Calling all jazz cruisers

[hattack]

You are an absolute genius in your timing to get out of town during Inauguration week (much like I plan to get out of town for Mardi Gras week and rent out my house to pay my house note and a nice deposit on a 2022 full charter music cruise since they sell out the minute they are open for sale )

 

when your fellow CC  members and  my friend and I  are waiting to board the BNAS while you are disembarking from the Jazz Cruise we can exchange official ECP  T- Shirts 

 

if the Smooth Jazz Cruise & the Jazz Cruise each had an  offspring and they  got married the reception would be held on the  BNAS  as it is the blending of the best  from both fervor Music family trees ..the honeymoon would be staying all 3 weeks on the same Celebrity vessel 

 

it's great  stress relief therapy to spend a week on a Music Theme  Charter Cruise with like minded fans and artists because everyone leaves their differences (especially political ) at home and the biggest dinner conversational debate I ever had with another couple centered around is Smooth Jazz 'really' Jazz and when fellow guests  find out I live in  New Orleans  they ask me why I recommend if they want to hear New Orleans Jazz  go on Frenchman not Bourbon street 

 

my sense is that we both will need a respite from the politics during that time frame 

 

 

[wwcruisers]

1 hour ago, Purplerock said:

We are booked on the 2021 Jazz Cruise Jan 16-23.  I just (tried) started a Roll Call.

 

Welcome, Purplerock! We'll be boarding Blue Note at Sea '21, as you are disembarking -- we'll wave to you, LOL!🛳️

 

Good luck on the roll-call thread, but don't get your hopes up. Sadly, jazz cruisers who frequent the CruiseCritic boards seem to be few and far between. On our first Smooth Jazz Cruise, I promptly started a roll-call thread (we were on Celebrity Summit, that year). I spent the better part of a year, keeping that sucker on life-support -- but to no avail. I was able to touch base with some folks on the other SJC sailing that year, but not one peep out of anyone on our cruise.😪  So, if your r/c thread doesn't exactly take off, just remember that you can always come here to talk all things jazz and all things cruising!😎

[Purplerock]

Thanks!  I love your advice!  My husband and I would love to find a jazz community both on the ship and at home.  We can't believe there's no place to go hear jazz near our house -- the streets roll up at 9.  We go to Blues Alley in Georgetown sometimes, but we need a Blues Alley north in Bethesda!  We debated between the Blue Note and Jazz Cruises, but kind of accidentially signed up for the Jazz Cruise and decided to stay with the straight jazz for our first time.  AND WE LOVE ARUBA!  It's a great place, and we're excited to go to Curacao.  

 

Who are your favorite artists?  I tend to the saxophonists, and hubby likes piano.

[hattack]

I just looked at your line up on The Jazz Cruise ..over the years I have developed a check list that the artists  that I do not recognize I go on You Tube and become familiar prior to sailing and then check and see if they are performing at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival to see them live...one of the great joys of these Jazz Charters is to see the artist perform live both in their show and then when they perform with other artists that they would not ordinarily perform with and then of course at the late night all star jam sessions so at the end of the cruise most become my new favorite artists 

 

I am truly Blessed by living where I do because in April I attend the Seabreeze Jazz Festival (Panama City Florida) the last long weekend in April (to get my Smooth Jazz 'fix") and then attend the 2nd weekend of the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival in May (Jazz Fest) ( to get my Straight Ahead  & New Orleans Jazz & all other Music style "fix" )

 

as far as Sax players , Euge Groove, Najee, Mindi Abair, Candy Dulfer, Gerald Albright, Boney James, Richard Elliot , Steve Cole , Dave Koz 

 

Your "Hubby" and I would quickly bond because I am into Steinway & Son Designated  Louisiana Artists which include 

Jonathan Baptiste (Late Night with Stephan Colbert ) 

 

but if you corner me on the ship after a full day at sea and coming out of the Celebrity Spa watching the sunset on deck  as we sail away from Tortola , sipping a Painkiller I would confess to Gregory Porter, Brian Culbertson & the late George Duke , Duke Ellington , Cab Calloway & Lena Horne & almost any 60's & 70's Funk Bands with Big Horn Sections & Lalah Hathaway & New Orleans Trombone Shorty 

 

I will probably never go on a regular cruise again unless someone else pays my way 

 

 

 

[wwcruisers]

3 hours ago, Purplerock said:

Thanks!  I love your advice!  My husband and I would love to find a jazz community both on the ship and at home.  We can't believe there's no place to go hear jazz near our house -- the streets roll up at 9.  We go to Blues Alley in Georgetown sometimes, but we need a Blues Alley north in Bethesda!  We debated between the Blue Note and Jazz Cruises, but kind of accidentially signed up for the Jazz Cruise and decided to stay with the straight jazz for our first time.  AND WE LOVE ARUBA!  It's a great place, and we're excited to go to Curacao.  

 

Who are your favorite artists?  I tend to the saxophonists, and hubby likes piano.

 

Purplerock -- we are very lucky here, to have a jazz quintet, that gigs all over Whidbey Island. I try to never miss a chance to see them, when they appear at our local Italian restaurant. And, if we ever get to downtown Seattle for an evening, I would love to go to Jazz Alley (maybe when DH retires and we have more time for day-tripping).

 

When we did our pre-booking for the BNAS '21, Sheila E. was one of the headliners. But, sadly, her name disappeared from the line-up, a couple of weeks ago. However, they had me at Chris Botti. Not to mention, David Sanbourne and Christian McBride. So, who's on your musical 'bucket list'?

[wwcruisers]

43 minutes ago, hattack said:

Ibut if you corner me on the ship after a full day at sea and coming out of the Celebrity Spa watching the sunset on deck  as we sail away from Tortola , sipping a Painkiller I would confess to Gregory Porter, Brian Culbertson & the late George Duke , Duke Ellington , Cab Calloway & Lena Horne & almost any 60's & 70's Funk Bands with Big Horn Sections & Lalah Hathaway & New Orleans Trombone Shorty 

 

LOL on the Painkiller, Hattack! Have you ever had one (or maybe more) or those, at the Soggy Dollar Bar, on Jost Van Dyke? Sadly, I don't even know if it's still there. I don't think that part of the BVI did well, with Hurricane Maria (and the other hurricanes that year).

[TuggleRN]

4 hours ago, hattack said:

You are an absolute genius in your timing to get out of town during Inauguration week (much like I plan to get out of town for Mardi Gras week and rent out my house to pay my house note and a nice deposit on a 2022 full charter music cruise since they sell out the minute they are open for sale )

 

when your fellow CC  members and  my friend and I  are waiting to board the BNAS while you are disembarking from the Jazz Cruise we can exchange official ECP  T- Shirts 

 

if the Smooth Jazz Cruise & the Jazz Cruise each had an  offspring and they  got married the reception would be held on the  BNAS  as it is the blending of the best  from both fervor Music family trees ..the honeymoon would be staying all 3 weeks on the same Celebrity vessel 

 

it's great  stress relief therapy to spend a week on a Music Theme  Charter Cruise with like minded fans and artists because everyone leaves their differences (especially political ) at home and the biggest dinner conversational debate I ever had with another couple centered around is Smooth Jazz 'really' Jazz and when fellow guests  find out I live in  New Orleans  they ask me why I recommend if they want to hear New Orleans Jazz  go on Frenchman not Bourbon street 

 

my sense is that we both will need a respite from the politics during that time frame 

 

 

You are so right! I was disappointed that I didn't get to Frenchman St until my last day in New Orleans. I'll go back in a less "touristy" season when I can really enjoy the city. 

[hattack]

 I lived in Seattle in the late 70's and early 80's and used to love riding the Washington State Ferry system out of Edmonds to Whigby Island with my Son when he was little and ride our bikes on the weekend over to the Fort where an Officer and a Gentleman was films ..must make an effort to go back next year 

 

yes , following my spinal fusion operation in 2004 as a reward for completing my physical therapy my friend treated me to a cruise that called on Tortola ..i had 2 Painkillers following a spa session in the hydrotherapy pool and did not have ( or feel ) any back pain for the rest of the cruise (of course I did not remember the rest of the cruise either but she (my friend) told me it was a great cruise...lol)  ....BVI have taken big hits the last few hurricane seasons as did the entire Island of PR 

 

locals know the free FQ Festival held a few weeks before Jazz Fest is the better Music Festival  and the very expensive Jazz Fest is more for out of towners (but brings badly needed revenue to help recover from Katrina ) ..New Orleans also has a new Food Truck Food Festival which features incredible diverse cuisine which can give the traditional tourist eating spots a run 

 

 

[wwcruisers]

Hattack -- although I understand that rural areas of Puerto Rico are still struggling, post-Maria -- it was encouraging to see San Juan back to normal (or at least close) on our stop there, last March (Smooth Jazz cruise 19.2). We walked around the old part of the city and found a lovely cafe, for lunch. LOL, who should we run into there, but folks from our cruise! It would have been hard to miss us, since all of us just happened to be wearing our SJC t-shirts! After lunch, we went shopping -- and guess who we ran into, in a downtown SJ shoe store? Candy Dulfer! What a sweet and talented lady! (And as DH says: Not hard on the eyes, either!)

[hattack]

in 2004 when Prince performed at the Essence Festival his horn section consisted of members of James Brown's band plus Candy Dulfer..in the middle of his electrifying performance he stated "When I want great Sax, i call on Candy' and proceed to do 26 splits as Candy played in front of 50K Essences Fans went crazy..on board one of my Capital Jazz Super Cruises I attended her Q & A and indicated to her that Essence readers had voted Prince's 2004 performance # 2 all time (behind Luther V who had died the night before the 2004 Festival ), so please share with your Hubby that he does not need glasses and the photo I took with Candy is my laptop screensaver ...postscript..Prince performed at Essence in 2014 without Candy and it was just not the same 

 

the cost for a cabin on a Jazz Cruise is steep..the opportunity to interact with our favorite artist is priceless

[wwcruisers]

22 hours ago, hattack said:

 

the cost for a cabin on a Jazz Cruise is steep..the opportunity to interact with our favorite artist is priceless

 

AMEN to that! 😇

[hattack]

Lagniappe...are you aware there is a brand new full charter out of Baltimore ( Unsung R & B) Oct 11th -18th, 2020 featuring many of the great Funk Bands from the 70's ( The Dazz Band, Con Funk Shun, Brick, Switch, Teddy Riley, Blackstreet, more to be announced ) that goes to Bermuda 

 

if one had both the time and the $$$$ , one could easily overdose on the plethora of musical taste in any given year on 7 day full charter music cruises 

[TuggleRN]

24 minutes ago, hattack said:

Lagniappe...are you aware there is a brand new full charter out of Baltimore ( Unsung R & B) Oct 11th -18th, 2020 featuring many of the great Funk Bands from the 70's ( The Dazz Band, Con Funk Shun, Brick, Switch, Teddy Riley, Blackstreet, more to be announced ) that goes to Bermuda 

 

if one had both the time and the $$$$ , one could easily overdose on the plethora of musical taste in any given year on 7 day full charter music cruises 

Oh wow, that sounds great! I've got to look into that cruise for next year. Thanks for the info! Glad my son isn't looking forward to an inheritance!! 

[wwcruisers]

37 minutes ago, TuggleRN said:

Oh wow, that sounds great! I've got to look into that cruise for next year. Thanks for the info! Glad my son isn't looking forward to an inheritance!! 

 

LOL -- you should get one of those bumper stickers/license plate holders, that reads:

Spending my kids' inheritance -- one cruise at a time!

(I keep telling my adult son that it's NOT really a joke!)

[hattack]

LOL..great Jazz Cruising Minds think alike..we should plan on having our own CC dinner on board BNAS and discuss so many common touch points..my Son & I have an "understanding", he's not concerned about an inheritance as long as I don't leave him with any of my own  debt ...lol..

 

ironically when I saw the email about the 1st sailing of the Unsung R & B in October, I thought give it a year to work out the kinks and be ready to deposit for the 2nd year when they return on 10/18 ..also its Hurricane Season 

 

I am 5 nights shy from achieving top level status in Carnival's VIFP program (Unsung  R & B would solve that for me) but I was also looking at Carnival 's 2nd generation Mardi Gras which will start sailing in December out of Orlando  (I sailed on the original one in 1979 and have very fond memories , so i guess as I get old, I wanted to do my delayed 40th year reunion cruise to go along side my 50th year Woodstock Reunion (great story for the men after dinner) which would make a nice B2B with BNAS 21 but its 3 hour drive between Miami to Orlando (too bad BNAS was not sailing out of FLL) so I would not chance it in case BNAS was delayed 

 

back in 2015 Carnival LIVE had  a ' shore excursion type " program (for their smaller older Fantasy Class ships that sailed in the Bahamas and Mexico ) where they would fly in various musical acts (like you might see in Las Vegas ) and hold a private concert on board  ($100- $150 tkt with a quick meet and greet) delay departing till 10 pm ...they no longer have Carnival LIVE (wonder why) 

 

[wwcruisers]

Hattack -- would LOVE to finally get a chance to meet you in person. After all, you're the one who showed me the ropes, when DH and I booked our first SJC (2018.2)! Hoping that you can get yourself booked on the 21 BNAC! 😎

 

Lately, I find myself wondering whether the BNAC (like the SJC) has a 'gospel hour'. Thanks to your advice -- I NEVER miss a gospel hour! Jonathan Butler will be 'manning the pulpit' on our upcoming (20.2) SJC -- since Kirk Whalum seems to have made the leap to BNAC -- for the next year or two anyway. What a GREAT way to spend a Sunday morning -- and get the cruise kicked off, on the right foot!😇

[hattack]

I'm sure BNAS will have a Gospel Hour it's become a staple for almost all ECP  full charter music theme cruises these days since we will have a full day at Sea on Sunday ..would not be surprised if they have a Gospel Brunch  (especially with Take 6 on board )..I have signed CD's of  all Kirk's " Gospel According to Jazz " series and often play it on Sunday Mornings after getting home from early Church Service and  before the FOX NFL pre game show while I'm eating Shrimp & Grits Plate from Church ..my Bishop is a musician so I have to remember to pack a Take 6 CD for them to sign for Him 

 

during the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival ( Jazz Fest) the Gospel Tent is packed  (over flowing ) for every performance but by design there is no Gospel performance after 5 pm to not distract by the big name artists that close the Festival every

evening ...as you have experienced on your SJC  the Gospel Hour with Jonathan Butler it's electric 

 

 

 

 

[TuggleRN]

On 2/12/2020 at 2:20 PM, wwcruisers said:

Hattack -- would LOVE to finally get a chance to meet you in person. After all, you're the one who showed me the ropes, when DH and I booked our first SJC (2018.2)! Hoping that you can get yourself booked on the 21 BNAC! 😎

 

Lately, I find myself wondering whether the BNAC (like the SJC) has a 'gospel hour'. Thanks to your advice -- I NEVER miss a gospel hour! Jonathan Butler will be 'manning the pulpit' on our upcoming (20.2) SJC -- since Kirk Whalum seems to have made the leap to BNAC -- for the next year or two anyway. What a GREAT way to spend a Sunday morning -- and get the cruise kicked off, on the right foot!😇

On the 2020 BNAS cruise, Wyclef Gordon led a gospel hour with Kirk Whalum. It was fantastic! Next year Wyclef is on The Jazz Cruise, so I'm hoping Kirk leads the gospel hour for BNAS 2021.

[hattack]

one of my favorite Kirk Whalum CD's  is "Babyface Song Book " 

 

Celebrity's Infinite is undergoing a dry dock upgrade in November which means upgraded staterooms and a redesigned Ocean View Cafe...I am a huge fan of the M Class T- Pool (Hydrotherapy ) and we were on the Celebrity Century for the January Smooth Music Cruise charter in 2009 and the public areas  of the M Class vessels were perfect for the Jazz concerts as well as a nice size fit guest wise so ECP's switch to Celebrity in 2016 seems to be working well for all parties 

 

as part of my physical therapy "rehab", I have joined the Major Taylor Association Cycling Club and will look into contacting both the Aruba & Curacao Cycling Federation to see if rather than do a traditional shore excursion (or stay on the Ship ), I can join them for a Fellowship Cycling Ride which is a chance to see their Island from a different perspective 

 

 

 

 

[hattack]

as of Valentine's Day ; The Jazz Cruise (1/16-1/23) 75% reserved, Blue Note at Sea (1/23-1/30) 50% reserved , both Smooth Jazz Cruises ( 1/30-2/13) 100 % reserved with a closed waiting list ..by creating a line up on the BNAS that has a nice cross section of Straight Ahead & Smooth Jazz artists it might persuade those on the SJC waitlist to try booking BNAS 

[wwcruisers]

18 hours ago, TuggleRN said:

On the 2020 BNAS cruise, Wyclef Gordon led a gospel hour with Kirk Whalum. It was fantastic! Next year Wyclef is on The Jazz Cruise, so I'm hoping Kirk leads the gospel hour for BNAS 2021.

 

I would imagine so. On last year's Smooth Jazz Cruise, we had the pleasure of Jonathan Butler AND Kirk Whalum, hosting the gospel hour.😎

[wwcruisers]

Hattack -- Amen on the T--Pool! That's where you'll find me and my DH, on many port days. We DO try to get off the ship at least a couple of times, on each jazz cruise. But, we always shoot for having at least one day, where we stay onboard and let the ship become our 'private yacht'!

[hattack]

as you are now a "seasoned veteran " you know the key to surviving a Jazz charter is pacing oneself and scheduling a daily 45-75 minute "quiet time " (we have found just before preparing for dinner works for us ) and pre selecting one port of call to stay on board (your private yacht).. sleep in , late morning spa treatment,  long lunch on the lido deck , long  afternoon " respite ", meeting friends for  drinks while watching the sail away Jazz lido deck concerts  ...lagniappe very often we have been Blessed to enjoy lunch on deck with one of the artist (George Duke ,Larry Graham & Chante Moore come to mind) or members of the various artists band members  (who are really interesting )...then we have recharged our batteries to go full out for the rest of the cruise ..it is very easy to "OD" from too much 24/7  Immersion of a "good thing " which is often a 1st timer rookie undoing 

 

I always enjoy the reaction of the guests on  the other ships in Port (who are Jazz fans ) in the shopping areas when they see the Jazz  Charter T-Shirts  and start comparing cruises ..priceless 

[wwcruisers]

Oh YEAH -- pacing oneself on a charter jazz cruise is CRUCIAL! Especially for those of us who are used to mainstream cruises -- where they 'roll-up the sidewalks', shortly after second seating in the MDR! On the SJC's our 'private yacht' day usually starts with a continental breakfast, on our balcony -- followed by a leisurely morning in the Solarium & T-pool. Then, a quick and healthy late lunch in the nearby AquaSpa Cafe. By then, it's time to start getting ready for the evening's activities. And, maybe a short nap, if we anticipate staying up for the late, late, late show (wherever it might be)!

[hattack]

ECP (the promoter ) has partner with Celebrity since 2016 to host The Jazz, Smooth Jazz and BNAS  cruises on the same M Class  fleet class B2B2B weeks which allows for the onboard cruise staff to make the  staffing  adjustment between their normal mainstream cruise schedule and the unique rhythm of a full charter music cruise 

 

the legendary midnight Jam Sessions can wind up ending as late at 0200 am which means a long line at the Pizza stand on the Lido Deck at the back of the ship which means tripling the staffing level 

 

when possible almost all of the artists stay with the charter cruise for the entire 7 days which means if due to weather a port of call is skipped there is a pre plan of additional concerts and activities much to the delight of guests and crew 

 

because there is almost an 90%  (or better ) returning guest rate for these Charter  Cruises , the Food & Beverage  staff planners have the statistical data to  ensure  enough inventory is boarded and not wasted 

 

no wonder cruise lines like charters