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Capital Jazz Supercruise 2012


policecruiser

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You would be correct...we have been on SuperCruise 4, 5 and booked for this year (6)...you picked an excellent first music cruise because this year is an 8 day vs 7 which means an extra day of music....as it gets closer there will probably be a roll call...once you have booked Capital Jazz will send you a monthly newsletter...most supercrusiers come in the evening before (friday) and attend a really nice pre cruise party...there are several theme nights (no formal nights)...as can be expected, alot of folks are from your area and most are repeat cruisers...if you have been on normal cruises, once you go on a full charter music cruise you will never go back to a normal cruise...

What makes the Capital Jazz SuperCruise so unique is that there is an eclectic line up that offers a wide variety of artists that you do not see on other music cruises....plus you are able to interact with them all week plus see them perform many times...great allstar jam sessions at night, great q&a sessions during the day and on the full days at sea you are treated to a noon time concert on the lido deck

You are immersed 24/8 in the music...don't forget to bring your cd's for the artists to sign and a good SLR camera with a zoom lens (no flash photography allowed)

You are in for an experience of a lifetime and we look forward to seeing you onboard...hint, the price goes up every month, so if you have not booked a cabin already,

do so now.....check their website on a regular basis as they continue to add artists...

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I really enjoy the underground lounge artists (up and coming artists) and look forward to the line up...also they will do a celebrity auction for breast cancer that is really alot of fun....70's night, black and white night, and nfl jersey night are the major theme nights...they will also have a celebrity chef from the food channel and workshops for aspiring musicians...they play lots of music trivia games and great karoke....you will be able to purchase cd's by all of the artists and they will gladly sign them and take pictures with you

Everyone respects the artists when they are with their family when they are eating and give them their privacy...in return the artists are very approachable and are really alot of fun to interact with...there are q&a sessions all during the week where you can ask them questions and learn more about them...the midnight jam sessions are awesome and you never know who will perform and you will hear unusual combinations...capital jazz will send you a performance schedule for the cruise about two weeks out so you can plan your schedule..since this is your first supercruise, I strongly suggest you try to see all of the artists with special efforts to see the artists that you have never seen or heard of.....also suggest you take monday off so you can catch up on your rest...you will not be getting alot of sleep on your supercruise

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My girlfriends and I are booking this cruise. Our first theme cruise. I'm afraid they may become addictive, so I'm hustling to make more money to pay for future ones. Regular cruises are kind of boring to me, except for my times in port. Um, you definitely won't see me wearing an NFL jersey, and glad to hear there's no formal night!

 

Looking forward to meeting you!

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The key is that Capital Jazz has an early bird special between July and mid September that you can book for the lowest price...you will know the ship and the islands but not the line up of artists...once the majority of the artists are announced they raise the price every month or so...the first installment payment is due Jan 15th and the final balance is due June 15th....if you attend more then two concerts a year at home, the SuperCruise becomes the bargin of a lifetime..because this year we will be on an 8 day cruise we will probably have over 40 artists to enjoy....

Yes, once you have experienced your first full charter SuperCruise, you will become hooked and be bored out of your mind on a normal cruise

See you onboard....fyi at the tailgate party alot of folks wear basketball,soccer,baseball favorite team jerseys as well as their nfl team jerseys

Check their website and your newsletter in July when SuperCruise 7 opens for sale, you can also book it onboard SC6

They have yet to announce the underground lounge artists and name a few more main artists...if you attend the Capital Jazz Festival in June you will see some of the artists that may be on next yeats cruise

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Strongly suggest you come in on friday and stay at the host hotel...Capital Jazz hosts a really nice pre cruise party with food and music ....since this is your first time, the key is to pace yourself and plan a 30 minute nap or downtime during the day so you can hang out all night and last for the 8 days...take monday following the cruise off from work so you can catch up on your rest...we have 4 days at sea, which means there will be 4 noon time concerts on the lido deck...for chuck brown two years ago, folks were getting their seats by 8 am...same for frankie beverly last year....with planning you will be able to see all of the artists, plus every year there are unannounced surprises....the midnight jam sessions are incredible and 70's night will keep you in stiches with the outfits

This is a very laid back, relaxing cruise with 3000+ music fans like yourself...folks are mellow and alot of fun...it is open seating for dinner so you can meet different folks from all over the world every night...don't be surprise if you see George Clinton and P-Funk do a song with Three Mo Tenors.....when we are in port there are no music activities planned until later in the day..FourPlay performed at 4 pm when we were scheduled to sail at 6 pm out of Cozumel...nice way to end the day

One of my favorite activities is watching the reaction of cruisers from other ships when we are in a port at the same time and they find out what an incredible time we are having

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Thanks for all the inside tips, hattack! I didn't even realize this cruise was 8 days.

 

Are there any performances on the islands we visit? I know when the Blues Cruise comes to the VI, some of the musicians perform on land so the residents can enjoy some of the music. Has that ever happened on a Capital Jazz cruise?

 

Let's hope I still have a job in October! I may have plenty of time to rest after this cruise.

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So far all of the performances have been on the ship...in 2005/2006 on the All Star Smooth Jazz cruises the promoter held a night before pre cruise concert in conjunction with the local smooth jazz radio station open to the public and early arriving guests that actually attracted some last minute bookings

Most of the artists are with us all week,some acts fly into the various ports to join or leave the ship and in the case of FourPlay, they flew into Cozumel to perform and left the same evening to fly to a gig in Europe

I know exactly what you are going thru about the job. I live in New. Orleans and in 2005 due to Hurricane Katrina lost my job and the promoter offered everyone impacted a full refund,but my friends who were staying with me convinced me to go....so glad I did because the music was like therapy...don't worry everything will work out with your job, come and enjoy the music...since everything is prepaid, once you are onboard you can manage..I'll buy you a drink

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hattack, you're in New Orleans?! I bought the "Treme" season one DVD, and LOVE that show, but can't find anybody else that seems to want to watch it. Sigh. Even people who say they like jazz.:(

 

I wanted my friends to book the 1st Annually New Orleans Jazz Cruise in May, but they weren't interested at all.

 

The Smooth Jazz cruise is coming to STT this Wed (18) and the next (25), so I'm hoping to somehow meet some people off that ship. Guess I'll just hang out at the bar near the ship, and put on a happy face!

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Treme was not renewed by HBO..too bad, everyone in New Orleans watched it because alot of locals had walk on roles, so we took great pride...the soundtrack is nominated for a Grammy

Been on 2 Smooth Jazz Cruises and loved them both..was not aware that there is a New Orleans Jazz Cruise in May...there are several cruises out of New Orleans with a jazz theme, but not aware of a full charter...will do some research

Fyi..if Trombone Shorty and Orleans Avenue is playing near you, check them out...they are awesome

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Your "jazz expert" is absolutely correct...James Andrew is Trombone Shorty's older brother and Michael Ward is awesome...these are all well loved authentic New Orleans jazz musicians......my friend is a member of Zulu, so the Mardi Gras Indians are not only great musicians but are trying to keep the unique culture alive...have a call in to the travel agency to find out details and who the promoter is and what their track record is in putting on these events on a cruise ship....there have been some high profile incidents where the promoter ripped off folks so its always best to do some research

Fyi, don't be surprise if Tom Joyner starts discounting cabins on his Fantastic Voyage to fill his ship

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I wouldn't even consider the Tom Joyner cruise. I love Tom and crew on the radio, but don't think I want to cruise with them. I don't want to hear a lot of oldies, and though the jazz cruise may be playing oldies, I don't hear them frequently or am not familiar with them so it's not the same old thing.

 

Please let me know what your research reveals. My friends didn't want to book this cruise, because it was the first one (and they don't like New Orleans jazz). This one is actually better for me, because of the price, the dates, the itinerary, and I'm pretty sure I can convince another friend of mine to go with me. She'd love a cruise out of New Orleans, and the price is good for a theme cruise.

 

I have another cruise scheduled for Nov, but only because the price was irrestible! I'm hoping I can sell some licenses for some t-shirts I designed to help pay for my travels!!!

 

You might want to sign up for the SmoothJazz blog. That's how I found out about the New Orleans cruise. At least I think that's the name of it, but seems like I've left something out of the name. If you need help finding it, let me know, and I'll post the exact link.

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Strongly suggest you come in on friday and stay at the host hotel...Capital Jazz hosts a really nice pre cruise party with food and music ....since this is your first time, the key is to pace yourself and plan a 30 minute nap or downtime during the day so you can hang out all night and last for the 8 days...take monday following the cruise off from work so you can catch up on your rest...we have 4 days at sea, which means there will be 4 noon time concerts on the lido deck...for chuck brown two years ago, folks were getting their seats by 8 am...same for frankie beverly last year....with planning you will be able to see all of the artists, plus every year there are unannounced surprises....the midnight jam sessions are incredible and 70's night will keep you in stiches with the outfits

This is a very laid back, relaxing cruise with 3000+ music fans like yourself...folks are mellow and alot of fun...it is open seating for dinner so you can meet different folks from all over the world every night...don't be surprise if you see George Clinton and P-Funk do a song with Three Mo Tenors.....when we are in port there are no music activities planned until later in the day..FourPlay performed at 4 pm when we were scheduled to sail at 6 pm out of Cozumel...nice way to end the day

One of my favorite activities is watching the reaction of cruisers from other ships when we are in a port at the same time and they find out what an incredible time we are having

 

 

I have a friend that went last year and she said the same thing about watching other people's reactions to the cruisers. She said even the cruise staff commented that they had never seen such an event and were glad to see everyone having such a blast.

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Very often the smooth jazz artists are more popular outside of the US, and the ship's international crew are huge fans also.....cabin and dining staff like the fact that for the week their job is much easier because the entertainment is timed to your dining time so they can do their job more efficiently....the purser desk loves the fact that they receive very few complaints because the promoter staffs a desk on the 5th floor by the casino, which handles 90% of the concerns...the bar staff on the lido deck loves the fact that on our sea days at noon there is a concert (ie Frankie Beverly or Chuck Brown), where all 3000 guests are having a great time and drinking alot...the casino staff loves it because they don't have anyone at the tables and they can enjoy the karoke....smooth jazz fans are a pretty laid back group...also there are no kids or teenagers onboard for a week...on one smooth jazz cruise a few years ago, some of the crew from the engine room and house keeping who played instruments and sang performed with the artists at a midnight jam session with Brian Culbertson and Rick Braun and it was televised closed circuit to all the crew areas....talk about the ships crew having a sense of pride and feeling a part of the fun

The hottest selling item is the Capital Jazz SuperCruise teeshirts which sell out the first night that we sail..on the back it list all of the artists that are performing on the cruise that week and come in some really cool colors...when we are in port there is a huge banner on. the side of our ship proclaiming "a week of smooth jazz and cool soul"...when other ships guests are shopping and see our teeshirts it starts a conversation that is always funny to watch as the wives tell their husbands next year they want to be on our cruise..in Cozumel there were several ships in port who were in awe that at 4pm there were 3000 folks on deck of our ship's lido deck at a FourPlay concert (we were not scheduled to sail until 6pm)..so the other ships had to turn off their program deck music, so their guests could hear our music...we were on the Carnival Valor..Doug E Fresh taught everyone how to do the "Dougie" so the last night that the dining staff dances for their guests...guess which dance they did

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Ms411...I checked out Get-A-Way travel and it's all good....they have moved the sailing from May to November which should lower the cost of a cabin....if I were not on the SuperCruise I would give it serious consideration..the Conquest is my favorite all time cruise ship and I love Donald Harrision

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When your job situation stabilizes, you should give serious consideration for Dave Koz and Friends full charter in Sept 2013 out of Rome...his full line up will be announced shortly plus great ports of call including Athens Greece and the Greek Islands. Koz is an awesome host..my friends went on his Alaska cruise last August and loved it. I was on the Smooth Jazz cruise when Koz and Wayman Tisdale were co-hosts (just before Wayman died) and it was incredible..I'm skipping Super Cruise 7 in 2013 to do Koz and planning a side trip to Venice and Milan by high speed train after the cruise and will arrive in Rome 3 days before the cruise to visitvwith our Holy Father (who as a young man was a jazz fan)

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Yes, it is expensive to use wi-fi on any cruise, though I've never felt the need to connect. It used to be that every port had an Internet Cafe that was cheaper than ship's internet, but now that so many people are using smartphones, there may be fewer Internet cafes.

 

Some of the restaurants near the dock offer free wi-fi with purchase. I think I saw a restaurant in St Lucia that offered it. St Maarten is usually very good for wi-fi access, but haven't been to Antigua lately so can't give any info for that port.

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It has been ten years since I've been to St Marteen and have never been to Antigua or St Lucia but I do know that wifi is really expensive onboard

In terms of dinner dining times..for first timers I always suggest trying to keep as close to your normal home time zone, especially if you take daily medication...on the SuperCruise there is only early (6pm) or late (815pm) there is no anytime dining because the main shows are tied to your dining times...if you have early seating there is a lounge show after dinner at 8 pm for an hour and then you go directly to the main show (2 acts) at 915....if you have late dinner seating you have your main show at 6pm, then have dinner, then go to your lounge show at 1030pm....I live in New Orleans which is Central time, so I enjoy early dinner seating...there is always a buffett on the lido deck in case you want to skip the main dining room, after the midnight jam sessions which end around 2am there is always really great pizza at the back of the ship...the speciality ($$$$) is open for dinner...if you select late dining, don't worry you will dance your full tummy off at the disco or early morning exercise class....suggest you have breakfast and lunch in the main dining room at least once during the cruise...on our full days at sea, there are noon time concerts on the lido deck by the pool...so folks eat at the buffett

For some reason the food taste better when there is great music..also try at least one item every meal that you have never had and we have open seating so sit at a new table everynight and make new friends...unlike a normal cruise, everyone on the supercruise has a common interest......the music

If you have friends who have been on a regular cruise (but never a full charter smooth jazz cruise) your experience will be very different from theirs.....you will only be in your cabin to sleep,shower and dress...you will be immersed in great music and music related activities 24/7...when you come home and tell your friends what you did and show them pictures they will be soooooo jealous..you are in for an incredible vacation..great choice for your first cruise

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The time will pass quickly...the Capital Jazz Festival in early June will get you really pumped up for the cruise in October...check the Capital Jazz website on a regular basis as they will continue to announce artists..I think the "underground lounge" neo-soul artists give some of the best performances on the cruise and often the better known artists will sit in with them and create some incredible music...Frank McComb will be playing at the piano bar late at night and you never know who will sit in with him....there will be a celebrity auction to raise funds for the Sister's Network for Breast Cancer....the winners have dinner with the artists...last year Ken Ford actually raised more $$$$ then Chante Moore!!!!! so save up for it and you can team up with your friends to make a bid..there will be movies shown on the big screen on the lido deck at night with a music theme and all the main concerts you can see in your cabin on one of the channels if you missed it..

Every year the SuperCruise is better then the year before

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