Honolulu Blue

Thanks! I hope I'm shown a good time by everyone. Going to Mr. Lazaroff's newsletter release is a priority of mine. 9:30 isn't a problem for me. I'm almost always up well before then. I'll take notes and try to relay the news about any new one-off cruises when I can. I won't have ship internet on this cruise, so it might be a few days before I can report what goes on. By then you might have seen the newsletter in person and gotten the news from there. I didn't see the earlier versions of the schedule, so I never saw the interview with Ms. LaBelle on it. I have to say I'm a little disappointed that there isn't one on the current schedule. Perhaps they'll add one at the last minute, when we're onboard?🙏

The weather looks nearly perfect for a mid week Bahamian getaway. Miami should be in the low 80s for highs and down in the 70s for lows with little chance for rain. Nassau is similar for our days there, though there is a chance of rain Thursday afternoon. We may or may not have left by then. 🙏

A very quick look at how the music themed cruises I'm booked on for 2025 are doing booking-wise: The 90s Cruise - booking percentage unknown, but probably less than 80%. Solo-dedicated studio cabins sold out, though not the special rate for singles. Most suites sold out, most other classes have availability. Ultimate Disco Cruise - latest rumors show the UDC down to its last 100 cabins, which puts it at over 80% full. Only balcony suites and interiors show as available. The 80s Cruise - they advertise over 80% full at their main site. Interiors are almost all gone. Ditto suites and OVs. Balconies are available, though some categories are waitlisted.

Two weeks ago, I was on the charter music cruise watching these guys (among many others). I assume we were on the same cruise? I'm sorry I didn't say hello. I guess I'll do it now. My cabin in steerage on the Summit was handled well, but I have low expectations for such things.

So far, all the cruise ships I've been on (over 20 different at this point) have impressed me in their own ways. BTW, I'll be embarking on another new (for me) cruise ship tomorrow. I expect to be impressed. The Oasis-class ships are too big for my tastes, but I booked a 19-day transpacific voyage on Ovation OTS for later this year. I expect this ship to do its best to impress me.

Thanks for the note. Mr. Wilson doesn't move the needle for me, so I'll continue to say "Sorry, Charlie". 🤣 This reference has a double meaning, which may be before your time. I bet @George C knows what I mean - not that he cares. 🙃 While I have everyone's attention, a few notes: So far I've received 7 update e-mails from Jazz Cruises HQ about the upcoming McDonald LaBelle Cruise. They've all been mildly helpful and somewhat interesting. Today's Weekender newsletter has more notes about the MLC. Here's a direct quote (emphasis mine): This event is a “One-Time Only” cruise, however. My guess is that we will try to do something like this again….perhaps soon. Hmmmm.... we'll have to see what they come up with. The MLC has been declared fully reserved @NinS favorite Sheila E. was mentioned elsewhere in the newsletter. I'm looking forward to seeing her on The 80s Cruise next year. TEC is noting that they're over 80% reserved for 2025. That sounds good, until you go over to the Star Trek Cruise site and they're saying that they're over 95% booked. 😮

Thanks for sharing. I'm sorry to hear of your troubles on the Summit. As I said in the other thread, I was last on the Summit two weeks ago without experiencing any of these issues. I also found the ship to be in generally good shape, but I didn't hang out in the same places you did. Here's hoping for a satisfactory resolution and an end to this drama. 🙏

I'm sorry to hear this is happening on the Summit. I've been on her five times through the years - including a charter cruise that ended two weeks ago. The ship didn't show any of the listed issues. I can't imagine our little trip to Aruba and back causing your problems, but if it did, then I'm sorry. 🙁 Thanks for reporting and I hope things get better soon. 🙏

I'm hoping it's warmer for you too. Temperatures in that part of the world are consistent from day to day, month to month, and year to year. I've never been on an Alaska cruise, but I've heard that it's an older crowd, and the some of the entertainment caters to it. I've never done any cruises on a British line, so your comparison is helpful for me. Thank you for it.

That cruise on the Horizon is a good one, I agree. Just don't expect things to be the same as your Alaska cruise.

I streamed the football game I bet on. It might have been available in the public bar areas, but I wasn't interested. I didn't watch the basketball game. I can't imagine any of the bars broadcasting it at the time, it being a matchup between two of the worst teams in the league.

Am I a bad person for thinking of Bryan Adams when I read this? 😈

I blew a detail about the StarVista souvenir reels. I said they were 30+ minutes, and they were - in 2022. Last year, they didn't do one for the UDC at all, and the ones for Flower Power and Rock and Romance were about 12 minutes each. So I'm not sure as I was about how long they'll be when they come out, but eventually they'll come out, and it will be very interesting reviewing the one from R&R when it does come out.

Probably wise. Enjoy your cruise!

I heard similar in about the same time period. I assume it's still true. I confess that I've never gone outside the port area in Belize without an excursion.

I am, and I did. Sorry.

My two cents, though again the decision seems to have been made before I got here: I'll be on the Enchanted Princess in August (not in the Caribbean). It's one of Princess' older ships. My expectations are not very high for it. I just hope it's good enough to hold together for my cruise. 🙏 I favor the Eastern Caribbean over the Western Caribbean, so I approve of your decision overall. I think you'll especially love the jungle in St. Lucia. Be sure to get an excursion to explore it. The Western Caribbean stops you have on your listed cruises are all OK. You'll find thinks to like about each of them once you get to visit them.

The above cruise does not exist. I made it up as an April Fool's day joke. I apologize for any misunderstanding. 😄 Though that does remind me that I heard a rumor that StarVista Live is working on an 80s cruise...

I've followed Mr. Heald's communications for a while. You should consider them official, as they almost always come from official sources. He makes clear the posts that are only his opinions.

I'm sure there are some unhappy passengers onboard. As one of my favorite philosophers once said, "Haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate, hate."

A couple of tidbits I found as I was surfing the Net. I found the Soul Train Cruise fall edition's site and this is the initial lineup they have: Ehhh... I've seen several of these guys on the UDC. They've got some work to do to make it worth my $$$, IMHO. They just might be able to do it, so I'll keep an eye on it. BTW, the price for single cabins for this sailing is $3750 - the same as the other '25 sailing of this cruise, and about the same as next year's Rock and Romance thing. Also, I found out about another 80s cruise for 2025 that I WILL NOT BE SAILING ON. I wrote up that story in a new thread here:

(KOKOMO, IN) - Noted music cruise charter company VistaStar announces its long-awaited 80s cruise, along with its initial lineup! "We did a thorough amount of research in the darkest reaches of Honolulu Blue's mind for acts from the 80s that he will absolutely hate!" says Ralph Stuffedshirt, top executive and creative consultant at VistaStar. "We are convinced that whatever Mr. Blue hates, the general public will buy in record quantities at record prices!" The lineup includes such notable performers as: U2 Tears for Fears Jefferson Starship Motley Crue Poison Miami Sound Machine Beastie Boys JJ Fad Dead or Alive T'Pau Sly Fox Baltimora And many more to be announced later! This 7-day cruise will feature stops at Cozumel and Perfect Day at CocoCay on Royal Caribbeans Behemoth of the Seas and sail February 30 - March 6, 2025. Cabins start at $4444 per person, double occupancy. Bookings will start April 15 for those who have booked with VistaStar before, and April 31 for the rest of the public (if it gets that far; we think it's going to be very popular!) More information is available at (CENSORED!)

My two cents, worth even less than usual since it looks like the decision has already been made: I like all the cruises you picked, but I like the 6-day the least. GT is all right for what it is - mostly for beaches and watersports. I expect Celebration Key to be similar, with more amusement-park-like attractions. I've been to Amber Cove once (not on Carnival). It wasn't half bad. The port area has some little things to do, and the jungle around the DR promises some fun if you're into that sort of thing. I like Bonaire even though I don't snorkel. I do like "A" and "C" better and consider them two of the best islands to visit in the Caribbean. Sint Maarten is another favorite. I like San Juan. St. Thomas is all right. I've never been to HMC and I suspect I wouldn't much care for it. I did the Hawaii thing as a one-way trip from Vancouver for 11 days several years ago. Fun place. I'd like to go back sometime. The round trip makes the flight home easier, but it pushes up the price of the cruise and demands that I bring more entertainment along to fill in the gaps on all those sea days.

The short version of the R&R summary video is already up: I didn't see me or @George C. It's possible I missed one or the other of us. The concert footage went by quickly, but I'm pretty sure I was at that Cara Lee concert, and I think I was at that Lez Zeppelin show. The others I'm not so sure about; I think they preferred late concerts in this video. I always like watching these videos hoping to see myself or people I know. This year's TEC should have one out soon. I expect it to be longer than this, likely in the neighborhood of 4 minutes. And I expect a much longer summary video of R&R to come out in a few weeks or months. That one will be 30+ minutes. SPOILER ALERT: No one from SVL interviewed me on this cruise, so you won't be hearing any soundbites from me. Sorry this went a little longer than expected. These videos bring out some memories and thoughts.

It was the same for me here in Michigan, except I think I could do any number of deferrals (what they officially call extensions here) had I had valid excuses.