sparty1

Thanx for updating info.

I see the added artists, and I'm so glad!

Sorry to hear the refurb wasn't a success in the retreat area. I really liked Michaels the one time we had access, but it sounds like its not the same since refurb?

I'm sure we will still love the cruise, 'cuz how can one not when theres music all over to keep us in our "happy place"😊

On 5/7/2022 at 11:56 AM, George C said:

Very cool , I would love to do back to back with those cruises, we saw several ex rock and romance artist in a concert recently had front row seats to Todd Rundgren, Christofer Cross and Joey Molland and Jason Scheff , because of our vip seats we got a picture with them and a signed poster. Will have to get together for a drink. 

Hi George,

Im so sorry for the long delay! I didnt desert and wasn't ignoring you! I've had many unexpected interruptions (most not the positive kind) and have not been able to come back here. I am still working on some, so I may take awhile to respond. I do appreciate you keeping up on this board and thread. 

We are definitely looking forward to both cruises, and I see additional artists being added! It must be fun to be in the VIP seats with the added perks:) Yes, it would be great to get together for a bit too. Thank you.

Is the ship more conducive to the music venue with the refurb? I was on it before, so just wondering?

Thanks much,

Thanks , George!

We were able to get a cabin on this cruise and we're going B2B with Flower Power! So excited.

Hope they add a couple more artists that can be headliners for both.

On 5/4/2022 at 2:12 AM, crystalspin said:

My Roll Call (for the PC transit preceeding) says that 

Nieuw Amsterdam:

30 October 2022 – 06 November 2022 : Caribbean

 

Is no longer chartered but is a bookable 7-day Caribbean sprint. I saw it on HAL website yesterday (Grand Turk/HMC/Nassau), but it is not coming up tonight -- go figure! Someone on my RC says they booked it...

 

Im confused. I am on this charter for the Maltshop Cruise, and have not been given notice that it has been cancelled. 

Thank you all for responding!

We will be going in July to Norway, Svalbard.

We are very excited!

Hi all. This is our first cruise with SS, and we are taking an expedition. I do have a few general questions about expedition procedure.

1.  Do you suggest booking early (pre cruise) for excursions(even included)?  They say some are limited, but if they are included, wouldn't there be room for all passengers to participate?

2.  Do you suggest booking early( pre cruise) for restaurants, especially the additional cost restaurants?

3.  Do photographers sell photos onboard that they take? Even though I take my own, there will undoubtedly be photos that I'd like better than mine.

Thank you so much in advance for any info or suggestions you may offer from your experiences!

Who's booked on this cruise? We're hoping to get a spot. How was 2022 cruise?

Thank you.

Shmoo, thank you for responding! I finally found the “ theme cruises” . Country cruise wasn’t there, so tried the Roll Call again, but nothing. So I added to roll call. 

I still have trouble with the way this site has changed though. It seems so disorganized. I can no longer find what I’m looking for in a minute or 2, like I used to😔 I takes 20 minutes for me to find anything, and then it’s not in an order that’s as easy to follow as the old format. 

Oh well, may be I’m too organized or too old for change!

I appreciate your help, or I would still be lost😁

Is anyone on the 2020 cruise on Nieuw Amsterdam? Is there a Roll Call for it? Seems late to start one. Thx

I apologize upfront, but I am so frustrated with how to use/find anything on the boards/forums anymore! I used to love this site, and have referred so many newbies to it, and used it all the time. I keep trying, but continue to get frustrated now!

I used to access all genres of music cruises from the “ theme cruises” forums. I can’t find that category or under ANY name or category: ship roll calls, type of cruise, date of cruise, etc. Ive tried search box for all of the above. What am I missing? What should I be doing now? Why has it become so “ Un-user-friendly “? I appreciate any help that can get me through this maze I feel Im caught in. Thank you!

One of the artist a member of badfinger told us he was scheduled to leave but was having so much fun , he stayed on. Loved the stories they told on how groups were formed and them working with Beatles and Dylan. Air supply met while in chorus for Jesus Christ superstar .

Hi George! Yes, we really liked hearing their stories and talking with them too. So glad we're fortunate enough to make these memories:-)

Thanks for your feedback. Did all the artists on your cruise stay onboard for the entire cruise; or did some get off at different port stops and new artists come onboard.

Many stayed onboard the whole cruise, but a few of the main attractions had other commitments, so they left at a port to fulfill their next obligation. Additional artists came on at almost every port.

Our cabin connected to a main artist(Guess Who lead singer)who was onboard for both B2B though! They had to leave after their concerts on 2nd cruise.

On these music theme cruises, it seems that the best accommodations (suites) and the cheapest (inside cabins) are the ones that go first.

Yes, that has been the case! the 2019 cruises for R&R and FP say they have a major % sold out already(70%?) They had to switch the times around for next year, because so many of us book the 2 together that they wanted to have the b2b for them again. And that time period was the only time they could charter together.

We really didn't have much of an issue in meeting the artists, or feeling that they were part of us! I'm sure there are a couple that prefer their privacy, but we found so many really down to earth and wanting to participate with the fans!

Great cruise , we booked same cruise for 2019, would have also booked flower power but wanted a suite and they were all sold out, had a chance to talk to one of the two America performers , nice guy got pictures and autographs in suite lounge.

Hi George! So sorry we missed you on the 2018 Rand R cruise:-( We also booked the 2019 cruse while onboard, and the 2019 Flower Power!( decided to stay with the Aqua Spa cabin on FP(love the restaurant and Persian Garden with steam baths) So we have to switch cabins from R&R and FP next year[suite to Aqua Spa]) Looking forward to the music again!! Maybe we'll finally meet up! Or friends re-upped for the 2019 FP.

Had a great cruise, and expect to next year too:-)

Yes flower power seems like better lineup for 2019 also prefer 7 day cruise over 5 days

Now that we have to fly to these cruises(versus driving to embarkations from Florida), the longer cruises make more sense to us, too!

will they be selling flower power cruise for 2019 on this cruise I like lineup better than next years rock and romance also perfect 7 day cruise

Hi George. They'll be selling FP 2019 on the 2018 cruise, and usually at a better rate. That's what we did last year for this year's cruise, and may again for 2019. I assume you can also book FP 2019 on the Rock and Romance cruise, but don't know for sure. Is that what you were asking? The line-up IS awesome!!

Would like to meet , not sure when or where, we are at the Hilton. Sparty1 enjoy your back to back. We are planning 9 day ny trip will see several plays also possible night club shows depending who is playing , we just missed America at B.B. Kings club last year

Enjoy NY. Love to visit there! Broadway, Off-Broadway, nightclub shows, concerts, the energy... America would have been an awesome bonus:-(

We have a hotel in Fort Lauderdale before the FlowerPower cruise leg of our b2b, you're probably there the day before the Rock and Romance? Maybe we can meet up on board?

Hi George! I see we have a couple more posters!! I haven't been on here in so long, but since it is so close, I decided to make the extra effort:-) We have been sooo busy(buying, selling, fixing hurricane damage and moving across the country, all while fitting in a trips back home and one other music cruise!)

We really are looking forward to taking a break with continuous music and new friends on our up-coming cruise.

Since we are doing a b2b with FLowerPower cruise and no longer live in Florida, we will be flying in a day before the FP cruise, and getting a hotel, meeting friends and starting the cruising on land too!

Look forward to meeting up...but pretty sure we won't be having a M & M.

Thank you, sparty1, for following up. I am sorry to hear about your father's heart attack. I hope he is recovering nicely.

 

Our cruise is less than a week away and we are getting very excited. I hope to add another review about the American Duchess after we return from the trip.

Thank you, vlinbin. I appreciate your kind words.

You should be getting excited! It will be a nice trip:-) I look forward to your insight on the cruise and experience.

Thank you sailingmickey for chiming in with answers to the questions.

 

If there is anybody else reading these boards who has recent experience on the Duchess, your comments and suggestions would be welcomed.

I am not Sparty1, however, I can answer 2 of your questions;

 

1. Regarding dressing for dinner or entertainment - a sweater or dress shirt or even a nice casual shirt is fine for dinner and entertainment.

 

2. Regarding hair dryers, ever cabin will have a hair dryer.

 

Have a great cruise.

vlinbin--I apologize for not getting back to see if you had more questions(I traveled to spend time in the hospital with my Dad who had a heart attack and to help my Mom)

sailingmickey, thank you for stepping up. Those would have been my answers also. I can not offer an answer to the clothesline either, as I did not use one, and do not remember if there was one:-(

Have a great trip! You'll love it!

Sparty1 -- thank you so much for posting and providing information about your recent cruise. I am so glad that the cruise went well and that you enjoyed it. How nice to get an upgrade. I will start off with several questions, but suspect I will have many more as the time for our cruise nears. 1) Was the boat full? or perhaps I should ask if the boat felt crowded?The boat was sold out until Hurricane Harvey scare! Some cancelled(that's why we got an upgrade) The boat never felt crowded! The theater was full during shows, but we wondered where people came from, 'cuz we didn't see many around the boat!

2) Is it possible to get a table for two in either of the dining rooms? Yes, it was easy in both restaurants. The Head Waiter in Main dining area preferred to seat people with others, but you could easily get a 2 person table. Reservations needed in River Club, but we did not have any problems getting them.

3) Was it difficult to get on and off the boat? i.e. were there steep ramps or steps? Ramps were used in all ports(short and long, steep and not so steep)BUT they use "golf carts" to take anyone who needs or wants a ride to and from the boat. Worked well!

4) Were the HOHO buses accessible near the boat? Yes. Except where it was too steep, but the carts were used.

5) What were your favorite excursions? That would be hard to say. We took 2 Premium tours, and rest were the included tours, and we liked all of them. Natchez was probably our favorite town: so quaint, so many historical places to see! The included tours on the HOHO also include all entrance fees to any/all of the stops on the tours. You just say you are with the boat, and you go right in or through! Very nice and smoothe.

6) Any food items not to be missed? The food was good. Chef Chris could really fix things perfectly(River Club)filet, salmon, glazed chicken were all excellent. Perks is the coffee/snack area on deck 2, and they have fresh baked pastries/muffins/cinnamon buns in am, and cookies in pm, plus hot popcorn. Those were very good!

You''ll enjoy!:D

We were just on the Sky and were not offered a chance to bid. It appeared the ship was completely full. There were many groups on the ship.

 

I wish I knew the answer as to who is offered a chance to bid. Perhaps someone can explain the process.

Don't know process, but I was told no bidding offered on some ships, Sky is one. We were bkkd in an OV, and were upgradec to a suite! We did nothing except call and ask if they were offerng upgrades. This was on Cuba cruise in May, 2017. Good luck!

Five weeks from today, we will check into the Hotel Roosevelt in preparation for our cruise on the American Duchess from New Orleans to Memphis the following day. We are interested in hearing from anyone who has been aboard the Duchess, though we realize that only a small proportion of cruisers (both ocean and river) participate on Cruise Critic.

 

We have read the overview of the Duchess by the Cruise Critic editor, and saw one reference by another cruiser to difficulties encountered aboard an early voyage. Since then we have seen nothing. We would really like to know whether the early kinks are being worked out.

Just returned from a cruise on the Duchess(10/8-16/17). It was a great trip! We stayed at the Roosevelt during the Hurricane scare just before our departure. The mayor had a curfew for us, but removed it when it took a path to the east of NOLA.

It seemed to go pretty smoothly. 1 of the staff apologized for the "kinks" that weren't worked out yet, but it really had no effect on us. The coffee machine in the snack room(Perks) was well used, and had a few issues of getting our Cappuccinos:-), but the engines ran well, we had power, food, entertainment and excursions, so no issues there!

Our accommodations were fantastic!(we had a surprise upgrade upon arrival! What a fantastic 70th birthday gift) The food was good. We ate several times in the River Club, Chef Chris was superb, friendly and very accommodating!( reservations required, but no one seemed to know about this restaurant, until a few days into the cruise).We ate one evening on the deck at the River Club...at sunset-perfect!) The band was great; the cruise director was great and a good singer; pursors very attentive. It seemed so different to cruise for days with no buildings or houses along the river! I guess it floods so frequently that people don't build there. The history of course is extensive on the NO to Memphis cruise.

What are you interested in knowing? Please ask, and I'll try to answer.:D

StarVista

I book acts at a cabaret in Mexico. We have one act that would be amazing on Rock-n-Roll cruises, not so much on the big stage but in the smaller lounges on these theme cruises (NOT looking to book on full contracts, just the themed cruises) She was married to some of the BIGGEST rock stars and song writers of the 60's and 70's and has been backup singer to many of them. You WOULD know who if I said. Anyway, my question is I am trying to get info on who to reach out to in order to get them booked on these cruises. We have full reels and bios etc to send.

I was a Stage Manager on several ships so I do know how to book entertainers on contracts and regular gigs......I am ONLY looking for who to reach out to for these theme cruises as they do not usually work for the cruise lines! GRACIAS.

Just curious - Were you on Oceania or other cruise line which has already received permission to go to Cuba, at least for a particular amount of time? What cruise line did you use?

NCL's first Cuba cruise. It went only to Havana for 2 days.