Mexico and we have become friends for life. After joining them for a great Memorial Day bar-b-que at friends of theirs I was off the next day to Idaho.

Chuck and Kalyn live in a 40-foot custom motor home and travel to points far and near. If you really want to see the country and hear some great adventure stories take a look at their blog

http://www.gallopinggeezers.com/Home_Page.php

So for the last month I have been staying at my son’s in Hailey, Idaho as I really have no home at this point until I join my next ship The Rhapsody of the Seas on August 19^th.  In the mean time I am leaving next week taking my grandkids on vacation to Disneyland and Yosemite. Then for a month I’ll visit family and friends and work on private clients in California.

Before I post pictures of the Xunantunich Mayan Ruins in Belize only 2 miles from the Guatemala border I’d like to thank everyone for their support of my blog.

As I said my next ship will be the Rhapsody starting August 19^th. Ports of call will be Alaska, Hawaii, Tahiti, Moorea, Bora Bora, Samoa, Fiji, New Caledonia, Vanuatu, Singapore, New Zealand and Australia.

Also I’d like to invite you to take a look at a book I published called “Dreaming in the Caribbean”. It is a photographic diary of the ports of call including Nassau, Cozumel, St. John, St. Thomas, St. Maarten, Belize, Roatan Honduras and Costa Maya. Many years ago I was a professional photojournalist and I truly enjoyed photographing my trip. It is available as both a downloadable eBook and also in printed book form.

Book

http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/dreaming-in-the-caribbean/16060809

eBook

http://www.lulu.com/product/ebook/dreaming-in-the-caribbean/16060973

Also available on the site is an acupuncture reference book, a book on alternative medicine protocols and a book on meridian vibration therapy (medical tuning forks) I have published in the past.

http://stores.lulu.com/sunvalleyacudocatmacdotcom

And now for photographs of the Xunantunich Mayan Ruins in Belize.

This is a river crossing made on a hand cranked ferry about a mile from the ruins

And now for the ruins themselves

Again thanks to everyone for your support, your interest, your questions and your knowledge

UpDate Coming

Sorry for the delay but those of you that have contacted my via email know that my contract ended on 5/21, I've been traveling, recovering from surgery and before I left the Dream my hard drive crashed.

On the bright side everything is going well, I am almost done with a book I am going to publish called "Dreaming in the Caribbean". It is a pictorial diary of my ports of call in the Eastern and Western Caribbean while on the Dream. For those of you that don't know I used to be a professional photojournalist many years ago.

My next contract starts on August 19th on the Royal Caribbean Rhapsody of the Seas. Ports of calls will be Alaska, Hawaii, Tahiti, Bora Bora, Moorea, Vanuatu, Samoa, Fiji, New Caledonia, New Zealand and Australia.

I still have things to post about my last voyage and some photographs including the Xunantunich Mayan ruins in Belize.

Be patient it is all coming. And as always you can contact my via email and thank you for your comments.

larry

MONDAY IS COZUMEL...IF IT'S WEDNESDAY IT MUST BE ROATAN, HONDURAS

Now for pictures of Roatan, Honduras. I rented a car and drove the entire Island from one end to the other. Here are some pictures I took along the way.

Torquoise Bay

Parrot Tree Bay

And the rest are of a small fishing village I stumbled upon

YESTERDAY IN COZUMEL

pictures as promised...

at the Mayan Ruins in Cozumel, Mexico

one parrot and three chics...spa girls...

gemma (england), charmianne (south africa) and Tahlia (australia)

Charmainne and an iguana on the steps of a ruin

Another Mayan Ruin Iguana

and still another

More Mayan Ruin Pictures

the alter in the central plaza

the roundhouse alter

Charmainne, myself and Gemma

The Next Stop...The Tequilla Factory

First things first....MARGARITAS!

and AFTER margaritas the girls go for a ride

and then SHOTS of course...

Next Stop The Cozumel Coast

Charmainne, Gemma, Tahlia and myself

Cozumel Coast

Cozumel Beach Palapa

Charmainne and Gemma enjoy a hammock

Picture time at the palapa

Next Stop Paradise Beach Cozumel

Pier at Paradise Beach

Paradise Beach, Cozumel

Pool at Paradise Beach

Gemma at the pool at Paradise Beach

CATCHING UP

Sorry, once again it has taken so long to get back to answer question and to post.

QUESTION ASKED “are my figures before or after taxes?”

I just did the numbers and I am averaging just under $900 a week after taxes. My tax rate is close to 33%. I also have a new high for weekly tips of $607.

WORK HARD
Now I’d like to address some work stuff.

Embark

Once again I have altered my embark speech as I have only a matter of a couple of minutes with the guests. What I now say is “My name is Larry Pannell and I am the onboard acupuncturist. It is my job to do a couple of things, one to welcome you aboard and the other is to let you know how I can make not only your cruise but your life a little bit better. One is to relieve you from any stress that you might be feeling as acupuncture works extremely well relieving stress and the effects of stress. Second is to take away any pain that you might be experiencing. Anything for neck pain, shoulder back, knee, elbow it doesn’t matter as acupuncture works extremely well for all type of pain. Are you experiencing any type of pain? I can help you with that. I am offering free consultations tonight and it will only take 10-15 minutes of your time.” If asked how much a treatment is I state,  “if you decide to get a treatment I can offer you a 20% discount saving you $30. This works very well for me and I sign an average of 10 people for consults during embark.

Seminars

I found it an advantage to have your entire seminar “stuff” together. When I was in St. Thomas I went to Kmart, yes they have a Kmart, and bought a clear plastic box. It is about 12x8x12 and holds everything I use in my seminars. All I have to do is grab it and I know I have not forgotten anything.

In it I have a few single folders that holds my seminar sign in forms, a clipboard, pens, appointment cards, cables, an adapter for the projector, needling supplies, a couple bottles of herbs etc. The cables and adapter I am referring to is if you own a Mac you will need to bring your own cables and adapter in order to plug into the projector to give your Intro to Acupuncture Seminar. As far as the other seminars I don’t use a projector as I have limited access to it.

Also don’t be taken by surprise like I was. on my first sea day when the assistant manger came up to me and said “do you know you have a seminar?  My reply was “am I taking it or giving it?” as I had many training seminars when I first arrived. She said giving and then I asked when and what was the subject, “in 30 minutes and on Pain and Arthritis”. This same thing happened at the end of the week when I found out I had an Herb Seminar to give. It’s amusing now but when only given with 30 minutes notice on my second day it was not so funny then.

PLAY HARD

Today I am in Cozumel. I became friends with one of the taxi drivers from my last few trips here and he is taking some friends and myself on an island tour for $80. We are going sightseeing the entire island as well the Mayan ruins and will be gone for about 5 hours. I’m meeting him at the 7/11 where he will be waiting with his car and a cooler filled with ice in the trunk.

Last week I went with a friend to St. Johns when we were in St. Thomas. You have to take a taxi to the far side of St. Thomas and then a ferry to St. Johns. Once there we took a tour of the entire island for $25. It was incredible and very beautiful. I promise to post pictures of St. John, Cozumel and also another place that I visited on Roatan, Honduras last week. I am really behind working on my photos.

So that is it for now. I’ll post pictures when I can and I promise it will be soon

Here is a taste. Las Palmas in Roatan.