"Chillin the Most" with Kid Rock 3/1/2015

[budgetplan1]

Flying outta frigid North this Sunday to spend a week w/ Kid Rock and a couple thousand friends in Redneck Paradise aboard NCL Pearl.:D

 

I'm guessing 'interesting' won't even come close to describing this trip!

[jethrojam]

how was it? Was Kid Rock approachable, or just hiding out in the guarded area the whole time?

[budgetplan1]

how was it? Was Kid Rock approachable, or just hiding out in the guarded area the whole time?

 

All in all, a really great time if'n you're "ready" for it. Certainly not your typical cruise, basically just a reason to party in the sun, check out numerous bands and, of course, check out Kid Rock in a rather unusual venue. He played 2 shows (Mon & Wed) on the stage they had set up on pool deck. As with usual Kid Rock shows, love him or hate him...the guy puts 110% into his performances. I've been going to concerts big and small since 1979 and this was one of the best, if not the best. Now, that might be because of atmosphere, a concentration of die-hard fans or something else less tangible but it was an amazing show(s). Him cranking out 'Sea Cruise' (oldie but a goodie in this situation) as the ship pulled outta port put everyone in the mood for a good time.

 

He does show up here and there around the ship, many 'veterans' (this was 6th version of the Chillin' the Most Cruise) have had interactions with him over the years and there are many Facebook posts in the Chillin the Most group showing people partying, gambling, hanging out with him. There was no 'formal' meet/greet although I hear there used to be until some woman licked his face from ear to ear many years ago which put a stop to that. Not sure if that's an 'urban legend' or not, but it's what many vet's told us. He did say from the stage that he is approachable but to please not make him 'retreat to his cabin' by being stupid about it. I believe we saw him/girlfriend eating breakfast one morning but declined to approach as he was eating and hey, that'd likely irritate me as well. Woulda liked to have met him, obviously, as from what I have read and seen, he's a really decent guy who helps out the Armed Services, his community and his fans.

 

The crowd is obviously less formal than a typical cruise and so are the attendant parts of a cruise (very informal dining attire/behavior and stuff like that) and you better be accepting of rowdy crowd because it *is* one big party w/ the associated alcohol consumption & behavior. That said, everyone we met (drunk or sober) was very nice (maybe it's the "we're all one big family" on this cruise). An indication of the demeanor of the cruise was mentioned in the pre-cruise info where it stated that "Don't be offended when greeted by somebody with 'What's up, mother-f*cker?' as that is the standard greeting on this cruise...and they're right. And First-Timers are 'virgins' with attendant comments; it even states 'VIRGIN' on your lanyard card (or the number of times you've been on one if not a virgin).

 

I think the cruise line may 'dumb down' some of their offerings with regards to food quality on cruises like this. I've certainly had better on previous cruises.

 

I don't drink at all or party like I used to but still had a blast but I am not very easily offended either...which is important. Sure, there were times my eyes rolled and I wished someone would just shut the hell up but it's all part of the atmosphere.

 

Would I do it again? Probably not, just because of the cost-benefit ratio. It was something to do once but all in, with air fare, a hotel in Miami the Friday night after the cruise (Eden Roc, a whole 'nother story...), shipboard purchases, etc. it was likely near $8K for my wife and I for obstructed view cabin. I likely spent $750-$1000 on purely 'dumb' stuff but still pricey for a 5-day Miami-Cozumel-Miami cruise.

 

All that said, I am glad I went, had a great time and it was well worth it this time. And I generally *hate* crowds...all our friends were taking bets on how short it would be after boarding that my head literally exploded but it was all good.

 

For a somewhat snarky and non-politically correct re-cap (with pics), I kept track of some of the stuff daily here: https://kurtfaymon.wordpress.com/

 

I haven't really been on any 'trips' per se in the last few years but the whole experience of 'travel' seems to now be nearly more trouble than it's worth. Flight cancellations, nickle & diming everywhere for minor items, unreliability of previously 'solid' plans/reservations.

[jethrojam]

Wow solid review thanks. Glad you had fun :)

[Fiveone5]

It's been on my bucket list to go on one of these cruises. I read your blog - like your sense of humor and can relate to the 3 levels of drunk...Thanks!

[budgetplan1]

 

Well, it's about that time again...in for the 2nd year. Balcony room this year, was able to get in reservation process earlier...

 

Video from last year:

 

2 weeks and off we go...NCL really jacked up beverage prices this year...maybe they want outta the theme cruise business. Boat did drink 'em outta Coors beer and Margarita mix last year...:D

 

03/11/2015: Would I do it again? Probably not,

Well, that obviously didn't go as planned...

Edited February 23, 2016 by budgetplan1

[rigs32]

NCL owns Sixthman and has done significant work to the Pearl to better accommodate charters. They're also designing the new private island near Belize to have the proper things in place to offer concerts on the beach much easier than on GSC.

 

As for drink prices..... Those are across the board and I assume it's due to the prevalence of drink packages on regular cruises.