UDC 23, 80s Cruise, and beyond - my musical journey continues

[Honolulu Blue]

This is a good day after all.  The UDC released their schedule!  I've done a preliminary scan and here are the highlights:

 

• My Gold card (early show) has the following headliners in the main theater:

Saturday - Taylor Dayne

Sunday - KC and the Sunshine Band (matinee, 1-3, on land), Sister Sledge

Monday - Double Exposure and Tavares (matinee, 2-3), Al McKay Allstars

Tuesday - Billy Ocean

Wednesday - Kool & the Gang

• Heatwave's shows are by the pool
• Queen Nation's shows are in the afternoons, also by the pool
• Cara Lee's shows are in Rendezvous; I'll have to catch at least one

 

[Honolulu Blue]

I got an e-mail from The 80s Cruise with some fluff and news.  In the news department, John Parr canceled on us again.  That's the second time in two years.  Naughty naughty, John.  🙁  They did say they were going to replace him, but no word yet on who.  

[George C]

2 hours ago, Honolulu Blue said:

This is a good day after all.  The UDC released their schedule!  I've done a preliminary scan and here are the highlights:

 

• My Gold card (early show) has the following headliners in the main theater:

Saturday - Taylor Dayne

Sunday - KC and the Sunshine Band (matinee, 1-3, on land), Sister Sledge

Monday - Double Exposure and Tavares (matinee, 2-3), Al McKay Allstars

Tuesday - Billy Ocean

Wednesday - Kool & the Gang

• Heatwave's shows are by the pool
• Queen Nation's shows are in the afternoons, also by the pool
• Cara Lee's shows are in Rendezvous; I'll have to catch at least one

 

Love Queen nation they are always on our rock and romance cruise.

[Honolulu Blue]

On 1/26/2023 at 5:50 PM, George C said:

Love Queen nation they are always on our rock and romance cruise.

Noted.  Thanks.

 

Also, some interesting articles I found:

 

• The Travel site listed 10 80s themed cruises (includes UDC, TEC, and the Princess cruises) - https://www.thetravel.com/80s-cruises-to-book-in-2023/
• Reader's Digest has 38 of the best themed cruises (includes UDC) - Best Themed Cruises: 38 Theme Cruises to Book Right Now (rd.com)
• Fearless leader Chris Gay Faust discussed 10 ways TEC 2023 will help you relive your youth - Why You Should Book the 2023 80s Cruise -- Cruise Critic

[Honolulu Blue]

My tests from Optum arrived today. That's slightly disappointing - delivery in three days rather than one. They expire May 9 - barely three months from now. That's more disappointing, even though I don't have a current use for the second test.

[Honolulu Blue]

My tentative concert schedule for the UDC.  All times local and are afternoon/evening:

 

SATURDAY, Embarkation day

• Taylor Dayne, 6:30-8:00, theater

 

SUNDAY, Key West day

• KC and the Sunshine Band, 1:00-3:00, on land
• Ex Chic Ladies, 4:30-5:30, pool
• Ashlie Amber (tribute to Whitney Houston), 7:45-8:45, Sky Lounge
• Cara Lee (tribute to Cher), 9:45-10:45, Rendezvous Lounge

 

MONDAY, Sea Day 1

• Double Exposure & Tavares, 2:00-3:00, theater
• Al McKay's Allstars, 6:30-8:00, theater

 

TUESDAY, Cozumel Day

• Billy Ocean, 6:30-8:00, theater

 

WEDNESDAY, Sea Day 2

• Queen Nation, 1:30-2:30, pool
• Heatwave, 4:00-5:00, pool
• Kool & the Gang, 6:30-8:00, theater

 

This is an admittedly ambitious schedule.  The times I've previously had three concerts in the same day I was sucking wind by the middle of concert #3.  But I'll try to get into shape this time.

 

This schedule doesn't include C&C Music Factory or Bee Gees Gold - both of whom I'd like to see, but they either have conflicts or they're scheduled a long way away (pool or Sky Lounge) and very late.  I put them on the "maybe" list.  They're a day-of decision; if I'm feeling motivated to go, I'll go.

 

This scheduled doesn't include things like meals, trivia, or Q&A sessions.  I'll work them in as I have time and energy.

[George C]

On 1/26/2023 at 2:11 PM, Honolulu Blue said:

This is a good day after all.  The UDC released their schedule!  I've done a preliminary scan and here are the highlights:

 

• My Gold card (early show) has the following headliners in the main theater:

Saturday - Taylor Dayne

Sunday - KC and the Sunshine Band (matinee, 1-3, on land), Sister Sledge

Monday - Double Exposure and Tavares (matinee, 2-3), Al McKay Allstars

Tuesday - Billy Ocean

Wednesday - Kool & the Gang

• Heatwave's shows are by the pool
• Queen Nation's shows are in the afternoons, also by the pool
• Cara Lee's shows are in Rendezvous; I'll have to catch at least one

 

Cara Lee is on most rock and romance also, her Cher show is really good. Our threads don’t have many followers, my wife said Facebook has a pretty active threads. I might need to finally get on that.

[Honolulu Blue]

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame announced their finalists for the 2023 class.  The Spinners are on the ballot.  I saw them on last year's UDC.  They look like Hall of Famers to me! 😁

 

My opinion is that George Michael is WAY overdue to get in.   I like Sheryl Crow and I think she's the most worthy of the female nominees this year.  No comment about the others.

[Honolulu Blue]

L.A. Guns was announced as the latest addition to The 80s Cruise.  I prefer to keep my weapons away from the west coast. 😛

 

Also, TEC 2024 will be running February 29-March 7 from Port Canaveral on Mariner OTS. It's going to some nice ports - Aruba and Curacao.  No prebooking available yet; that starts next week.

Edited February 1, 2023 by Honolulu Blue

[Honolulu Blue]

Since not too much else is going in, let me take a few minutes to discuss an interesting series of cruises offered by a charter company called Latin Cruise Events.

 

The first one is called The Old School Cruise and it has (among others) Lisa Lisa, The SOS Band, Zapp, The Ohio Players***, Dazz Band, Heatwave**, The Original Mary Jane Girls, and Club Nouveau.  It will sail May 5-8, 2023.

 

The second one is called The Super Legends Cruise and it has (among others) Los Lonely Boys, Stevie B, Expose*, The Manhattans, and Rose Royce*.  It will sail September 15-18, 2023.

 

The third one is called The Old School Cruise 2024 and it has (among others) Zapp, Kool & the Gang*, Rose Royce*, and Midnight Star.  Other acts are TBA.  This one will sail May 3-6, 2024.

 

* Played on the UDC last year

** Scheduled to play on the UDC this year

*** Originally scheduled to play on the UDC last year

 

These are all sailing on Royal's Navigator of the Seas out of Los Angeles (same as The 80s Cruise for this year) and they're all 3 days long - quite a burst of music.  And the timing is well away from the prime music charter season.  Alas, the prices are quite high for me - especially with the single tax.  And La La Land is quite a distance for me to travel for just three days.  But this mix of dance/R&B/Latin music might intrigue some of you.  

[Honolulu Blue]

I got an e-mail with details about booking next year's edition of The 80s Cruise.  Since I'm on this year's edition of TEC, I can book starting at 11 AM - about half an hour from now.  Some other random details:

• If I book now or sometime before we return, I'll get a chance to reserve seats to the shows.  The sooner I book, the more seats I have the opportunity to choose from
• Since we're changing ships for 2024, all cabins are available to everyone
• The single tax is listed as 50% for all room categories except suites.  I'm pretty sure solos got a flat $1000 off the double occupancy price last year.  This is a little better if I choose a better cabin than the basic interiors.
• The price for a cabin that's similar to what I have this year would cost about $50 more
• We get an alcohol package on this cruise, same as the other TECs I've checked out
• The taxes, fees, and gratuities are all bundled into a package that's conveniently priced at $350.  It was $300 for this year's cruise.
• Apparently the Mariner has studio interiors available.  That's a teeny tiny cabin for one that's in steerage.   It's a few hundred cheaper than the lowest class interiors.  Every little bit helps, and it would be a new adventure.  Tempting...
• No deposit required or accepted until March 5.  Then they start charging.  Guess where I'll be on March 5?  Maybe they'll announce the lineup by then, but maybe not.  

 

Anyway, a game plan for me is starting to emerge.  Details to be announced.

[Honolulu Blue]

I decided to go ahead and book.  It's a similar cabin to what I had last year and will have this year - basic interior on deck 7.  The price checked out; it's $50 more than this year.  $400 deposit that will be delayed until March 5 and the payments start on April 1 and continue until February.  Another car payment. 😰  I hope TEC announces some real winners.  Obviously I have faith that they will.

 

This will mark the first time I have six cruises on the books.  Four are for this year and two are in '24.  I may not be done yet, though I think it's more likely I'll take some time to properly digest everything and enjoy the cruises I have coming up.

[Honolulu Blue]

It seems that The Knack has been dropped from the lineup of The 80s Cruise. No biggie; I wasn't going to see them anyway. Will that be the last change? I hope so.

 

Anyway, it's only 16 days until my adventures start. Can't wait! 😃

[Honolulu Blue]

TEC has announced their artist hosted events for this year's cruise.  They're not ready to be booked yet; they'll do that on the 15th with more details in another e-mail sent on that date.  All of these are extra cost.

 

As much for my archives, here are the ones that they listed:

 

• March 4 (sea day) - Champagne tasting with Morris Day
• March 5 (sea day) - Cupcake decorating with Mark Goodman, Tequila tasting with Alan Hunter, Vodka cocktails with Larry the Duck
• March 6 (Puerto Vallarta) - Wine tasting with Gerald Casale of Devo
• March 7 (Cabo San Lucas) - no events
• March 8 (sea day) - Wine tasting with Downtown Julie Brown, Cocktail mixology with Lori Majewski, Bourbon tasting with The Smithereens, Breast Cancer charity breakfast with Kim Wilde
• March 9 (Ensenada) - Cocktails with Tone Loc

 

I appreciate these opportunities, really I do, but as someone who doesn't drink alcohol, most of these are awkward for me to attend - so I won't.  I'm sure they'll be a blast for those that do.  The others are either activities that aren't of interest or feature people that aren't of interest.  

[Honolulu Blue]

TEC sent us booked guests more details about the artist hosted events, including times and prices.  All prices are per person and DO NOT include the gratuity (which I assume is 18%):

 

• March 4 (sea day) - Champagne tasting with Morris Day.  3:30 PM, $80, includes commemorative glass
• March 5 (sea day) - Cupcake decorating with Mark Goodman (noon, $55), Tequila tasting with Alan Hunter (3 pm, $85, includes commemorative glass), Vodka cocktails with Larry the Duck (5 pm, $80, includes commemorative glass)
• March 6 (Puerto Vallarta) - Wine tasting with Gerald Casale of Devo (5 pm, $100, includes commemorative glass)
• March 7 (Cabo San Lucas) - no events
• March 8 (sea day) - Wine tasting with Downtown Julie Brown (3:30 pm, $105, includes commemorative glass), Cocktail mixology with Lori Majewski (5 pm, $80, includes commemorative glass), Bourbon tasting with The Smithereens (2 pm, $80, includes commemorative glass), Breast Cancer charity breakfast with Kim Wilde (9 am, $100)
• March 9 (Ensenada) - Cocktails with Tone Loc (5 pm, $80, includes commemorative glass)

[Honolulu Blue]

I check my e-mail again and get news about my other cruise - the UDC.  This one is not so good.  Billy Ocean is a scratch.  Say it isn't so!  ☹️  Oh well.  I'm glad I didn't totally rely on Billy coming to the party.  They did get The Whispers to replace them.  I've heard of them; they're all right, probably worth watching.  I'll have to check the schedule online if it changes to see where they'll be placed.

[Honolulu Blue]

Just a few more days to go and I'll be on my latest adventure!  But first I have to survive most of this week.  I had to change the timing of my flight to Miami because I couldn't get my preferred shuttle time.  For a last-minute change, the 3000 miles it cost me wasn't bad.  There's going to be some ugly weather in the area tomorrow and Thursday.  It should calm down by Friday, so it should have a bigger effect on work than my vacation.  

 

Next on the list of things to worry about - packing and that silly COVID-19 test.

[Honolulu Blue]

It looks like Mariner OTS will be moving to Galveston starting in May '24 and continuing there through April '25.  I'm not seeing any current gaps.  Is ECP going to switch TEC to a Galveston departure and follow Mariner?  Are they going to pick a different ship from PC?  Will they go to a different port than either of these?  Or - perish the thought - are they going to take a break in 2025?  I'll keep an eye on this, because stuff like this is interesting to me.

[Honolulu Blue]

While I wait for TEC to release their tentative schedule (you're cutting it close guys - GRRRRR 🤬), I happened to find another item of interest.

 

The 70s Rock and Romance cruise switched their site over to 2024 and posted the details of next year's sailing.  It's on the Celebrity Summit again out of Miami.  It will be March 14-21 - Thursday-Thursday sailings aren't my favorites, but whatever.  The itinerary is Miami (4 PM departure) -> 2 sea days -> Aruba (8 AM - 11 PM) -> Curacao (8 AM - 3 PM) -> 2 sea days -> Miami (7 AM arrival).  Not bad, but TEC 2024 has a very similar itinerary out of Port Canaveral.  Do I really want to visit the same islands on cruises within a month of each other?  That's definitely not my preference.

 

And the lineup, unlike last year, is off to a very good start:

• Foreigner (the lesser half, without Lou Gramm)
• WAR
• Ambrosia
• Queen Nation (tribute)
• Hotel California (Eagles tribute)
• Creedence Revived (tribute, I assume)

 

I'm sure they'll fill in acts as the year progresses.  The single occupancy cabin looks like it would be $3624 for me - a bit more expensive than TEC, but possibly worth it.  Maybe @George C and I will finally get to meet up!

 

If TEC 24 and its acts turn out to be a bust and I cancel, this could be a decent fallback.  And it's possible I could keep that one AND book this one.  Who knows what could happen in this crazy world.

 

Stay tuned.

[George C]

2 hours ago, Honolulu Blue said:

While I wait for TEC to release their tentative schedule (you're cutting it close guys - GRRRRR 🤬), I happened to find another item of interest.

 

The 70s Rock and Romance cruise switched their site over to 2024 and posted the details of next year's sailing.  It's on the Celebrity Summit again out of Miami.  It will be March 14-21 - Thursday-Thursday sailings aren't my favorites, but whatever.  The itinerary is Miami (4 PM departure) -> 2 sea days -> Aruba (8 AM - 11 PM) -> Curacao (8 AM - 3 PM) -> 2 sea days -> Miami (7 AM arrival).  Not bad, but TEC 2024 has a very similar itinerary out of Port Canaveral.  Do I really want to visit the same islands on cruises within a month of each other?  That's definitely not my preference.

 

And the lineup, unlike last year, is off to a very good start:

• Foreigner (the lesser half, without Lou Gramm)
• WAR
• Ambrosia
• Queen Nation (tribute)
• Hotel California (Eagles tribute)
• Creedence Revived (tribute, I assume)

 

I'm sure they'll fill in acts as the year progresses.  The single occupancy cabin looks like it would be $3624 for me - a bit more expensive than TEC, but possibly worth it.  Maybe @George C and I will finally get to meet up!

 

If TEC 24 and its acts turn out to be a bust and I cancel, this could be a decent fallback.  And it's possible I could keep that one AND book this one.  Who knows what could happen in this crazy world.

 

Stay tuned.

I love the 2024 lineup, have always wanted to see Dave Mason , also new group generation radio has Jason Scheff former solo artist on rock and romance and former lead Chicago singer.

[Honolulu Blue]

21 minutes ago, George C said:

I love the 2024 lineup, have always wanted to see Dave Mason , also new group generation radio has Jason Scheff former solo artist on rock and romance and former lead Chicago singer.

I'm glad you like it.  I always value your opinions.  Maybe I'll pull the trigger, if everything goes right. 🙂

[Honolulu Blue]

I found the cruise on the Summit before the Rock & Romance sailing - a 5-day on March 9.  It goes to Nassau (where, believe it or not, I have not been) and Cozumel.  I'd need to spend a couple of days in PC, Orlando, or Miami to connect with TEC 24, but maybe it's something I want to do.  I wonder how easy it would be to attach this as a B2B.  It won't be as seamless since one will be a charter and the other won't be.  Oh well, something to file in the back of my mind for now.

[Honolulu Blue]

I just received an e-mail from the UDC.  Hopefully it's the last.  It's mostly filled with stuff like download the app and check in.  I did all that weeks ago.  Here's the juicy stuff:

 

• Tavares is another medical scratch.  I'm sad to see them go; I was looking forward to seeing and hearing them live.  They have been replaced with The Legenary Bluenotes.  I'm sure they'll please some, but I'm passing on them.  Nothing personal.
• Details have been released for the KC & the Sunshine Band concert in Key West.  Here's a TL,DR:

1. Shuttles start running to the amphitheater from the pier at 10:30.  StarVista Live employees will help guide us.
2. Doors open for us guests at 11:15
3. A local DJ is scheduled to spin the tunes at 12:20
4. The concert starts at 1
5. Shuttles start returning to the pier at 2:30
6. Amphitheater is about a mile away from where we dock and we're welcome to get there by other means
7. Bags are limited and will be searched
8. No professional cameras or lenses allowed
9. No re-entry allowed
10. One sealed bottle of water or a refillable bottle is allowed
11. Seating is available for guests on the lawn (with beach mats provided onboard) or in the seats

 

 

[Honolulu Blue]

I'm slowly but surely checking off items on the to-do list for my upcoming trip.  It starts tomorrow.  I can barely believe it!  Anyway, I needed a negative test and I got that done through eMed.  It went as smoothly and swiftly as always.  Of course I was NEGATIVE.  I also printed out my boarding pass to get to Miami and did most of my packing.  

[Honolulu Blue]

I'm on the road and The 80s Cruise released their tentative schedule. It was better than I expected. Most of the bands I'm interested in are having an interview session.  This seems like fine opportunities for silly fanboy questions and autographs. We'll see.

 

Speaking of Autograph, they're on the list of concerts I plan to attend. It's heavily weighted toward the first few days:

• Howard Jones, day 1 630-800, main theater
• Trial By Fire (heavy metal), day 2, 500-615, Star Lounge
• Cutting Crew, day 2, 930-1045, Studio B
• Morris Day and the Time, day 3, 630-800, main theater
• Autograph, day 4, 930-1045, Studio B
• Lou Gramm, day 7, 630-800, main theater