Arrivederci Edd - Barboy Costa Magica

Edd

Where you are, I hope you are in peace! That God be with you and you have comfort and that all the hearts of the people closes to you are quiet now! That they learn how to be without you and only remember the good times with you. Our friendship was brief but wonderful, It was great had met you and wherever you are now, please look at us!

Today we had a big lost. One of the crew members of Costa Magica passed away. He was about a month in a hospital e today he didn't resist the treatment and the worse came to happen.

Now we pray God to send him peace and lig

ht. That all the angels of God take care of aour friend Edivaldo from the bar. His last contract was at Costa Magica were he met Fabiana his girlfriend that took care of him until the end, She is a brave girl, and I really hope she gets better.

Edd was not so close friend to me like he was for others. I remember that almost everyday, when I used to go out from the pizzaria, at 3:00 am, I used

to see him at the corridors or the smoking point, where everybody from the bar used to be by this time.

He also was

always at the deck 9, working at the buffet.

He was important because, every time we called him to attend some passengers, he was always available. Nobady from the bar liked to work there, eider did him, but were always smiling and very polite.

Edd,

Good bye,

so long,

far well...

Parties on board

Parties on board

Crew parties are like this:

The priest is charged for the parties. It happens 2 or 3 times a month. It depends on the priest on board. Some times, they serve the soft drinks and pizza for free, some times they have the open bar, with the cheaper drinks or, they just put the DJ (music) without food or drinks. It does not need any motive, it just happen. The DJ is a volunteer crew member; There is a special place for the parties, which can be a disco or the reserved place place for food, where we call staff mess or crew mess. At Costa Magica I went to parties at the crew beach, at the crew and staff mess and in a disco (deck 12) there works only for crew members, but I heard that some times they do parties in the passengers disco also for crew.

They put special lights, that keep blinking like in the disco, and the music they play is very democratic. But, Reggaeton is the most played hit in all party. They put also Merengue, Axe Music, Dance, Techno, some times Indian songs and depending on the occasion, also Filipinos songs.

Brazilian people are the most animated people in the parties, they don't miss one.

When there is no alcoholic drinks at the party, the crew members goes to the crew bar and when the crew bar closes, they go to the staff mess where after mid night they sell drinks. And them, after a fell drinks, the crew go to the party.

Something very funny about the ship life is that the crew members creates a new character for the life on board, so it is very common to have some unusual fashion style, specially for the party. Something that is also curious is the quantity of gay people on board, seams like they put themselves out of the closet, the crew member is free to do everything they wanna do, but they don't do in their real life.

Feding on board

Well! This is a very important subject, once that the work on board is very heavy and you must to be well fed to handle it. The thing is, inside a ship, healthy food is something hard to have access. There are 40 different nationalities on board and to please all of them is impossible, so if they please a bigger number of people as possible, it's better. The higher number of crew members are Filipinos and Indians, so the food that pleases the taste of them is more frequent. Is very common to see cattle entrails on the menu and lots of rice!

If you hear the jargon "Como arroz!", don't be surprised, this is a large appreciated

delicacy in the ships.

Fruits and salads are always in the end, who arrives before eats it, or the wise you have to make do with what you have. Who works in the restaurant got the mafia, even those it is forbidden to eat passengers food, there is no cameras to spy you, so you can grab some fruits and balance your diet. Some waiters eat after the service, while they are cleaning their station.

Staff members have better food, but they've discount at their salary for it.

Other thing that interferes in the food is the working schedule. Because it always changes, so you don't have a straight routine and it's very common to start the morning shift without eating and be for hours with the empty stomach. But if you think that it will make you loose weight, you are wrong. When you stay for hours without eat, your body will be in enormous stress, asking for food, so when you finally eat, your body absolve all the nutritious and keeps some for the next time that your body will be for a long time without food. That reserve is in shape of fatness. So, you will get fat and still your body will be weak.

Concluding, be aware to it. Use the mafia to take care of you health!!!

Family visitors on board

Family on board

A nice thing when you are in Brazil is to have your family on board. They can come on board the ship, while it is at the port, they can walk around the ship, and they can eat at the buffet without expend any money for this. And when you are in your break, you can go with them and show the ship and eat in the buffet with them. This is very easy, you just have

to fill up a form, that the crew office lives close to the door, over a box written "visitors", so you put the name, age, ID number and birthday date, you can bring until five people on board and you put this form inside the visitors box, three days before the port were you family will be in the ship. The security will take the forms, show to the staff captain, he will sign it giving the permission and them, the name of all the visitors will be in a list, which the federal police will have a copy, so, your family will show some ID with a picture, the security will hold it during the whole time your visitor is inside the ship and when him/her lives the ship, the security will deliver

the ID back. You can invite family, friends, whoever... They can use the pool, eat at the buffet, as they were passengers, they just can't buy anything because in the ship they don't accept money, but if you want to offer some drinks to them, you gonna have to buy it with your crew card.

Now, if you are a very friendly person and now people from every department on the ship, you use you mafia to get some free drinks, gifts and also special treatment to your visitors. When the ship is not moving, like in port, all the stores inside the ship closes, they only work at sea, so your visitors don't have access to buy in the duty free, so if you want to buy something to them, you'll have to buy it before. The crew members has 20 % off discount buying things in the ship. Drinks only have discount at the crew bar, in the regular bars the crew member have no discount.

The crew members are also allowed to buy cruises for their family and friends. They only pay 20% of the whole price of a regular cruise, so it is very cheap, any crew can afford it.

Friendship on bord

On board there are hundreds of crew members. It's wearied to be very close to someone that you hardly know, but believe me. On board, even if you don't know the name of some

one, is very common share the same plate to everybody. Everybody is family on board. But don't get it in the wrong way. People cares more about you, when you have something to offer, after that, you're just one more, so be careful and don't trust people so deeply, because you can hurt yourself.

Also if you want to date someone. Don't create a whole history about some one that maybe is only with you for the

same reason that you are with them, company, or even sex.

All this is allowed, by be careful, he/she can hurt your feelings.

Be polite to all, smile, help them, coz' the same way they need you, you will need them anytime. Be a political person, talk to everybody, the guy that cleans the bathroom and t

he captain, the dishwashers and the officers, the guys from laundry and the high position, you never know what could happen to your or when you may need somebody.

On board you can never be jealous, never be possessive, just enjoy it as long as you can.

Of course is possible to find some truly friends, somebody that you will love for the rest of your life, and also the love can become a matrimony, who knows?

Brazilian Ports

Diversities

During the Brazilian season, We visit some ports in beautiful cities. It's amazing to see from the see, so many different places from the same country. This way is easy to know how Brazil is rich in culture and diversities.

Salvador - Bahia

Between all the places that the ship goes, Salvador is one of the most expected city. I would never say that this is the most beautiful city in Brazil, 'coz I could be unfair to the others, but Salvador has something magic and it has so many colors and the weather is so nice, also people are very helpful and joyful.

The good thing in Salvador for the crew is that everything is very close to the port. Pelourinho is the biggest colonial architecture in latin America, and you can visit a very amazing place, where culture is very strong. Farol da Barra is another close place from the port, there is a good beach and is goog for memorable pictures of Salvador. There are Rio Vermelho, Pituba, Itapuã, Abaeté and if, you have extra time, you can go to Stella Maris, that is wonderful for surfing, but is a little far from the port, it's about 40 minuts by cab.

Copacabana - Rio de Janeiro

Well, Rio is internationaly known and some places there are tipical to visit. like Copacabana, Ipanema, Leblon, Corcovado and the suggar bread mountains, so having a fresh coconut water is the minimun thing that you can do there. If you don't have much time, but you need to buy something for your cabin, there is a street called Rio Branco, cross the Mauá square, is a commercial center in that avenue. There are pharmacies, lotteries, and many stores.

Búzios - Rio de Janeiro

Also in Rio de Janeiro, Búzios is a Paradise. During the day it has beautiful beaches and during the night, all the stores are still working and you can buy fantastic clothes for a very special price. The bars and the dancing clubs are espetacular, but there is a creperie where everything happens, there is the point of Buzios, that is Chez Michou, a french guy is the owner, him together with some guys prepers the creps and that is a particular guy that prepers it so fast that you can't follow it. They have a DJ, and when the creps are done, they

call your name at microphone. Yet, they have some original drinks which you will love.

Fortaleza - Ceará

Fortaleza has beautiful beaches, but you have to take a cab, Do not get out from the port by feet, it's a little dangerous. But it takes only five till ten minuts to arrive to the handicraft market, and the edge. The things in Fortaleza are not expensive, but at the beach you have to rent umbrella, beach chair and the cooler, this is not like in Salvador, that if you buy something in the beach hut, you don't need to pay just to sit in those chairs. The water is so clear, the sky is so blue, you have to go to Fortaleza at list once in a life time! The ship only passe by Maceió during the crossing.

Ilha Bela - São Paulo

Who could ever imagine that São paulo has a place so charming and nice as Ilha Be

la? This island lives up to name. The sky is very clean and the water is so clear. There are some nice small restaurants, Some bars close to the edge and there is a particular hostel where you can have lunch for a small price, to use the pool and if you have your lap top, you have free wi-fi access. At night is also good to go out from the ship, coz' the bars stay open for the passangers.

Ilhéus - Bahia

If you take a cab, you can go around the downtown, stop at the home madden chocolate store to buy some peculi

ar chocolate called "Gabriela" and "Nacib", that has male and female genital parts shape. You can stop by the handicraft for gifts and go to the millionary beach. But be smart, there are many street vendors offering too many things, you have to be patient with it. But the beer is not expensive and you can have a nice sunbathing.

Maceió - Alagoas

This is a very beautiful city. The edge is all flat, and the water is very clear. People there are very simple, but joyful. Only 5 minutes buy cab and you are at the edge. Nice ploace to have a good sunbathing and a cold beer.

The ship only passe by Maceió during the crossing.

Recife - Pernambuco

The Brazilian Venice, Recife is cutten by the Capibaribe river and you can go walking everywhere. The handicaft store is very close, cross the bridge and walk about 5 minutes to the left side. The ship only passes by Recife during the crossing.

See Brazil throught the coastline is an experience in a life time. worth living to see this!!

Brazilian Season

Is that what they like more... Beija flor visiting Costa Magica at the Roberto Carlos Cruise

Well,

After the crossing, I could see the difference between European and Brazilian public. It's way too different... GOD!!!

European are very polite, silence, they like to read, they hardly go to the pool, they consume lots of wine and different kinds of drinks, they play at the casino, they buy at the duty free and they go to the theater, they watch the music shows, they go to spa, gym, they do the hair and they are always circulating in the indoors areas, they also go outside to see the places the ship goes, they eat out and they buy gifts for their families, they also take pictures using the ship services. Brazilian people usually are always at the pool and the buffet, they don't like the formal services or to use the ship services, they go around the ship in first cruise day to take pictures, but after this they eat, eat, eat and when they are not in the pool, they are drinking beer, or dancing.

So, if the company wants to have the Brazilian public, they have to full the beer deposit, to have at list two DJ's and put all the pools working well, besides the food services, that must to work all day long!!!

Increnable, they never stop eating!!!

Brazilian is noisy, happy, lazy, and very annoying, they never read the Today, and so they always ask about everything. It mean lot work to do!

But you think it is bad to work with Brazilian? No way! This is so funny, they are always so worried about us, and they ask so many stupid questions, that is no way to be borried working for them. By the way, I am one of them, and I know I am not so different from them. When I travel as a passanger, probably I'll behave just like this.