Sea Day on June 3rd

During the night, between 2:00 and 3:00am, Insignia crosses the Equator. This is the sixth time we have crossed the Equator since we began the trip: enroute to Fortaleza, Brazil, enroute to Togo in Africa, back down the west coast to Africa toward Namibia, between the Seychelles and the Maldives in the Indian Ocean, enroute to Bali, and today enroute to Hawaii. Each time we have done so, we have received a certificate from Oceania Cruises attesting to the fact.

But there is also an initiation ceremony that takes place aboard ship, and we are told that this is an ancient tradition whose origin is lost but there is speculation that it began in the Middle Ages or possibly with the Vikings.

As written in today’s Currents announcing the ceremony: “Today the tradition continues with the initiations of all Polliwogs, those soft, gushy creatures that have never crossed the Equator into the secret society of Shellbacks, the hard, tough creatures that have crossed the Equator before.”

So at 10:00am today, the ceremony began, and Steve went up to record it. While it is held primarily for the guests on board crossing for the first time, today’s ceremony will have several crewmembers. Oceania Cruises is careful to keep the initiation clean and neat for the passengers, but for crewmembers it is an entirely different story. Cathy’s brother John Hearne would tell us that this is entirely appropriate, as he went through his as a member of the US Navy on the USS Enterprise some thirty years ago. I’m sure that his “transformation” was pretty interesting, to say the least.

The ceremony begins with Chef Farid and his staff delivering the “ingredients” for the initiation. This includes flour, spaghetti, water and, most especially, a huge dead fish.

Next the Master of Ceremonies is introduced and takes over. He welcomes everyone and then requests that the Captain come forward to give permission for King Neptune and his entourage to board the ship. All of this is scripted to formalize the ceremony.

Once the Captain has authorized it, King Neptune and his wife enter from Deck 10, take a lap around the fitness track above the pool area and descend the stairs for the ceremony.

King Neptune and the MC read a script concerning the history and importance of the Shellback initiation. It is now time to proceed. The crewmembers will go first.

One by one, they are brought forward and initiated. First they must yell: “I want to be a Shellback” three times. Next, they must kiss the fish three times. Following that, the initiate is anointed with several substances, the last of which is water (the passengers being initiated only receive the water).

Two of our favorite crewmembers are among those being initiated: Here is Albina from Russia, a sweet, delightful young lady who works in the dining rooms.

The other favorite is Amy from Great Britain, a member of the entertainment staff who, among other things, runs the Coffee Chat and Needlepoint.

I took photos of their initiations specifically because I thought they might enjoy having a photo record of this ceremony they endured, and I was correct. They especially wished for their parents to share in what they had “accomplished.”

The passengers are next, and then the ceremony ends with King Neptune and entourage marching out. It really is a hoot, and all in good fun. For the passengers, the initiation is voluntary, but not for the crewmembers. No doubt they will look forward to seeing “newbies” being initiated, as they were the next time they are aboard a ship crossing the Equator.

The rest of the day is quite uneventful, certainly compared to the morning. Sunset is striking, and the sea has begun to assert itself.