starboard gal

Cruise sounds great we are booked on following week for Rock and Romance same company more of 70's music Michael McDonald, America , should be great have sky suite, would be a great back to back

Hey George C,

We are JoAnn M and George C! We are also doing the B2B with the FPC. We would love to come visit your sky suite! We’ll even bring guitars and an amplifier up and play for you in your place. You name the song you want, we’ll work on it and play for you. If it is Beatles that would make it even better! Can’t wait for these trips! Whoo Hoo!

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Hey guys:

 

Good to hear from you! I have done some research this week so your post was timely. :D I listen to 60 on 6 on Sirius and heard Hair the other night so looked up the Cowsills - I had forgotten that they were the basis for the Partridge family. Very cool that Susan is still with them - sad that they lost one brother in Katrina.

 

 

 

We were on the first FPC and Guess Who was there. We especially loved American Woman and These Eyes. We enjoyed the afternoon Q&A's and the Guess Who's explanation of American Woman during one. Loved hearing about stories of being on the road, etc. The schedule shows Q&A's on the sea days with several performers including the Cowsills on 2/25 and the Guess on 3/1. We plan to attend all of those - you have to arrive early though because it becomes standing room only. Now that we have the schedule, we are so excited - I have all the things we want to do highlighted.

 

 

 

You've inspired me to look up some more groups and quiz Henry. Look forward to meeting you onboard! I also have to get serious about packing...

 

 

 

See you soon!

 

Marilyn

Hi Marilyn, all sounds so cool. We cannot wait!!! Packing??? Who is packing yet? I guess that should start soon. You guys got 60’s outfits for the trip??? We bought the sleeeeeeezist stuff off amazon, made of fabric that I could not have ever imagined. But it looks cool, so we’re bringing it on! George got white platform shoes yesterday, I just about busted a gut when he put them on....... here he is in one of the “outfits”...... We are READY for this trip!! 60’s here we come!!!

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We are Henry and Marilyn from Vermont.

 

 

You are smart to review the bands before the cruise - I wish we had done that last time. I have recently been Googling some of them to try to see who the present members are, best songs, etc. so hopefully will be more knowledgeable this time.

 

PS: I saw your question on the other thread about loyalty points. We did a B2B last time, one regular cruise and then the FPC. We did receive Captain's Club points for both cruises, but did not receive the usual Elite perks such as free internet, free gelato, etc. on the Flower Power cruise. There were no Captain's Club events on the Flower Power cruise.

 

We were able to get the Premium Beverage package on sale a couple of weeks ago (25% off) and we received some onboard credit from our kids for Christmas that we can use for internet, gelato, specialty dining, etc., so we should be good. :D

 

Will look forward to seeing you onboard in a few weeks!

Hey Marilyn and Henry!

Flower Power Homework:

So last night we started looking at some of the other bands on the trip, and we came upon some cool stuff about the Cowsills... Of course I remember them as a kid, but reading their history and how they got started was really fun to learn. They started out “wanting to be the Beatles”, (didn’t we all???) they got their start in Rhode Island playing small venues until they were “discovered”. They made it big. The girl, Susan, was only 7 years old when they brought her into the band! Today, only 3 of the 7 kids are going to be joining us on the ship, including Susan and 2 of her brothers, but it will be fun to hear them. Check them out at Cowsill.com

These folks have been through a lot of stuff over the years, including losing one of their brothers in Hurricane Katrina. Looking forward to meeting them.

We also broke out the guitars for some old Guess Who last night: we learned “Hand me Down World”. And “No Time”. Do you remember? Very cool songs. If you come by our room, we’ll play for you, and you can sing with us.

Wow, only 17 days til we head out to sea!!!!!

JoAnn & George

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Joann:

 

Yes, George is in for a treat to have this be his first cruise! We had such a wonderful time on the 2016 Flower Power Cruise and are so looking forward to this one (45 days!).

 

 

 

This is a great cruise to bring a guitar and share music with others. One of the things we liked about the cruise was, not only did we experience a phenomenal concert every night, but during the day (in addition to often scheduled concerts at the pool) some of the artists would hold sing-alongs at various areas around the ship. It was so much fun to stop and join in, with talented audience members sometimes doing a song. Mike Nesmith's son, Christian, and Circe Link were onboard and held frequent sing-alongs near the pool or in a small venues - they were so talented and personable.

 

 

 

Looking forward to many more special experiences. See you onboard!

Hey VT cruising (what is your name??)

We are so excited to be on this cruise and look forward to meeting you! We love playing music and every night, we do tutorials about the bands on our trip....so fun to learn their histories too. Today was Guess Who. We played No Time, and Share the Land! Whoo Hooo! So fun. Great chords and lyrics!! We’ll talk more...... great to meet you!!!

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We went on the 1st Flower Power Cruise last year on the Infinity. We were unable to go on the one this year, but are planning to book the 2018 cruise on the Summit. The first two were only 5 days - next year's will be a 7 day cruise. We can't wait!

 

It was a wonderful experience! The music was amazing, most of the performers were still great and it was fun to go to the discussions with the groups to hear their back stories and adventures. The passengers were like-minded - lots of energy and excitement, fun costumes and cool events.

 

Here is my review of last year's cruise - it was a B2B, with a 4 night cruise before the Flower Power Cruise.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2327623

Hey VTcruising, enjoyed all your reviews about the 2016 FPC, and glad to hear you’ll be onboard in a few weeks with us! Our first FPC, and my S.O’s very first cruise in his life! What a way to get spoiled forever, huh? He’s a musician, so we are bringing some guitars onboard, and will love having fellow musicians, and singers of all sorts stopping by our stateroom to sing some songs....beatles, guess who, hollies, whatever! Hope to meet you on the Summit. It’s gonna be a great time!!! Thanks again for all your helpful posts about the trips.

See you soon. JoAnn & George

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Love your "Steerage Society" logo!

LOL.

I've stayed in staterooms (well, probably not really a "stateroom", more like a closet), where one of the walls was at quite a severe angle. I guess down near, or perhaps below, the water line. aka "steerage", I reckon!

thanks for all the commentary.

I just read a report done by the Bermuda govt a couple years ago, outlining their issues with the cruise industry and the channels, docking in St. George and Hamilton, and the numbers of passengers they have lost. I miss going into these nice towns to dock for a day or 2, those were the days!

Thanks so much for all your posts, photos, etc, AND ANDY!!!!!

Hope you had a wonderful trip.

Enjoy the rest of your last day, and then start dreaming about the next cruise!

We've all enjoyed traveling vicariously with you!~!

JoAnn

Just an hour ago, I happened to run into the former Explorer of the Seas captain, Olav Nyseter. (he was our capt. in 2011 on EOS) He lives here in Baltimore across the street from a house I have for sale for a client. When I saw him coming out of his house, I ran over to greet him and to ask about Quantum.

He is actually involved in the simulator sea trials of the Quantum right now.

I asked him about Bermuda, and his remark was "Bermuda is very important to Royal Caribbean". The route into Kings Wharf is very circuitous, as any of you who have sailed in/out have likely noticed. it is one of the toughest routes they have to negotiate. the new ship is longer. He mentioned that the channel will likely need some dredging to make it accessible to QOS.

the stats for the new ship, listed in the RCI brochure that I picked up on EOS last week, show these numbers:

EOS 1,020 feet length

154 feet Beam

quantum 1,141 feet length

136 feet Beam

(if you have the brochure, take a look at the deck plans. the new ship is obviously not as wide...) seems like it is designed in a more sleek, ocean liner type of profile.

so although quantum is narrower, it is over 100 feet longer. Seems that the geometry of this longer ship will make it yet tougher to navigate into Kings Wharf.

Just thought his comments were interesting. we would all hope to see Bermuda on future QOS itineraries.

Agree with the comment about getting a bigger ship here in Baltimore, we would love it. But for now we like Grandeur, and good riddance to Carnival and their dirty fuel!

JoAnn

Hope our cruiser got a shot for us!

Tom hanks and Steve Martin have nothin on our guy!

Hope he will enjoy Jamaica tomorrow :-)

Looks like smooth sailing tonight.....

Omg, that shot from the top of the zip line was AMAZING!!!! Best I've ever seen (given that I am too chicken to do the ride myself)!

Thanks for all your great shots.

Why no photo of YOU? We all want to see you onboard the allure!!

A "formal night" selfie please!!!!

I thought you meant OCEAN, thought maybe that is a new version =)

We loved the history of the Cunard Line and all the proper British customs. As a kid, I think it was good shipboard training for us.... learned so much and had so much fun.

Poor old QE2 sits in the middle east, it makes me sad to think of that sleek and elegant vessel lingering there. Wish the Brits would buy it back and do a "queen mary" sort of operation.

have you ever been to long beach to visit the old QM?

quite an eerie experience, I found.

have you started posting on the roll call for your trip? I'll go have a look.

I better get back to work, or I'm never gonna be able to travel again!

later~~

I loved our transatlantic voyages on the QE2! Westbound was definitely the best, as each day lasted 25 hours.....gave us an extra hour of dancing each night in the disco =)

I have original deck plans which I had Capt. Warwick autograph when we were onboard....those were the good old days, when the cruise line would mail you these beautiful drawings and of the ship's plans. I had quite a collection.

Yes, I am a cruise ship addict. There could be worse things to which one could be addicted, right?

Will continue to think about your sept sailing on Breakaway~~ it sounds fun and it is so nice to have all those beautiful days in Bermuda. Sounds like you have a fun group lined up. What sorts of cabins did you book?

Now that I've done my first "solo" trip, I'm ready to head back out again!

JoAnn

Hi Chris,

Great photos! Enjoying your trip vicariously ;-)

Just got home from the explorer a few days ago.

Have a great trip!Looking forward to hearing more from you!

JoAnn

Hey Cheryl,

I will seriously consider your trip in September, as I really do have to use up my cruise credit (or lose it :-(

Bermuda is the best, isn't it?

Have you been on this ship yet?

Lots of mixed reviews, especially from pax used to RC...

Like most, I try to be positive and enjoy all the good thIngs on each ship.

Are you in the NYC area?

I'm from Maryland, trying to figure out how to travel to/from NYC.....parking on the pier looks $$$.

Some pax from my recent trip from Bayonne spent the night in Newark, left their cars there, and got a private van to the ship. ThAt might be the way to go. Don't really want to get lost in ny;-)

Anyone else traveling from afar?

I saw a post on this thread asking why 55+ would need our own forum.... Because we are over all the BS. We do our own thing. We can party like its 1879.....oops! 1979. Or whenever. I really enjoyed my last cruise because there were all adults onboard....yes, a lot of AARP onboard! But it was a lot of fun, and we had a blast!!!

I see that on the Breakaway, you can actually "walk the plank". OMG! I have some clients who I would love to put on that thing ;-)

Thanks Nisky18 (what is your name??)

I suddenly realized that my late husband purchased a "future cruise credit" on Norwegian about 4 years ago and it's going to expire if I don't use it.... so I need to get booked on something.

after the ridiculous parade of friends who said they would go, then bailed out, I'm thinking of "roughing it" in that little closet of a room =)

would miss my balcony but the price is right!

Hey Corkey, or any other cruisers,

has anyone been on the Breakaway, and specifically the solo cabins?

they look sort of claustrophobic, but seem to be a good price.

I don't think I want to pay double for the rest of my cruising life...

I'm wondering about the demographic of the studio group.... would I be the only 55+ in the whole place? that's a scary thought =)

Hi Nisky18, and Corkey,

good to hear from you both!

I'm JoAnn, I live in Maryland and work as an architect and realtor.....

I have loved going on cruises since I was a kid, MANY years ago!

Every Sunday after church, my mom would stop and get doughnuts from the bakery, and then she would pick up the New York Times at the drugstore. This was our big treat for the week!

One day, though, she told us that she had found this really great vacation in the travel section, a "cruise", on a SHIP. "WOW!", we thought. We had never heard of such a thing. She called the Cunard Line in NY and booked us on a trip to Bermuda. our 7 day trip cost $100 per adult, and probably $50 per child.... (it was a good value even in 1970!). So off we went in our Vista Cruiser station wagon from Baltimore to NYC, we had never been there, and with our old paper maps we managed to find Pier 92 on the Hudson River. Our ship, the Cunard Franconia, departed NY that evening amidst confetti and festive bon voyage parties aboard ship (back then you could have visitors come aboard to party ;-) It was simply magical.

And what a wonderful vacation it was. The ship was primitive by today's standards (we did not even have our own bathroom in our cabin; we had to go down the hall) but what a ball we had! We docked in Hamilton for 3 nights, saw the sights of Bermuda and began a lifetime love with Horseshoe Bay. Our old ship had no stabilizers, no bow thrusters, no real means of steadying the ride, so it was quite a bumpy experience. Nonetheless, we watched people dance every evening in the "Mayflower Room", had tea at 4pm, and got to hear 3 cute young singers faithfully reproduce Beatles songs in the "night club". That was about it for entertainment! Of course, we loved this vacation so much that we could barely stand to come home.

The day we got back, we booked the trip for the next year.....A tradition that many of us find to be the only way to cope with the reality of being home.

Hope to see many of you on future adventures, and would love to hear all of your cruise stories too!

JoAnn

starboardgal at gmail dot com

Hey Jim,

Thanks! My experience was most unexpected, so the fact that it happened made it all the more special ;-)

I just happened upon this board while perusing the CC site today, I guess we 55+ just don't have any excitement. I just returned from a great trip aboard explorer of the seas a couple days ago.

Last year, (2012) my husband of 24 years died very suddenly just a week before we were to cruise. But instead of sitting around crying, I dragged my sister along and we went on the trip.....I knew my husband would have wanted me to go.

sis and i had hoped to have a table for 2 at dinner, as I was really not in the mood to meet new people. Luckily, the nasty Maitre'd could not/ would not accommodate our request.....so we wound up at a table with 3 other couples, 2 African American and 1 Caucasian. And us 2 chicks. After just 2 minutes at this table, we realized that we had "struck gold". And by the end of the cruise, we were having such a great time, that someone asked if we were having a "family reunion" :-) Still in touch with all of them today. These people really did become our "family", and unbeknownst to them, they all helped me so much by showering us with good times, laughter, and real friendship. Only on a cruise could something like this happen...

Fast forward 15 months. Had made a reservation on EOS while onboard in 2012, with sis as the co-passenger again. Then, this spring, our elderly dad got ill, and passed away in August....

Sis winds up staying home to keep our 87 year old mom company. So off I go on my first solo cruise, despite dire warnings from all sorts of friends who think I am crazy and in danger by traveling alone. LOL. What could be a nicer place than my beloved explorer to travel solo? It is my "home away from home".

Luckily, the roll call connected me with so many nice people, and I felt a kindred spirit with them instantly. Our first meet-up after the muster drill was so fun, and I knew I had made the right decision to forge ahead with the trip. Had a great time, doing whatever I pleased, and was really enjoying the trip and the ports.

9 days into the trip, I attended a "top-tier" party (just some free drinks in the overcrowded lounge) and found nowhere to sit. So I just stood near the bar, hung around and had my "free" rum punch. A few minutes later, a guy is standing next to me, and we start talking.....I think he assumed I was with someone, and I certainly assumed he was also with someone. But no, he was on his first cruise since his wife died 2 years ago. We found it amazing that we met like this.....and wound up hanging around together for the remainder of the trip, and danced til the wee hours for 3 evenings. ...We had a blast together!

Life is always ready to surprise you!

Will also be following your trip!

Just came back from wonderful 11 nt trip on Explorer of the Seas out of Bayonne NJ. Was forced to "go solo" after my dad recently passed away, and my travel companion (my sister) decided she needed to stay home with our mom. Tried like heck to get anyone else to go.

Friends who said they would go with me, all chickened out. or made lame excuses like, "I'm afraid"..... (Of what, I wondered....)

so I went off on my first solo adventure cruise!

Being part of the CC community, and having posted on the roll call, made it like I already knew tons of people onboard. Wound up dining with a bunch from our group. so it really was great. We had a nice "meet and mingle party", and I never felt alone at all. And never had to account to anyone else =) Did my own thing for 11 days. Went on shore excursions with lots of fun people. There's no other place like being out on the high seas with others.... We are a community. you meet people in every nook and cranny of that big ship, and some become friends for life.

so any of you who hesitate to go solo, don't give it a second thought.

"GET OUT THERE", as they say!