Tell me about jazz cruises, please.

[39august]

All the jazz cruises I have been aware of were on HAL ships. Can any of you tell me how the entertainment is handled on these cruises? Any other info will be appreciated also.

[debs0712]

Are you asking about the full ship charters? Dave Koz & Friends and Wayman Tisdale??

[39august]

Yes, charters.

[debs0712]

We have been on both the Dave Koz and Wayman Tisdale and they were both on the Westerdam. They are chartered by a travel agency in St. Louis and if you do a Google search on either cruise it will come up. My husband is the jazz fan but I had a wonderful time on both cruises and we are going again this year. Every night there is a show and you go based on your dinner seating--late seating goes to the early show (6pm) and early seating goes to the late show (9pm). It is different artists each night except for the outstanding "all star" show which is all the artists. There are shows all night long as well in all the show lounges. On the sea days, the activities are all centered around jazz and the musicians. There are "meet & greets", autograph signing sessions, lectures, etc. Also, all the musicians are walking around the ship just like regular passengers. They are usually very friendly and happy to talk and have their pictures taken any time.

 

You end up really spoiled by the excellent entertainment thru out the cruise.

[chrismch]

HAL is now teaming up to do a Playboy Jazz Cruise which is the new set up for the North Seas cruise. Ignore the fact that it is sponsored by Playboy as Hef just picks up some of the tab. There will be no scantilly clad babes like at his mansion. He is just a huge Jazz fan and a supporter of the music.

 

Another choice for Jazz cruises is the one that is on the Crystal Symphony this year Nov 30 out of L.A. This is not a chartered cruise per se. If you book through the chartering company you get access to some private events but 95% of all events are open to anyone on the cruise. This is big band and traditional jazz with anything from a duo to 7 piece band.You also don't pay a premium fee like you do for the ones the other poster mentioned.

 

We did this cruise last year on the east coast and this yr it is the west coast. The ship still had all its regular entertainment as well as 5-6 jazz venues each day. If you want more info you can checkit out at www.jazzdagen.com.

[kwpatel]

A couple of weeks ago the jazzsea group was on the Amsterdam. The were playing all over the ship and they were very welcoming of people not part of the group... they had signs that said everyone was welcome... However Dixieland jazz might not be for everyone... But we enjoyed a few shows... but not our cup of tea everyday, several times a day for a whole week though...

 

http://www.jazzsea.com

[airlink diva]

All the jazz cruises I have been aware of were on HAL ships. Can any of you tell me how the entertainment is handled on these cruises? Any other info will be appreciated also.

The website about the smooth jazz cruise is http://thesmoothjazzcruise.com . Right now at my job, there's a small group that's looking into doing this cruise in 2010. We had a group that sailed on the Westerdam this past January and the year before and they still rave about it!! The cost is slightly higher than a normal cruise, but when you factor in the great entertainment lineup and the cost to see several of the artist alone, it's a great deal. I also glad that they are on HAL ships because it even made some of my co-workers who sailed on other lines to consider HAL on other cruises. I'm thinking about this cruise in 2010 also, especially if they still do the seven day to Aruba and Curacao.

Happy sailing!!!

[boojimom]

My DH and I have just signed up for the "Straight Ahead (Traditional Jazz) Cruise" on the Westerdam setting sail on November 9th. Has anyone done that particular cruise?

[iriegirl]

The website about the smooth jazz cruise is http://thesmoothjazzcruise.com . Right now at my job, there's a small group that's looking into doing this cruise in 2010. We had a group that sailed on the Westerdam this past January and the year before and they still rave about it!! The cost is slightly higher than a normal cruise, but when you factor in the great entertainment lineup and the cost to see several of the artist alone, it's a great deal. I also glad that they are on HAL ships because it even made some of my co-workers who sailed on other lines to consider HAL on other cruises. I'm thinking about this cruise in 2010 also, especially if they still do the seven day to Aruba and Curacao.

Happy sailing!!!

 

Hi there! I have a small group of friends and family who are interested in taking this cruise in 2010 as well. I can't wait for them to post the dates and sailing itinerary. We're considering both the Smooth Jazz 2010 and the Dave Koz 2009 cruises. I've only ever sailed Carnival and RCL, and the rest of the gang has only been on Carnival so we're looking forward to something new.

[airlink diva]

If I think about it, I will post the info on this board. They offer past cruisers first chance to book. There's a nice size group of people that are really intrested and waiting to book for 2010.

[iamtothemax]

ru going? This is an inaugural cruise so personally, I don't know. It sure would be helpful if they had a chatboard on their website like the bluescruise has. Made lots of friends before and stayed in touch afterwards. It's such a great asset for a chartered cruise. The line up looks good although having a dj do the sailaway is a bit hohum. Sorry, I've been spoiled silly on the legendary blues cruise. But, for the price I guess one shouldn't complain...