Krista Jocelyn has shared her life working on cruise ships on her popular YouTube channel.
Normally, when she leaves a ship, she knows that she's coming back on a different contract. She may have months off, but her next ship has been lined up.
Related: 2 things you can't do on a Royal Caribbean or Carnival cruise ship
That's not the case this time.
Jocelyn got off Freedom of the Seas earlier this month not knowing if there will be a next cruise ship contract for her. That made this an especially emotional farewell along with another unique situation.
Her ship, Royal Caribbean's Freedom of the Seas, is headed into a drydock, so the entire show cast is departing. Casts rehearse together, and often do have matching contracts but it's usually some members stay on as part of the next cast.
In this case, Jocelyn is leaving Freedom of the Seas, saying goodbye to friends, and perhaps, leaving her days at sea behind her.
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Royal Caribbean singer may be saying goodbye to ship life
Transcript:
How is it our last week onboard? Like, it does not feel real at all. I don't know how to feel about it, honestly. I'm kind of mixed feelings.
I'm sad, but also excited. Attention crew, the following muster stations to be relocated to casino deck four. Today is day two of an eight-day cruise.
We are in Nassau today. I don't know if I'm going to get off the ship. Um, we have a show tonight.
We are closing Marquis, which is very sad, um, but before that we have drill, so I'm just waiting for the announcements. Last drill, super exciting. It's so weird to, like, be doing all the lasts, you know? Like, last night we did our last welcome aboard show.
Today's last drill. We'll close Marquis tonight. Like, every day there's something that we're, like, closing.
I think part of me is also, like, extra sad because I don't have another contract lined up. Part of me doesn't even know if I want to do another contract yet, and so it feels like some of these lasts are potentially, like, last. Like, forever last, and that is scary and sad and has me definitely in my feels a little bit.
Anyway, it is time to head to my muster station for my very last drill. Crew and the crew only and guest participation is not required. This is our pre-show.
Second to last time coming into my little corner where I do my vocal warm-ups. I've been doing the same warm-up all contract. Right before I came here, I was doing some voice lessons with a guy in New York, and I just have, like, a recording of me doing the warm-ups with him, and I've been doing it every single show.
I don't know why that's making me, like, sentimental all of a sudden because when I was, when I first got the contract, I was so nervous because I was like, oh my god, I'm gonna be singing. I haven't sang in, like, years, so I immediately got voice lessons and just, you know, kind of, like, remember how to sing. So I've been so grateful for these warm-ups that I've had for the whole contract to just feel ready for the shows.
Yeah, just thinking back to how nervous I was. I don't really know where I'm going with this, but it's my second to last time doing my little warm-ups in this ugly little corner of the stage. Last sound check.
Who's ready? Oh, Kyle's not ready. That's it. This is the end.
I can tell you, it doesn't matter what's gonna happen to each and every one of you if you don't do it. Different ships, different companies, things like that. From my experience, I can guarantee the 17 of you that at some point, you will miss performing these shows.
Make the best moment now, and then make sure that you enjoy it. One, two, three. Welcome to Freedia! Hey, first time we're done.
First time being a boy, or second to last time. I'm nervous. There you go.
Okay, we closed Marquis last night, which it kind of doesn't feel real. It does still feel weird to know that we're not going to do Marquis like ever again. This version with these, you know, 17 other people will never do again, which is always just a little bit sad.
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Freedom of the Seas headed to drydock
The ship is going into dry dock right after we leave on January 6, so the new cast isn't coming until...I actually don't even know when they're coming. We normally, when you leave a contract, you'll leave like a box of stuff for the next cast. We like to call it sad Santa, and you can go through the box and just find like some goodies of things that people decided to leave behind.
It could be like clothes or cosmetics or things for the cabin, magnetic shelves, like whatever it is. It's just nice to like come in and like see what people left you, but the next cast isn't going to be here. So we're going to leave stuff I think for the current ice cast because they'll stay on board.
That is the plan for today, is to go through everything, probably take like mostly everything off of the walls. It's a sea day, so we just kind of want to use it to get a lot done, but it shouldn't take too long. I think I mentioned before, I gave my mom a bag, a 50 pound bag when they left a couple weeks ago, so I only have my big suitcase and my carry-on and personal item to pack, and I feel like looking around, I feel okay, I feel like it's all going to fit, but we'll see.
Also it's New Year's Eve, which is crazy, it does not feel like New Year's Eve at all. So it's going to feel like a nice fresh start, kind of cleaning up the cabin and getting everything put away. There's a decent amount of things I have to wait kind of until the second to last day, last day, but it feels very bearing, that is for sure.
But I think we are going to head to the mess now because we're doing like a special New Year's Eve dinner, so we're going to go check that out. I'm starving. Let's go check out the mess and see what they have.
Okay, it's like 11.15, and we are about to head upstairs to the promenade to watch the ball drop. The ball drop? The balloons drop. There's no ball.
The balls drop. Um, I didn't have really a New Year's Eve outfit, so I'm wearing this green dress, which... They were selling champagne in the crew bar, but they don't usually have, they had some like Moet, is that how you say it? I feel like I don't know, people say Moet, I really don't know. I don't think you should pop it because like one of our eyes is going to get taken out.
Are you going? Happy New Year. Cheers. Happy 2025.
And with that, the 2024 season has come to an end. What's your word for 2025? One word? That's all you're allowed. Novel.
New year, new experiences
Like I feel like it's to new, new experiences. Okay. Like we've done a lot of the same thing for the last handful of years.
I feel like growth is like a boring word Yeah, I don't know but it's time to go or else we're gonna miss the balloons Oh Okay, today has been the longest day ever and it's only like 3:30. I had to do my medical this morning for well, not for my next contract because I don't have another contract lined up, but my current medical expires tomorrow.
So, I needed to get it done and I was really cutting it close by getting it done today I was honestly a little bit nervous that the appointment wasn't gonna go through because I didn't find out until last night at like 4 p.m. 5 p.m. That I was gonna be getting it done. So so we were in Jamaica today And that is where I got it done. It was $215 to get it done there.
Whereas if you get it done in the U.S., it's almost a thousand like it can be between like $800 and $1,000. It's really expensive to get it done. Some companies pay for your medical. Some do not.
Royal Caribbean does not depending on your position and where you're from. It was nothing super crazy
We had to get blood work done and then we just had like a normal physical, a chest x-ray. And I think that was it but it took all day. I had to meet off the ship at 8 a.m And then we just got back and it's like 3:30, but also it is closing night of "Once Upon a Time" tonight
So, we missed our tech run this morning because we had to get our medicals done So it's kind of weird not doing a tech run for me because I was out of the show last week if you watched my Last vlog I had the flu so I haven't done a show in like two weeks. It's been a while.
So I kind of wanted to have my tech run to feel a little bit more prepared, but that's okay I'm really sad to be closing the show. I feel like once upon a time something about it That show is just like really special to me. I love the part that I get to play and Yeah, it's just a cute show and I really will miss doing it a lot so it's gonna be kind of sad but It's closing night.
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Last show of the cruise contract
We are coming down to the wire only two days left after this That's time to go home. So I am going to take a really quick like hour nap because I'm exhausted from today and then get up get ready head to the theater and Last time carrying these heavy costumes down these scary stairs.
Last show, how do you feel? I'm actually really sad to be honest, but I'm excited to dance with everyone one more time.
Okay we just had our sign off meeting we got our checklist that we have to do all these things before we sign off and then our luggage tags. we closed "Once Upon a Time" last night. I was a little bit emotional it was really sad but it just feels weird to know that I'm never gonna do that show again because I really really love that show. It's so much fun to perform so yeah it was a little sad but the plan today is pack maybe get off the ship parade and then finish packing again after that.
Okay taking a little packing break to go get some lunch I'm wearing this dress that's a little over the top for lunch but it was the closest thing I could find in all my packing this bag is like halfway full it's like 37 pounds so lots of room still in there stuff I'm getting rid of carry-on is kind of random right now and I haven't even touched my personal items.
So okay we had lunch, threw some laundry in and now it's time for our very last parade.
All right we're ready for our last farewell the room. Okay this is out because I just had to get ready obviously and I was editing a little bit so don't look at that and then I have to put it in here but everything else is packed Robert's a little bit more clean than I am once we get back from farewell we'll put like literally everything away.
We're ice skating tonight so we have to leave an outfit out for that but we bid you, we're about to go bid everyone farewell. We were okay.
I can't talk and then we will be it's happening we're gonna go to crew bar and get a little and then we're gonna go to all skates and try to ice skate and my try I mean me because I'm going to suck but Robert can actually ice we'll see how it goes we probably shouldn't have a drink.
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