Charter Music Cruises selling out

[wwcruisers]

Hattack -- When do you leave on your Capital Jazz Supercruise? You'll have to let us know how the NCL 'freestyle' works, on a music charter. We've pretty much exclusively cruised on RC and X ships, so I'm not very familiar with how NCL does things. Not that it matters much, but what is your itinerary? I think you mentioned that one of my favorite female comedians (Wanda Sykes) is on the schedule of performers -- a VERY funny lady. Have a great cruise. We'll be looking forward to your review! :cool:

[hattack]

Great Stirrup Cay (private island), San Juan, St Kitts with 3 full days at sea filled with concerts & jazz activities...we are all curious on how everything will work in the NCL Freestyle concept, but change is good and we will adjust..the bigger challenge is that Carnival's ships held 3000 guests, NCL Getaway holds 4200+

 

Wanda Sykes will open for Jill Scott at our beach party & BBQ on our first day on Great Stirrup Cay..there are 2 atriums on the Getaway which will feature great party bands playing at the same time from 1030 pm till whenever so I don't plan on retiring to our cabin until 0300 am every night...Dance Troupe of Harlem and the O'Jays will close out the end of our cruise

 

I have only done full charter Smooth Jazz Cruises since 2004,(started cruising in 1974) so I would probably be very "lost" and somewhat restless on a normal regular cruise

[wwcruisers]

Well, Hattack -- you probably wouldn't be lost, but you most certainly would be bored (by the lack of entertainment). ;) Although, sometimes we're pleasantly surprised to find one or two talented performers on a given Celebrity cruise. Oh, and I'm getting tired, just TALKING about staying up 'til 3:00 am -- especially for a whole week! I can see that I'm going to have to spend some time getting back into practice for being a 'night owl' -- fortunately, I have nearly a year and a half to do that! :D

[hattack]

the week before you depart for your SJC, try to obtain an extra 30 minutes of sleep per night so you have a reserve to call on during your cruise...once onboard discipline yourself to take a nap before dinner every night and then select one port of call to remain onboard and schedule an early morning spa treatment, a leisure early lunch and a long afternoon sleep..by pacing yourself you can stay up every night and enjoy the music...real tough to go back to your cabin late at night and going directly to sleep after a midnight all star jam session with your favorite artists.. schedule an extra day off from work upon your return to recover

 

one spends far too much $$$$ to go on this type of cruise to :eek:rest:eek:once onboard....

[wwcruisers]

LOL, Hattack -- I can already see the fatal flaw, here: I'm not a 'nap' person. I'm more of the 'run 'till you drop' type -- except that (as I get older) the 'drop' seems to come earlier and earlier (e.g.: nodding off during Monday Night Football). The only saving grace is that my internal clock will still be on Pacific Standard Time -- which should help. :p

[hattack]

your fellow SJC'ers will be able to spot you as a 1st timer (rookie) on the 2nd day at the main evening show because you will "nod off" right in the middle of Boney James's concert:D......most 1st timer ;)party till you drop;) folks generally disappear for long periods of time on the 3rd day and resurface on the morning of the 5th day:confused: and finish the cruise in high spirits...I trust your DH will help you to pace yourself...if it helps we all were like you on our first Jazz charter (I slept for 48 straight hours when I returned home from my first Jazz charter)...fyi, since you have a Cove cabin, schedule your "nap" (or down time) on your balcony and just recharge while enjoying the silence with your DH

 

on most cruises folks find that the ship is usually "dead" after about 10 pm at night..on the SJC the ship becomes alive starting at 10 pm with every venue filled with great music , impromptu jam sessions and everyone having a great time...the artists inter mingle with guests and you may find yourself chatting with Candy Dulfer about touring with Prince or Brian Culbertson about his Winery in Napa...if your DH is not a Smooth Jazz fan, he will be at the end of the cruise

[wwcruisers]

Well, DH comes from 'old-school' jazz, and I come from rock-n-roll, but we are both big smooth jazz fans. He was thrilled when we learned that Dave Koz and Rick Braun were doing the 'Concert for Cancer' last year, at one of our local breweries. He still wants to do a Koz cruise, too -- maybe 2019 or 2020. :cool:

 

Oh, I'm seriously thinking about having: "Rookie Jazz Cruisers" t-shirts made -- it might explain a lot to our fellow passengers! :D

 

And, you are spot-on about mainstream cruise lines (Celebrity in particular) rolling-up the sidewalks after the second dinner seating. Sometimes you can catch a late-night comic in one of the lounges, but that's about it. This jazz cruise is going to be a totally new experience for us. No early morning shore excursions -- THAT's for sure! :p

[hattack]

you & your DH might peek at the line up of The Contemporary (now Blue Note at Sea) Jazz Cruise which will do it's 1st sailing in 2017 and has a nice mixture of "Old School & Smooth Jazz" artists (fyi they are deeply discounting the last remaining unsold cabins in case your DH is looking for a last minute Christmas gift for you:))...

 

I would suspect that 90% of your fellow SJC'ers have been on at least 1 (more likely more than 5) previous SJC so it is much more an annual family reunion spirit that will warmly embrace you on your maiden voyage..they will gladly show you the ropes once you share with them this is your first...you might go online and purchase Seattle Jazz Alley T-Shirts which will help fellow guests from the Pacific Northwest recognize and bond with you...it's been a while (about 10 years) since I've been on a SJC, but I remember there normally are several international groups who sail every year so if your hubby is considering Koz in 2019 or 2020 it never hurts to make new friends with them onboard in 2018 so whichever international destinations Koz chooses in the future you will have friends to visit pre/post charter

 

as I was packing this evening, it dawned on me that we will need to purchase new attire for Venice & Copenhagen Jazz cruising on Koz to reflect the climate change...my GF is actually looking forward to the change because we are both "burnt out on Caribbean ports" that we have been to multiple times on previous charters...we also have to share with our Capital Jazz Super Cruise friends that we have made over the last 8 years , that we will not be sailing with them for at least the next two years

 

will post when I return ..Rick Braun will be onboard and I will share with him to look forward to seeing you onboard the 2018 SJC

[wwcruisers]

Bon Voyage, Hattack -- SO looking forward to your review, when you return.:cool: (Well, after you catch up on your sleep, of course!;))

[CRUISEVIEW]

I've read some not so positive, and some downright negative, reviews of the Supercruise. I expected some consternation because of the ship configuration on the NCL Getaway being so different from past supercruises on other cruise lines. But, Hattack, I am waiting with bated breath for your review as I'm sure it will be a most thoughtful and enlightening analysis (but no pressure, of course!). Thanks in advance.

[Chyna3032]

This year's Tom Joyner Fantastic Voyage is very close to a sell out.

[hattack]

I'm back and still in the recovery mode...I have decided to hold back on my feedback of the week to allow some distance in order to be more objective of my beloved Capital Jazz Super Cruise...this was my 7th straight CJSC

 

Would strongly suggest everyone read Katherine Gilraine's Improvisation on Reality "X" Blog (http://www.katherinegilraine.com), which IMHO provides an excellent "helicopter overview perspective" of the onboard experience...because of the larger capacity of the NCL Getaway there were over 1500 first time Super Cruisers along with 3000 returning Super Cruisers (many of whom have sailed on all 9 previous CJSC, this was our 7th straight), which in and of itself provides a wide range of expectations of what happen onboard...I knew it would be a transition year CJSC and am confident that the lessons learned this year will be reflected in better planning and execution for next year...I had already planned on skipping next year prior to boarding the Getaway (doing Dave Koz for the next 2 years) so I will be interested in reading postings for next year's version to see if best practices were in fact implemented

 

I will say this, the axiom of attitude when faced with challenges will determine the quality of one's cruise experience ..there were guests that were upset the entire week and were very vocal in saying so at every juncture...the majority of us, decided by 7 pm the first night of our cruise, that we were going to make the best of the situation and have the best time possible and it provided opportunities to make new friends while we were standing in long lines (hint the tag team buddy system while in line allowed everyone to break away and see other artists , while not losing their spot for the main shows)...we only wound up missing two artists that we really wanted to see

[hattack]

Chyra 3032...I have several friends that have sailed on the FV and have not booked yet because they are waiting for Tom Joyner to discount his cabin prices to fill the ship..they were burned a couple of years ago, when they booked a year in advance and paid full fare and met several guests onboard that booked the last minute and paid 40% less for the exact same cabin category

 

If you don't come to New Orleans much, and you are on the FV next Spring, as it gets closer I can give you some feedback on pre/post cruise suggestion to see the "real New Orleans" vice the tourist traps

[Chyna3032]

Chyra 3032...I have several friends that have sailed on the FV and have not booked yet because they are waiting for Tom Joyner to discount his cabin prices to fill the ship..they were burned a couple of years ago, when they booked a year in advance and paid full fare and met several guests onboard that booked the last minute and paid 40% less for the exact same cabin category.

 

If you don't come to New Orleans much, and you are on the FV next Spring, as it gets closer I can give you some feedback on pre/post cruise suggestion to see the "real New Orleans" vice the tourist traps

 

Tom hasn't discounted the fares like that in the last two years. And this year, there isn't an abundance of cabins left so I doubt that there will be any major discounts this year either. The only thing that will probably happen is cabins that are booked, but then get cancelled because of non-payment may get discounted but only slightly so good luck to them! Some of them are probably my friends.

 

As for New Orleans, what's a comfortable, but reasonable hotel to stay in before we leave?

[hattack]

Hubbard Mansion, 3535 St Charles Avenue..right on the Trolley Car Line...call and ask for the owner Don Hubbard and tell him that his daughter's friend in La Place recommend his B&B..also if you can, have dinner at Dookie Chase, by all means do so...Ms Leah Chase is the "jewel" of New Orleans for Creole cooking...as it gets closer I'll let you know about the music scene...I would suspect that Tom Joyner may have some pre cruise activities for his guests

 

The FV is the only major Music theme charter that I have not sailed on...I always enter his radio show contests so maybe this year I will win and be able to drive to the Port

[Oshunj]

A few facebook comments about the Capital Jazz Super cruise. I just learned that you had to call the restaurants to reserve dinner shows & go to box office to reserve Dance theatre of harlem! This is only 1/7th of the story. I tempered my disgust and enjoyed myself and the shoes i was able to get in. But now that i'm home I need to explain how utterly gross and unprofessional this event planning (lack of) was. And there is no excuse for the complete failure of a well established organization to so clearly drop the ball and screw up and waste 3500 people's time & money! and further to blame it on a technology glitch...For those who were lucky enough to see all shows they wanted, great! I'm not as selfish to be satisfied while 1/3 of the people didn't get to see all they wanted. And it's unfair to say, oh, your attitude was bad, therefore CJ deserves another chance! Emotions are real and everyone does not process anger & disappointment well. That is why there is an industry for crisis management & PUBLIC relations, & customer service, etc.etc.

 

Note: this is not my experience but i thought i'd share a fellow facebooked experience which you can read for yourself on CJSC facebook page comments. I.can vouch for most of her experience as it was mine as well. also note this only Day 1 :

$300 dollars....that's if you had an interior or a suite

 

Here is my Day 1

 

No staff member greeted us at overflow hotel (greeted all previous years by CJP staff)

No staff member greeted us at terminal (greeted all previous years)

No staff member in the hall checkin in (greeted all previous years)

Norwegian didnt tell guests they had to fill out the health form before getting to the front of the line

I saw the back of a staff member when i passed the artists check in room

No staff member in the waiting hall upstairs

Greeted by Norwegian staff when setting foot on the boat. (greeted all previous years)

Directed to Atrium

I see a long line for guest services but no staff. No direction.

I leave my mom in the line to go look for a bathroom and I overhear someone say to get to a kiosk to book shows.

I go back, grab my family and tell them to line up at a kiosk.

While in line, I'm spying on those in front of me to understand system.

Still no staff in sight.

It's 12:32pm and Ken Ford and Michael Colyar show is grayed out, therefore sold out.

The people in front of my line tried to book all shows available for six people so it took them 54 minutes. I had two more people in front of me. One gave up waiting and left the line. I helped the person in front of me.

I booked what I could for me and my brother. By 1:15pm, an Ojays/Ledisi show was grayed out, the George Wallace show was gone, Angie Stone/Eric Benet was taking our reservation. And where were the other shows? Were they already sold out? I hadn't even seen Howard Hewett, Jazz Funk Soul or Regina Belle.

 

Here is an example of the process we had to go through after traveling to MIA, checking into a port/cruise, setting down our carry on items on Deck 6 and figuring out on our own that we had to book at that moment:

 

Make sure kiosk is on the homepage

Click the next button in the lower right hand corner

On the 2nd screen, click the Entertainment tab

 

Then from there you had 3 options:

choose for 10 artist blocks about (where were the rest of the shows?)

pick the quantity of people for the reservation

pick the date you wanted to reserve

So lets say we picked a date. Then...

Pick the show you wanted to reserve if available

Pick the day (if applicable - some shows had two choices)

Pick the time

Put your ship card in the slot at the bottom of the kiosk

Put in your room number

Select the people in your cabin who want to attend selected show (if you all have different choices, you had to do this all over again for the next choice)

Press the 'book' button

Wait for system to process

Press Ok

 

At this point, either you were confirmed by the screen, denied or the screen timed out

 

Now back to the homepage

Repeat for another show.

 

Guests hadn't even seen their rooms yet, or the ship! We downloaded that app ahead of time for it not to work for most of the cruise. People were asking other guests for help. Some guests figured out there were kiosks on every floor near the stairs and ran that way. We heard an announcement around 1pm to go to your rooms to book but we had stood so long in line we didnt want to leave and take that chance. Thank goodness we didnt because the tv system didnt work either!

 

WHO WANTS TO DO ALL OF THIS? Luckily I had planned what I wanted to see so I had an idea of what to book but had to rearrange a lot of things because the shows I wanted originally were not available and that affected the rest of the week. I had to remember a schedule, when to line up, schedule some time to eat somewhere during the day and twice I waited in line just to get to the front and hear, "I'm sorry, we're full". I still haven't seen parts of that ship. I didn't have time to eat at any specialty restaurants all because seeing the musical acts and making sure I got IN THE ROOM was more important to me.

 

The safety drill (kind of) happened. I actually saw a CJ staff member standing around then. Some woman was on the kiosk as the drill was starting and they made her stop booking after she had waited for 2 hours. It wasn't until after the safety drill at 3:30pm(??) did someone tell us that we had to book dinner reservations for JFS, Regina Belle, Walter Beasley, etc. So we rush to our room and get on the phone to be on hold for 45 min. When a Norwegian staff member came on, we reserved what we could get ( I believe it was for Regina Belle and Lee Ritenour) but we were told all brunches were sold out. It's close to 5pm on Day 1 and those are sold out too? Then this person told us to reserve for some other show, we had to call the box office number and hung up. It was after 5pm now so the phone just rang and rang. We figured the box office, of our cruise ship, on day 1, was closed.

 

So that means we had to book on a kiosk (or an app or tv system that didnt work at all), call the restaurant line (or line up at Le Bistro I was told later on that week) and call a box office line to book shows for a cruise I had already paid for.

 

To add insult to injury, I heard a rumor that guests at the host hotel the day before had a small window of opportunity to book shows!!

 

Norwegian's system is built for Norwegian, not CapJazzProd. It's also not built for all guests to hit the system at once like we did. We anticipated a crash so we arrived to port early but it still didnt matter because we weren't informed, ahead of time, of everything that we had to do. The communication on this cruise was horrible. At least program the kiosk to do one full itinerary of one guest in ONE SHOT. The process I described above was only for one show at a time!

 

I made it into a Headliner show that night and Pat Prescott apologized for the confusion. She shouldn't have to apologize. She's there to host! A staff member at that venue asked me my opinion on the day. Mind you this was at 11:30pm, Day 1, and it was the first time I had spoken to a CJ staff member about anything. I started telling him about what I had described above here in this post and before I could finish my 2nd thought on the kiosk system, he asks me "well who's fault is that?". Well it isn't my fault. He proceeds to tell me how it was Norwegian's fault and then says that I should have a better attitude about it because "you are on the boat after all". He said that sht on Day 6 as well and I was over it by then. I was the guest. I don't care who's fault it was at that moment. I want it to be fixed. What I don't want is for staff to tell me that I'm wrong when I speak about the venues being too small or for staff to blame someone or something else. That was the theme of the week - "It's Norwegian's fault". It was very disheartening, especially going through the week and finding out about the host hotel bookings and the preferential treatment of those who complained the hardest. Also how did the small percentage of us know what to do to get the bookings in the first place?

 

Most times you would find me and my family in the back of the rooms dancing because we were just thankful to make it in the venue and that's not right.

 

Day 1.

[wwcruisers]

Hattack -- I gather that NCL's megaships and "free-style" don't mesh well with the jazz cruise format (or am I reading too much into what you and others have posted?) :(

 

We just returned from a week-long "land cruise", to visit our son and his family, currently stationed (USN) in Suffolk, VA. We got to meet our new DGD, for the very first time. She already likes rock-n-roll, so maybe we can introduce her to jazz, in a few years! :D

[hattack]

"congrats" on the newest edition to your family and thank your Son (& DIL) for their service to our Country...never to early to introduce her to Boney James CD's while she is sailing on an aircraft carrier

 

To say that the marriage between Freestyle & Super Cruising was not consummated on their honeymoon voyage would be an understatement and could have benefitted by extensive pre marriage counselling ( better pre planning) with a focus on better communications to set realistic expectations for all parties (guests, CJSC management, & NCL)..however the marriage can be saved if all three parties are willing

 

Monday Morning quarterbacking (post cruise moratorium) will only be beneficial if feedback is given and received by all 3 parties as a gift...one adapts (opportunities) to one's limitations (challenges)...I am one to believe that next year's CJSC on the Breakaway sailing to Bermuda will prove successful in merging the best of Freestyle & Super Cruising...I will not be onboard to witness it (will be on Koz 17 & 18) and judging by Facebook and this threads postings , neither will a lot of cruisers from this year's cruise...however if it does work, those same guests will return in 2018

 

In spite of the chaos, the artists performances were awesome (for those that were able to get in to see them)...if you have the opportunity to check out Jose James, Jazz, Funk, Soul or BWB (Rick Braun, Kirk Whalum, Norman Brown) you will be richly rewarded....Rick Braun will be doing River Cruise Jazz charters starting in 2018 and I encouraged him to do a River Cruise Charter on the Mississippi between New Orleans & Memphis in 2019 which I would love to do

[wwcruisers]

Thanks, Hattack. I know that you must be very proud of your son, serving our country, as well. :)

 

Sorry to hear that there are bugs to be worked out with NCL hosting the Jazz Supercruise. For the sake of all those jazz fans, paying top $$, I hope that the problems are addressed, before the Breakaway Bermuda Capital cruise, next year.

 

Interestingly, both Summit and Breakaway routinely do the NJ closed loop sailing to Bermuda. We've cruised that route twice, on Summit. Both times, I ran into folks in port who expressed displeasure with both the Breakaway's size, and "free-style" cruising, in general. Of course, even RCCL's megaships have some of the same problems: too many people, and the necessity to book everything (dining, shows, etc) in advance. Not having to do that is one of the things we've always loved about cruising. So, we stay away from ships that big. IMHO, Summit should be a good match for the Smooth Jazz Cruise. Hoping that some of the folks on the 2017 SJC sailing will report back on how that one goes. :cool:

[hattack]

RCI is introducing the Harmony of the Seas in FLL this weekend, it holds 6500 fully berth, too big for my taste...the Celebrity (and in my case the Century for the Smooth Music Cruise Charter in 2009) IMHO are perfect for the intimate settings that Jazz is best enjoyed...the SJC has the right number of artists (between 12-15) which allows more frequent encounters with the artists, on the CJSC on the Getaway there were over 65 artists which almost discourages such moments

 

I was able to take a group photo with dancers from the Dance Troupe of Harlem so I was happy:mad:

[wwcruisers]

Hattack -- Thank you so much for popping over and posting on the Summit 2018 SJC r/c's (part one & part deux). Both KatieKatie (the poster who started part one -- Feb) and I are hoping that folks will eventually find us, over on the r/c page. In the meantime, your advice and support are very welcome! :)

 

Oh, and thanks for explaining how the charter pre-cruise hotel system works. We will keep watching the SJC website for info on it. This far out, I can only hope that the Ft.L Embassy Suites will end up being the 'host hotel' for our cruise. As you pointed out, it's just a short cab ride away from everything, in the Port Everglades area. :cool:

[Chyna3032]

Hubbard Mansion, 3535 St Charles Avenue..right on the Trolley Car Line...call and ask for the owner Don Hubbard and tell him that his daughter's friend in La Place recommend his B&B..also if you can, have dinner at Dookie Chase, by all means do so...Ms Leah Chase is the "jewel" of New Orleans for Creole cooking...as it gets closer I'll let you know about the music scene...I would suspect that Tom Joyner may have some pre cruise activities for his guests

 

The FV is the only major Music theme charter that I have not sailed on...I always enter his radio show contests so maybe this year I will win and be able to drive to the Port

 

Thank you, I will contact them and will definitely try the Dookie Chase. I think Tom does have a Sail-Away party planned this year.

[wwcruisers]

I can't believe it, but there are still cabins available on our March 2018 Smooth Jazz Cruise sailing -- especially since the Feb sailing sold out, so fast! I'm thinking that the Koz 2018 cruise announcements may have presented a difficult choice for some folks, who had been considering the '18 SJC. LOL -- I know that we can only afford to do something like this once a year. ;)

[hattack]

Happy Veterans Day and we are both Blessed in having a Child serve our Country

 

there should be some residual benefit for ECP on all their sailing due to the fallout from the Capital Jazz Super Cruise "X" mess

 

IMHO Koz's 2018 charters should not impact your 2018 SJC 2nd sailing...I just checked and there are still open cabins on Koz's 2nd week (just added) ..the incremental expense of flying to Copenhagen compounded with the ports are not warm weather , it should be apples/oranges...ECP is probably wise by doing 2 sailings on a smaller ship vs 1 sailing on a mega ship

 

cruisers might also be inclined not to commit financial resources of their discretionary vacation $$$ based upon the uncertain upheaval due to the political situation that the incoming administration presents

 

Needless to say I have been playing Kirk Whalum's "The Gospel According to Jazz" parts 1-4 since election night

[wwcruisers]

Hattack, I just learned something about our booking, on the March '18 SJC. I had thought that, back when my DH did the booking, he had put us down for "1st showtime" (w/second dining seating). Although we don't like eating that late anymore, it didn't look like "anytime dining" was an option for this one -- unless you wanted to book all seven nights in one of Summit's specialty restaurants. Well, DH finally dug out the booking paperwork for me, and it clearly says that we are signed up for "2nd showtime". When DH realized the mistake, he was going to call and have it changed. But I told him what you had said about the later show usually being the best one. I pointed out that that we most likely won't be rushing back from day-long excursions, to get ready for dinner. So, dining early should not be a problem for us. And, you're right -- we booked this cruise for the shows, not the food! :D