We are ported in Cozumel on the Elvis Cruise and a few of the staff took a trip to “Isle de Pasion”. The package included a 20 min boat ride on the “Twister” to the island, open bar, an authentic Mexican lunch, water trampolines, paddleboats and comfy beach chairs galore. The “Twister” earned its name from the 180º+ turns it takes at 50mph, that leaves it’s passengers soaked from head to toe, which is ok because the weather is 80ºF and sunny. The island itself is gorgeous – picture the Corona commercials, because that’s where they film them! This sounds like I’m bragging, which I am a bit, but it’s mostly to get you to the part of when I find the “Message in a Bottle”. (This blog is better if you listen to The Police at the same time).

The reason for going wasn’t all for pleasure, about 50/50, and the other half was to figure out if this would be a good place to host some of our guests and artists on future cruises. It is. It’s a good place to take anybody and guarantee them a good time. And this is being there a few days after a hurricane. We’ve been told the water is normally glass and the sand as white as snow. Today it was a bit choppy, which made for a better boat ride, and the sand had been tossed around a bit because of the hurricane winds, still gorgeous though, and certainly nothing to complain about. I decided to go for a walk down the beach to take it all in. That’s when I found it. A “Message in a Bottle”. For real! I picked it up dusted off some of the sea life it acquired and got really excited because I could just barely see the writing inside which seems to be German. Could this be from Germany? Or did someone toss it off a cruise ship yesterday? I’m not sure but we’re going to find out tonight at the staff meeting when we pop it open. It’s been like Christmas morning staring at your presents that you can’t open yet!

Anyways, I wanted to share this with you because A) messages in bottles are pretty cool, B) I wanted to brag a little about my day and C) I have had the song stuck in my head all day! I’ll update you all with what I find inside when we pop it open tonight!

-melissa

One of the best things has been to see the different “entertainment” on board. I say that in quotations because it’s not our regular cruise. It’s not all music, all the time, but a mesh of music and information about everything Elvis. There are almost as many Q & A sessions as there are musical. I’m finding that I know Elvis more intimately than I ever thought possible. Which is what I think our guests wanted, and I hope we have delivered to everyone as much as myself.

As this is our first stab at the Elvis Cruise, there have been a few kinks. I’m not going to lie, it hasn’t been perfect. But not everyone’s perfect, right? We’re working on ironing out the issues, and I’m confident that the bumps in the road are not going to halt our amazing journey. In fact, I predict smooth sailing from here on out. So with about two days left to go, I’m excited to see what’s ahead. Yes, of course, I know the schedule, but I’m excited to see more of the Elvis Tribute Artists, more of the first hand experiences with the king, and more of that hip swiveling rock ‘n’ roll. And I can’t say just yet, if there is another Elvis Cruise in our future, but I can say that if there is, you’ll see me right here on this deck, enjoying every last second of it.

-Lisa

Jerry, who has worked with the Beach Boys and Billy Joel and was the best friend to the king of rock ‘n’ roll, put his hand on my shoulder and just gave it a squeeze. The squeeze said, “Good job kid, but you just got run over by a train.” I gathered my strength, held my head high and walked out of the small office where the world was getting such great information, information that kept them on course like a beacon in the night…. “We will be helpy to hap you” ringing in my ears… and all of this done in front of the legend Jerry Schilling…

Some days are good… some days are bad… some days are like the one I had…

In the words of Elvis’ photographer, Al Wertheimer, “Kid, sometimes you get what you want, but you have to give up what you had…”

Excuses me, has anyone seen my pride….

-KAPPY

I’ll tell you what isn’t all in a day’s work- trying to not get distracted by all the incredible Elvis Tribute Artists! No impersonators here- these gentlemen pay tribute to the king in the most genuine, authentic way. They have the style- the pompadour, the sideburns, the leather suit. They have his mannerisms down pat, and they compare notes about how to swivel their hips just so.

I had the privilege to catch a few of these guys on the Lido Deck yesterday, and I was blown away! Elvis HASN’T left the building, and he’s performing by the pool at 2pm!

Sixthman TV – What About Us?

Happy Friday everybody!

-Steve

Sore feet and knees aside, today’s embarkation clearly showed how Sixthman has grown as a company.  Where we have struggled in the past, we’ve learned from our mistakes and learned to kick embarkation day’s ass.  Here are a couple secrets to success that we’ve figured out the hard way…

Spruce up the port. The terminal has concrete walls and lots of lines, so we jazzed it up with Elvis cardboard cut outs and Elvis music played over the speakers.  Instant Elvis fun!

Get in early and take care of the tickets. We’re tried many methods in the past, but the most efficient way we’ve found is to staple all the ticket envelopes to each cruiser’s Sail and Sign card.  Simple, right?  It only took us 4 years to figure out.

Hire Production Assistants. To supplement the Sixthman staff we bring, we have always hired our friends and family to help out with odd jobs around the ship.  They do a good enough job, but it’s next to impossible to boss around your co-workers’ husbands and wives.  So we hired people who are used to working hard for long hours.  Not only have we seen an incredible difference already, I also don’t feel bad about bossing them around (go get me some froyo!)

Looking forward to learning more this weekend as we sail with a new group of guests!  It only gets better from here!

-LC

P.S.  We hear “I’ll buy you a drink on board” all year long, but I think gift certificates for foot massages at the spa might be more appreciated after embarkation day

Although I’m usually just happy if I remember to bring a change of pants and my laptop, there are a few key items I always try to remember to pack:

Emergen-C packets – These have helped me stay healthy through out the last two cruise seasons. Whether they actually work, serve as a placebo or just encourage me to drink more water remains to be determined, but I won’t travel with out at least a whole box.

Bottled water – Yes, there is perfectly safe filtered water available to drink on the ships. Personally, I think it tastes gross. Usually I try to limit my bottled water consumption (save the earth, blah, blah, blah), but I need water that doesn’t taste funny to put my Emergen-C in. Because I always get asked this: There is no official limit on the amount of bottled water you can bring on board, as long as you’re not bringing on so much that security thinks you’re going to try to sell it.  And yes, there is bottled water available for purchase on the ship.

Portable Alarm Clock – In what I guess is an effort to encourage guests to sit back and enjoy their vacations, there are no alarm clocks in the staterooms. They can provide a wake up call to prevent you from sleeping through your favorite band’s set, but it can be discombobulating to wake up in the morning or the middle of the night and not know what time it is (especially if you are in an interior cabin).

Digital watch –Like most people these days I depend primarily on my cell phone to help me tell time on land. On my first cruise I quickly realized that this wasn’t practical and bought a cheap plastic watch from the gift shop. Unless you want to be responsible for roaming charges from calls and texts received from people who forgot you were out of the country, it’s best to keep your cell phone turned off. I prefer a digital watch that lights up in the dark (comes in handy when in a dark venue) and that has an alarm to use as a back up to my portable alarm clock and wake-up call.

Hoodie sweatshirt – Hopefully there won’t be any unseasonably chilly weather on your cruise like there was on The Rock Boat IX, but you can always count on the air conditioning on the ship freezing you out at some point. Before you ask, no you cannot buy my Sixthman sweatshirt off of me just because you forgot to pack a hoodie.

Luna bars – Of course there will be more food on board than God ever intended one person to have access to, but I like to make sure I have some nutritious and filling snacks in my carry on in case we’re stuck in the airport going to or from the cruise or if I get a sudden case of the hungries on board the ship and don’t have time to stop for a meal.

Beach bag – When you head into our port of call, you’ll probably want a beach bag to carry around you towels and sunscreen or at least to hold the duty-free Tequila and tiny sombreros you will probably end up buying.

Cash –Although you can’t use it on the ship (except in the Casino), all of our ports of call accept US dollars. Although most restaurants and shops will take credit cards, that’s not always a guarantee. Also, if you want to grab a taxi, you’ll need cash. Cash also comes in handy to pay off any bets you lose to one of your co-workers (or co-cruisers). Just don’t forget that in Mexico prices will be listed in pesos. Pesos are not equal to US dollars. Someday I’ll have to tell you about the time I accidentally bought a $17 bottle of sunscreen.

Stuff You DON’T Need to Pack: beach towels or bathrobes (both are provided by the cruise lines although NCL only has robes in the suites), more than one formal outfit (or none at all if you don’t want to), liquor or illegal drugs, laptop computer (unless of course you are working for Sixthman.  You’re on vacation, and the ships have internet cafes if you HAVE to check your email), local money (we’re only in port for 8 hours and most if not all places you will go to accept US dollars and or credit/debit cards).

Do any of you Sixthman cruise vets out there have any advice for newbs wondering what to pack?

See you on the flip side,

Joy

PS: Happy Veteran’s Day! My love and appreciation goes out to all troops past and present today and every day.

As someone who spent over seven years in the independent sector of the music industry, watching musicians struggle to break even on the road, giving much of their music away for free because they know they’ll probably never make a living off album sales, my favorite thing about Sixthman is the opportunity afforded the artists. For the musicians who have performed on Sixthman cruises, they’re an event like no other, in which you reach out to new fans, celebrate with the long-time fans, and get to know other musicians who are just as passionate about their crafts. (Check out this video of Barenaked Ladies on CNBC talking about how they used Ships & Dip as a way to enhance their band-to-fan experience.)

Barenaked Ladies on CNBC

The face of the music industry is changing, but that doesn’t mean it’s dead – it means the door is open for innovation. I believe Sixthman has created something beyond a concert, beyond album promotion, beyond any of the traditional avenues – it’s an experience fans and musicians never forget. I have already heard many stories from performers, employees, and passengers, but I want to hear more. I want to know YOUR Sixthman story so I can wrap my head around what we do, and be even better at telling our story to the world. Please send me your tales to beckicarr@sixthman.net

Thanks so much, everyone! See you on the ship!

Becki

So we talked to Kevn’s people and they agreed to do it for a surprisingly modest fee.  I guess when you take out all the costs of bringing the entire band, sound equipment and crew to set it all up, you also take out most of the costs.  Kevn made at least what he would make in an evening without all the set up, break down and waiting around.  He showed up at 8:20pm, was telling stories in the living room to 40 appreciative people by 9:00pm and home in bed by 11:00pm.

Kevn told me he was a little nervous before he began but the birthday boy gave him a heartfelt introduction and the audience was very respectful.  He took requests and in almost every song, used the part where the solo usually took place to tell a story about how that song came to be.  And the stories were hilarious.  The highlight of the night had to be seeing the “birthday boy” singing lyrics that Kevn had forgotten on one song to the top of his lungs and then exclaiming, “Holy Shit, Kevn Kinney is in my living room”!  His wife was beaming because she knew she had put together an amazing moment for her husband.  Afterwards, we took some pictures, had a drink and Kevn signed an old guitar we grabbed at a Pawn Show and drew a nice picture and 40th Happy Birthday message on the guitar.

Needless to say it was a great night and I was happy to be a part of it.  I have had the privilege to witness artists writing songs and rehearsing in a living type setting as a “fly on the wall”.  To me, it is the purest way to experience music.  Just the natural sounds of the instrument and the voice echoing thru the room without the assistance of amplifiers and sound effects.  I hope this “Living Room” concert becomes more popular and if this past Friday night is any indication and the artist and the guest have this much fun, I feel good about seeing more of it.  Thanks to Rodney for helping me arrange this for my friend and Happy 40th to CT.

Which artist would you like to have in your living room when you came home on your next big birthday?  If my wife reads this, Jackson Browne will be perfect.  Or Patty Griffin.  You have a year to save up…..

Sixthman TV – Preparing For Elvis

One more week!

-Steve