At the end of each year, SSP staff and management conduct an evaluation. What is different about this evaluation, as compared to other places I have worked, is that it is just as much an evaluation of the company as well as the employee. We are highly encouraged to be open and freely make suggestions.
Last year, I suggested that instead of small quarterly events, we conduct one huge retreat in Estes Park, Colorado. Well, I think Skye took that suggestion, and spiced it up a great deal more. SSP went on a company-paid cruise to Mexico.
Why would a company provide a cruise for its employees? Yes, it is an excellent marketing tool to acquire new talent. Heck, why wouldn’t a new employee look at SSP and say, “They take their employees on a cruise to Mexico, snowmobiling, white water rafting, and bowling. I want to work there!”
I think Skye is mostly bringing the Team on this adventure because he is a nice guy and “Sharing the wealth.” Skye expects quality, hard work (and should!), and this is his way of saying “Thanks, Team, for a job well done!”
I had never been on a cruise before. As a child, my family owned a house boat on Lake Cumberland in Kentucky for about ten years. Hardly a week goes by (in the warmer months) that I am not fishing from my kayak. I like boats, but this is the “King Kong Bundy of Boats.” Prior to taking the cruise, my first initial thoughts were as follows:
- That is an amazing offering of SSP.
- There are a lot of people in a tight space.
- Can I fish off the back?
- Are there community bathrooms or is there one per room? I visualize something like European Vacation when the dude from Harry Potter walks in on Ellen. I have done zero homework for this trip. Too busy.
- Does Butch (coworker that I am sharing a room with) snore? Seriously, I have brought OTC Snore-Stop (for both of us because I snore occasionally) and noise cancellation head-phones.
On a previous work engagement, I spent three weeks in Portland, Maine. Prior to that trip, I set the goal of eating 30 lobsters. That equates to 2 per day for 15 onsite days. I ended up eating 24 mostly at the Portland Lobster Company. Anyway….when cruise ships came into town, the town changed for the worse. T-shirt stands would appear and the population grossly increased.
I remember thinking to myself that it would be difficult to appreciate how wonderful Portland was, if the only time they saw it was when they got off the ship. Let’s just say that I was happier when the ships were not in port. This has me concerned about arriving in Cozumel, Mexico (and fast forward ahead….this proved to be 100% correct).
So…I typed the above on the first leg of the plane trip to Atlanta, Georgia. Similar to Portland and the lobster-eating goal, I needed goals for this trip. I came up with five as follows:
- Workout every day. Not sure how I am going to do this or what is offered, but going to get off the lounge chair.
- Socialize with coworkers. Being a remote employee, I crave face-to-face time with the Team. I am normally asleep by 9:00 pm and up by 5:00 am. I am going to break that habit, and push my limits. I am sure John won’t wake up until 10:00 at the earliest.
- Not work. Enough said.
- Drink something besides beer. If it has an umbrella in it, I am in.
- Keep a journal and publish (see below). This is not work, because I truly enjoy writing (hopefully a few people enjoy reading my blog posts). I could see this diary being similar to the Pokepost previously published.
Thursday – 9/29/2016
Dear Diary,
Woke up a little before 4:00, and drove about one hour to the Philadelphia Airport. Once at the airport, had to create an Out of Office Reply on my email. These auto-replies basically inform my clients that I am on vacation, and they aren’t.
Via Delta Airlines, took off at 7:30 to Atlanta. While in Atlanta, met up with Chris, Clarke, and Amy. I also had to take care of a small issue that developed with one of my clients. Did I violate one of my goals of working? I guess I have to modify the goals to start once I get on the King Kong Bundy. Can’t receive cell phone service and internet on the Bundy anyway.
The final leg of the flights was from Atlanta to Houston. From Houston, our micro SSP crew picked up a shuttle to Galveston where we boarded the Bundy. The security lines were extremely efficient, and the staff was courteous. Wish TSA would take notes. We were issued a card that serves as the room key and all charges (basically your life’s blood).
While on the Bundy, I did look out at Galveston and was reminded of one of the United States’ biggest natural disasters occurred here in 1900. 6,000-12,000 people died from a hurricane. Sad.
Prior to leaving Galveston, got a text message from my credit card company of a potential fraudulent charge from Carnival Cruise lines. I worry too much, and wanted to address this immediately while we had cell phone service. Learned that this is what Carnival Cruise Lines does……They immediately charge the credit card $100. After figuring this out, I approved the charge and could start enjoying myself.
Although Skye bought a drink package (will figure out what that means later), we had to purchase our own drinks on the first day of the cruise. Skye gave us a $50 credit for this first day. Love that guy. Pursuant to one of my goals, I purchased an umbrella drink.
Have no idea what it was, but it was good. From the price, I easily discerned that the $50 would purchase about four drinks.
The room situation….Each room has their own bathroom. It is small, but very adequate. Only problem was that there was only one bed. I suggested to Butch (and he completely agreed) that one of us should sleep on the floor, and it would be decided by flipping a coin.
Later, I saw some cruise staff breaking beds apart. I asked them if they would do the same, and they politely agreed. Those guys work very hard, and I was extremely impressed with their personality and work ethic though out the entire cruise. It was appreciated that they kept calling me by name.
Yes…I talked with them often and enjoyed learning about them, but the name usage will be something that will be used and enhanced in my own work.
At 3:30, the entire Bundy had to participate in an emergency drill. Makes sense (I saw Titanic). In short, we all had to go stand in linear rows in hot, tight quarters. There was a guy on the PA system that went through the procedure while staff demonstrated how to put on a life jacket.
In my opinion, this was a small step above completely worthless. In the event of an actual problem at sea, we are in trouble. I did learn that there were enough life rafts for everyone. That is good, because I didn’t want to be floating in the middle of the Gulf of Mexico on a door.
After this sweat box activity, the entire sweaty SSP crew met for a picture. Seeing the entire Team reminds me of how big we have grown. Keith and Jessica designed excellent t-shirts for the event.
After the photo, we had a company meeting. I honestly didn’t need additional company motivation or a moral boost, because I already knew how good we have it at SSP. Skye gave a presentation that was extremely uplifting. He went through the entire ten-year history of the company that started with him and Sara working out of his basement.
Very much appreciate the guts it took to seek out the Oracle (Scott Barth), and follow a plan. If I have one regret in my career, I regret that I stayed plugged into the Matrix and didn’t follow a similar path. Skye is a role model for others, and that presentation should be canned and given every year. Employees should know and be reminded of the history of their employer.
After a good dinner, hung out on the Marlboro Desk (back of the boat where smoking is allowed) and watched the sunset with several Teammates. This was probably my favorite time of the first day. Clear night with a nice breeze. Watched the sun set behind oil rigs and ships.
I later hung out with Blodgett. Spent about 5 minutes in an extremely bad music show that thought that they could improve poor quality by playing it louder. Would rather go stand in the sweat box for another 30 minutes than watch another minute of that show. We went to a Sports Bar where I violated one of my goals of no beer.
After a beer, we went to a late night comedy show. It was OK at best. Was extremely tired after the first show, and went back to the room. Found the beds separated, and crashed.
Sincerely,
Excited and Happy to be Right Where I Am
Friday – 9/30/2016
Dear Diary,
Got up about 6:00. Did Butch snore? Have no idea. Slept all night. The Bundy has a low roar and vibration 24/7. I find it somewhat relaxing, but as I write this I am starting to get a head ache.
Grabbed a cup of coffee and walked around the ship. Not many people awake, and probably only walked about 2 miles. Would not call that a workout. May be violating another one of my goals.
Had a nice omelet and fruit for breakfast, and started writing the events of Thursday. This morning, I have been asking myself if cruising is for me. At first thought, No. Multiple reasons I guess. I like nature, and the Bundy is a floating Hilton. On second thought, Maybe. Not much to do, but RELAX. This might be what the doctor ordered after a tough year. Going to give it a try.
After writing the above, I put the computer back in the room and went up to the top floor. I did something that I very rarely do…NOTHING. Just looked at the water for about 3-4 hours. This time also allowed for some personal reflection and planning. After my water watching, blood pressure-reducing activity, hung out with Blodgett, Sara, and Mertzy. Just sat at a table and talked.
Played some ping pong today with John and Blodgett. Never played outdoors. It is a completely different game with the wind. Because of the wind, on side has the balls sailing off the end of the table and the other has them falling down. Love that game.
Afterwards, did the waterslide for the first time. A better name would have been the waterstop. Not nearly enough water, which resulted in my stopping midway down.
Hung out with several SSP employees in the front of the Bundy. Skye suggested we play SSPopoly. This is a game that is exactly the same as Monopoly, except it is based on SSP’s clients. It turned into extremely competitive nerds trying to out deal the other ones. Who won? Let’s just say I have never seen Skye so happy.
Probably my favorite activity is still watching the sunsets on the Marlboro Deck. I made a few mistakes on this cruise (more later). Mistake #1 – I should have brought my acrylics to paint the beautiful colors.
Concluded the day with my friends and a formal dinner. I would have been just as happy with hamburgers on the grill and beer in the cooler. Butch bailed me out by loaning me a pair of paints (Mistake #2 – Forgetting Pants).
Pottsy and his wife, Julianna, looked like they were on the red carpet of the Oscars. Shana also looked amazing. Very beautiful people that are completely out of a pant borrower’s league. Food was good.
From there, we all went to the Virginia Slims Disco. I absolutely love to dance and (at the same time) hate watching others dance. After getting my second-hand nicotine fix for the evening, went to bed.
Sincerely,
Almost RELAXED
Saturday – 10/1/2016
Dear Diary,
Woke up around 6, and came out to the Marlboro Deck to do my daily writing. Did Butch snore? Nope, and if he did….that would be OK because he bailed me out with the whole formal dinner thing (plus I forgot toothpaste. Mistake #3 – No Toothpaste. Glad at least Butch was prepared.).
Can see land for the first time since leaving. Going to assume that is Mexico and not Cuba, since it is on the right side of the Bundy. The water is extremely blue. Have no idea why. I heard “Deep” multiple times. Don’t buy it. Who knows?
The docking procedure was interesting. Very slow and steady. I remember my father docking the house boat and hitting the boats on the side or the hitting the dock hard in the front. The driver of the Bundy was much better than Pop, and docked beautifully.
Getting off the Bundy was almost as bad as the sweat box. There were two lines that winded around the boat, and didn’t seem to go anywhere. After about 30 minutes, we were off. I decided to save my money and not take a tour. Mistake #4 – I decided to just walk around town.
This plan was absolutely stupid, and the worst part of the trip. We first had to go through a 200-yard butt-kicking machine. I have no idea the fixation on duty free items. They may be tax free but they are 50% overpriced. Come on….we have booze, cigarettes, and perfume at home. Was told by someone that the only thing worth bringing back is a gallon jug of vanilla extract.
Since I can’t remember the last time I used vanilla (if ever), I thought I would go ahead a risk not capitalizing on this potential money-saving move. Anyway everyone is filled into the narrow, linear building that moves SLOW.
For about one mile in either direction, Cozumel is one high pressure sales pitch. All the business doors were open with a person at the door trying to bring in customers. The only thing that was interesting was a guy applying Stucco to a wall. I asked to help, but I think his boss wouldn’t have approved.
Anyway after about 15-30 minutes, I got out of that town, and headed back to the Bundy. It also got me thinking. Is this what it is like at other Caribbean cities? If so, I would highly suggest not doing what I did (just walking around), which is 10 times worse than the person pushing the credit cards at the airport.
Back on the Bundy, meet up with Joaquin, Robin, and Brice. Since nobody was onboard, I suggested we hot tub at the front. Normally, there are at least a dozen people in each tub and I don’t know them. Anyway, this turned out to be my absolute favorite part of the entire trip.
Hung out in that tub for three hours. There was an extremely nice lady from Columbia that kept bringing us drinks. I think all we did was laugh. It made my happy that I passed on the excursions.
The bad news is that I got sun burn. Mistake #5 – No sunscreen. Even though it was mostly cloudy, I am very red.
Ate a hamburger and hung out with Sara below the Marlboro deck. I like Sara. Very down to earth.
Played Scattegories with several staff. Almost as completive as SSPopoly.
Spent a little time alone. Not my favorite time, but there was some good live country music in the outdoor center of the Bundy. Generally, I would consider that an oxymoron mixing ‘Good” with “Country Music”. The guy was entertaining.
Hung out in the Sports Bar. Watched the ending of an amazing Georgia-Tennessee game. I also unfortunately watched Alabama hand Kentucky their third loss. It is tough being a Kentucky Football fan sometimes. It is just amazing that I am watching my team, drinking beer, and eating wings in the middle of the ocean.
Ended the day hanging out in the Camel Casino. I was entertained by Josh, Chris, and Clarke. They taught me craps, although I don’t think I can explain it. Too much going on. The simple game is Black Jack. But it is so fast! I work way too hard for my money, and I didn’t think they would let me play with pennies. Kept my wallet in my shorts.
Sincerely,
RELAXED AND Happy
Sunday – 10/2/2016
Sitting down to my normal morning writing. I think the Bundy staff likes Rick James and Blonde. Since I have started writing this morning, I haven’t heard this many songs of theirs since the 70/80’s. Just “Call me” “Super Freak”.
Also….is it just me or is it completely stupid to walk around the breakfast bar in a white bathrobe? There are people that go back and forth from the Marlboro Deck to the coffee machine in nothing by their bathrobe. Maybe tomorrow morning, I will just walk into breakfast area wearing just my boxer shorts.
Starting to relax a bit. Being away from Wi-Fi and a cellular network has been an amazing thing. With the exception of my morning writing, I haven’t touched a computer. I think when I take my next vacation, it needs to be one without network service. It has been good for me, and I think the remaining company.
Unfortunately, I haven’t spent much time with Dennise until now. Found her, her daughter Riley, and her mother Blanco at breakfast. We walked out and hung by the pool for about 30 minutes. Enjoyed this time. Dennise’s mom is very interesting.
The rest of the day was very low key. I think that everyone is starting to get either relaxed, tired, or both. Spent some time hanging out with Keith on the Serenity (non-smoke filled) Deck up front. Just talked about life’s events and what the future has to hold. Keith is basically full of information and very entertaining.
Later….hung out with several employees in the pool in the back of the boat. Much more low key than previous days and another one of my personal favorites. Followed that up with a formal dinner, except pants weren’t required. After dinner, we hung out in a piano bar and the Camel Casino. I didn’t spend one cent in the Casino all trip. At about 11:00, I was tired and bagged it.
Sincerely,
RELAXED and Getting Tired
Monday – 10/3/2016
Dear Diary,
Got up early again, and drank some coffee on the Marlboro Deck. We were coming into Galveston Bay. Was able to get cell phone coverage for the first time. Was so happy that I didn’t get many emails and my office Fantasy Football team did well against Shana. Talked with a guy that lived in Galveston. He gave me a brief visual description of the town to include the buildings that were haunted.
At 8:30, we all started exiting the Bundy. Going through security was fairly painless since I wasn’t tempted by the duty-free crap in Cozumel. The entire company met at a charted bus outside security that drove us back to Houston-Lobby Airport. It is interesting to see the arrival times of company employees.
It seems to roughly follow demographic lines (meaning the seasoned employees are first and the newer, younger employees toward the rear). What was also interesting is that our chartered bus driver seemed to have an issue with Galveston’s finest. We overheard that they didn’t purchase a permit and the driver got ticketed in the parking lot.
Upon arrival at the airport, we all hugged and said goodbye. The east coast folks are going east and the Colorado folks are going west. Or so I thought. Met up with Skye, Shana, Keith, and Sarah at a seafood restaurant. Got a dozen oysters on the half shell. We all look extremely tired.
As I write this, I am on the first leg to Atlanta. After landing in Atlanta, gave my final SSP friends (Joaquin and Robin) a hug goodbye. If all goes well, I should get back at my domicile outside Philadelphia at 12:30-1:00 am. If it doesn’t go well, I guess the story continues.
Sincerely,
Tired but RELAXED
Closing
This was the team building event of all team building events. I learned so much about my coworkers that could not be learned in an office environment. I want to thank Skye and SSP for providing this once in a lifetime opportunity. I have absolutely confirmed that I enjoy being with my coworkers, and can’t wait to be in the Colorado office.
How did I do on my goals? My grades:
- Goal #1 (Workout Every Day) – D (Afraid only Matt and his wife Dana have an ‘A’ here.)
- Goal #2 (Socialize with coworkers) – A
- Goal #3 (Not Work) – B (Came up occasionally, but overall I think I did well)
- Goal #4 (Drink something besides beer) – B (What am I to drink with chicken wings?)
- Goal #5 (Keep a journal and publish) – A (Wrote every day)
The final question is….Will I cruise again? MAYBE, but it will absolutely be with a significant other and not alone. Life is so much better shared, and that may be the very reason Skye and Shana brought us. Thank you both for this experience that I will never forget!
Jon Taylor says:
Thank you Brian for the chronicle. That was a really fun read. I think you have captured the essence of “cruising” and may you always cruise “accompanied” in the future!
I know SSP is a wonderful company and three cheers for leadership that invests heavily in their staff.
–Jon
Brian Higgins says:
Thanks, Jon. I am glad you enjoyed reading it. I certainly enjoyed writting it…let alone the cruise. Appreciate and strongly agree with your last statement.
Thanks again.
Brian
Chalmer Donahue says:
Awesome blog, my friend. Now it makes sense why we saw you heading back to the boat as we were getting off the boat. You should have gone on the “Frankie’s Special” excursion. Well worth the $30 IMHO.
Anyway, whole-heartedly agree with your analysis and can’t wait to see you everyday.
Chalmer
Brian Higgins says:
Thanks, Chalmer. I am usually fairly good at spotting a deal. I guess I missed the Frankie deal. Glad you didn’t end up fish bait.
I am extremely excited to work with the team face to face on a daily basis.
Brian