80s and comedy - Princess tries to get into the themed cruising game

[Honolulu Blue]

Princess announced some themed cruises for this month and next.  You can read the details at Themed Cruises – On Board Special Events - Princess Cruises .

 

To summarize, there will be 80s themed cruises this month and next on the Grand Princess (October 18 and 23) and the Regal Princess (November 29).  All are either 4 or 5 days.  There will be some 80s tribute bands, 80s movies on the big screen, 80s TV shows, and other items.  I'll be on the November 29 sailing and hoping for a good time.

 

There will also be comedy-themed cruises over the next few months on the Grand Princess (October 14 and November 1) and Regal Princess (November 19 and December 9).  They promise classic comedy sitcoms in the cabins (does "The Love Boat" count?  It's certainly a classic!), classic comedy movies on the big screen, movie and TV trivia, and comedy-themed game shows.  I haven't heard of any of the comedians they currently have listed, but I'm sure they're good.

 

I don't think Starvista, ECP, or Sixthman are worried, but I think it's an interesting ploy by Princess to fill up their ships.  I hope it goes well for them.

[Honolulu Blue]

Princess has decided to jump even deeper into the themed cruises game with a one-off Love Boat themed cruise.  The direct link at https://www.princess.com/ships-and-experience/special-events/#love-boat , and these are the listed highlights:

• Festive 1970s-inspired "Love Boat" Disco Deck Party returns exclusively for a "command performance" during this themed cruise
• Renewal of vows ceremony, hosted by Whelan and the cast on the top-deck
• Q&A with Jill Whelan and cast sharing favorite memories of the show and Gavin MacLeod
• Birthday celebration honoring Gavin MacLeod
• "Love Boat" episodes airing on Movies Under the Stars and in staterooms
• "Love Boat" trivia with Cruise Director
• Cast photo opportunities
• "Love Boat" themed décor, photo backdrops, merchandise, cocktails and more

It will be on the Majestic Princess February 26-March 5, 2022 and sail the Mexican Riviera. 

 

I doubt Flip Phone Events, who host the Golden Fans at Sea, is quaking in their boots, but perhaps they ought?

[Honolulu Blue]

UPDATE:  Princess has added a couple of new themed cruises to its roster.  The full list is currently at https://www.princess.com/ships-and-experience/special-events/ .

 

The offerings now include a Comedy Stars Themed Cruise on June 24 from Southampton (full details at https://www.princess.com/search-cruise/details/?voyageCode=N218N ), another 80s Themed Cruise (yay!) on October 19 from Los Angeles (full details at https://www.princess.com/search-cruise/details/?voyageCode=H236P ), and The Love Boat Themed Cruise that was delayed from February and is now scheduled to head out on October 22 from Los Angeles (full details at https://www.princess.com/search-cruise/details/?voyageCode=X242 ).

 

I find it interesting that they're still trying the themed cruise thing.  I do appreciate their attempts to do so.

[Honolulu Blue]

Princess has added another theme for one of their cruises out of Southampton this summer (August 5, to be specific) - sports stars.  I can't say that I've heard of any of the featured stars, but that's entirely because I don't follow the British sports scene at all.  More details are at https://www.princess.com/search-cruise/details/?voyageCode=N222N .

[Honolulu Blue]

UPDATE: For you foodies out there, at least in the UK, Princess has designed a themed cruise fur you. They call it a Culinary Stars Themed Cruise and it features some famous chefs talking about food, and probably some other stuff. The voyage is August 26 from Southampton and the direct link is at https://www.princess.com/search-cruise/details/?voyageCode=N223Q

Edited May 28, 2022 by Honolulu Blue

[Honolulu Blue]

Princess has announced its lineup for their 80s cruise for this year. They have two tribute bands (Wanted and DSB, representing Bon Jovi and Journey respectively), plus comedian Carlos Oscar and former tour manager and author Leo Rossi.

 

I had a different Bon Jovi tribute band last year, and Mr. Oscar was also there. Not a bad lineup. I'll be sorry to miss it.

[Honolulu Blue]

Well, well, well.  Princess has been busy rebranding some of their cruises as 80s and comedy cruises.  Hidden in one of their e-mail ads that was sent to me is a list of new and old themed cruises, all sailing from the USA.  This is the new list of 80s cruises by date:

 

• October 19, 2022 - Sapphire Princess, 4 days, Los Angeles RT (San Pedro)
• November 8, 2022 - Diamond Princess (insert dramatic music 😵), 5 days, San Diego RT
• January 11, 2023 - Regal Princess, 4 days, Ft. Lauderdale RT
• February 16, 2023 - Discovery Princess, 4 days, Los Angeles RT (San Pedro)
• April 9, 2023 - Ruby Princess (insert dramatic music 😵), 5 days, Galveston RT
• April 22, 2023 - Discovery Princess, 4 days, Los Angeles RT (San Pedro)

 

And this is the new list of comedy cruises by date:

 

• September 6, 2022 - Royal Princess, 5 days, San Francisco RT
• November 10, 2022 - Discovery Princess, 4 days, Los Angeles RT (San Pedro)
• December 17, 2022 - Discovery Princess, 4 days, Los Angeles RT (San Pedro)
• February 25, 2023 - Royal Princess, 5 days, San Francisco RT
• April 11, 2023 - Royal Princess, 5 days, San Francisco RT

 

I'm pleasantly surprised by the big push Princess seems to be making into the themed cruise game.  It's quite a variety of embarkation ports, dates, and itineraries.  Perhaps one or more of these will be of interest to you?  I know I'm intrigued by a few of them.

[Honolulu Blue]

The Diamond Princess has scratched a bunch of cruises, including the one for November 8. They cited staffing issues. 😟😟 This hits especially hard because it's one of the 5-day cruises, and my opinion is spending an extra day immersed in the 80s is a good thing.

[Honolulu Blue]

Princess has linked the 80s and comedy themed cruises to their themed cruise page at https://www.princess.com/ships-and-experience/special-events/ .  The interesting thing is they have the comedians and tribute bands already listed.  Please allow me to summarize:

 

• Wanted (Bon Jovi tribute) will be on all the 80s sailings
• DSB (Journey tribute) will be on all the 80s sailings except the one in January on the Regal Princess
• Carlos Oscar will be the comedian on the 80s sailings in October, January, and April
• Mr. Oscar will be one of the comedians on the comedy sailings, except for the one in February on the Royal Princess
• Other acts will pay tribute to Pat Benatar, Foreigner, U2, and Prince
• Improv At Sea (whomever they are) will be on all the comedy sailings

 

I'll match up the sailings and entertainment in a later post.

[Honolulu Blue]

80s cruises:

 

• October 19, 2022, 4-Day West Coast Getaway with San Diego on Sapphire Princess®
  Featuring: WANTED (Bon Jovi Tribute), DSB (Journey Tribute), Leo Rossi (Knight’s of Rock), and Carlos Oscar (Comic)
• January 11, 2023, 4-Day Bahamas Private Island Getaway on Regal Princess®
  Featuring: WANTED (Bon Jovi Tribute), Pat Benatar Experience, Double Vision (Foreigner Tribute) and Carlos Oscar (Comic)
• February 16, 2023, 4-Day West Coast Getaway with San Diego on Discovery Princess®
  Featuring: DSB (Journey Tribute), WANTED (Bon Jovi Tribute), Hollywood U2, and John Joseph (Comic)
• April 9, 2023, 5-Day Caribbean Getaway with Cozumel on Ruby Princess®
  Featuring: DSB (Journey Tribute), WANTED (Bon Jovi Tribute), Red Corvette (Prince Tribute), and Ralph Harris (Comic)
• April 22, 2023, 4-Day West Coast Getaway with San Diego on Discovery Princess
  Featuring: DSB (Journey Tribute), WANTED (Bon Jovi Tribute), Pat Benatar Experience, and Carlos Oscar (Comic)

[Honolulu Blue]

Comedy cruises:

 

• November 10, 2022, 4-Day West Coast Getaway with San Diego on Discovery Princess
  Featuring: Carlos Oscar, John Joseph, Adam Ferrara, and Improv At Sea
• December 17, 2022, 4-Day West Coast Getaway with San Diego on Discovery Princess
  Featuring: Carlos Oscar, Jeff Dye, Tom Cotter, and Improv At Sea
• February 25, 2023, 5-Day West Coast Getaway with San Diego on Royal Princess®
  Featuring: John Joseph, Steve Caouette, Troy Thirdgill, and Improv At Sea
• April 11, 2023, 5-Day West Coast Getaway with San Diego on Royal Princess
  Featuring: Troy Thirdgill, Tom Cotter, Carlos Oscar, and Improv At Sea

[Honolulu Blue]

More for my archives than anyone else's interest in the topic, let's explore the tribute acts:

 

WANTED

My favorite song from them - slim pickings, but today its "Wanted Dead Or Alive".  Considering it's part of their name... I'd have to say it's a lock to be played.

Will they play this? - "Blaze of Glory".  The Bon Jovi tribute act I saw last year (Slippery When Wet) didn't play this one.  It was a big hit in the 90s.  It feels slightly more likely they'll play it than they won't... 60% chance.

 

DSB

My favorite song from them - "Who's Crying Now".  Journey had a bunch of hits, and this one isn't their biggest - but it's close.  90% chance.

Will they play this? - "Girl Can't Help It".  Second-tier hit from a time when they were starting to fade from relevance.  I'll peg this one at 20%.

 

PAT BENATAR EXPERIENCE

My favorite song from them - "Invincible".  One of her biggest hits, but not quite as famous as some others. 70%.

Will they play this? - "Hit Me With Your Best Shot".  The real Pat Benatar has said she's not going to play this on tour any more.  Will the tribute act follow?  We'll see.  I'll call it 50-50.

 

DOUBLE VISION

My favorite song from them - "Down On Love".  Anything can happen, but the show is going to be too short for such an obscure song, IMHO.  1%.

Will they play this? - "That Was Yesterday".  Not their biggest hit, but a crowd pleaser.  40%.

 

HOLLYWOOD U2

My favorite song from them - very slim pickings, but I'm going with "Party Girl".  They're not gonna play it, no way, no how.  0%.

Will they play this? - "Pride (In the Name of Love")".  Their first hit, so I would assume it'll make it to the set list somehow.  But maybe not?  75%.

 

RED CORVETTE

My favorite song from them - "Take Me With U".  I think they'll prefer others.  10%.

Will they play this? - "Delirious".  The two other hits from 1999 are near locks to be played, but this is my favorite of the three.  Let's peg it at 30%.

Edited August 11, 2022 by Honolulu Blue

[Honolulu Blue]

Princess announced another themed cruise for 2023 for culinary stars.  It a 7-day cruise that sails September 13 out of Southampton on the Sky Princess.  They did a couple of these earlier this year, and the blurb says it's "our most popular themed cruise".  I don't know what to say about that, other than that this isn't my thing, but it might be something that others (maybe you?) are interested in.  The link is at Themed Cruises – On Board Special Events - Princess Cruises .

[Honolulu Blue]

Princess has announced another themed cruise - this one called "Comedy Stars" as opposed to the comedy cruises they already offer. Four comedians are featured (whom I haven't heard of) on a 7-day Scandinavian cruise from Southampton on July 1, 2023. You can read the details at https://www.princess.com/ships-and-experience/special-events/ .

 

Since nobody is reading this anyway, I'll note that the description has a synonym for the word "laugh" that is dangerously close the spelling for a racial slur. I would turn them in, but my name's not Karen and I like having 50 cent words used appropriately.

Edited November 25, 2022 by Honolulu Blue

[SomewhereGirl]

Thinking about booking the 80s cruise 04/22/23 on Discovery from LA.  Wondering if anyone can report on if the two long port days in San Diego and Ensenada might be filled with a little bit more daytime excitement onboard on a themed cruise than a regular cruise.  Sailed a 7-day CA coastal on Majestic last year and was painfully bored by the end.  

[Jen1000]

I went on the October 19 80's cruise out of LA. It was a lot of fun and we had a great time.  Because I live in SoCal the ports were not the appeal, the theme was the draw and it is an easy drive for us to the port.  We did get off in both ports and did short activities and then got back on the ship.  As I recall, there were things to do when we got back on the ship.  We had DSB, Wanted and Carlos Oscar on our cruise.  The bands were really good.  Wanted also did a New Wave show in a smaller venue and that was awesome as well.  We saw 2 different Carlos Oscar shows and he was hysterical.  

 

Jen in SoCal

[Honolulu Blue]

6 hours ago, Jen1000 said:

I went on the October 19 80's cruise out of LA. It was a lot of fun and we had a great time.  Because I live in SoCal the ports were not the appeal, the theme was the draw and it is an easy drive for us to the port.  We did get off in both ports and did short activities and then got back on the ship.  As I recall, there were things to do when we got back on the ship.  We had DSB, Wanted and Carlos Oscar on our cruise.  The bands were really good.  Wanted also did a New Wave show in a smaller venue and that was awesome as well.  We saw 2 different Carlos Oscar shows and he was hysterical.  

 

Jen in SoCal

Thanks for sharing, Jen.  I hadn't heard any reviews of the October cruise.  I'm glad you had a good time.

[Honolulu Blue]

I wasn't sure where to put this, but there seems to be a bit of crossover between Princess and HAL.

 

Holland America announced some special culinary cruises for 2023.  These will feature "coffee chats" with the celebrity chefs, cooking demonstrations (with free recipes provided), and special reservation-only dinners at various of HAL's specialty restaurants.  You can read the full details, such that we know, at https://www.cruisehive.com/holland-america-line-extends-culinary-cruise-program/93880 .

 

Here are the foodie cruises:

 

• Ethan Sowell, Konigsdam, 35-day Hawaii & South Pacific, February 18-March 25
• Andy Matsuda, Nieuw Amsterdam, 14-day Alaska, May 7-21
• David Burke, Eurodam, 20-day Panama Canal, April 9-29
• Jacques Torres, Zaandam, 11-day Atlantic Coast, April 18-29
• Rudi Sodamin, Nieuw Statendam, 14-day Northern Isles, June 18-July 2

 

If you're a fan of one or more of these chefs, this seems to be a great opportunity to get to know them and their work in much greater detail.  Have fun!

[Honolulu Blue]

Princess did a redo of their themed cruises page at https://www.princess.com/ships-and-experience/special-events/ .

 

The bad news is that there is no more listings for either 80s or comedy cruises.  The ones that were listed have either sailed or will sail in a few days.  I think they'll be back eventually, though you'll have to ask the boys and girls in Santa Clarita when they'll add them.

 

The good news is that there's a new Nature & Adventure Themed Cruise listed that will be hosted by Jeff Corwin and sailing September 6, 2023 on the Sapphire Princess.  For a more complete description of this adventure, head to https://www.princess.com/ships-and-experience/special-events/ .

 

The listings for the Comedy Stars and Culinary Stars cruises remain as they were.

[Honolulu Blue]

Princess has introduced a new themed cruise to their mix - a Love & Romance themed cruise.  The sub-theme is bridal fashion and will be hosted by newly appointed Love and Romance Ambassador Randy Fenoli.  It will sail December 3, 2023 out of Galveston on the Regal Princess.  Here are the special events that will be offered:

 

• Meet and greets
• Signature events
• Wedding gown consultations with Randy

 

The direct link to this voyage is https://www.princess.com/cruise-search/details/?voyageCode=G338 .

[Honolulu Blue]

The good news is Princess has added another themed cruise to the mix.  The bad news is it's NOT the 80s theme (come on guys, don't you want my money?!?!?! 🤬) but a fitness cruise.  This is what they have to say about it:

 

This definitely isn't my thing, but you or someone you know may be interested.  Feel free to spread the word around.

[Honolulu Blue]

WARNING: I'm just spitballing and doing some back-of-the-envelope research and calculations with this post.  This is mostly for my archives.

 

OK, I did some research into possible themed cruise targets for Princess.  Here are the parameters I put in:

• No more than 5 days
• Leaving from a U.S. port
• Round trip
• Between October 2023 and April 2024

 

This is the grouping that the Princess 80s themed cruises came from the last two years.  So far none of these are labeled with any themes, but they might be.  Here's what I came up with:

 

• Crown Princess out of San Francisco (all 5 days) - November 21, 2023, February 2 and 17, 2024
• Discovery Princess out of Los Angeles (al 5 days) - November 29, 2023, February 10 and 19, 2024
• Caribbean Princess out of Port Everglades, 5 days - October 31, 2023

 

This is a shorter list than I thought it would be.  There's nothing out of Galveston, as all the voyages from there in the selected time period are 7 days or longer.  All of those dates should be OK, though a couple of them are close to cruises I've already booked.

 

We'll see if they decide to use these cruises for 80s and comedy cruises, or if they decide to go in another direction.  Or they decide to not do them at all, which would make me sad. 😒

[Honolulu Blue]

Good news and bad news.  The good news is that Princess put up a new themed cruise today.  The bad news is that it has nothing to do with the 80s. ☹️

 

The new themed cruise is all around Adam Savage - original co-host of Mythbusters.  I'll quote Princess directly on what they has in mind for Mr. Savage on this cruise (emphasis mine):

 

guests will have the exciting opportunity to meet Savage, learn about his career through several hosted activities and even get an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at Discovery Princess with Savage as guide.

 

It will be sailing November 25-29, 2023 from Los Angeles.  If this is of interest to you, the direct link to the cruise is at https://www.princess.com/cruise-search/details/?voyageCode=X350 .

Edited August 1, 2023 by Honolulu Blue

[Honolulu Blue]

Princess continues to introduce themed cruises, but on the wrong themes, IMHO.

 

On the Princess site is a Magic Castle Conjurer's Cruise (7 days from Los Angeles; Discovery Princess; October 7, 2023), an exploration of Pacific Wine Country with the Wagner Family of Wine (6 days from Vancouver; Discovery Princess; October 1, 2023), and an exploration of Pacific Wine Country with Jackson Family Wines (7 days from Vancouver; Sapphire Princess; October 8, 2023).

[Honolulu Blue]

Not sure where else to put this, but I found it interesting...

 

The Carnival charter cruise page had been bare for a while, but now it's up and running again.  There are now some charters there.  The link is at Carnival Cruise Charters – Carnival.com Cruise Charters .

Edited August 28, 2023 by Honolulu Blue