Calling all jazz cruisers

[Globaliser]

1 hour ago, NinS said:

Yesterday everyone on the Jazz Cruises list got the McDonald/LaBelle cruise update. One interesting thing about the itinerary is that the tentative schedule makes it look like Patti is going to come on the ship in Nassau, do her two shows, and get off without sailing. Anyone who has been on a StarVista cruise knows that often a headliner does this at the midway point. It does seem like Michael McDonald will be on the ship the entire time.

 

Am I right in thinking that McDonald and LaBelle are each doing one show twice, once for red cards and once for blue cards?

 

Jazz Cruises has done something like the LaBelle arrangement before, too, for someone (I forget who) that doesn't like being at sea.

[Honolulu Blue]

1 hour ago, Globaliser said:

Am I right in thinking that McDonald and LaBelle are each doing one show twice, once for red cards and once for blue cards?

That's right. Blue cards (early show) get comedians, LaBelle, and McDonald on the three nights in the main theater. Red cards (late show) get McDonald, LaBelle and comedians. Michael will join both of Patty's shows as a special guest.

[Honolulu Blue]

2 hours ago, NinS said:

Nice to see this thread going and also nice to see HB's wonderful reports are still happening. I'll definitely be following their 2024 cruise report thread.

 

Yesterday everyone on the Jazz Cruises list got the McDonald/LaBelle cruise update. One interesting thing about the itinerary is that the tentative schedule makes it look like Patti is going to come on the ship in Nassau, do her two shows, and get off without sailing. Anyone who has been on a StarVista cruise knows that often a headliner does this at the midway point. It does seem like Michael McDonald will be on the ship the entire time.

Thanks for your kind words.

 

Mr. McDonald is going to be busy all three days, so I'm pretty sure he will be on the ship the whole time. And while Ms. LaBelle will only be doing shows for one day, she might stick around for more than one day - though, of course, you could well be right in your theory. It will be interesting to see and experience.

[Honolulu Blue]

I guess I'm higher on the Jazz Cruises priority list than I thought.  I got an e-mail for the Smooth Jazz cruises pre-sale registration.  I'm sure the rest of you will get this if you haven't already.  If you don't get it soon, be sure to check your spam folder.

 

Anyway, there are a couple of things I want to say about what's in the e-mail.  First, the deposit is $500 per cabin to be paid when making a pre-cruise reservation.  If the reservation doesn't turn into a booking, then it's refundable.

 

Second, there's a chance I could get a slightly better price than I see online for these cruises (not that I'm interested; not my jam, sorry. ☹️).  The e-mail says the price is based on my Jazz Cruises sailing history and to call for an exact quote.  I assume people who are booked on one of the Smooth Jazz Cruises for 2024 get the best prices, then those who have booked with Jazz Cruises a bunch in the past.

[JazzCruiser1]

Does anybody know when they might release the performance schedule for the Jazz Cruise 2024? I've read several places that the schedule changes a lot day to day once we're on board, but I'm so eager to start planning I would love to know when I might be able to start looking at the preliminary performance schedule. Thanks y'all!

[NinS]

19 hours ago, JazzCruiser1 said:

Does anybody know when they might release the performance schedule for the Jazz Cruise 2024? I've read several places that the schedule changes a lot day to day once we're on board, but I'm so eager to start planning I would love to know when I might be able to start looking at the preliminary performance schedule. Thanks y'all!

Hey JC1, I'll also be on The Jazz Cruise! I did it for the first time last year (having done Blue Note at Sea pre-Covid) and loved it, and I think the lineup this year is even better.

 

Last year the schedule didn't come out until December, so I suspect it'll be a while before we get the times. Last year there were minor tweaks here and there but no really major changes to the initial schedule. Still, you'll want to double check the daily printed schedule left in your cabin.

[NinS]

On 8/15/2023 at 2:23 AM, JazzCruiser1 said:

After seeing the pictures of last year's sailing, I'm starting to think I might be one of the youngest passengers on the cruise (I'll be 30 when we set sail), but I can't wait to spend a week with people who love this music like me! Anyway, if you have any advice or just want to share some stories about your experience on previous Jazz Cruises, don't be shy! Thanks!

 

You are correct -- at 45 I will be the second youngest paying passenger after you! Haha! Be prepared for a lot of old Jewish ladies kvelling that a young person is interested in jazz and on the cruise. Of course lots of the musicians, especially the side people, will be in their 20s and 30s.  

 

As far as advice goes:

 

Two of the three main venues, the Sky Lounge and the Rendezvous, are pretty small (and not all of the seats in the Sky Lounge are that great). If you have a must see artist it's worth arriving a little early. Generally you can always get a perfectly good theater seat even once the show is in progress. The big band shows in the theater (which are fabulous -- all the headlining artists on the ship rotate sitting in with the big band) always draw a good house but it's not like you have to line up an hour in advance to get a seat or anything like that.

 

Sometimes the place will be jammed and sometimes, if there's a big show elsewhere, it won't be (or the crowd will filter out as something else starts up so you can upgrade your seat during the show). Last year on one of the at seas days they had some great artists playing a Spinnaker show at 1, and then another great group playing at 3, and really not much else going on. When the 1pm show ended no one left, and there was a huge group of people trying to get into the show as well, so they moved it down to the theater which was a wise move. I think they're going to do more counter programming this year so that doesn't happen. On the first night you can try checking out a show at each of those venues so you can get the generally vibe and plan accordingly. The Welcome Show is great because a lot of the artists do a song or two so you can get a nice taste of who you want to prioritize.

 

One thing about showing up early is that you can chat with the people next to you so you'll have a familiar face the next time you see them around the ship. If you go to the main dining room without an assigned table you'll get randomly placed with seven or so other people. Some may find this a great way to make new friends, and some might prefer to just hit the buffet instead.

 

I'll try to think of some more advice. 

[Honolulu Blue]

I'm in receipt of Michael Lazaroff and Jazz Cruises' weekend enewsletter The Weekender.  This one was quite informative, especially about the recently announced 2025 sailings for the Smooth Jazz Cruise.  Here's a TL,DR:

• There's a detailed explanation of how the members of The Summit, the cruises' superband, were selected
• The confession that though many of them have performed with each other, The Summit members have never all performed together at one time
• Nearly 550 pre-sale reservations have been made for the Smooth Jazz cruises as of Friday
• The Jazz Cruise '24 has under 40 cabins remaining, while Chris Botti '24 is under 20
• They have discount codes available for the remaining cabins.  
• The Jazz Cruise '24 has a new "Get Ready" letter that was released Thursday.  It's in the "Booked Guests" portion of the site.
• The McDonald LaBelle Cruise has the same discount code available.  It's now up to 63% reserved.

[Honolulu Blue]

A few small items from Mr. Lazaroff's latest newsletter:

• News about The Jazz Cruise's 2025 program will be announced no later than November 7
• There's a webinar for those booked on the 2024 edition on November 16
• News about the Botti At Sea 2025 program will be announced no later than December 7
• There's a webinar for those booked on Botti's 2024 on Thursday, October 19
• There's a webinar for those booked on either of the Smooth Jazz Cruises for 2024 on November 2
• The McDonald LaBelle Cruise is near 70% sold

[wwcruisers]

Thanks for the update, HB! My DH just booked our airfare to Miami, for the SJC 24.2 cruise. Now that we have our plane tickets, it's starting to feel real! 😎

[Honolulu Blue]

From Jazz Cruises' biweekly newsletter:

 

• Botti at Sea '24 says they have less than 5 interior cabins remaining; they're calling it a "sellout".  You can watch Mr. Botti give his words of thanks here (it's under a minute):  https://sail.jazzcruisesllc.com/c/1aperxWTM2yqDufTuiS4t2rDaw8
• Reminder - Botti at Sea '24 has a live webinar tomorrow at 3 PM.  Michael Lazaroff himself will be hosting; he'll be assisted by other staff.  Registration is not restricted to guests; others who are interested can attend.  Here's the registration form:  Registration (gotowebinar.com)

Edited October 18, 2023 by Honolulu Blue

[Globaliser]

1 minute ago, Honolulu Blue said:

• Botti at Sea '24 says they have less than 5 interior cabins remaining; they're calling it a "sellout".

 

To me, the most interesting thing it said about Botti was "over 70% of the booked guests are new to Jazz Cruises". It almost sounds like it's a new market.

[Honolulu Blue]

I don't know if anyone has posted this yet, but the itinerary for the 2025 Smooth Jazz Cruises is ready and posted at their main Web site.  It's the same for both cruises:

 

Day 1 - Port Everglades, depart at 4 PM

Days 2 and 3 - at sea

Day 4 - Labadee, 7-5

Day 5 - Turks & Caicos, 8 AM - 11:59 PM

Day 6 - sea day

Day 7 - Nassau, 8-5

Day 8 - Port Everglades, arrive at 7 AM

[wwcruisers]

Thanks, HB! I'm SO happy that Labadee is on the itinerary. Hoping for a concert on the beach (like they do on CocoCay)!  I have mixed feelings about Grand Turk, as that is a Carnival port. If a Carnival ships docks before us, you can expect every restaurant seat, bar stool, and beach chair to be taken, when you get to the beach! At least, that was my experience, the one time that I was on a Celebrity ship that went there. 🫤

[Honolulu Blue]

Those of you who are on either of the 2024 editions of the Smooth Jazz Cruise, don't forget to check out the webinar tomorrow at 3 PM EDT.  Bring your questions.  

[wwcruisers]

Aahh ... missed that one, HB! I think we can access that (albeit not live) after the broadcast, right? Mainly, I'm just looking for anything routine, that might have changed from last year. 🤔

[Honolulu Blue]

7 hours ago, wwcruisers said:

Aahh ... missed that one, HB! I think we can access that (albeit not live) after the broadcast, right? Mainly, I'm just looking for anything routine, that might have changed from last year. 🤔

You should be able to, eventually.  It doesn't look like it's live yet.  Look in the "Booked Guests" section of the 2024 site.

[Honolulu Blue]

UPDATE:  The Smooth Jazz Cruise webinar is up and ready:

 

 

[Honolulu Blue]

Notes that I found most interesting from this webinar (I have weird tastes, so YMMV):

 

• They switched from HAL ships because the music venues no longer met their needs (too inflexible, too small)

• The Summit leaves from and returns to Terminal G on both sailings

• Cosmopolitan Restaurant (MDR) used as a concert venue on these cruises.

• Jazz Cruises Chop House will be in Blu this year; it’s a conventional steakhouse, as opposed to Tuscan Grille – which is more Italian than steakhouse

• Special guest Jeffrey Osborne will be on the second half of the first cruise, and the first half of the second cruise

•  “Everyone else will be on the whole week of each cruise” - Michael Lazaroff

• No flash photography or video recording

• Only the main shows have guaranteed seating

• Each person in line can save a seat for one other; this is intended to reduce the line length

• People with 10+ sailings can reserve a seat during main theater shows

• There are 15% or fewer reserved seats per show (2024.1 second seating has the most)

• They've changed from theater opening 20 minutes before the main show to 45 minutes to keep the lines shorter   

Edited November 4, 2023 by Honolulu Blue

[NinS]

On 9/27/2023 at 7:53 PM, JazzCruiser1 said:

Does anybody know when they might release the performance schedule for the Jazz Cruise 2024?

 

@JazzCruiser1, you likely are getting lots and lots of emails from Jazz Cruises now. The Weekender on Saturday specifically mentioned that the schedules are not going to be released until about a week before the cruise. So, lots of waiting for those of us who like to plan our days before we get on the ship, but it'll be worth it! I'm also not planning any excursions until I know what the schedule is. Generally the official ship ones don't sell out in advance, and if they do you can almost always arrange something similar (and often better and/or cheaper) on your own. Or you can just walk around the port or find a taxi to a nearby beach etc. Labadee is a private island so you can just get off the ship and enjoy it without planning anything in advance.

 

Typically there is very little live music while we're in port, in part because the artists are either using that time to rehearse or they want to enjoy the ports with their families and bandmates. Last year Samara Joy's band (without Samara) played a piano trio set by the pool, and there were a few mid-morning lectures and films, but nothing beyond that.

 

One odd twist to our itinerary is that we're in St Thomas from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. It's hard to imagine there will be no music programming until 8 p.m. that night, so I would definitely wait until the schedule comes out before planning some five hour activity in that port. I'll probably just be enjoying the fact that my phone will be working for the time we're in the USVI.

 

Since this is your first time I'd suggest joining in the webinar -- or just watching the recording of it on YouTube after it happens. 

 

The one piece of advice I wish someone had given me before my first cruise was to carry off my luggage when we disembark instead of putting it outside my cabin the night before. Unless you have mobility issues or are bringing many suitcases it's just a waste of time to wait until your "luggage group" is called and then have to go fish it out of the large stacks of luggage by the customs area.

[wwcruisers]

Thanks so much for posting that SJC info, and the link, HB! (what would we do without you?😃)

[wwcruisers]

Oh -- now I remember what I heard this weekend: They've added Mindy Abair to the '25 SJC lineup! (I keep hoping for Rick Braun and Keiko, though -- as we are still a long way out from that one!)

[Honolulu Blue]

4 minutes ago, wwcruisers said:

Thanks so much for posting that SJC info, and the link, HB! (what would we do without you?😃)

 

You're welcome!  I'm glad to be of assistance.

 

On 10/14/2023 at 10:45 AM, Honolulu Blue said:

A few small items from Mr. Lazaroff's latest newsletter:

• News about The Jazz Cruise's 2025 program will be announced no later than November 7

It's November 7 where I am and I don't see anything about 2025 on TJC's main site or its FB page.  I don't recall any adjustment to the schedule that I quoted above.  Did Mr. Lazaroff forget about this??

[wwcruisers]

HB -- try hitting 'refresh' on the website's main page, for SJC '25. Mindi's name is there, along with her picture. 🤔

 

Or, were you expecting an announcement today about something else, for the SJC '25 schedule?

 

LOL -- For me, anyway -- it gets really hard keeping everything straight, when you have two years of SJC's booked, at the same time! 🤪

Edited November 7, 2023 by wwcruisers

[Honolulu Blue]

34 minutes ago, wwcruisers said:

HB -- try hitting 'refresh' on the website's main page, for SJC '25. Mindi's name is there, along with her picture. 🤔

 

Or, were you expecting an announcement today about something else, for the SJC '25 schedule?

I wasn't expecting anything about the Smooth Jazz Cruise.  I was expecting news about the older cruise, THE JAZZ CRUISE.  Nothing new up yet...