Rock and Romance, 80s Cruise, and my other 2024 music adventures

[Honolulu Blue]

On the cruise I'm on RIGHT NOW,  I happened to attend a trivia competition exclusively devoted to Billy Joel and Elton John. There wasn't much of a crowd (Cozumel has a lot of power to attract people), but one couple proved to be formidable competitors. 

 

To make a long story short,  that couple got 17 out if 20. I got 16 because I forgot about "Candle In the Wind", which I only heard a million tines in the 70s and a million more in the 90s. But they'd won three trophies on this trip already and decided to let me have this one. Gee, thanks!

 

[NinS]

Note from the Soul Train Cruise FB page. The cruise starts today and this was posted yesterday. I'd say the replacement act is just as wonderful and famous as the one who couldn't make it.

 

"We wanted to share with you that last night, we were informed by Gerald Alston of The Manhattans that he will not be able to join us on our upcoming cruise. His doctor recommends that he does not travel at this time, but should be fully recovered shortly. We are looking forward to hopefully having him back on a future Soul Train Cruise.

Luckily, we were able to get the incredible Russell Thompkins, Jr., lead singer of The Sytlistics, to perform onboard this week. We’re excited to have him join us again, and can’t wait to see you all tomorrow!"

[Honolulu Blue]

13 hours ago, NinS said:

Note from the Soul Train Cruise FB page. The cruise starts today and this was posted yesterday. I'd say the replacement act is just as wonderful and famous as the one who couldn't make it.

 

"We wanted to share with you that last night, we were informed by Gerald Alston of The Manhattans that he will not be able to join us on our upcoming cruise. His doctor recommends that he does not travel at this time, but should be fully recovered shortly. We are looking forward to hopefully having him back on a future Soul Train Cruise.

Luckily, we were able to get the incredible Russell Thompkins, Jr., lead singer of The Sytlistics, to perform onboard this week. We’re excited to have him join us again, and can’t wait to see you all tomorrow!"

Thanks for the note.  I liked Mr. Thompkins when we had him on the UDC in 2022.  His show was a matinee.

 

[NinS]

Speaking of UDC '25, here are my guesses for who will play where:

 

Kool & The Gang -- definitely an entire theater show

 

The Spinners -- definitely an entire theater show

 

Shalamar featuring Howard Hewett, Carolyn Griffey, and Jeffrey Daniel -- when Shalamar Reloaded featuring Jody Watley were on UDC '20, they did an entire show in the theater, but it's always possible this could end up as a split bill.

 

Tavares -- A theater act. I think the last few times they were on UDC or Soul Train they split a bill with another act. (In one case they were scheduled this way but cancelled at the last minute.)

 

Rose Royce -- They've played many SV cruises and are always at the pool.

 

The Brothers Johnson -- Since this is their first SV cruise there's no precedent to go by. A bit on the funky side so could work in either venue. I'd be a bit surprised if they were given a full 75 minute set.

 

Lisa Lisa -- Another one with no precedent. I would have guessed the pool but fellow freestyle stars Expose played the theater last year. Also, she usually does a short set on freestyle package shows but I found one instance where she did an entire set by her own in a casino theater. (Based on the set list it took a few covers sung by her backup singers to get her through an entire full show.) Since she uses backing tracks she's also a possibility for one of the late night restaurant slots where a full band isn't set up.

 

The Legendary Blue Notes -- Last year they did a split theater bill with Double Exposure but they played one pool set and one lounge set on UDC '20.

 

The Trammps ft. Earl Young -- Always a pool favorite.

 

Original Stone City Band -- Rick James' old band -- seems like a pool act to me.

 

George McCrae -- A one hit wonder (but what a hit!), we'll likely see George as a special guest with UGO or as part of a package set. I can't remember if he's even done one of the short artist spots that happen in the restaurant but that would probably work for him too.

 

Double Exposure -- see Legendary Blue Notes. They're not going to headline a theater show but could open for the Blue Notes or Tavares, especially in a matinee, or could be part of a pool/lounge package set.

 

Bee Gees Gold- -- Pool/lounge

 

Boogie Wonder Band -- Pool/lounge

 

Forever Donna - The Ultimate Donna Summer Tribute by Rainere Martin -- Pool/lounge

 

Based on all of this I think it's possible that another theater headliner will be added -- but not at all guaranteed. The tribute slots seem pretty full. Another one or two hit wonder act that can bounce between the pool, lounge, and late-night restaurant seems likely -- a France Joli, Ritchie Family, or First Choice, for instance.

[Honolulu Blue]

@NinS:  Thank you for your post.  I mostly agree with your guesses. 

 

Some background on Expose and the UDC '22 (which I was on):  The initial schedule had Expose by the pool, but Ohio Players dropped out late (about two weeks before the cruise) and they were scheduled in the main theater.  The Players were scheduled in the main theater and were replaced by The Family Stone.  The Family Stone performed by the pool, taking Expose's spots.  And Expose went to the main theater, which made me happy, and them happy.

 

[George C]

Judy Collins concert was great she had a symphony orchestra backing her up , had front row seats . Nice venue just 1600 seats , I am surprised she hasn’t been on 60’s or 70’s cruises. 

[Honolulu Blue]

48 minutes ago, George C said:

Judy Collins concert was great she had a symphony orchestra backing her up , had front row seats . Nice venue just 1600 seats , I am surprised she hasn’t been on 60’s or 70’s cruises. 

I'm glad she gave you a good time.  One never knows why any particular performer doesn't like our music cruises.  Maybe they don't like cruising or are afraid of it?  Maybe us cruisers have a bad reputation?  Maybe they can't fit it into their schedule?  Who knows?  Perhaps a request to StarVista Live will put the wheels into motion and you can get her on a future sailing.

[Honolulu Blue]

A couple of small notes:

 

• I booked shuttles both ways from Orlando to the port for The 80s Cruise.  $30 each way through GoPort.
• I took a second look at the Doobie Brothers tour.  It looks like the Noblesville, IN stop will work best for me.  There are still plenty of premium seats available there.  I didn't pull the trigger yet, but I could at any time.

Still waiting patiently for some big announcements - like the tentative schedules for both TEC and R&R, booking details for the 2025 editions of R&R and TEC, and lineups for R&R.  I don't expect TEC to announce anyone in their 2025 lineup before the cruise; a big show and production is kind of their thing.  

[Honolulu Blue]

One more thing crossed my e-mail today... I was finally notified that the Rock and Romance Cruise was finally available at Celebrity's Web site.  That meant I could check in, pick a boarding time, purchase excursions, etc.  

 

A few notes on this process:

 

• I picked an 11:30-12 arrival time, which was the earliest available to me.  It should work, since I plan to be in town the night before
• The excursion lists look like they need some work.  First, they list excursions for Key West on day 2.  I'm pretty sure we're going to be out at sea and NOT stopping in Key West, unless I somehow missed a change in itinerary.  Second, day 4 lists excursions for Nassau and not Aruba.
• Premium WiFi access is $29/day for a package for 1 device at a time, and $52/day for 2.  Not bad by Celebrity standards, but I think I can survive a few days without WiFi.  Both Aruba and Curacao have some spots where I can access the Net for free.  Perhaps I can sneak away from the music to find time to catch up with the world.
• In the casino section, I didn't see the return of bonus freeplay/chips, but I did see this under "Private Gaming Lessons":

 

There are some definite gotchas here - those who buy this would be at the mercy of the schedules onboard in order to get their lessons; the chips must be bet and can't be cashed for its face value; no contra betting on Roulette (e.g., Red and Black on the same spin); only two purchases per person per cruise.  I think it's an interesting offer by Celebrity, but I'm not interested enough to purchase this.

[Honolulu Blue]

And one more thing... The 80s Cruise finally confirmed some details about their cruise in 2025.  I'll do a screen capture of it since I don't want to miss any details:

 

 

This mostly confirms what was speculated on the Web, so a point in their favor!  I do find it interesting that our stops are completely different than the ones on Star Trek the week before.  Perhaps there's more people traveling on both than I expect, and they want to keep them all on their toes?

 

I kind of like the stops.  I still haven't been to Nassau after TEC aborted their try there two years ago.  I'll be there on the McDonald LaBelle Cruise in April, but perhaps there's more to Nassau that won't be satisfied by that trip?  It's possible.  I've been to San Juan half a dozen times as an embarkation port, but only twice as a port stop - and one of those times I didn't get off the ship.  So I definitely have some unfinished business there.  And I've never been to Labadee - or indeed anywhere in Haiti.  I've heard it's mostly a beach/water sports/amusement park stop, which is mostlly not of interest.  Perhaps things will have settled down enough that they will let us go into the countryside and explore.  I think I'd like that better.

 

This has turned out to be a very busy day!

[NinS]

HB, it looks like at some point your R&R schedule is going to be here: https://202470srockandromancecruise.sched.com

 

but certainly not while SV is hosting the Soul Train Cruise, and probably not until their staff has recovered from three consecutive cruises. My guess is it'll get released in 2-3 weeks.

[Honolulu Blue]

2 minutes ago, NinS said:

HB, it looks like at some point your R&R schedule is going to be here: https://202470srockandromancecruise.sched.com

 

but certainly not while SV is hosting the Soul Train Cruise, and probably not until their staff has recovered from three consecutive cruises. My guess is it'll get released in 2-3 weeks.

Noted.  Thanks. 👍 It'll be a race between TEC and R&R.

[NinS]

We were in Labadee on The Jazz Cruise last week. A beautiful beach and three different traditional Haitian bands. They will absolutely not let you outside of the gated compound (which is in the middle of nowhere) but one of the excursions is a trip to a nearby village (I can't remember if it is via bus or water shuttle) where you see a cultural presentation of drummers and dancers and traditional medicinal practitioners. I did it about six years ago and it was fun once but not something I needed to do again this time. While I certainly hope the currently dire situation in Haiti improves, it's hard to imagine that they'll be letting anyone wonder around the country a year from now, and I'm not sure there'd be much to see even if you did.

[George C]

4 hours ago, Honolulu Blue said:

One more thing crossed my e-mail today... I was finally notified that the Rock and Romance Cruise was finally available at Celebrity's Web site.  That meant I could check in, pick a boarding time, purchase excursions, etc.  

 

A few notes on this process:

 

• I picked an 11:30-12 arrival time, which was the earliest available to me.  It should work, since I plan to be in town the night before
• The excursion lists look like they need some work.  First, they list excursions for Key West on day 2.  I'm pretty sure we're going to be out at sea and NOT stopping in Key West, unless I somehow missed a change in itinerary.  Second, day 4 lists excursions for Nassau and not Aruba.
• Premium WiFi access is $29/day for a package for 1 device at a time, and $52/day for 2.  Not bad by Celebrity standards, but I think I can survive a few days without WiFi.  Both Aruba and Curacao have some spots where I can access the Net for free.  Perhaps I can sneak away from the music to find time to catch up with the world.
• In the casino section, I didn't see the return of bonus freeplay/chips, but I did see this under "Private Gaming Lessons":

 

There are some definite gotchas here - those who buy this would be at the mercy of the schedules onboard in order to get their lessons; the chips must be bet and can't be cashed for its face value; no contra betting on Roulette (e.g., Red and Black on the same spin); only two purchases per person per cruise.  I think it's an interesting offer by Celebrity, but I'm not interested enough to purchase this.

Very interesting, we didn’t get a email on this , but since we are in a high end suite it really doesn’t matter much , might call them tomorrow. Doubt we will get off the ship at either port . 

[Honolulu Blue]

2 hours ago, George C said:

Very interesting, we didn’t get a email on this , but since we are in a high end suite it really doesn’t matter much , might call them tomorrow. Doubt we will get off the ship at either port . 

I'm shocked that you didn't get an email on this. 😮 But it doesn't matter too much. You might want to take a brief look at your spam folder.

[George C]

I called them and they sent me the info, then found out my wife got a email yesterday. We are paying a lot but we get drink package and free specialty restaurants plus lots more . Wonder how much they will increase the fare for 2025.

[Honolulu Blue]

9 minutes ago, George C said:

I called them and they sent me the info, then found out my wife got a email yesterday. We are paying a lot but we get drink package and free specialty restaurants plus lots more . Wonder how much they will increase the fare for 2025.

I'm glad you got that info.  I'm bracing for a substantial increase for '25 based on what I've seen other music charters do for their late '24 and '25 cruises.

[Honolulu Blue]

As promised, The 80s Cruise sent me an email with additional details on the 2025 sailing. Here are the most relevant notes:

 

• Bookings start Wednesday, February 7 at 11 AM EST, with tokens being sent out a half hour before. I'll set my alarm clock. ⏰
• Full drink packages remain included in the price
• Price increases after March 7 from $500 to $1000 per person
• Bookings made pre cruise are refundable through March 14. This is a small change from last year when refunds were only offered until the second day of the cruise.
• Additional booking fees remain at $350 per person, and $400 for suites
• Since we're changing ships, no one can reserve their previous cabin, though suites have priority for booking another suite
• Single tax remains 50%
• I don't see any single occupancy cabins
• Reserved seats remain at 400 per show time
• I didn't see any deposit information; it was $400 last year that wasn't billed until we were on the ship

For my cabin this year, I paid $3050 total. Next year's cabin, for one in the same class (4V) will set me back $3370, for an increase of just over 10%. Ouch! But they've got their hooks in me now. I'm very likely to book, so stay tuned for those details. 🤴

[Honolulu Blue]

I cleaned out my spam folder and found correspondence from the McDonald LaBelle Cruise.  Oops!  Here are the notes from that:

 

 

It's nice to get a confirmation of the actual itinerary.  Believe it or not, we hadn't had that yet.  It's definitely an overnight in Nassau, with a slow boat to the Bahamas before then.  Patti will be performing and probably doing other stuff on the day we arrive.

 

We're scheduled to get a reservation # from NCL 60 days prior to the cruise, which is about 10 days away.  This will allow us access to My NCL and its pre-cruise planner.  

 

We get a 40% discount off the beverage package once we can book it online.  It expires March 11.  It's not of interest to me, but I thought it was a neat detail, and I'm sure it will be popular among my fellow cruisers.

Edited February 2 by Honolulu Blue

[Honolulu Blue]

On 2/1/2024 at 3:22 PM, Honolulu Blue said:

As promised, The 80s Cruise sent me an email with additional details on the 2025 sailing. Here are the most relevant notes:

 

• Bookings start Wednesday, February 7 at 11 AM EST, with tokens being sent out a half hour before. I'll set my alarm clock. ⏰
• Full drink packages remain included in the price
• Price increases after March 7 from $500 to $1000 per person
• Bookings made pre cruise are refundable through March 14. This is a small change from last year when refunds were only offered until the second day of the cruise.
• Additional booking fees remain at $350 per person, and $400 for suites
• Since we're changing ships, no one can reserve their previous cabin, though suites have priority for booking another suite
• Single tax remains 50%
• I don't see any single occupancy cabins
• Reserved seats remain at 400 per show time
• I didn't see any deposit information; it was $400 last year that wasn't billed until we were on the ship

For my cabin this year, I paid $3050 total. Next year's cabin, for one in the same class (4V) will set me back $3370, for an increase of just over 10%. Ouch! But they've got their hooks in me now. I'm very likely to book, so stay tuned for those details. 🤴

 

Today was the day bookings opened up for the 2025 edition of The 80s Cruise.  I was sent my token on time, I went to the booking site on time, and I booked on time.  There were only a couple of complications.  First, they offered me the same cabin number that I have on the 2024 cruise and I didn't see any way to change it without canceling my place in line.  It's not a huge deal, but I thought I was going to get the chance to choose and I thought being in a slightly different location would be better for me.  But it's not a deal breaker and I don't think I'll even bother to change cabins.

 

And second, they still had my old CC number with my old expiration date on file.  I thought I got rid of that a few months ago.  Well, it's in there now.

 

So, there you go.  Three decades of themed cruises in three months (actually less than two) - 90s in January, 70s in February, and 80s in March.  It should be a most excellent time. 🙃

[NinS]

That's awesome, HB!

 

Outlaw Country Cruise '25 was announced and conflicts with Ultimate Disco Cruise (as often happens). I'll wait and see what the OCC lineup is like as it doesn't seem like UDC is going to sell out any time soon.

 

Soul Train Cruise '25 is supposedly 96% sold out from on board bookings that took place during the recent cruise. While some of that comes from people just rebooking their cabin, I'm told there was also a lot of cruisers signing up friends on board. So I don't think my odds at scoring a cabin during the pre-sale are very good, especially since I would go only for an inside cabin. But there's also an online rumor that there will be a second sailing -- whether that will be in '25 or '26, and whether or not the lineup will be identical, are things that remain to be seen.

 

 

[Honolulu Blue]

12 minutes ago, NinS said:

That's awesome, HB!

 

Outlaw Country Cruise '25 was announced and conflicts with Ultimate Disco Cruise (as often happens). I'll wait and see what the OCC lineup is like as it doesn't seem like UDC is going to sell out any time soon.

 

Soul Train Cruise '25 is supposedly 96% sold out from on board bookings that took place during the recent cruise. While some of that comes from people just rebooking their cabin, I'm told there was also a lot of cruisers signing up friends on board. So I don't think my odds at scoring a cabin during the pre-sale are very good, especially since I would go only for an inside cabin. But there's also an online rumor that there will be a second sailing -- whether that will be in '25 or '26, and whether or not the lineup will be identical, are things that remain to be seen.

Thanks!  There's still some chance I could add the '25 Rock & Romance Cruise to the mix, but a lot depends on things I haven't seen yet.  And someone could come out with a killer lineup that would make me pull out my overtaxed credit card yet again...

 

Yeah, I don't think UDC is going to sell out anytime soon, so you might as well wait.

 

Soul Train bookings for 2025 being 96% sold out is very good news for SV, if not for you.  ☹️ They seem ripe for a split to a second sailing.  It would be interesting to see.

[NinS]

As of now the Nieuw Amsterdam is selling cabins for a non-charter cruise leaving the day Soul Train Cruise '25 gets back, so perhaps we'll have to wait until '26 to see two sailings. (Although I am very aware from other parts of this board that sometimes people buy cabins only for the ship to be chartered later on.)

 

A friend is on the Outlaw Country Cruise and quite sadly host and entertainer Mojo Nixon passed away from a cardiac event while the ship was docked in San Juan. Besides his own string of 80s novelty songs (more underground cult classics than hits) he was a Sirius/XM radio host and did a lot of the interviews on the OCC as well as a few sets with his band the Toad Liquors which had performed the night before he died. I'm pretty sure he'd been on every sailing. Today there will be a  "Mojo Remembrance & Pontifications" in his honor. His family issued a touching statement saying in essence that he passed doing what he loved in a setting that he loved.

[Honolulu Blue]

Time flies when you're having fun.  🙂 It seems like the 2023 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame selections were inducted just a few months ago.  Now they're coming out with nominees for 2024:

 

 

I'll keep my commentary to a minimum by noting that I saw Cara Lee's tribute to Cher on last year's edition of UDC and plan to stop on by to see her next month on Rock & Romance.

 

 

I saw Lou Gramm on The 80s Cruise last year and will be on the lookout for the rest of Foreigner on Rock and Romance.

 

 

Kool and the Gang were on the UDC in 2022 and 2023.  I look forward to seeing them on the 2025 revival.  This photo is from 2023.

 

 

 

[George C]

I believe Cara Lee has been on all 5 of our previous rock and romance her Cher show is always fun . She also backed up Peter Asher on his show . Wonder when 2025 artists will be listed.