hattack

Seating has never been a problem on the full charter Jazz theme cruises...there are really no "bad seats" in the room when it comes to the shows and hearing the music...artists will often go out into the audience and come to the upper level to play....they perform multiple times and in muliple venues on the ship during the week so you have ample opportunity to interact

I don't think the issue will be anywhere as bad as some on this board seem to think before they have experienced it onboard...if you look at Carnival's demographics on any given sailing more then half would not be interested in who is performing anyway

Plus everyone knows at a music concert, the worse seats in the house are in the first few rows because the music goes over your head

You should never pass judgement until you experience it

I would suggest not to sweat the small stuff (the list of performers announced) and look at the bigger picture. Carnival has the ability (much like Amazon when you purchase CD's online) to capture data from guests on a given week and guests on upcoming cruises) which artists they would like to see on a future cruise

The private full charter music theme cruises have shown that performing a "gig" at sea is highly sought out by today's popular artists....it is no longer your "Love Boat" or "legends" shows. On my Capital Jazz SuperCruise. Charter on the Carnival Freedom this past November there were 20 current or past Grammy nominated artists who performed. Artists pressure their booking agents to get bookings on cruise ships these days

Carnival (as has other cruise lines) have taken notice, and adapted a strategy for their regular sailings. Do not be surprised to see a Carnival banner at popular music festivals this summer as they seek to capture fans of popular artists to cruise with their favorite artist on a future Carnival cruise

The technology and social media exists today, that Carnival would team up with Amazon that when I order a CD or download of my favorite artist online a Carnival "pop up" or twitter alert will tell me I can see that artist perform on a specific Carnival cruise in the near future and by pressing the Carnival link, will allow me to book a cabin at that moment

Carnival is moving forward in this area...they are using this first wave roll out of artists and ships to work out the kinks...other cruise lines will quickly fall in line as will cruisers

I think Carnival is very savy in moving in this direction and smart in how they are rolling it out

A) they have watched how NCL has been wildly successful in designating the Pearl for full charter music cruises... in response they are testing in a very deliberate tactical manner, how to respond

B) Carnival on a regular basis, have large groups, on regular sailing, who bring their musical entertainment onboard for private concerts....when the regular cruisers, who are not a part of the group, find out who the entertainers are, they :eek:offer to pay the group organizer:eek:to pay extra to see a specific artist...of course they are refused, so Carnival knows there is the demand

C)Carnival charters out several of their Conquest class ships (Freedom, Conquest, Valor) for full Charter Jazz Cruises...many of the SuperStar acts fly in/out to do one show...our port time is extend till 1 am for this...wildly popular because you enjoy an extend port of call day and a theme night concert and party in the evening...Carnival took notice of this and figured out a way to adopt it in their 2.0 upgrade overall

D) when one ofbtheir ships had a mechanical issue while in port (forgot which one shortly after the Triump mess), they flew in a big name entertainer to do a special show and received very positive feedback

E) many Carnival guests come from parts of the Country that they don't have the opportunity to see some of the artists in question, so yes for a small surcharge they would be excited about the opportunity

This board is full of negative threads about the entertainment on Carnival ships and repeat cruisers will post they don't even bother to go to the shows anymore, Carnival tries something different and the same folks who complained are now saying it's nickle and diming them...this should not impact them in the least and they should enjoy the extend port time off the ships

Give Carnival the time to try this..if it works, they will roll it out fleet wide..if it flops they won't

If you use Luggage Express, you have to wait until they release you...due to. airline security reasons...the safety net if you try to depart before being called, your S&S card will set off a buzzer

As another poster indicated, 2 separate programs

Carnival Conquest,Nov 2005, right after Hurricane Katrina....when crew and fellow guests found out we were from New Orleans, they gave us so much love

Interesting....on our Jazz Charter, the jumbo screens are only on when there is a concert activity on the lido deck or main showroom, , the NFL Tailgate Party, very late night film festival or a Thursday Night Scandal (tv show party)

Rest of the time Jumbo screen is turned off and we hear Jazz streamling live on Capital Jazz Radio

So it can be turned off

Freedom is undergoing drydock in April for 2.0 upgrades...so what is there now may change..when ate you thinking about taking your cruise?

In the mid 1980's we were on a cruise in Greece on the Stella Solaris and had dinner with Newt Gingrich and his wife (his invitation) along with 2 other American couples...my GF and I were the only African Americans on the ship...we spent the entire evening discussing Greek mythology and never once discussed politics in the US...the ship's photographer took a nice picture of the 8 of us, which I placed in a beautiful frame that I purchased in Santorini ...when my friends come to visit the picture is quite a conversation topic

On the full charter Jazz Cruises, I have met many of my music idols...they have all been very nice and their is an unsritten understanding that when they are with their families or eating, everyone respects their privacy

Many cruisers have jobs or fixed vacation times, that they cannot change their flight times earlier to beat the storm

Airlines have learned their lesson..they now are very proactive about cancelling flights prior to a major storm, so their equiptment and crews don't get trapped and are in a better position to recover quicker after the storm has ceased

Most experienced cruisers in cold weather Cities plan for this and adjust their flight reservation to give them a buffer (going in 1-2 days early and an extra day upon their return)

For those leaving for their cruise this weekend from the impacted areas, travel safely, have extra patience at the airport, bring a snack for the overwhelmed airline gate agent and give them a smile.....

He will lead you to the hot dog stand before you find your cabin location:) he will know within an hour of boarding the shortest distance between your cabin and the hot dog stand ;)

Kids have a way of making a cruise an adventure and often have a better time then their parents and make more friends quicker and can navigate the decks quicker...he'll also know where every ice cream machine is

One should never make assumptions about a group on a cruise...the group that is on your particular cruise may look docile and laid back, but being on a ship in the middle of the ocean plus alcohol may cause a different behavior late at night after their theme events are completed...

Every year on the High Seas Rally (bikers) other guests assume they will be wild drinking parties...not true, many only drink non alcoholic beverages..they just look like bikers :)

Depends on the size of the group (the smaller lessens the impact) the type of theme group and the size of your ship...

The theme group may all eat together at one time which could impact your dinner time selection depending on the size of the ship, certain smaller public rooms may be reserved thruout the day and evening for private activities, (which means less congestion at the pool, spa etc), ...the theme group could be librarians, in service training professionals or 60's Oldies Cruise fans

Cruise Directors work very closely with the theme group leaders to try to make it work for all guests so I would suggest having an open mind going into your cruise

Kick off is 630 pm EST...figure out where you are going to watch the game when you first board...make sure the spot is serving snacks or plan on having a big lunch on the lido deck...lot more fun when you are watching the game with a group of your fellow cruisers from your favorite NFL team

If there is an upcoming Jazz theme Cruise, I would be very interested in trying MSC

Depending on the class of ship..if it has a 4J, it's the best of all worlds

There are so many great activities in New Orleans around New Year's Eve, your kids will be pumped before they board the ship

If they reacted in the opposite fashion, as a parent, I would be worried

They will make friends within 2 hours of boarding the ship and you will have to make an appointment to visit them for the rest of your cruise

I would draft the Miami Heat & Dolphin Cheerleaders to be in the Carnival Cruise terminal on embarkation day to take pics with the guests before boarding

We flew the redeye to Paris..took the 200 mph high speed train (1st class both ways) to Lyon and spent 2 days before our River Cruise...it happen to be Easter weekend so there was alot going on..stayed at a small B&B and loved going to the Farmer's Market on Saturday morning before our departing on our River Cruise..upon our return to Lyon, spent the night and visited several Jazz Clubs and took the high speed train back to Paris the next morning and spent 3 days

Lyon is beautiful..agree with the poster that indicated 2 days should do it..Lyon at night on the River is beautiful

been in that situation a few times...it will work out because her coworkers understand they might need her help on a shift/day trade over the course of the year or their plans change around Christmas Day

I'm old school...you never call in sick when you are not sick (kharma will come back at you)...you never call in sick the last day before vacation starts when everyone knows you are trying to get a trade (your boss might be looking for a doctor's note)...you never call in sick the first day back from vacation (always have an arrangement with a co-worker to cover your shift just in case)

Lido deck forward is very quiet...I like the fact that you are close to your cabin if you need to utilize your bathroom

Just curious..do you remember the name of the Jazz group?

"no dog in this fight"...I allocate $10 to spend on roulette for the entire cruise...since we pass the casino on the way to dinner I usually pick the evening that she is running late in getting dressed in the cabin to make my annual visit..one year I won $36 on my last spin...celebrated by cashing out and put it back in my cruise fund so the following cruise I can spend $36

My observation is that on the full charter Jazz cruises, the casinos are empty for the entire week

If Conquest class...4J on lido deck...love the location and the "private" balcony...short walk to the lido pool, food etc, short walk to go back to cabin or to use the cabin restroom...not that many cabins on that deck, so it is very quiet

Save your $$$$ and go visit the Greek Islands in the summer..not the famous crowed ones but the smaller less known ones...lots of eastern Europeans enjoy having the clothing optional. Choice