Jazz Cruise?

Just wanted to know if anyone here has ever booked one of the charter "Smooth Jazz Cruises"? We are considering doing the Feb 10-17th, 2018 cruise on Summit. Hint: if anyone has been trying to book that week and can't -- it's a charter.

I know that questions like this often are referred to the "theme cruise" section of the Special Interest Cruising board. I did post over there, but the most recent activity that I can find on this topic is over a year old -- not too hopeful about getting much info there. But, I am also aware that the CC rules prohibit us from discussing/naming the charter company itself, or any TA's associated with it -- so, I won't go there.

Basically, my questions are very general in nature: if you've done a jazz (or other music genre) charter cruise, did you think it was worth the extra $$? Once you were onboard the ship, what were the main differences between that and a "regular" cruise? Upsides? Downsides? Would you do it again?

Just wanted to know if anyone here has ever booked one of the charter "Smooth Jazz Cruises"? We are considering doing the Feb 10-17th, 2018 cruise on Summit. Hint: if anyone has been trying to book that week and can't -- it's a charter.

 

Basically, my questions are very general in nature: if you've done a jazz (or other music genre) charter cruise, did you think it was worth the extra $$? Once you were onboard the ship, what were the main differences between that and a "regular" cruise? Upsides? Downsides? Would you do it again?

Call the group and ask what will be different from a regular cruise. Groups have always been willing to answer any questions I've had. Ask in general, and then get specific for anything that matters to you. I've seriously considered several different music-related charters in the past and still hope to take one someday. Worth the extra cost is totally subjective, but for me it would be, just that the dates have never worked out.

Charter groups potentially control a lot of what happens. Can't stress that enough. A group doing any specific music charter for a few years knows what works for their passengers and should be able to answer all of your questions. If you're an early riser? If you're a night owl?

In general on music charters, entertainment and possibly more of it than usual, sometimes scheduled at non-traditional times and non-traditional places. All daily passenger activities. Time spent in port may be different from a non-charter.

Meal times may be different. Menus everywhere might be different from usual. All dining venues may be open to everyone.

Suite and cabin assignments will be based on how many times you've cruised with their group. Cruise line loyalty status in general will not matter much on board either but worth asking anyway. Any music charter I've looked at had cruise line credit for days cruised, but verify that and how much credit for your cabin type.

Good luck and have fun if you decide to go!

Bliss -- thank you! You've given me quite a bit to think about -- time to make that phone call, and see if I can get my questions answered. :cool:

We are doing the Blues Cruise on the Summit in October. While I haven't done it before, my folks did the same cruise on Holland America last year and had an absolutely amazing time-my dad was a reluctant cruiser but couldn't wait to book again and they are bringing us with them. They said the music was amazing, and they loved being able to sit at breakfast and listen to the table of famous and upcoming musicians next to them talk about their art.

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Limace -- A Blues Cruise sounds great, too! Hope that you and your folks have a great time at this one, on Summit!:)

I have done 20+ Smooth Jazz cruises and I am already booked for 2018. A great experience and very professionally done. Different show every night and lots more jazz during the day on sea days and after leaving ports. Fabulous artists and they often play together which is something that you will seldom see. Also, the artists are all around the ship like regular passengers. You will love the experience!!!

I have done 20+ Smooth Jazz cruises and I am already booked for 2018. A great experience and very professionally done. Different show every night and lots more jazz during the day on sea days and after leaving ports. Fabulous artists and they often play together which is something that you will seldom see. Also, the artists are all around the ship like regular passengers. You will love the experience!!!

THANK YOU!! :cool: Just curious -- are there ever CC roll-calls for these cruises?

Just wanted to know if anyone here has ever booked one of the charter "Smooth Jazz Cruises"?

Swoon swoon - would LOVE to do a smooth jazz cruise. Oh my goodness... my favorite genre right now and I am loving every minute of it. :)

I have done 20+ Smooth Jazz cruises and I am already booked for 2018. A great experience and very professionally done. Different show every night and lots more jazz during the day on sea days and after leaving ports. Fabulous artists and they often play together which is something that you will seldom see. Also, the artists are all around the ship like regular passengers. You will love the experience!!!

So jealous! :D:D Thanks for this information for myself, and OP.

To both of you and anyone else who is interested, who are your favorite artists? I am loving Dav Koz, Chris Botti, Mindi Abair, George Benson, Walter Beasley, Lee Ritenour, Spyro Gyra, Fourplay, Sade to name a few. :)

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There is usually a Cruise critic roll call but I haven't seen one for this year. If you are considering 2018, book quickly. They sell out very quickly.

I've done about 7 Smooth Jazz Cruises. Previously they have been on Holland America. 2017 is the first year they will be on Celebrity. IMHO, well worth the extra money to have one main concert and several other jazz sessions on various lounges each night, Q&A with artists, the resident comedian hosts the bingo sessions, artist host cooking demonstrations and other activities, some shore excursions with the artists, and artists visible throughout the cruise.

Swoon swoon - would LOVE to do a smooth jazz cruise. Oh my goodness... my favorite genre right now and I am loving every minute of it. :)

 

 

 

So jealous! :D:D Thanks for this information for myself, and OP.

 

To both of you and anyone else who is interested, who are your favorite artists? I am loving Dav Koz, Chris Botti, Mindi Abair, George Benson, Walter Beasley, Lee Ritenour, Spyro Gyra, Fourplay, Sade to name a few. :)

 

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Hi Karen -- The 2018 cruise (that I'm considering) includes Rick Braun and Boney James -- two of my fav's -- in the lineup. Last fall, DH and I went to a small outdoor venue in the Seattle area, to attend a charity (cancer) concert with Dave Koz and Rick Braun -- a totally AMAZING show! :cool:

Thanks for the input, everyone. I think that I've just about talked myself into booking this one! :D

Suzanne, I posted a reply for you on another forum.

We are booked on the Summit Jan. 30, 2018 11-night Caribbean and February 10, 2018 cruises from Puerto Rico. We had considered canceling, but may stick with them if the February 10th cruise will be a jazz cruise and if you are considering going. We booked these cruises this past winter when onboard the Summit and knew nothing about its being a jazz cruise or a charter at the time. More on the other forum.

We too have looked at smooth jazz cruise, but have yet to book one.

I am sure the entertainment is worth the extra cost too. We have been on cruises where there were affinity groups on board. Last 2 years, been on cruise in January and they had bluegrass group on board playing. We got to listen to a number of ad hoc gathering all over the ship with their instruments. It was fun for just our brief exposure.

I too like a lot of the smooth jazz artists. Hard Work by Walter Beasley comes to mind. Love Jeff Golub, Peter White, Marc Antoine, Jay Soto, Chuck Loeb, Michael Lington and more...

Makes we think 'What am I waiting for?' I think the cruise we looked at was on Holland America in February. They had 2 sessions/cruises as I recall

I just called Captain's Club since we are already booked on the Summit, February 10, 2018 cruise. The representative said there is a jazz charter in 2017, but she sees nothing to indicate this Summit 2018 cruise is a full or partial charter as a jazz cruise. If it is a full-ship charter, she said our reservation will be canceled on us. If it is a partial charter, we unlikely would be able to attend jazz events unless we cancel and rebook as a charter. Fortunately, we already have booked contingency plans on another Celebrity ship from Ft. Lauderdale shortly after this one (could do all three cruises - two from PR and one from Ft. L as they don't overlap). :D

Kathy, from what I've read, these seem to usually be full charters (which usually sell out quickly). My only thought here is that the 15th Anniversary Smooth Jazz cruise appears to be only in its "pre-booking" phase. Don't know about the repeat cruisers, but we newbies won't be able to actually book a cabin until some time in September. So, maybe the ship/date/itinerary details are not officially nailed down yet. I still have to make that call -- will see what I can find out. :cool:

Last fall, DH and I went to a small outdoor venue in the Seattle area, to attend a charity (cancer) concert with Dave Koz and Rick Braun -- a totally AMAZING show! :cool:

Very cool! I bet it was phenomenal. :)

We too have looked at smooth jazz cruise, but have yet to book one.

 

I too like a lot of the smooth jazz artists. Hard Work by Walter Beasley comes to mind. Love Jeff Golub, Peter White, Marc Antoine, Jay Soto, Chuck Loeb, Michael Lington and more...

 

 

Makes we think 'What am I waiting for?' I think the cruise we looked at was on Holland America in February. They had 2 sessions/cruises as I recall

Sadly: RIP Jeff Golub. :( Braun and Koz did a tribute to him, at their concert last fall. Which makes me think: NONE of us is getting any younger. If I want to see these folks play, I need stop putting the jazz cruise off. :cool:

If any of you have Sirius in your car, phone, or home, I listen to Watercolors. All the artists mentioned so far are played on this channel. :)

Decided to go ahead and 'pre-book' the Feb. '18 Smooth Jazz Cruise (Summit). Didn't get any more information than we had previously read, on the web page. Basically, we just 'stay tuned' until Aug. 15th, when we are supposed to get more details on the actual booking process. But, we at least have a firm place in line. Kind of reminds me of the olden days -- lining up at the Ticketmaster window, for tickets to a rock concert! ;)

Sadly: RIP Jeff Golub. :( Braun and Koz did a tribute to him, at their concert last fall. Which makes me think: NONE of us is getting any younger. If I want to see these folks play, I need stop putting the jazz cruise off. :cool:

Sorry to read that. I had heard he was ill awhile back and that some of his fellow jazz performers were trying to raise funds to help with medical expenses.

You are so right about not getting any younger.

Glad to read you have booked!

It is annoying to learn through Cruise Critic and not directly from Celebrity that our 2018 Summit booking will be cancelled out again, as was the 2017 Summit booking, for another charter. Why they let us hang out to dry when we could already be reworking our plans I don't understand.

We were booked for the February 10, 2018 cruise too. Atwell, what happened when Celebrity canceled you? Did your TA notify you or did Celebrity notify you? Did Celebrity give you an obc for the inconvenience and a set time to make another reservation? One of our cruises was canceled on us in 2010 for a 2011 cruise. We found out via Cruise Critic that time too. Celebrity gave us $200 or $300 obc for another cruise and we had around 7-10 days to book the new cruise. I expect some time in the next month or two, we should be hearing from Celebrity or our TAs. I called Captain's Club as I mentioned earlier and they knew nothing about a charter.

We were booked for the February 10, 2018 cruise too. Atwell, what happened when Celebrity canceled you? Did your TA notify you or did Celebrity notify you? Did Celebrity give you an obc for the inconvenience and a set time to make another reservation? One of our cruises was canceled on us in 2010 for a 2011 cruise. We found out via Cruise Critic that time too. Celebrity gave us $200 or $300 obc for another cruise and we had around 7-10 days to book the new cruise. I expect some time in the next month or two, we should be hearing from Celebrity or our TAs. I called Captain's Club as I mentioned earlier and they knew nothing about a charter.

The Feb 10-17, 2018 Summit cruise has not yet been officially cancelled.

Concerning our experience with the 2017 cruise cancellation: as I recall, Celebrity finally acknowledged (after denying and denying) the 2017 Summit cruises would be cancelled about 1-2 months after we already knew from Cruise Critic postings that the ship would be running charters during the entire months of February and March 2017. I believe they offered about 3-5 optional cruises, and if the booking was transferred to one of these, they would honor any perks from your cancelled cruise (such as from an on-board booking) plus give additional $100 OBC. We had to book the new cruise within 7 or 10 (or 14) days to get the perks transferred and get the additional OBC. I could be slightly off but that is the essence of it.

I also want to mention that many Captain's Club members who regularly book the Summit during winter months book B2B cruises. During winter 2018, the Summit is scheduled to use San Juan as home port. However, the Smooth Jazz cruise web site pre-booking info mentions Ft. Lauderdale. Assuming Ft. Lauderdale will be the embarkation/disembarkation port for the Smooth Jazz cruise, that will affect the prior sailing Jan 30-Feb 10 (and we are also booked on that sailing). The ship can't be disembarking passengers in San Juan on Feb 10 and embarking passengers in Ft. Lauderdale on the same date. Therefore, at least two or three cruises will be affected, not just the Feb 10-17 cruise. Hopefully, the Smooth Jazz cruise home port will, in fact, be San Juan and it will only affect the Feb 10-17 cruise.

As of today, our TA says Celebrity is playing dumb - "nothing shows in our system about a charter in 2018". At some point, Celebrity will notify your TA and they may also notify you directly. I can't remember if they contacted passengers directly for the 2017 cruises if they used a TA and did not book directly - perhaps they only notified the TA. I believe for the 2017 cruise cancellation we were notified maybe in August or September 2015, so I would guess they will 'fess up in a month or two. Just to be clear, at this moment Celebrity is saying the Feb 10-17, 2018 cruise is still active and not cancelled.

Atwell, as excited as I am about the Smooth Jazz Cruise, I feel so badly for you, TourdeCruise, and others -- who put the time and effort into planning your cruises so far in advance. :(

Hopefully, X will let you know something soon (and offer you something for your troubles). We've always been "book in advance" folks, too. I don't think we've ever lost a cruise to a charter, but we did lose one RC cruise to an unscheduled dry-dock. It was a very frustrating experience, as we were traveling with a group of friends -- and all had to come up with a new date/ship/itinerary. Hoping that things work out for you! :)

Atwell, as excited as I am about the Smooth Jazz Cruise, I feel so badly for you, TourdeCruise, and others -- who put the time and effort into planning your cruises so far in advance. :(

 

Hopefully, X will let you know something soon (and offer you something for your troubles). We've always been "book in advance" folks, too. I don't think we've ever lost a cruise to a charter, but we did lose one RC cruise to an unscheduled dry-dock. It was a very frustrating experience, as we were traveling with a group of friends -- and all had to come up with a new date/ship/itinerary. Hoping that things work out for you! :)

wwcruisers - thank you for your condolences! I wish that Celebrity would adopt a policy that they will not accept charters after they begin to accept bookings from the public (and especially from loyal Captain's Club members).

There must be some kind of agreement with the charter company that they do not have to finalize the charter until the charter company goes through a pre-booking process to get some feel for being able to fill the ship. And I suppose the charter company does not want to do this more than 18-20 months in advance. Therefore, Celebrity accepts bookings knowing they will probably cancel the sailing (and screw up their most loyal cruisers' plans). I don't really understand this kind of business ethics.