hattack

IMHO, the greatest live all around performer of all time...he could sing, dance, act, do impressions ,author, Civil Rights Activist , Broadway performer , movies , hung out with Frank and his Rat Pack 

His act would be perfect for an Artist in Residence for a 1 week Cruise 

great album cover, thanks for posting

we all badly need to go on a cruise purely for therapy but I am thinking realistically it won't happen till next Fall 2021   for me so I have tempered my aspirations ..the 1st wave off brave souls will be more focus on CV 19 repercussions as opposed to just flat out enjoying the experience ..pretty certain the CDC will be doing extensive contact follow up post cruise feedback Health surveys , but by Fall of 2021 it will hopefully all calm down so we can return to what's really important which is......

People Watching with an enrich sense of mission and awareness of those fellow guest around each of us marching up the gang plank to the tune of  "Too Close for Comfort" by Sammy Davis Jr 

of course Sammy Davis Jr sang "The Candy Man Can " , and I use the "Senior Moment' excuse all the time to forget that "evergreen" ...lol ( we seniors have to bond together at times like these ) 

you know we could start a new thread linking  Cruise People Watching Behaviors to popular songs of all eras linked to Episodes of the Love Boat (TV Myth vs Reality ) 

there was a popular song "I'm A Girl Watcher, Watching Girls Go Bye, My O My " which could be very applicable  (but not PC ) on the lido deck on a full day at sea when tempered to what one sees when watching  Love Boat reruns as compared to today's mega ship 

come to think about it..with many of the threads on these boards speculating about Post CV 19 changes to Cruises, we might binge watch reruns on the Love Boat this weekend to look for suggestions 

you know it will take me the rest of the day to get I Got To Be Me out of my Shelter in Place memory tape...thanks

Sammy Davis Jr is the one that is associated with " I Got To Be Me,"  probably  after Frank Sinatra banished him from the Rat Pack shortly after he married  May Britt 

I actually saw him perform it live at Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC) in August of 1969 for my 18th birthday 

I agree about New Orleans and people watching which is deep in tradition  and strange customs and very enjoyable ..I would always suggest one hangs out with a local that can give you the backstory of why and what you are watching 

I would raise the  stakes of the poker pot..back when  I first started cruising in 1975 ,guests were assigned a specific table , I was always fascinated by fellow nosy  table guests that were trying to  go beyond the normal customary meet and greet and dig deeper to find out how we could afford to cruise and stay in a high end cabin,  since to them we were not suppose to be in the same space as they ......when my "radar: went up after a few encounters , I would make up an incredible story with just a "tinge" of a thread of truth , that almost always resulted in finding when we arrived at our table the following evening , we had new table mates...thank God the Cruise lines did away with assigned tables for the entire cruise 

the 180 degree opposite of that experience was when we took a River Cruise to the South of France on a German River Cruise Line with only 8 Americans onboard..when our fellow guests found out we were from New Orleans we were welcome with open arms and virtually everyone wanted to practice their English with us and I was excited because I could practice my basic German that I had taken the time to learn prior to leaving for Europe 

on our Jazz Cruise charters, many Jazz Fans onboard are from all around the world so not only can we people watch , we can engage in dialogue using the common language of Jazz and learn so much ..we made friends from Jazz fans from South Africa and Japan that are die hard Louis Armstrong fans and lagniappe Country Music star Charlie Pride fans

a 7 day cruise is much like a captivated sociological study in people watching and human behavior...it's very interesting to watch the difference between a "regular "cruise and a full charter private theme cruise..on a "regular" cruise of 3000 one can find 1500"backstories" on why they are sailing with you and starting in the passenger waiting area  there is no common bond to cause interaction with each other unless you are wearing a common external link (i.e sports jersey from the same city, state or college )..i.e the fun of "people watching"  is trying to guess or project a story line..the more unusual the observation, the better the story line 

on a full charter theme cruise , 3000 fellow passengers start of with a common bond ( theme ) for being onboard and there is a quick bonding process starting in the passenger waiting area and more than likely because of the high % of returning guests, there is less guessing in the people watching department and more towards gaining a yearly update 

what;s real interesting is being an American and in the distinct  minority when cruising outside of North America on a Cruise Line where English is not the 1st language ..takes people watching to a whole new level and you might become the object of fellow cruisers watching you and not understanding the norms and culture 

I live in New Orleans ..the City is not reopening as fast as the State, so I would not bet on it 

I have been Cruising since 1975 and i am fascinated in watching guests reaction to the changing demographics of guests that do not reflect their background or lifestyle or are "different" .sharing space on a Cruise Ship in a confine space for 7 days can bring out the very best or very worse in Human Nature 

of course in the"early" days of Cruising ( Love Boat era ) of 1st time guests commenting out loud that what they thought (based on the Love Boat) and what they actually experienced are very  different things ( i.e. size of their cabins, lido deck pools etc , in the show guest by the pool are thin) 

trying to figure out couples who have a wide age gap difference and discovering they are not grandfather, just graduated from college granddaughter 

I do alot of full charter Jazz Cruises ..when we pull into Port , I love watching the reaction of the guests on other Ships in Port  when they read the back of our Jazz T-Shirts listing the Artists that are performing onboard for the week 

when Cruising during Hurricane Season, watching some guests becoming highly agitated when due to weather we are forced to skip a Port and other guests elated of having another full day at sea 

when cruising to Europe on a non American mainstream Cruise Line ( when Americans are in a distinct minority ) how engaging fellow guests are to ask if they can practice their English with you and being I am from New Orleans to ask about Jazz and Hurricane Katrina 

I'm still working on inviting my former neighbor The Respiratory Therapist to join me in January 2022 ( she has been a tad busy ) ..I have a friend who makes customize  NR 95 Mask who has volunteered to make up a package of 7 with a Smooth Jazz Cruise theme to give my invitee for her birthday along with an MP 3 Player loaded with all the music from our favorite artists who will be on the cruise 

fyi, if you need an Alonzo Bodden "fix", he has a regular gig as the bus driver on CBS Hit "Bob (Heart) Abashola " 

remember a great Father's Day gift for your DH is an " Inspiratory Breathing Exerciser " along with a Candy Dulfer CD so he can practice 

another indicator of a future potential charter...if there is a large group  (33% - 49% capacity )  on a regular sailing (and there is a Poster that faithfully keeps up with this type of data  ) year after year, that group could become a future charter candidate 

also older & smaller vessels with fewer bells and whistles , with fewer but larger public rooms are great candidates especially for music charters ..the focus is on the music, not the vessel and cheaper for the promoter to charter 

would not be surprise to see a Post CV 19 1st Responder Full Charter to thank those incredible medical personnel 

if it helps PBS has been showing most of the really popular Ken Burns Documentary including Jazz and the American Experience on Woodstock...they also are showing their Pledge Month popular Music Series which is a small substitute for being on the different Music Theme Charters ( Flower Power, Malt Shop Memories, Do Wop, Country , 70's & 80's, Gospel , Soul Train etc)

The various versions of the full charter Smooth Jazz Cruises brings together cruisers of all races and backgrounds sharing a week of our common passion the love of the music and closeness to the artists that produce the music 

after everything that we have been going thru this year, we will really appreciate when we can get together in 2022 hopefully with all having the Vaccine and a greater appreciation of the closeness of the interaction with each other and our favorite artists 

add Dave Koz  & Rick Braun to the Jazz Cruise list and Brian Culbertson & Earl Klugh Jazz Get-A-Way Weekends to the list ...I suspect in the scramble to find available weeks, for 2022, some charters will be pushed back to 2023 but booked guests will roll with the flow and not cancel 

Cruising & Jazz together is a very powerful form of Therapy to help get us thru turbulent times

as  part of the Charter negotiations with the Cruise lines there is a line item regarding the cost for the cruise lines to rebook guests , which is a nice way to encourage the Promoter to lock in the charter as early as possible (fewer guests to rebook ) ..so the more guests needing rebooking the greater the incentive and the more it cost the promoter 

Charters are extremely lucrative for Cruise Lines so I suspect we will see an increase in them while the Cruise Industry recovers 

what is compounding this situation is that most of the full charters for 2020 (beginning in March ) have been sold out for up to 18 months  in advance and are now in the process of being rescheduled for 2021 (which are already sold out ) or 2022 and it thus becomes a rolling calendar shift (i.e. there are several 2020 full charters scheduled in the Fall that have not been cancelled yet, but due to CV 19 probably will shortly ) 

Cruise Lines are in a "Catch 22" in terms of fleet scheduling because full charters are most lucrative when they occur when there is excess capacity fleet wise which keeps yields higher (less discounting )..of course advance revenue projections are hampered by Cruisers holding back on bookings until there is a clearer picture of a Vaccine 

stay very flexible in terms of your Cruise plans and at this point don't be overly concern if a Private Charter will impact that ...Promoters who have had success in working with Cruise Lines know their repeat guests will stick with them as long as it is the same time frame every year 

good luck

during Hurricane Sandy (2012)  we were docked in Curacao and the Captain  on Carnival Conquest  Jazz Charter made the announcement that we would be departing at 4 pm instead of 5 pm ( to beat the storm heading back to Florida ) prior to having the ship cleared by Customs to disembark for shore excursions and shopping  at 0800 am...ironically , that moved up the Sail Away Lido Deck concert featuring Will Downing from 4 pm to 3 pm ..all 3400 Jazz Fans were back onboard & accounted for by 230 pm so we actually sailed at 3 pm 

the storm was so turbulent the schedule concerts that evening were cancelled and guest stayed in our cabins and watch CNN reporting on the damage that Sandy was causing up and down the East Coast and the resulting Flight cancellations out of MIA & FLL airports...we were lucky because the flights westbound were on schedule 

The lesson learned was that the Promoter scheduled 3 pm Sail Away Lido Deck concerts with the most popular Jazz Artists on days we are in Port ,for future Jazz Charters, so we never have to worry about last minute runners back to the Ship

in 1979 we cruised Carnival's  Mardi Gras-Carnivale - Festivale all in the same year and LOVED it ..there were about a dozen of us, who worked together , all young & single without a care in the world 

my only regret is I lost track of our group and wished i had kept the photos so I could receive past ViFP cruise credits

we adjusted to the changes in  airport experiences &  travel following 911, , so we will find a way to adjust to the  travel & cruise experiences 

Go Fishing ..we grew up very poor in remote rural Upstate New York and my parents went thru life never being able to afford or entertain the concept of a vacation so as a family we went fishing 

following Hurricane Katrina in August 2005, Carnival moved its brand new Conquest from New Orleans to Houston..our Smooth Jazz charter was cancelled and absorbed into a November regular sailing  (becoming a large group on a regular sailing which required the onboard CD staff to do a great amount of adjustment)

once the ship's staff and the regular guests found out several of us were from New Orleans and had been displaced they treated us with so much compassion and support (and offered to buy us drinks ) combined with the music and the calmness of the water was therapy to all of us that were still in shell shock 

which type of trip travel insurance policy do you have ..might be the better route to go if you have "cancel for any reason " and if the the company is an independent 3rd party (not thru the promoter or cruise company ) ..always read the small print when you made your deposit

yes they did and LOVED it and the formal photo in a Carnival frame probably were placed on a lot of shelves over the fire place when they return home ...for hard working  lower & middle class families  especially from the heart land in the late 70's & early 80's the ability to go on a cruise vacation was a big deal ..a week of being spoiled and waited on, entertainment every night , different islands , full days at sea ,  changed the paradigms of what it meant to go on vacation that was perceived as reserved only for the rich 

lagniappe you might see Kathy Lee or other celebrities you saw on tv on Saturday night on ABC The Love Boat 

like the Norway 

wwcruiser ....still have not pulled the plug to book 2021 Smooth Jazz Cruise (or Dave Koz Cruise) but advise your DH that my former neighbor who has never been on a Cruise, less alone a Smooth Jazz Cruise (and does not even know if she likes Smooth Jazz) is a Respiratory Therapist on the front lines in my Parish (St John the Baptist ) which is the epicenter of CV 19 that you have been seeing on the national news ( please keep her in your Prayers ) 

I had a friend who makes mask for RN's  to customize a 6 pack for her with Smooth Jazz  instrument symbols on the front, along with a mix tape of the artists on the 2021 Smooth Jazz All Star Cruise that you are booked on along with an invitation to join me and will drop it off at her hospital tomorrow along with a card that I will keep her in my Prayers and thanks for being a 1st Responder 

I don't expect to hear  a response from her until after this CV 19 has passed (which I'm thinking will be a while ) but if she accepts please give your DH a Father;s Day Gift of a Spirometer ( 5 color balls model ) which is a deep breathing exercise designed to keep all 5 balls afloat for as long as he can with one deep breath ..he can practice listening to Candy Dulfer's CD playing Pick Up the Pieces 

that way when we see Candy onboard we can give her a demonstration on how her music has theraputic value and we can write off the cruise as a medical deduction on our taxes ...lol

was bored today so I was looking at photos from my past Smooth Jazz Cruises and missed that closeness with the artists and our fellow cruisers many of whom have become life long friends ..looking forward to getting back on the water..I figure that Medical 1st Responders are the new Rock Stars much like Police and Firemen after Katrina and 911 ...if we are lucky, won;t have to buy a drink 

stay safe, waiting to receive Boney James new CD from Amazon 

a Smooth Jazz cruise next year 

this thread reminded me of how much fun everyone had on those 3 Carnival ships back in the day (remember they lack almost all of today's modern bells and whistles) and compared to their competitors Carnival filled a unique niche in the growing market place   ...guests were active participants in the full day at sea activities  and really brought into the "Fun Ship" cruising mantra ..food was also better...lol

sometimes reading these boards, I sense guests don't have as much pure fun as we did back in those days and are less active participants in some of the onboard activities ..sometimes smaller ships , with fewer guests and bells and whistles might be the pathway for the industry to rebound post CV 19 ..if nothing else the cruise lines will step up their game in the Medical  & Public Health departments both onboard   their  vessels and in interactions with the Ports of Calls and the entire Trip & Travel Insurance Policy Industry will undergo overhaul 

for the short term I suspect there will be an over capacity cabin  "challenge" that the historical tried and true technique of simply advertising cheap cabin prices combined with OBC will fill cabins  and lead to more onboard spending for profitability margins  may not be enough ..how does the onboard planning team redesign onboard areas and redirect guest flow patterns to provide social distancing ..I also suspect that Carnival is working with Google & Apple smart phone tracking technology to monitor changes in guests vital signs ..the technology is rapidly emerging due to CV 19, so it would stand to reason the Cruise Industry would be out in front to adapt this technology and be proactive 

I can just picture the dinner conversation at a large table the 1st night of the cruise 

we went on a River Cruise to the South of France in 2009 and it was an incredible experience ..cruised on NCL Breakaway in 2016 and it was a nightmare (and it was a Jazz Cruise charter ) because it was not the "right fit" for a Jazz Cruise experience 

I am a big fan of experiencing different type of cruise experiences and if possible get outside of the comfort zone of mega ships in the Caribbean ..I've done a Maine Windjammer , both international and domestic River Cruises , Jazz Cruise full charters , Greek Island cruises and a Barge cruise out of Venice 

I think the CV 19 Public Health Crisis will change the paradigms of how Americans allocated their discretionary vacation dollars and major cruise lines are into a deep planning process on how to reposition their product , 6000 fellow passengers on a mega ship for a week does not sound so appealing in light of CV 19 IMHO