Capital Jazz Supercruise 2012

[hattack]

We are cruising towards the end of the hurricane season and are subject to storm activity in the Gulf. Last year we experienced this first hand. The Captain of the Valor did an outstanding job keeping us out of harm's way and safe, but the net result was a disruption of port calls and rough seas for two nights especially during dinner and evening activities. It also impacted the ability to board several artists scheduled to perform for the balance of the cruise.

On a "normal" cruise a weather disruption causes major guests challenges during hurricane season on a full charter music cruise the disruption is magnified due to tight scheduling of the artists performances and related activities. What may have been perceived by some guests as the Capital Jazz staff being disorganized or "winging it" during this period was perceived by other guests as understanding that the staff was attempting "on the fly" to switch gears to fill the gap. I thought the artists work with the Capital Jazz staff and the Captain of the Valor, to make it as comfortable and fun as possible. We were treated to several impromptu unplanned allstar concerts by the artists to help fill the void.

The net result is that I am sure the Capital Jazz staff learned from that experience and have incorporated into their planning process for this year's and future cruises an enhanced playbook to cover worse case scenarios (i.e. last minute tropical storm shift in the southern caribbean that results in sending us to the western caribbean when we leave FLL) I trust guests who have booked non Carnival shore excursions also have a back up plan if that happens.

As far as the Capital Jazz Festival this year, I was there. The friday night rain storm caused major challenges and guests disruptions, but most folks roll with it and the balance of the weekend was great

[akwaaba]

We are cruising towards the end of the hurricane season and are subject to storm activity in the Gulf. Last year we experienced this first hand. The Captain of the Valor did an outstanding job keeping us out of harm's way and safe, but the net result was a disruption of port calls and rough seas for two nights especially during dinner and evening activities. It also impacted the ability to board several artists scheduled to perform for the balance of the cruise.

On a "normal" cruise a weather disruption causes major guests challenges during hurricane season on a full charter music cruise the disruption is magnified due to tight scheduling of the artists performances and related activities. What may have been perceived by some guests as the Capital Jazz staff being disorganized or "winging it" during this period was perceived by other guests as understanding that the staff was attempting "on the fly" to switch gears to fill the gap. I thought the artists work with the Capital Jazz staff and the Captain of the Valor, to make it as comfortable and fun as possible. We were treated to several impromptu unplanned allstar concerts by the artists to help fill the void.

The net result is that I am sure the Capital Jazz staff learned from that experience and have incorporated into their planning process for this year's and future cruises an enhanced playbook to cover worse case scenarios (i.e. last minute tropical storm shift in the southern caribbean that results in sending us to the western caribbean when we leave FLL) I trust guests who have booked non Carnival shore excursions also have a back up plan if that happens.

As far as the Capital Jazz Festival this year, I was there. The friday night rain storm caused major challenges and guests disruptions, but most folks roll with it and the balance of the weekend was great

 

I want to make clear that the friends who mentioned the disorganization has been on this cruise since it was going out of Baltimore, I don't think they've missed a year since it started. They told me this to reassure me so I wouldn't worry, which I'm not doing, but I am a little bugged.

 

Also, one of them mentioned the storm last year and thought it was handled well.

[1Sharpe1]

Greetings again! For those who don't want to wait until tomorrow to receive your booking number....just call Carnival and they will give it to you. I just did and am in the process of checking in on-line. As far as winging it, I was simply talking about the activities to do on the ship and at the different ports. Who knows you may have one thing planned and decide to do something totally different. That's all I'm saying. Anyway, let me finish doing my check in and I really hope those that are annoyed, worried, out done etc, etc really do enjoy! Yes, I paid over $5,000.00 and I'll be doggone if a storm or anything else is going to ruin my cruise! It's simply called adapting!

[akwaaba]

Greetings again! For those who don't want to wait until tomorrow to receive your booking number....just call Carnival and they will give it to you. I just did and am in the process of checking in on-line. As far as winging it, I was simply talking about the activities to do on the ship and at the different ports. Who knows you may have one thing planned and decide to do something totally different. That's all I'm saying. Anyway, let me finish doing my check in and I really hope those that are annoyed, worried, out done etc, etc really do enjoy! Yes, I paid over $5,000.00 and I'll be doggone if a storm or anything else is going to ruin my cruise! It's simply called adapting!

 

As I said before I plan to have a great time, I love music and I love cruising, so you don't have to hope anything for me.

 

You shouldn't have to call for your booking number, this is cruise travel agent 101.

[Ms411]

Thanks for the info on checking in. I'll wait for the email from CJ.

 

I really appreciate everyone's input. The more information we have, the better we can all make travel decisions.

[hattack]

I was surprise as to the number of guests that I met onboard and also in viewing the pics from past SuperCruises, how many folks have never missed a SuperCruise and they provide a very good perspective of the changes ,challenges and growth in just 6 years.

The SuperCruise has come a long way from it's start out of Baltimore on Royal Caribbean Monarch of the Seas to Bermuda for 5 days, to the Carnival Freedom 8 days to the Southern Caribbean.

 

Their overall enjoyment once they were onboard far outshadows the minor challenges encounter prior to the cruise. Everything seems to work out for the good, which is why folks return year after year. This will be our third straight SuperCruise and we are already booked and paying on SuperCruise 7 in Nov 2013

 

I noticed on the CJ FaceBook page that there was a teaser about an announcement for SuperCruise 8 (2014) will be made in Feb/Mar of 2013. Usually the announcement for the next year's cruise is made in early June around the time of the Capital Jazz Fest. If you include next year's SuperCruise, we have pretty much covered the Caribbean, so I am thinking maybe __________

[Ms411]

I get the impression that since they sell out every year, they don't need my business, and that's how I feel I've been treated. I mentioned this to them early on, and of course they said they value my business.

 

I've resigned myself to the fact that their idea of customer service differs from mine. I don't think a full ship theme cruise is the way to go for me, but you don't know until you go.

 

That's why online postings are so helpful. Had there been more reviews on jazz cruises, I could have made a decision that better reflected my values. But, now that I've found the DC Jazz fest, I'm going to do that next year.

 

Are they going to wait until the last minute to send the email today? I want to calculate how much each performance costs us so I can determine FOR MYSELF if it's a good deal or not. We're paying approximately a $1,200 premium for the music. I want to divide that by the number of performances.

 

ARITHMETIC!

[akwaaba]

I get the impression that since they sell out every year, they don't need my business, and that's how I feel I've been treated. I mentioned this to them early on, and of course they said they value my business.

 

I've resigned myself to the fact that their idea of customer service differs from mine. I don't think a full ship theme cruise is the way to go for me, but you don't know until you go.

 

That's why online postings are so helpful. Had there been more reviews on jazz cruises, I could have made a decision that better reflected my values. But, now that I've found the DC Jazz fest, I'm going to do that next year.

 

Are they going to wait until the last minute to send the email today? I want to calculate how much each performance costs us so I can determine FOR MYSELF if it's a good deal or not. We're paying approximately a $1,200 premium for the music. I want to divide that by the number of performances.

 

ARITHMETIC!

 

The Smooth Jazz Cruise run by Entertainment Cruise Production provides an excellent, well organized product with several different cruises to choose from. Weeks before our sail date we received our tee shirts (there's a contest for the most creative one), and package of performances, and luggage tags in the mail. I received by booking number approximately 2 weeks after my final payment giving me plenty of time to plan my excursions. We received regular emails and information from them. Phone calls to them were immediately answered (no answering machines).

 

The SJC was a wonderful experience from start to finish and I plan to sail with them again. By all accounts, CJ is a lot of fun, you just shouldn't expect it to be smooth sailing before you sail.

 

I'm an organizer as you seem to be, so I know this is tough on you, I'm just glad I was warned beforehand.

[akwaaba]

I know I shouldn't have asked the question.... Today I was talking to my Carnival travel agent about another cruise I plan to take next year, and mentioned the CJ cruise. Well.... She checked and found (1) they are not allowed to give the booking numbers out for this cruise, (2) my cabin is not occupied by me, and (3) she didn't see my name or that of my cabin mate anywhere. She did reassure me that just because she didn't see my name doesn't mean I'm not booked.

 

Maybe this is why they haven't sent the information out yet, they're ironing out these types of things.

 

No... I'm not panicking, there's plenty of time before we sail :eek:

[MSNICK$$]

I agree about providing information for effectively. I'm still shocked that no Carnival information arrived today via email..well then again the day is not over..

I have friends that that booked for 2013 but I need to attend one before I go booking another....SMDH@sjc

 

 

 

CJ tells too many lies. Don't tell us you're going to notify us by email, and then post on Facebook before you send an email.

 

I'm not letting my cabin mates know about the Antigua party, because I don't want to change our plans.

 

CJ needs to "fix" too many things to get my business again. I don't like the way they do business, and won't cruise with them again. They're not the only ones who can throw a party.

[Ms411]

Thanks, Akaaba, but I'm sticking to regular cruises and land music festivals from now on. Especially after your most recent post. Sigh.

 

And where's our apologetic email? CJ is always flunking customer service 101. I guess some people have higher customer service standards than others, and those people seem to be in the minority on CJ cruises .

 

Can somebody explain why there would be an issue with cabins at this late date? They should have just tried to sell the ones where people defaulted to keep it simple instead of offering upgrades.

[Soukous]

I also agree that Capital Jazz Productions could definitely improve on communication between itself and it's clients (cruisers). I sailed with CJ in 2010 and there were some issues then as well. I too am very detail oriented (almost to a fault) and I like to be pro-active so it is has taken alot for me to be patient. Although there were issues then and now I can still say that I really did have a wonderful time and I am excited about sailing and hanging out with all of you in a few weeks.

 

I don't think we'll see any correspondence from CJ until Sunday about our TravelPak.

[Ms411]

Check your email. Mine came at around 8 pm today.

[MSNICK$$]

The booking number & other information finally arrived...@8:00pm..

[MSNICK$$]

DAY 5 – Wednesday

Port of Call: St. Lucia - 8:00am-5:30pm

 

I'm a little confused..what time is this concert while we in port?

 

• Special afternoon poolside concert featuring Will Downing

[hattack]

great question... I would suspect with so many folks being on excursions most of the day and not to disrupt main dinner seating times, I would guess around 4 pm which is the time FourPlay performed last year (with cd signing and pics at 3 pm) but the daily FunTimes would reflect the exact time.

Each day is a packed schedule of performance options

[Ms411]

Um, since we're leaving St Lucia at 5, and that's his only scheduled performance, he may be on earlier so he can depart. Well, I guess I'll never see Will.

[pfunkbail]

Out of curiosity, what happens to the staterooms of the artist when they are dropped off at an island? I know some don't stay for the full cruise.

[Ms411]

It could go to another performer who gets on in St Lucia. If he's only on board for a few hours, he may not have a cabin.

 

It's not easy being a musician on land or sea.

[hattack]

Ms411 is correct...a certain number of cabins are put aside for artists and at each port these cabins are exchanged among them. The vast majority of the artists usually stay with us all week

Saturday morning at our port of departure in Ft. Lauderdale, it's always fun to watch the artists pre board and figure out which artists aren't there and then during the week at each port observe which ones board or get off the ship. You can also go to each artists website and check their tour schedule for clues also.

 

In looking at the daily performance schedule it shows some additional artists and comedians not previously announced. Also you might notice onboard artists who are cruising as regular paying guests with their families enjoying the cruise. The late night piano bar will often yield unannounced surprise guests sitting in for a few numbers during the set. Make sure you read the daily Fun Times that we receive in our cabin the night before to look for last minute additional performances or activities.

If a specific artist is only with us for one day, one performance, usually before their performance, time is put aside to take pics with them and have them sign cd's

 

New this year is the addition of the late night soul session with Eric Roberson to go along with the late night jam session with Gerald Veasley which means guests can move between the two sessions and have double the fun and see more artists.

[Soukous]

DAY 5 – Wednesday

Port of Call: St. Lucia - 8:00am-5:30pm

 

I'm a little confused..what time is this concert while we in port?

 

• Special afternoon poolside concert featuring Will Downing

@MSNICK$$, Where did you see the entry for special afternoon poolside concert with Will? It was probably on the email from CJ with the booking number right (which I didn't get yet)? I've been getting all the newsletters, go figure that I wouldn't get the booking number information.

[akwaaba]

OK... I still don't have my booking number and haven't heard anything from CJ; I'll give them to Noon on Monday before I give the answering machine a call.

[hattack]

my cabinmate (we are travelling from different cities) did not receive her FunPass email either (nor has she been receiving the newsletters, I had just been forwarding mine), but since we are in the same cabin and I paid for it, we have the same booking # and she was able to register when I forwarded my email.

Check with your cabinmate to see if they received their FunPass email very late Friday night, (if it's not your spouse) if they have ,then your name should show up under their booking number.

I would send CJ an email today (billing@capitaljazz.com) and a follow up call first thing in the morning (est ). Who has been receiving the billing invoice? (that may be the key).

[akwaaba]

Hattack

 

My cabin mate doesn't have her info either. I made the arrangements for us both but at first only she received the invoices; I called, then they started sending them to both of us.

 

I'll send the email tonight. Thanks

[Soukous]

@akwaaba.. I sent CJP an email Friday and got a quick response but did not receive the booking information email. I did send another email request to CJP and will probably get something tomorrow. However, I called Carnival yesterday and was given my booking number and I was able to complete the online registration and print the necessary documents.