Caribbean Cruise Part 1

7/27/2019 Caribbean Cruise Part 1

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Integrated Theme Unit / Cruising the Caribbean Part 1

2011 abcteach.com

Cruising in the Caribbean

Day 1: Melvin and Morris Board the Ship

Yesterday mom stuffed us in a suitcase. The

indignity! When we went to Vegas six years ago, we got

to ride in the airplane. This time no such luck! Mom

said it was just too expensive to book us as official

guests in the cabin. I guess its really our own fault.

She and dad were going to go on their first cruise

together in two years and wanted to leave us at home. We pestered and pleaded with

her until she agreed to take us. She said we could stow away in her suitcase.

We are going on a Caribbean cruise.

The Caribbean area is shown on this

map. The Caribbean Sea is part of the

Atlantic Ocean which is found

between the Islands shown on the

map, Central America and the top of

South America.

Mom was very excited because

her room got u p g r a d e d to a balcony

room.

I asked mom what upgraded meant. She replied, Thats when you pay for one

kind of cabin and get a better one for the same price. We booked a room with an

obstructed view. Obstructed means that there is something in the way. In this case,

it means you get a window, but mostly what you see is a life boat. Right in front of

the window! The lifeboat o b s t r u c t s your view of the ocean. This time they gave us a

balcony room. Thats where you have a little porch of your own where you can sit in

the open air and watch the waves go by. Balcony rooms are very expensive, so your


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dad and I are very excited that we got one for the same price we were going to pay

for our original room. Then, she stuffed us in the suitcase!

We had to go through customs before we got on the ship. I dont know exactly

what going through customs means, but there was a bright light that came right

through the suitcase at one point and I could see all of Morriss bones. How did that

happen? We were in the suitcase a LONG time. We could hear what was going on in

the ship, but it was all very confusing. First, they called everybody out on deck for a

mustard drill. Maybe they were having a cookout. We like mustard on hamburgers

and hotdogs. When mustard drill was over we could hear the captain talking over the

intercom system. He welcomed everybody aboard and told them dinner would be

served in the dining room or they could eat in the caf. Hmmmmmmmaybe

mustard drill isnt about eating. Ill have to ask mom.

I guess I should tell you that we are on what is called a cruise. On a cruise, you

get on a big ship and take a vacation. Our ship has fourteen decks. A deck is like a

story or separate level in a building. Some decks have different things on them like

theaters, restaurants, pools and even stores. Other decks just have rooms where

people stay. Some decks have rooms a n dother things on them! A cruise ship is like

a huge, floating hotel. The picture below isnt our ship, but it shows what a cruise

ship looks like.


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Finally, mom let us out of the

suitcase. Morris looked a little ill and said

we had heard all about the mustard drill,

but he wasnt hungry, because his tummy

hurt. The mustard drill wasnt abouteating, after all. Mom explained the whole

thing to us after she finished laughing.

Mu s t e r d r i l l is a practice that humans do

to make sure they can get off of the ship

safely in case there is an emergency.

They do muster drill before the ship takes

off. It is like a fire drill. An alarm sounds.The alarm is seven short blasts on a horn

followed by one long blast. On this ship,

deck five is where they keep the life boats. People are assigned to different Muster

Stations depending on what deck their cabin is on. When they get to the Muster

Station crew members explain what will happen if there is a REAL emergency.

Everyone practices putting on their life jackets. The captain talks to everyone for

awhile over the intercom and explains more about emergencies at sea. Emergenciesat sea are when things happen like a fire on the ship, or if the ship became damaged

and started to sink. If there was a real emergency, people would go to their assigned

muster stations and get into the life boats. The boats would be lowered into the

ocean and people would be evacuated, or taken away safely, from the ship.

I want to go home, Morris said. I dont like emergencies. You and dad never

said anything about emergencies.

There wont be an emergency, mom said, Muster drill just helps you know

what to do if something should happen. Even if there was an emergency, everyone

would be safe because there are plenty of lifeboats.


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The life boats would sail off and take the p e o p l e

to land safely. What about the moose? We didnt

even get our own life vests! Mom said we would be

okay. I dont know about that. Morris, and I bugged

mom until she let us practice muster drill in ourstateroom using the extra life vest in the closet. I felt

squished, and Morris kept blowing the whistle. As

usual, we both got in trouble, but t h i s time it wasnt

m yfault at all!

As soon as our own private Muster Drill was over,

Morris and I explored the cabin. As I said before, we

have a balcony room. A balcony has an acrylic (hard, clear plastic) wall with a rail on

top of it, so you dont fall off of the boat. I climbed on top of it immediately. Melvin,

mom screamed, Get OFF of the balcony rail. You might fall overboard!

Melvin sitting on the balcony rail Morris and Melvin in the chair.

I looked over the rail. It was a long way down! All I could see was water in every

direction. I decided mom was right and sitting here was NOT a good idea, so I

climbed down carefully and went to sit with Morris in the chair. Mom and dad went off

to have dinner in the dining room. WE called for room service and ate on the

balcony!


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Name: ___________________________

Directions: Use the information on pages 1-4 to answer the questions below:

1. Why did Melvin and Morris have to stow away in a suitcase?

______________________________________________________________________________________________________

2. What does u p g r a d e d

mean?

A. to get a free room on a cruise ship

B. to get a better room for the same price

C. to get a room on a higher deck of the shipD. to get two rooms for the price of one room

3. Read this sentence from the text: We pestered and p l e a d e d

she agreed to take us. Another word that means almost the same as

with her until

p l e a d e d

is __________________.

A. complained

B. argued

C. begged

D. cried

4. Why does Melvin say that a cruise ship is like ah u g e f lo a t i n g h o t e l ?

___________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


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5. Using your knowledge of fire drills and the information about muster drills

from the text, explain how a muster drill is like a fire drill on the lines

below:

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

6. What happens after the alarm sounds for a muster drill, but BEFORE

people practice putting on their life jackets?

A. The captain talks about real emergencies at sea.

B. People go to their assigned muster stations.

C. The crew show people how to get into life boats.

D. People board the ship and go to their cabins.

7. Why did Morris say he wanted to go home after mom explained whatMuster Drill was?

A. He was afraid the life boats would drive off without him.

B. He got into trouble because Morris kept blowing the whistle.

C. He didnt have his own life vest and hadnt practicedmuster drill.

D. He was afraid there would be a real emergency aboard their ship.

8. Why did Melvin decide that mom was right and he should get off of the

balcony rail?

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


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Cruise Ship Vocabulary

Before we tell you more about the cruise, I guess wed better explain a little bit

about cruise ships! Even the smallest cruise ship is REALLY big! The most important

thing to know about cruise ships is that you n e v e r call them boats! People on the

ship get really upset if you do.

Another important thing to know about cruise ships is that they have their very

own set of special words you use when you are talking about the ship or things on

the ship! Heres a few:

1. B o a r d : Someone will say, Its time to board now.Th i s m e a n s y o u g e t o n

t h e s h i p . When you get off the ship, you d i se m b a r k .

2. De c k : Buildings have floors or stories. Ships have decks. When someone says,

My room is on deck 5, this means that they are on the 5th floor of the ship!

3. S t a t e r o om : Your house has rooms. Ships have cabins, or staterooms. They

mean the same thing. There are different types, or categories of staterooms:

A. I n t e r i o r s t a t e r o o m s : Each deck has hallways. The rooms closest to the

middle of the ship are interior staterooms. These rooms do not have any

windows, because if they did they would open into the hallway and all you

would see would people walking up and down the hallways. These rooms are

usually smaller than other rooms. They have a closet, a small bathroom with

a shower, a little area with a couch or chair to sit on and one or two beds.

They all have a television. These rooms usually cost less than other rooms

on a ship.

B.Ou t s i d e s t a t e r o om s : These rooms have windows on the outside of the

ship. You can see the ocean and sky out of the windows. They have small

bathrooms. (Some bathrooms have bathtubs in the outside rooms on some

ships. Most ships just have showers in these rooms.) The rooms are usually


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a little bigger than the interior staterooms, but they have the same things in

them: Televisions, couches, beds and chairs.

C.Ou t s i d e st a t e r o om s w i t h B a lc o n i es : These rooms have all of the same

things as the outside rooms, except that they have ceiling to floor sliding

glass windows that open onto a small porch, or balcony. You can go out inthe fresh air and watch the ocean and sky from your balcony. The balcony

has a small table and chairs to sit in.

D.M i n i - Su i t e w i t h B a lc o n y : Th e w o r d s u i t e ( p r o n o u n c ed - s w e e t ) m e a n s

a g r o u p o f r o o m s t h a t s o m e o n e st a y s in . These are larger rooms that

have a bedroom, bathroom with a tub, and a sitting area with a sofa.

Usually, these are sofa beds, which mean you can have another person in

your room. These are great for families on vacation. These rooms also haveprivate balconies. You also get extra special service when you stay in a

suite!

E. D e l u x e S u i t e s : These suites are called different things on different ships,

but they are the biggest! They usually have two bedrooms, a living room, a

small kitchen and dining area, one or two bathrooms with tubs, and one or

two balconies. Like, a junior suite, you also get extra special service!

4. St a r b o a r d a n d P o r t . When you are on the right side of the ship looking to the

forward, or front of the ship, you are on the starboard side. When you are on

the left side of the ship, looking to the front of the ship you are on the port

side.

5. Forward and Aft: When you go forward, you go towards the front of the ship.

When you go aft, you go to the back of the ship.

6. Port of Call: This is a place where the ship stops that has an area where the

cruise ship can dock or anchor. Some ports of call do not have docks. The

ships have places where they can drop their anchors. People ride small boats

called tender boats to get from the ship to the shore. Other ports have docks,

where the cruise ship can tie up to the dock with huge, thick ropes. People can

walk off the ship on to the dock in these ports.


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What is a Deck Plan?

This is an example deck plan. Ad e c k p l a n is a map showing whatis located on a deck. This deck onlyhas interior and outsidestaterooms. No staterooms on thisdeck have balconies. This deck plandoes not show locations of stairs orelevators.

Directions: Use the informationon pages 7 and 8 to label thefollowing parts of the ship onthe deck plan:

1. Aft2. Forward3. Port side4. Starboard side5. Interior staterooms6. Outside staterooms

Dear Readers,

A deck plan on a realcruise ship is about twice

as long as this one. It has

about twice as manystaterooms, too! Mom said

we needed to tell you we

just drew this one to show

you how it works.

Melvin and Morris


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Cruise Lines charge different prices fordifferent rooms on the ship. How muchthey charge also depends on what weekof the year you want to travel. Prices arealways shown based on two peoplestaying in the same stateroom. The prices

shown are per person. If one personchooses to go on the cruise alone, he orshe usually has to pay the same price astwo people would pay. Here is a chartshowing prices for cabins, or staterooms,on our ship. (These are example prices)

Stateroom category Room Price per person if there are 2 people per

room, or double occupancy

Interior stateroom $389

Large Interior Stateroom $419

Outside Stateroom with an

Obstructed View

$469

Large Outside Stateroom $659

Large Outside Stateroom with

Balcony on Decks 4 and 5

$879

Large Outside Stateroom withBalcony on Decks 7,8, and 9

$929

Mini-Suite with Balcony $1,509

Deluxe Suite with Balcony $2,159

1. Morris and Melvins mom booked an o u t s i d e s t a t e r o o m w i t h a n o b s t r u c t e d

v i e w . How much did she have to pay for her and their dad to stay in this

stateroom? Show your work and record your answer in the space below:


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2. The room they were upgraded to was a large outside stateroom with a

balcony on Deck 7. How much money did they save by receiving this

upgrade?

Show all your work and record your answer in the space below:

3. How much less does an o u t s i d e s t a t e r o o m w i t h a n o b s t r u c t e d v i e w cost for

two people than a l a r g e o u t s id e s t a t e r o om ?

4. Which of the following could you use to calculate how much more a d e l u x e

s u i t e would cost for two people than a m i n i - su i t e ?

A. ($2159 + 2) 2($1509)

B. ($2159 2) - ($1509 2)

C. 2($2159) ($1509 + 2)

D.($2159 X 2) - ($1509 X 2)

5. Prove your c h o i c e i s co r r e c t by solving problem 4 in the space below.


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Answer Keys:

Reading Comprehension: pp. 5 and 6

1. (Answers will vary) Suggested answer: It was too expensive to book a room for 4 people.

Since Morris and Melvin are so small (and stuffed animals) they could be packed, or stow

away in a suitcase.

2. B. to get a better room for the same price

3. C. begged

4. (Answers will vary) Suggested answer: A cruise ship has many rooms for people to stayin and many different things to do, such as swimming, shopping, fitness centers and

watching shows. Hotels have rooms for people to stay in and many different things forpeople to do. Most have swimming pools, fitness rooms, shops, and some have shows.)

5. (Answers will vary) Suggested answer: A fire drill is when you practice leaving a building

safely if it catches on fire. You have a special way to go out and an appointed place to meet.

A muster drill is when you practice leaving a ship safely in case of an emergency at sea. You

have a special way to go to a muster station. At the muster station there are life boats to

get on so you can leave the ship safely.

6. B. People go to their assigned muster stations.

7. D. He was afraid there would be a real emergency aboard their ship.

8. (Answers will vary) Suggested answer: Melvin looked down and saw that it was a long

way down if he fell in the ocean. Also there was no land anywhere, so he couldnt swim to

safety.

DECK PLANS p.9Forward

Aft

StarboardPort

Outside staterooms

Interior staterooms


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Answer Key: Math

1. $469 +$469 or $469 X 2 = $938

2. $929 + $929 or $929 X 2 = $1,858

$1,858 $938 = $920. She saved $920.

3. $659 + $659 or $659 X 2 = $1,318

$ 1,318 - $938 = $380

4. D. ($2,159 X 2) - ($1,509 X 2)

5. 2 people in a deluxe suite = $2,159 X 2 = $4,318

2 people in a mini suite = $1,509 X 2 = $3,018

$4,318 - $3,018 = $1,300

Documents

Caribbean Cruise Part 1