I'M-IN-ASIA! I must say that when we first arrived in Osaka, Japan...for the first time, I felt REALLY far away from home. Don't get me wrong, seeing tribal dances in Papua New Guinea and sailing right next to the Sydney Opera House felt far...but now I feel REALLY, REALLY far. Our first stop was very brief for a memorial service at Iwo Jima, where Americans climbed the mountain to fight Japanese soldiers. The ship did a really nice service for all the veterans and we all gathered on the deck to see the famous mountain where the American flag was placed. [View Full Entry]

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So for those of you who have never heard of Saipan, or the Northern Mariana Islands, you will be happy to know that it is where I have been frolicking all day, but at 70 ft below sea level in a yellow submarine. IT WAS AWESOME!!! I volunteered to be another "tour escort" and got put on a submarine tour, I mean when else am I going to be able to go on a submarine (point one) and in Saipan (point two). So needless to say, I was very excited to get this tour. Saipan is beautiful!! The water was turquoise [View Full Entry]

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I never thought I actually would BE on a slow boat to China, but hence...I am! Segment Three of the world cruise has started and we are sailing off the coast of Australia after spending this past week in Melbourne and Sydney. We have 2 days at sea before we arrive at Hardy Reef (the Great Barrier Reef) and Cairns, Australia. We then head over to Papa New Guinea, Japan, and China!! Let me first update on the past couple of days. Unfortunately, there seems to be a big, grey raincloud following this ship around because almost everywhere we go, the [View Full Entry]

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Hey Everybody! Here I am in an internet cafe in Nelson, New Zealand! Lots to update on! I ended up writing a fabulous blog the other day, and then my internet shut down and it all got erased. So annoying!! Anyway, I am here in NZ and loving it! It is the most beautiful, clean place with lots of good shopping, and really warm, friendly people. Auckland was a big, booming city and Wellington yesterday was probably my favorite. Ryan and I got off the ship with some passengers, Bruce and Gail, who are lovely. We rode the Wellington cable car [View Full Entry]

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That's right...I have officially crossed the equator and the International date line, therefore making Ashley's calendar go from Jan. 25th to Jan 27th. WHHHHHAT??!? So weird. January 26th did not exist for me this year, and I am still getting over the weirdness of that ! Let me start by saying...THIS IS MORE LIKE IT! This past week has been BREATHTAKING. We as a cast have had lots more time to relax, and Tahiti and Bora Bora were definitely the two most beautiful places I have ever seen. In Papette, Tahiti, the cast took a cab to Tyrie waterfalls, climbed a [View Full Entry]

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Aloha to all .. Honolulu was yesterday and it was absolutely gorgeous. We had the entire day and evening off, and I was ecstatic! First of all, wearing flowers in my hair just makes me happy. Mike, Christina, Shari, Ryan, and I took a shuttle to Waikiki beach, had a yummy lunch, and spent the day laying out on the super crowded beach. It reminded me a lot of Ft. Lauderdale beach...except for the huge volcanoes in the background, so there's that. At night time, it got really pretty as all the tiki torches were lit and the sunset was spectacular. [View Full Entry]

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Just a few minutes to update... We have begun the "world cruise segment" and have left LA and San Francisco....there was an awful storm and the ship was really rocky. It was great to see Jenny and go to my most favorite store, SKY, in LA! Bought some dresses and a cute shirt from Kitson on Robertson. Oh how I love LA, and OH OH OH how I love Jenny Ashman! :) In San Francisco, we had a yummy seafood dinner at Scoma's, an awesome seafood place with the best lobtser bisque ever. We also sailed right under the Golden Gate [View Full Entry]

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Alright so before you all wonder why it has taken me THIS long to update...allow to explain that my life has been utter chaos for the past month and a half since I got on the ship. We had a 5 week rehearsal/installation process from hell where I literally rehearsed from morning until night, while battling being sick, adjusting to ship life, and trying to squeeze in "Ashley time" all at once. Now before you shake your head and "oye vey" (mom), I must tell you that this past week has been MUCH more like it. We have finally opened all [View Full Entry]

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Yes, that's right everybody, I have just signed on to perform my cabaret and as a lead production singer on a 5 month world cruise to 6 continents and over 30 countries to fulfill yet another big dream of mine! Now I am combining the whole performing/getting paid thing (already a foreign concept) with performing/getting paid/traveling around the world...maybe that bachelors in Musical Theatre wasn't so useless AFTERALL! Sadly, I will be leaving my life of princesses, tea parties, and pixie dust behind to delve into this opportunity. I have performed as "Rose Petal" for 2 and a half years [View Full Entry]

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