View Full Version : Blues Cruise Caribbean '10- line up is out
TAJ MAHAL & THE PHANTOM BLUES BAND
KEB' MO' (BAND)
JOHNNY WINTER
LEGENDARY RHYTHM & BLUES REVUE - TOMMY CASTRO, DEANNA BOGART, MAGIC DICK & RONNIE BAKER BROOKS
TOMMY CASTRO BAND
DEANNA BOGART BAND
TAB BENOIT & THE SWAMP BAND JAM
W/ CYRIL NEVILLE, JUMPIN' JOHNNY SANSONE & BIG CHIEF MONK BOUDREAUX
KENNY NEAL & THE NEAL FAMILY BAND
CURTIS SALGADO BIG BAND
THE MANNISH BOYS
RUTHIE FOSTER
THEODIS EALEY
DUKE ROBILLARD
JOE LOUIS WALKER
MAGIC SLIM
GUY DAVIS
SUPER CHIKAN & THE FIGHTING COCKS
TRAMPLED UNDER FOOT
JASON RICCI & NEW BLOOD
PAUL RISHELL & ANNIE RAINES
HANS THEESSINK & TERRY EVANS
JP SOARS (IBC BAND WINNER)
PLUS LEGENDARY
SURPRISE GUESTS
Damn. That's a good lineup. Is it in January? Too close to Christmas on one end and JazzFest on the other to be affordable. Maybe if I win the lottery.
NYMAMA
03-05-2009, 01:02 PM
wow I think I am going to look into this. Do you have any info?
Caribbean is end of January. Pre-reservation is over, open cabins book next month (they always sell out, sign up now for any chance at a cabin)
http://www.bluescruise.com/bluescruise.html
They also have a Pacific cruise in November with a different line up.
where yat brah
03-05-2009, 05:52 PM
Anybody ever been on one? Please share your thoughts/experience about it.
Orleansnj
03-05-2009, 06:33 PM
wow I think I am going to look into this. Do you have any info?
I'm saving for 2011. Next year is back to riding in a mardi gras parade. Ask John aka LesterLeapsIn - he has been a bunch and loves, loves, loves it !!!
it's TOTALLY AMAZING according to him - and he has me convinced !
Lester_leaps_in
03-05-2009, 07:56 PM
I'm saving for 2011. Next year is back to riding in a mardi gras parade. Ask John aka LesterLeapsIn - he has been a bunch and loves, loves, loves it !!!
it's TOTALLY AMAZING according to him - and he has me convinced !
Yes I do love it. I'm bringing a few DVDs of my cruise to NOLA. Lemme know if you want one.
I also posted this lineup - two or three posts further down in this forum.
This cruise is the best thing ever. The music (and spending a week hanging with the musicians) is so good, I don't care where the ship goes. But, in Jan 2010, it's going to Aruba, Curacao, and Half Moon Cay.
Find a way to do it. It is so very fantastic!
Orleansnj
03-05-2009, 08:25 PM
John,
can I ask - about how much does someone spend on a cruise like this one beyond the cost of the room? (like a ball park - i wanna make sure i save enough $$$ lol)
It is not an all inclusive cruise - is it?
almarco
03-05-2009, 08:57 PM
Yes I do love it. I'm bringing a few DVDs of my cruise to NOLA. Lemme know if you want one.
I also posted this lineup - two or three posts further down in this forum.
This cruise is the best thing ever. The music (and spending a week hanging with the musicians) is so good, I don't care where the ship goes. But, in Jan 2010, it's going to Aruba, Curacao, and Half Moon Cay.
Find a way to do it. It is so very fantastic!
Hmm is lester reping for the cruise line? j/k glad you had a great time , would love to do one!
Lester_leaps_in
03-05-2009, 09:03 PM
John,
can I ask - about how much does someone spend on a cruise like this one beyond the cost of the room? (like a ball park - i wanna make sure i save enough $$$ lol)
It is not an all inclusive cruise - is it?
Let's take this off line. I'll send you an email.
Lester_leaps_in
03-05-2009, 09:04 PM
Hmm is lester reping for the cruise line? j/k glad you had a great time , would love to do one!
Nope, just a paying passenger. But, OMG, I do love it.
sophisticated sissy
03-05-2009, 11:15 PM
John,
can I ask - about how much does someone spend on a cruise like this one beyond the cost of the room? (like a ball park - i wanna make sure i save enough $$$ lol)
It is not an all inclusive cruise - is it?
For an outside single w/ a window, it was about $4K. That included every thing except bar tab, tips and shore excursions. There're other things you can spend your money on, like massages at the spa, CDs, t-shirts, art work, etc. There is a casino on the ship, too.
All meals and the shows were inclusive. The food isn't as good as in New Orleans. I thought there was too much of a gap between some of the shows. IMO, you get way more of a bang for the buck at Jazz Fest. But the cruise was still a great time.
stlbarb
03-05-2009, 11:25 PM
Anybody ever been on one? Please share your thoughts/experience about it.
i was on the URBCII back in '94. Marcial Ball & Delbert McClinton were among the performers, the next year they started Sandy Beach Cruises, i'm not sure if they're still happening. i'm also not certain of the status or Ultimate Rhythm & Blues Cruises, based out of KC. there were some personal tragedies, and possibly financial difficulties.
so back to the cruise review.
it was a regular cruise, with 4 hours of blues music each night (4 bands, 2 stages, 2 hours per band - so 8 hours to choose from). followed by jam sessions all night in the lounge. during the day you had the regular itinerary to choose from a shore. some of the excursions have charges involved.
drinks on board were reasonable but can add up quickly. my charges for excursions and drinks came to $300* which i heard was below average. i am not a below average drinker, i think they lost the tab from the day at sea party (they had office staff helping in the bar). (300 = 447 today after adjustment for inflation, and the cruise was only 6 days)
this was the first full blown music cruise (the previous year they did not sell out as a blues cruise and sold space to regular cruisers). even thought they were warned, the cruise ship was not prepared for the amount of beer & booze that would be consumed. we ran them out of cold beer the first night, we ran them out of AB products in a few days, and by the time we got to St. Thomas (where they could restock) they were completely out of beer.
but they learned, and i heard the following years had many improvements to accomodate the different style of bluesers.
my only complaint - there was not time to sleep. there was constantly something you wanted to do. you didnt want to miss a port, you didnt want to miss the music, you didnt want to miss the after parties.
best part is the people on the boat, and the opportunity to mingle with the musicians. some of the bigger names kept more to themselves, but everyone was approachable. they had family members with them, so it was a working vacation for them.
I guess if you have to ask you can't afford it.
Lester_leaps_in
03-06-2009, 01:05 PM
it was a regular cruise, with 4 hours of blues music each night (4 bands, 2 stages, 2 hours per band - so 8 hours to choose from). followed by jam sessions all night in the lounge.
It's changed somewhat since then. Much more music. Three stages plus several venues for jams. Counting the jams (which are very, very good, by the way) there must be 20 hours of music a day, with the accompanying FOMS. We had a rule: Sleep when you get home.
revjimk
03-06-2009, 01:49 PM
"I guess if you have to ask you can't afford it." Another cool thing I would do with more time & $$$ in my life.
Put me on the "If I win Lotto list", too
I already spend over my means going to zydeco events...
rev