Honolulu Blue

I have done some cruises on Princess and monitor the board here. All their ships have Starlink now, which helps. Most of the past complaints were about the Medallion app, which has been replaced. The speed is usually good, by cruise ship standards.

Assembling some perfect experiences on Carnival cruises: Breakfast at the trough that includes bacon. A no bacon day already takes the shine off perfection, IMHO. Arriving into port no earlier than 8 AM. Earlier stops are not good for me, I've found. On sea days, a Morning Show that's filled with prizes and easy-to-answer questions Music trivia with selections that seem to come straight off my playlist. Music trivia from the 80s and 90s seems to be my jam. If you see me approaching, beware. 😈 (Journeys cruises only) Horse racing. I think this is fun to watch, even though I've never laid a bet down. But then, I like horse races on land. (Journeys cruises only) The social media lecture. It's always interesting to see the lecturer's spin on this - from building a better blog, to being an intermediate FB user, to social media security... these always seem to be unique from cruise to cruise Ribs ribs ribs - Short ribs, prime rib, or BBQ ribs for dinner (wherever) is always a winner with me Winning a few bucks on those games of chance Coming back from wherever I've been to find the room perfectly cleaned and made up

I liked reading all these posts. Keep it up! I'll split this into two posts - one with a near perfect experience I had on a charter cruise that WAS NOT on Carnival, and one a combination of perfect experiences I've had on Carnival. OK, about that near perfect day on that charter cruise: Breakfast at the trough that's elevated from Carnival standards Hanging out somewhere quiet doing whatever Watching a concert by the pool stage around 10 More hanging around or retreating to the cabin Watching another concert either in the main theater or by the pool around noon or 1 PM Power nap if I have time Watching yet another concert by the pool either at 2 or 4 PM Sneaking in a simple dinner of a burger and fries. This part would be perfect if it were Guy's, but it's not. This wasn't a Carnival cruise, remember? A final concert in the main theater (or watching the main theater feed from my room) pumping out some more hot tunes from my youth

Nothing to do with music, but I'd like to report on my experience with jury duty this morning. I reported to my appointed building. Yours truly and about 45 others were asked to report to a holding area where we were given instructions and general guidance about what was about to happen. An hour later, our judge, prosecutor, defense lawyer, and defendant (yes, it was a criminal case) showed up on the screen. Fourteen numbers were pulled, which made up the initial jury box. They got to go to the courtroom. Ten more numbers were pulled to be backups. They had separate seating in the courtroom. Many questions were asked by the judge, prosecutor, and defense lawyer. Some of the answers were disqualifying on the spot. Some of the potential jurors were excused by both lawyers based on their answers and other things. They ran out of backups and dug for 10 more. I was in this group of 10, having dodged the first two groups. So I got to go to the courtroom and watch the proceedings live. Still more questions were asked and one more person was picked from the backup pool to sit on the potential jury. It happened to be the guy sitting next to me. More questions and finally the lawyers on both sides decided they had enough jury strikes and found a 14-man lineup they could live with. For me, this ended jury duty for the day. I was told to call them and not to wait for a call from them. A little birdie told me that with what happened today and Friday being an off day for us (Good Friday), that it would be unlikely I would be called for another round of this this week. We shall see. I apologize for telling this story. I promise I'll have some more music and cruise related content soon. In the meantime, how about a picture of Jason Scheff of Generation Radio? I'd sure like to see him and his new band sometime - even if I have to suffer through a few Rascal Flatts songs to do so.

I would choose a full Journeys cruise over a B2B any day of the week. Not that a B2B is bad (I hope to get on one eventually), but they do have some cons - turnaround day(s), same ol' ports, same ol' menus, similar entertainment, more kids, and a possibly rowdier crowd. I've done 7 Journeys cruises since Christine signed off on them several years ago. I generally agree with most of the pros and cons my colleagues have listed. The Journeys cruise @firefly333 described above was my last Journeys cruise, one we shared (though we didn't meet onboard). My story is considerably different than her story. I wrote about what happened to me in my live thread linked below. Give it a look if you've got some hours to spare. 🙂

More small notes: According to an Internet rumor, the UDC is about 80% sold out. I got the news by text, e-mail, and phone message - I have to report for jury duty tomorrow morning. I have the usual mixed emotions on this. We'll see what happens on the morrow.

I was recently on the Summit which had an adults-only sailing. I can't recall if it was 18+ or 21+. This was a charter sailing and the age limit was set by the chartering company. The Summit is a popular ship to be chartered and many, if not most, charters are adults only. I have no opinion on whether Celebrity should designate more routes or entire ships as adults only.

I've done seven of them. They're a lot of fun and offer plenty of everything else I want in a cruise.

To be brief: * As others have mentioned, Carnival is all about FUN. They have lots of fun activities onboard (IMHO) and attract passengers who like to have fun. * The Journeys cruises Carnival offers really are different from what other cruise lines offer and are especially attractive to me.

Quickie notes; apologies for any duplication: San Juan, PR: More Latinos, fewer kids, better behaved kids, somewhat better dressed, more dance classes, nightclub venues more crowded, ship busier late night Galveston, TX: Lots of Texans, friendlier, more open, more country music I haven't found anything notable about any of the Florida ports, San Pedro, or Vancouver.

Take 'em to the brig. If that doesn't scare the kids and set expectations for the parents, then they're both beyond hope.

Early June might be all right, since some school districts are still working until then. Late August is probably safer, for reasons mentioned by other posters.

Sadly, yes. I was recently on a themed cruise that was HUGE into decorated cabin doors (they even had a contest awarding $$$ to the winners). I heard multiple reports on their FB page that the decorations of others had been damaged, vandalized, stolen, or destroyed. 🤬

Small update on jury duty... as I've mentioned elsewhere in this thread, I'm on jury duty next week. They actually had my status on the phone starting 5 PM yesterday, but I didn't call until this morning. They asked me to not report on Monday, but keep calling starting Monday night for the other days. I was kind of hoping for a complete dismissal like I got 3 years ago, but it's all right. I'll get through this. And now I want to talk about that wacky weed. Prior to this Rock and Romance Cruise, I had not smelled or witnessed anyone smoking MJ on any of my cruises. On at least two occasions while I was attending poolside concerts on this cruise, I could smell Willie Nelson's favorite medicine. I didn't witness anyone smoking or vaping while I was there, though I confess most of the time my eyes were on the performers. No judgement on anyone for doing this, and I'm not a narc or informant, but the obvious questions are 1) how did they get that stuff onboard? and 2) did anyone else notice? Nobody said anything while I was there (thankfully) and I didn't hear any buzz on the ship about this. Again, this isn't a big deal (it actually confirmed my impression that the R&R group is a fun bunch that I really should hang out with), but I wanted to note it before I forget about it.

They actually announced it yesterday by e-mail; the Web site is live now. Here's the initial performer list. I apologize for the font; they didn't ask me which I preferred: ...and here's the itinerary. I think it's very interesting. It's a repositioning cruise, which I haven't seen any charters use. The stop in Victoria is very long, and of course there's that San Francisco overnight. It sounds like fun for those who are interested. I was offered the chance to sign up for the pre-sale to beat the peasants in line for cabins on the ship. I think I'll decline the opportunity. One reason is that a quick calculation of the cost for a single cabin on this voyage is $4625, which would be the most I'd ever paid for any cruise ever, and not by a little bit. There may be some more discussion of the cruise in the newsletter today, so be sure to look out for that.

I was on this cruise with George and have done other music charter cruises. The ones I have been on didn't allow kids, though I have seen others that have (though there may be age limits). This is an option for the OP and others to avoid kids, though an expensive one. Obviously, you want to go on a ship where the entertainers are ones you like and the expected crowd is similar to you, or at least compatible.

That does sound unusual. Iwas around the pool a lot, but it was because they were playing the music that appealed most to me at the time. Perhaps things will be different next year. Speaking of next year, it was great to hear you and your lovely wife, and I'm sorry we won't do the rock and romance thing together next year. I am sure it will be a great experience for you.

I did a full Panama Canal transit on the Carnival Splendor a few years ago that included most of these ports. If I recall correctly, we stuck with local time most of the time, which means we changed time zones several times. My guess is you'll do the same, but this is always subject to the discretion of the Captain. Have a great cruise!

While I wait for our plane to get here (it's delayed), ill take a little time to review an email that just showed up in my box. Sixthman is adding another country music charter cruise in addition to OCC and Cayamo. It's called Boots on the Water and it's a 5-day sailing next February on the Norwegian Gem. Yee haw! In the same email came an initial lineup for Train's Sail Across the Sun Cruise that will also sail next February. Living Colour will be onboard, and they were on The 80s Cruise in both 2022 and 2023.

Moving back to yesterday afternoon... I saw Hotel California, tribute band for the Eagles. They were very good, though they played a couple of songs that weren't as familiar to me. An hour later, after some drinks, I went to see the Doobie Others, which did Doobie Brothers songs. I thought this was the best performance of the day, though not by a lot. There was a lot of musical comfort food here. I wonder how many Doobie songs Mr. McDonald will play on our upcoming cruise. I initially wanted to see Randy Bachman in the main theater, but at the last minute I decided to head to the cabin to watch the livestream. Mr. Bachman, of course, was the founder of both the Guess Who and BTO. IIRC, @George C recommended him. He was good, though he liked his storytelling time. And even with the stories, the show was only about 1:15 - the shortest show I saw in the main theater all week. I apologize in advance for the pictures. Then the night called me and I had to surrender to it. I'll sum up my experience in a few days while I work on other things. Thanks for following along.

I'll cover yesterday's events in a later post, but while I have a bit of time, I'll cover our arrival into Miami. We docked early, I left on time, line to debark was relatively short, Customs liked my pretty face, and soon enough I was out the door. I found the shuttle I purchased to the airport ($20, a rare bargain these days) and here I wait. It's a mini bus that holds about 15 passengers, plus a small attached trailer for all the luggage.

Good morning! I've already been to a concert today, out by the pool. I really like 10 AM concerts. 9 would be even better, but I'm sure most people would think that was absolutely crazy. Anyway, I went to see the tribute band Creedence Revived. They were very good. They played all the songs you and I know and love from them. Sadly, there was no room for any John Fogerty solo songs. 😕 I happen to like those better. That's all for now. Thete will be more to report, but my Internet is going to expire soon. For the record, it's worked well the vast majority of the time - as it should for the price that I paid for it (mostly covered by OBC). Thanks Elon. 👍

I've taken advantage of laundry bag deals on Carnival (many times) and Royal (once). I have never had to wait for a deal, just used the bag(s) provided, or asked the cabin steward for a bag and/or instructions on how to nake the deal work. I hope you can do something like this on NCL. Good luck. 🙏

It sounds like you got around! All that sounds great and I'm glad you were able to experience it all. This was a four concert day, so this is going to take a while to write and plan put. Your patience is appreciated (as always). Thanks in advance. The first concert was the LSB Experience at 10 AM by the pool. The sun wasn't too bright yet and the ship didn't wiggle around too much. LSB was obviously filled with talent, but most of their songs were from the early 70s - generally too early for me to appreciate. A couple of hours later came the Peter Asher experience. I think it would be a stretch to call it a concert, since there were only about half a dozen songs in the hour plus show. Mostly, Mr. Asher told stories of his days as a singer, a talent booker, and a manager. The stories were great, but a lot were from the 60s, which wasn't what I wanted. So, I guess the experience was OK? It was all right, but not something I'm clamoring to repeat. Later on, I went back by the pool to see Orleans. It was warmer and the sun was higher in the sky. I didn't have any issues with it. I thought they were good, in line with expectations for them. They played a medley of songs of the mostly more famous label mates they played with at Asylum Records in the late 70s. One of them was The Eagles, which I will hear more of tomorrow. But that's getting ahead of the story. I snuck in a burger at the nearby grill and took it into the buffet to eat. It was good, really hitting the spot. It was no Guy's, however. Last, but not least, we got an evening treat in the main theater- Generation Radio. This was an all-star group of musicians headed by Jason Scheff, former bassist and lead singer for Chicago. I hoped these guys would be good. Boy, were they. I thought this was the best concert on the cruise so far. They grabbed me from the start with the best song anyone has played so far - Kenny Loggins' Danger Zone. They mixed in Chicago tunes with Kenny Loggins, Journey, Tom Petty, and one uptempo Generation Radio original. Alas, they had to put in several Rascal Flatts songs, and this I thought was the weakest part of the show. There were more songs here from the 80s than any other decade. So I think this show would have had a more natural home on The 80s Cruise, of all places. I'm not sure how the R&R veterans will make of it, though the ladies on either side of me seemed to like the show and its performers well enough. When I returned to the room, I found the schedules for the next day on my bed. Tomorrow is the last full day of this cruise. I habe a busy day planned. We shall see if I can survive it. 😵‍💫

Let's see how much I can say and show in 20 minutes. I have Internet access, but a concert soon. Anyway, I saw the @George Cendorsed Cara Lee by the pool yesterday afternoon. She was good and the weather wasn't too punishing. This show focused on female singers of the 70s. I got to sit on the front row. Then, in the evening, I got to see my first nighttime concert by the pool. This was billed as the Yacht Rock show. I liked that kind music back then. I still like it today, now that I understand it better. They played a couple of Boz Scaggs songs, one each from Ambrosia, Player, and Pablo Cruise; and they closed with one from Christopher Cross (who will be on TEC next year). BTW, I was in the front row again. In the meantime, we left Curacao and are steaming back to Miami at 18 to 19 knots. The food remains solid. Gotta run. Peter Asher is calling my name.