Clowning Around on the Cruise Ship

From Linda Sweig of Chicago, Illinois

What "drew" me was I signed up for a clown tour that happened to be on a cruise ship, so it never occurred to me not to be a clown on the cruise ship. And after my experience, if ever I go on a cruise as a "civilian" vacation, not as a clown trip, I'd still clown around the ship.

You know how I give kiss stickers, with a wink and an exaggerated kiss motion. Every morning, when I went to breakfast in the "cafeteria", I gave a kiss to the stewards who were serving/bussing. Guys would see me coming, and say, "Where's my kiss?" One server said, "No kiss, no breakfast."

At breakfast is were I met John, a food and beverage supervisor. John called me "darling", and requested a kiss and shoe shine (by shining a little light on his shoe) whenever I ran in to him. Once I saw John with a flash light, and he gave me a shoe shine.

The crew got to know me, and many would make kiss motions when they saw me coming. One day I gave the stewards clown noses. They loved it. I'm sure they had fun with the noses in their quarters that night!

I also gave out million dollar bills. I gave one to one steward who exclaimed at his new wealth, and immediately fell to the floor and rolled over... Another example of how these guys loved to play.

Other passengers started to greet me and play with me.

In the formal dining room, after dinner (the stewards were too busy to "play" while serving), as the stewards were clearing the tables, I went around the room giving kisses. To the guys who were particularly responsive, I would stand by a pole, and make loud kiss sounds until they would notice me. Invariably they would come to me, making an exaggerated kiss motion, to get their kiss sticker.

I would interact with stewards as I saw them working all over the ship, all throughout the day. Stewards/crew stopped me to take their picture with me. Other passengers constantly took my picture.

Suparsa stopped me to hear me beep my clown nose t-shirt and ask me where he could get one. We talked. He was from Indonesia. He told me that he was on the ship when the tsunami hit Indonesia. His immediate family was safe, on a different island, but his grand- mother was never found. "Poof"... We held hands.

Lukman, from Indonesia, was our cabin steward. He took good care of us. Lukman told me that he has worked for Holland America for 15 years. He signs on to the ship for a year at a time. He has a wife and two young daughters at home. Of course, I made a big clown bag with noses (about 80), other give-ways, a bubble gun, etc. that I gave him to take back to his village.

At dinner one evening, Lynda said I needed to go in to one of the shops to cheer up the clerk who was working there. She had gone in to that shop before dinner, and he seemed very depressed. So we went to the shop, and I asked him if he had anything for someone with blue hair. He broke into a smile. We talked a bit, I winked at him, gave him a kiss, shined his shoes, and he was in much better spirits when we left.

At the end of our cruise, a woman who worked in the gym, asked me if I could lend her some clown things to wear for a co-worker's going away party. Since they were having the party the eve we were disembarking, she couldn't return what I gave her, but I gave her a pair of clown socks, a pair of big glasses with attached clown nose, and bubbles. I'm sure the party was a hit! I had been clown- ing with the staff of the gym and spa, and she knew who could help her play. I was happy she was comfortable enough with me to ask.

There were many specific "warm moments", that are difficult to retell. I asked one crew member if she wanted a kiss, and she said, "Yes, but I'd like a hug first."

When we were waiting to disembark in San Diego, many of the stewards were sitting aside as we walked to our "holding" area. The smiles, "kisses", and hand clasps I got told me that my spreading rays of sunshine was embraced. Other passengers thanked me for cheering them up. As always, the warmth I got back from people was precious. I always get back more than I give.