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Charter Music Cruises selling out


Chyna3032
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So far the Soul Train cruise, Festival at Sea and The Capital City Jazz cruises for 2016 have all sold out. The Capital City Jazz Cruise for 2017 has also gone on sell and sold out. The only one left is Tom Joyner Fantastic Voyage 2016 that hasn't sold out. It appears that these cruises are really gaining in popularity in spite of the cost.

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Wow, Dave Koz 2017 cruise is sold out as well.:eek: I was hoping to gift my sister a jazz cruise for her 50 birthday. I thought I had plenty of time she turns 50 in 2017.... I am too darn late:o I have wait listed for Dave Koz. I didn't receive any information for the 2017 capital jazz cruise. I will check with them and see if I can get on a wait list.

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Wow, Dave Koz 2017 cruise is sold out as well.:eek: I was hoping to gift my sister a jazz cruise for her 50 birthday. I thought I had plenty of time she turns 50 in 2017.... I am too darn late:o I have wait listed for Dave Koz. I didn't receive any information for the 2017 capital jazz cruise. I will check with them and see if I can get on a wait list.

 

You can wait list for the Capital Jazz cruise. I did so day before yesterday.

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Capital Jazz Supercruise "X" on the NCL Getaway is for Oct 2016 (which is already sold out but folks can waitlist)....SuperCruise "XI" for 2017 will probably go on sale at the Capital Jazz Festival in June of 2016 (which will probably sell out in record time, so save your deposit $$$$ now and be ready to book the day it opens for sale)..Koz's May 2017 charter leaving from Venice on the HAL Westerdam was sold out on the day it was open for sale because previous Koz Charter guests were given the opportunity to reserve prior to opening for sale to the general public...HAL Westerdam holds about 2,100 guests (fully berthed)... NCL Getaway holds 5000 guests (fully berth)...it is very smart to waitlist for either ASAP...the law of averages indicates that folks who deposit this far out may have plans change (why it's key to have a good trip insurance policy), but only a small %will actually cancel...

 

word has gotten out that if you are a true fan of the music & artists featured on these types of cruises, it is the best value for your $$$$..but one should always due their due diligence prior to depositing if this is your first venture into these types of music charters (to prevent another Maxwell mess)...Capital Jazz Supercruise "X" in Oct 2016 on the NCL Getaway will be a :eek:game changer:eek: in how these types of onboard productions are presented...that is the one to be on

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Hattack, thanks for the information. I was a wee bit confused:o I thought capital jazz supercruise for 2017 was sold out and registration isn't until next summer... lol It's awesome that Dave Koz allows their prior guest to register prior to opening to the general public.

Edited by zzyx
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Hattack, thanks for the information. I was a wee bit confused:o I thought capital jazz supercruise for 2017 was sold out and registration isn't until next summer... lol It's awesome that Dave Koz allows their prior guest to register prior to opening to the general public.

Most themed cruises will give those guests on the current sailing first crack at the next year's cruise

We could have booked the 2015 Malt shop cruise while on the ship last yr but we were not really sure we wanted to go again

After we got home decided to go but then had to go on the list until they got everyone booked that signed up on the cruise

It sold out in March for Nov cruise

 

I think you have to decide early if it is something you are will to book as soon as the cruise become available

& get cancellation insurance most of these cruises are non refundable for the day you book ..not like regular cruises

 

Enjoy

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LHT28...excellent point about booking early and obtaining "cancel for any reason" trip insurance...allowing previous guests to prereserve prior to opening cabins for sale to the general public has both an upside/downside (challenges and opportunities)...the upside is you recognize and reward previous guests loyalty...the "challenge " is when your loyal base vastly exceeds the capacity of the designated vessel (usually once a successful promoter enters into their 6th year and beyond).the promoter thus has to make a decision to move to a larger ship or look into doing another charter during the same year (i.e. Smooth Jazz, Legendary Rhythm & Blues)...recent history has shown mixed results in being able to sell out both sailings in the same year...the lifeline of this "niche" music cruise charter business is to grow market share either by attracting new 1st time cruisers (or steal them from another competitor) ...thus Koz has both a good/bad news scenerio..his sold out his Venice charter with loyal repeat guest but by doing so, cannot accomodate all his loyal past guests who want to go (including myself) or attract 1st time guests

Capital Jazz SuperCruise has achieved the same objective of selling out in record time by allowing open equal access booking...by moving from Carnival Conquest Class (3250) to NCL Breakaway Class (5000), the SuperCruise can accomodate more past loyal guests and still grow share with 1st time SuperCruisers...NCL will deliver The Escape this October (Breakaway Plus Class) which will hold 5500 (fully berth)...so Capital Jazz can continue to grow

the good news is both approachs are working well for each...puts additional pressure on their competitors which will depend on more, new 1st timer guests booking these types of music charters and do not think the major cruise lines have not noticed how loyal the charter guests are..that is why Carnival has "LIVE" and NCL has "Sixthman"

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Chyna are you on the wait list for 2016 or 2017?

 

 

I'm on the wait list for 2016. I see now that they haven't started booking 2017, so my apologies. I read it wrong. It was confusing from the website though. Maybe I will be able to do 2017 after all.

Edited by Chyna3032
needed to correct some information.
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Chyna3032...think POSITIVE...you will be on CJSC "X" (alot of repeat guests had to pay off CJSC "9" in July first,( before they could deposit on CJSC "X") and were surprised that "X" sold out before 8/15)...by getting on the waitlist now, you have put yourself in the best position...folks that don't "know" make the mistake of hanging back to see who will be in the 2016 line up that is announced in December and then try to book which puts them deep into the waitlist...SuperCruisers that are in the "know" have faith in the process and the line up formula (based upon previous years line up) so we know that whomever the announced artists are. they will be awesome) ..the added lagniappe for CJSC "X" is the NCL Getaway's additional music and dining venues , which means (hopefully) more artists and activities (and many more guests)

these types of music charters are unique for their guests (repeat business) loyalty...guests are loyal to the promoter and not to the cruiseline...they will not switch to a competitiors music charter based upon price...the line up is important but IMHO, what drives the loyalty is that one makes so many great friends onboard that you know you will see year after year...on a regular cruise that component is missing...my travel companion and I put aside an extra $60 per month in our savings so we will be able to do the $600 deposit for CJSC "XI' the day it opens for sale while we are still paying off "X"..consider it another monthly small utility bill...lol

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final thought..the Tom Joyner Fantastic Voyage Cruise (in March of 2016) will sell out...folks were upset that for the past few years Tom has lower his prices near the end to sell out his cruise, so many are waiting to see if he will do so this year before booking ..it becomes a game of "chicken" where no one ones to be on the losing end. so look for a big "surge" in bookings before the end of October ..it helps Tom that Ford is now a "title sponsor"

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want to go (including myself) or attract 1st time guests

Capital Jazz SuperCruise has achieved the same objective of selling out in record time by allowing open equal access booking...by moving from Carnival Conquest Class (3250) to NCL Breakaway Class (5000),

looking at NCL & ship statistics it says Passenger capacity 3969

are you saying they will put more passenger on than capacity allows or put them in crew quarters

:D

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yes...3969 is based upon :confused:double occupancy:confused: per cabin...fully berthed means 3rd,4th & 5th berths (beds) occupied in eligible cabins..the Villas can sleep up to 8 and most cabins (except the designated single cabins) can sleep 3 to 4 for a total of 5000 beds)...because of the cost per cabin for these types of music charters it is very common for friends to split the cost over 3-4 roommates..it works because one is :cool:never:cool: in the cabin for more then 3-5 hours of sleep, shower and use of the rest room....be aware that a very small % of cabins are put aside for artists, musicians and and Capital Jazz onboard staff, but not all artists stay with us for the full 8 days so the maxiumin number of cabins are available for guests...crew quarters are separate and not figured in the 5000 .....the configuaration of the Getaway is such that the music, dining and lido deck venues will spread the guests so it should not feel crowded because guests will have the ability to "float" from one venue to another (think Frenchmen Street in New Orleans).."freestyle" dining in the waterfront public rooms will allow for more musical performances while eating..the huge main showrooms and 2 dining halls that are common on Carnival ships do not exist on the new NCL "Breakaway Class" vessels such as the Getaway...it is a "game changer"...our CJSC Fun Ship director has been very creative in adapting the onboard product based upon the limitations of the ship's facilities for CJSC 1-9...on"X" it's almost as if the NCL designers had our Fun Ship director at the drawing board for input in how to adapt "freestyle cruising" to the music charter onboard product..this will be very interesting..on the Carnival Conquest Class ships there were 5 venues condusive to doing concerts (and 2 main dining halls, lido deck buffett and a private steakhouse)..on the NCL Getaway there are at least 15 musical venues and 16 dining venues ..smaller venues more condusive to the music (like a brick and mortar jazz club)

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yes...3969 is based upon :confused:double occupancy:confused: per cabin...fully berthed means 3rd,4th & 5th berths (beds) occupied in eligible cabins..the Villas can sleep up to 8 and most cabins (except the designated single cabins) can sleep 3 to 4 for a total of 5000 beds

 

I doubt they will have 5000 pax even if that is the number of beds on the ship

I understand some cabins will have more beds but not all will be filled

we had a quad on our music cruise there was 2 of us

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final thought..the Tom Joyner Fantastic Voyage Cruise (in March of 2016) will sell out...folks were upset that for the past few years Tom has lower his prices near the end to sell out his cruise, so many are waiting to see if he will do so this year before booking ..it becomes a game of "chicken" where no one ones to be on the losing end. so look for a big "surge" in bookings before the end of October ..it helps Tom that Ford is now a "title sponsor"

 

 

Hey Hattack, Tom did not lower his prices this past year in 2015. A lot of people were upset, but it wasn't fair to the people who had booked a full price. Mind you the people that in the past had gotten onto the cruise via the "fire sale" did not get the same taxable deduction that we did, but they did get to cruise at a cheaper price.

 

A lot of us are already booked. I think it will sell out before the end of October or at the latest the end of November.

 

I'm happy that all of the major music charter cruises are thriving.

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I think securing Ford as a title sponsor has stabilized Tom's situation in 2015 and hopefully in the future...if one subtracts the charitable deduction tax write off, the Fantastic Voyage is competitive price wise with the other major players....

 

it will be interesting to see how the inventory is managed for The Getaway based upon the fact the charter sold out so quickly...if the waitlist has alot of request for quads and triples at the time of final payment there may be some movement in upgrading to free up cabins that can accomodate...needless to say, it will be sail at least at 100% capacity (double occupany) if not more

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I suspect Capital Jazz is more focus not so much on the % of berths filled but more on the advantage of having more high end cabins filled..the Carnival Liberty has a total of 54 suites (grand, captain, ocean)...the NCL Getaway has a total of 348 high end cabin categories (Haven, Villa, Owners Suite)...the fact that it sold out in less then 60 days means they will have the best of both worlds...more then 100% capacity (double occupany) and all their high end cabin categories filled...a great tribute to their long range planning process and focus on providing added value for their guests...it will be exciting to see the onboard product roll out on the Getaway

the rule of thumb in both the airline and cruise business...once the door is shut (or gangway pulled) potential revenue is forever lost if you have empty seats (cabins)....it's nice to be in the situation where the demand exceeds the supply

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final thought..the Tom Joyner Fantastic Voyage Cruise (in March of 2016) will sell out...folks were upset that for the past few years Tom has lower his prices near the end to sell out his cruise, so many are waiting to see if he will do so this year before booking ..it becomes a game of "chicken" where no one ones to be on the losing end. so look for a big "surge" in bookings before the end of October ..it helps Tom that Ford is now a "title sponsor"

 

I think it helped that they allowed those of us that cruised this year to book at current year prices through the end of May. And yes, Ford is a great sponsor

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plus the Tom Joyner Foundation is a great cause...I am not an HBCU graduate but many of my cruising friends are and they are on the Fantastic voyage every year

 

Oh wow, really? I bet I've met your friends....yes, the Tom Joyner Foundation is a great cause.

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you probably have..they are proud graduates of Dillard, Xavier, Southern & Grambling

 

if I had the $$$$ and the time...I would do all the popular music theme cruises in the same year...because I actually attended the Woodstock Music Festival in August 1969, I am thinking about doing a B2B with the Flower Power Cruise followed by the Gospel Music Cruise in March 2016..talk about packing 2 suitcases with wildly separate warobes:eek:

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:D I know:D...my other "dream" music charter cruise would be one featuring all the great "doo-wop" groups of the 50's aka Malt Shop Memories Cruise and the great "slow jam" groups (aka Delphonics, Whispers, Dramatics etc) aka the Soul Train Cruise...I also love Blues (especially Mississippi Blues) so I would go on the Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise

 

members of the Baby Boomer generation grew up listening to our Parents play Jazz,Big Band,Bee Bop, R& B, Doo Wop, Funk, Gospel etc on the turn tables on the RCA "stereo systems" while cleaning house of Saturday mornings..then in the late 60's & 70's we watched Soul Train on Saturday mornings on black and white tv's in every room while cleaning and then slow dancing with the cute girl held closely, to all the great "slow jam/quiet storm " records on Saturday night in the basement with under the blue lights (with her parents turning on the lights very frequently)

 

it's no wonder that these types of charter music cruises are sell outs because the baby boomer generation are now empty nesters and want to relive our teenage years...ever go to a PBS fundraiser during pledge week featuring the popular groups from the 50's-60's-70's musica era...that's really what these charters are like..music is really color blind and brings folks of all colors together on these music charters

 

One of the primary reasons why I love the Capital Jazz SuperCruise is that they feature a "gumbo" of musical styles and artists from almost every gendre that I love so it's cost efficient to see alittle of everything instead of overdosing on one style...the midnight allstar jam sessions present some really odd combinations that you would not see at sea on any other music charter

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  • 2 weeks later...

I just booked Dave Koz 2017 cruise!:D:)

 

 

from Dave Koz site

 

2017 Dave Koz Cruise VOYAGE TWO

A few weeks ago, we made the long-waited announcement for our 2017 cruise, “VENICE and BEYOND”…little did I know what was about to happen! This was the fastest sell-out in our history…(just 4 days!!) My team and I were overwhelmed and truly humbled by how many people wanted to be a part of this exciting “bucket-list” week at sea. But due to the unprecedented demand, so many folks were unable to secure a cabin.Well, you asked…and we listened. Was there something we could do to take care of more people who want to join in the fun for a Venice and Beyond dream vacation?

I put it to my team to find a solution, and I am thrilled to share this wonderful news with you today:

 

Dave Koz & Friends at Sea

VOYAGE TWO – May 16 – 23, 2017

 

Hattack ~ I have some fond memories of cleaning the house on Saturday mornings and listening to music. A couple of years ago, my brother, mother and I were on a road trip we were listening to Bobby Blue Bland, Minnie Ripperton, and Etta James. lol I haven't listened to Bobby Bland or Minnie Ripperton since I was a child..... but gosh it sure brought back some awesome childhood memories of our cleaning, singing and just being silly kids.

Edited by zzyx
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I just booked Dave Koz 2017 cruise!:D:)

 

 

from Dave Koz site

 

2017 Dave Koz Cruise VOYAGE TWO

A few weeks ago, we made the long-waited announcement for our 2017 cruise, “VENICE and BEYOND”…little did I know what was about to happen! This was the fastest sell-out in our history…(just 4 days!!) My team and I were overwhelmed and truly humbled by how many people wanted to be a part of this exciting “bucket-list” week at sea. But due to the unprecedented demand, so many folks were unable to secure a cabin.Well, you asked…and we listened. Was there something we could do to take care of more people who want to join in the fun for a Venice and Beyond dream vacation?

I put it to my team to find a solution, and I am thrilled to share this wonderful news with you today:

 

Dave Koz & Friends at Sea

VOYAGE TWO – May 16 – 23, 2017

 

Hattack ~ I have some fond memories of cleaning the house on Saturday mornings and listening to music. A couple of years ago, my brother, mother and I were on a road trip we were listening to Bobby Blue Bland, Minnie Ripperton, and Etta James. lol I haven't listened to Bobby Bland or Minnie Ripperton since I was a child..... but gosh it sure brought back some awesome childhood memories of our cleaning, singing and just being silly kids.

 

I'm considering doing that cruise. Those are some awesome ports!

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