Last Update August 2, 2002  
 
Off Center on the Norway 
First Gig, M/S Norwegian Crown, June - October '98  
M/S Norwegian Dynasty, November '98 - March '99
M/S Norwegian Crown, April - May '99
S/S Norway, May - July '99
M/S Norwegian Sky, July - November '99
M/S Norwegian Sky, December '99 - April '00
M/S Norwegian Sky, May - September '00
M/S Norwegian Wind, November '00 - March '01
M/S Amsterdam, April - October '01
M/S Wind Surf, January '02
Life Aboard a Cruise Ship
 
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Gig One  
 
Norwegian Crown 
In June of '98 we finally realized one of our biggest collective dreams, and began working full time as musicians. We walked away from our "real" jobs and boarded the M/S Norwegian Crown, to spend the summer (June to September) cruising from Manhattan to Bermuda. On September 12 the Crown itinerary changed from Bermuda to Canada, with stops in Boston, Portland, Sydney and Halifax (Nova Scotia), Quebec City, and Montreal. What a change in climate from Bermudan summer to Nova Scotian autumn!  
 
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Job Two  
 
Norwegian Dynasty 
In October, our first ship contract complete, we headed for home, and after a short respite, hopped a plane for Honolulu and the M/S Norwegian Dynasty. We spent the holidays cruising the ports of Kona (Hawai'i), Fanning Island, Hilo (Hawai'i), Lahaina (Maui), and Nawiliwili (Kaua'i). Sure was tough spending New Year's Day on a beach on Maui! In January, after a repositioning which included San Diego, the itinerary changed to the Panama Canal Run, including stops in Acapulco, Mexico; Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala; Puntarenas, Costa Rica; Cartegena, Columbia; Oranjestadt, Aruba; and San Juan, Puerto Rico. No snow to shovel this year!  
 
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Contract Three/Four; Ship One/Three (?!)  
 
S/S Norway 
After a short vacation in April, we returned to the Crown and the Bermuda run for three too-short weeks. Then we flew to Europe to board the S/S Norway. This ship, originally named the S/S France, was comissioned as a cruise ship in 1960. She was considered the Grand Dame of the Norwegian Fleet until 1999. During our 8 1/2 weeks we managed to get three weeks off in Barcelona, Spain, while the crew repaired the damage from the May 29 fire. Well, hey, ship happens!)  
 
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The Sky (I/II)  
 
Norwegian Sky 
Little did we know that our next move would be a more permanent one! In July of '99 we got off the S/S Norway in France and flew (via Mom & Pop International!) to Bremerhaven, Germany, to get aboard the brand spankin' new M/S Norwegian Sky. The ship first sailed on August 9. We did a few European cruises, then set sail (Labor Day weekend) for the Colonies. The cruise was five days of smooth sailing! But on our first Boston - Quebec City trip, they ran the brand spankin' new Sky aground! Well, hey, ship happens! After six weeks of cooling our heels (and hands, and ears, etc.) in Quebec City, we managed to get in a couple Caribbean cruises to the ports of Nassau, Bahamas; San Juan, Puerto Rico; St. Thomas, USVI; Georgetown, Grand Cayman; Ocho Rios, Jamaica; and of course the NCL Private Island. A short vacation notwithstanding, we were there, on the Sky, in the Caribbean, until April 16, 2000.  
 
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The Sky (III)  
 
After another break we rejoined the Sky, this time in Seattle, Washington, to go to Alaska for the first time. The Sky had never been there, and neither had we. Although Alaska was beautiful to be sure, we took a vote and decided that visiting snow-covered mountains was NOT the reason Off Center left Pennsylvania to get a job on a cruise ship!  
 
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The Wind  
 
Norwegian Wind 
On November 8, 2000, we flew to San Diego, CA, to board the M/S Norwegian Wind. After a Mexican Riviera cruise, and a long "reposition" cruise through the Panama Ditch to Miami, we returned to the Caribbean, visiting George Town, Grand Cayman; Roatan, Honduras; Belize City, Belize; and Cozumel, Mexico, until March 24, 2001.  Our first contract aboard the Wind had us playing in Lucky's, the Observatory, and even out by the pool for New Year's Eve.  
 
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The Amsterdam  
 
Holland America Amsterdam 
We eagerly accepted an offer to return to Europe when Holland America offered us a contract on the new M/S Amsterdam. Built in 2000, the Amsterdam is truly a beautiful ship.  The 25-week contract, which was our longest to date, included an exhaustive (if exhausting!) tour of Europe. Starting in Rome, we visited Tunisia (our first trip to Africa!), Malta, France, Morocco (Casablanca, but we didn't see Bogey!), Portugal, Gibraltar, Monaco, Spain, Belgium, England, Holland, Scotland, Ireland (North and South), Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Germany, Finland, Russia, Estonia, Guernsey, The Faröe Islands, Iceland, and Greenland.  Then we headed across the Pond for 40 days and 40 nights in New England and Canada. This trip was supposed to have been between New York and Montreal, but because of the events of 9/11/01, our New York plans were changed to Boston.  Although we made a lot of new friends working for Holland America, we were happy to finally take a break in October to spend the holidays with our land families, as opposed to our ship families.  
 
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The Wind Surf  
 
Windstar Wind SurfAt this writing we are about to embark on a new experience: a masted ship. Windstar Cruises runs a fleet of ships that are a fraction of the size of the other ships we have worked on.  The Wind Surf is the largest of the fleet, with 154 staterooms and 165 crew, which is over three times the size of the other Windstar ships.  However, it tows in at a mere 14,745 tons. And compared to the 77,100 of the Norwegian Sky or 61,000 of the Amsterdam, it's less than a quarter of their weight.  Should prove for some real rocking and rolling!  The beam (width) is slightly over half of the other two, and the length is 615 feet, compared to the 853' Sky and the 780' Amsterdam.  Speed is another big difference. While the Sky can do 23 knots in a hurry and the Amsterdam is listed at 24.5, the Wind Surf is listed at 10-12 knots by engine, or 15 with a good breeze.    
 
In fact, our first cruise will take us six days of sea travel to get from Bridgetown, Barbados, to Fort Lauderdale.  After that, we make regular 7-day runs to the Bahamas to Salt Cay (Nassau), Green Turtle Cay, Half Moon Cay, and Bimini, and then hit Key West (FL) on our way back to Ft. Lauderdale. Beats shoveling snow.  
 
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A look to the future: AmsterdamUnfortunately, our Wind Surf contract was cut short due to a family emergency. The Wind Surf was great.  But as of this update (Aug '02), we are still cooling our heels in Pennsylvania for an undetermined time. We hope to get back on tour soon. You can make sure you're up-to-date by getting on our mailing list.  Stay tuned!  
 
 
 
 
 
The voice of 2008:  Although Off Center still performs occasionally as a trio, Don is living in Pennsylvania while Melissa and Larry tour the US as a duo, One More Time.  Will Off Center get back on cruise ships?  Hoo nose?  
 
 
 
 
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Life aboard a cruise ship:  
 
OK, so it's not exactly like a permanent vacation. We have to work every day, and that can be up to six or seven shows. But we're free during the day till at least 4pmusually. All three of us have Melissa in Kalmarhad to get "certified" for Basic Safety, First Aid, and Fire Fighting. It's about eight hours of classes, and some pretty serious hands-on fire fighting. We also have weekly crew boat drills, and quarterly Coast Guard drills. And of course they throw in the occasional cabin inspection, to make sure we're not trashing the place with our wild nightly parties. (Anybody remember those?)  
 
Larry and Don on the AmsterdamThe food varies from ship to ship, the cabins are adequate (if you're not too claustrophobic), and the scenery is terrific. And we don't have to drive to the office every day. Knock wood, we haven't had to deal with any seasickness, although we do get the occasional roller coaster ride.  And Hurricane Bonnie (Crown, 1998) was no picnic! Of course, as Larry is fond of pointing out, we all had jobs that made us sick before we came here! (Apologies to our old colleagues!)  
 
 
 
First Gig, M/S Norwegian Crown, June - October '98  
M/S Norwegian Dynasty, November '98 - March '99
M/S Norwegian Crown, April - May '99
S/S Norway, May - July '99
M/S Norwegian Sky, July - November '99
M/S Norwegian Sky, December '99 - April '00
M/S Norwegian Sky, May - September '00
M/S Norwegian Wind, November '00 - March '01
M/S Amsterdam, April - October '01
M/S Wind Surf, January '02
Life Aboard a Cruise Ship
 
Check out our CDs and cassettes!
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