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Hurricane Dodging to Music |
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“Well I just came back today…I just came back from the storm” – Jimi Hendrix, In From the Storm Ft. Lauderdale, October 5 -12, 2008; A review of the Legendary Rhythm and Blues Cruise aboard Holland America’s Ryndam. Itinerary: San Diego – At Sea – Cabo – Mazatlan – La Paz – At Sea – At Sea – San Diego As many of you know, one of our special event clients is the Legendary Rhythm and Blues Cruise. They are the only fully chartered blues music cruise in the industry. We have been proudly working with them for many years. This past October 5 – 12 marked the 3rd Pacific voyage produced by the Legendary gang and I was along for the ride.
I will interject that the Blues Cruise has been chartering Holland America ships exclusively since 2004. Guests expect the quality and comfort of Holland America and the food and service as well. However, Holland America Line’s charter and incentive department are among the best at working outside the box and their onboard staff is the best at accommodating the needs of special events. They operate more charters yearly than their larger counterparts and there is a reason for it. They get it. Plain and simple. So as all this equipment is being
craned onto the vessel, our team and Holland America’s onboard staff
All that said, of course things are running quite smoothly in the setup. The next part of the day is working with the hotel and guest relations staff as well as preliminary meetings with all department heads etc. We had a particular interest to speak with the Captain as we noticed that a tropical storm had formed down near Acapulco and we wanted to discuss if we might be affected. The answer at this time was that we certainly needed to keep an eye on it but that we were good to go. So the stage is built, the lifeboat drill is over and the band strikes the first chord as we pull out of port and head to sea – blues cruise style. Over the next few days we are
treated to great music and all the comforts of Holland America Line.
We visited Cabo and Mazatlan after a day at sea. We made sure to keep a watchful eye on the storm which now had a name – Hurricane Norbert. Norbert was headed for us and we were headed for Norbert. So, we had to make the call. We would not enter the Sea of Cortez and visit La Paz but rather turn back to the pacific and north towards San Diego. So what happens when weather changes your plans? Well that is obviously a case by case answer but I can tell you the first thing we did was ensure that our decision would make for a safe and comfortable cruise for our guests. We did inquire as to the availability of an alternate port – in this case Ensenada or Catalina Island. Unfortunately neither was unavailable for us so we settled on days at sea and with that we moved safely ahead of the storm. Lucky for us this was the Blues Cruise! Another day of music onboard was a welcome solution for the guests. Each guest was due back about $5 for refund on port tax that would have been paid to La Paz. They all elected to donate that amount to the Koko Taylor Foundation which was a great thing to do. The next morning we received word that the Port of La Paz had been locked down in preparation for the storms landfall. We sailed north and stayed a full day ahead of the storm. We were able to keep very slow and comfortable speeds and enjoy the days at sea. So for the next three days we truly enjoyed the comforts of the Ryndam and the entertainment of the Legendary Rhythm and Blues Cruise. For more information about the Legendary Rhythm and Blues Cruise, please visit their website at www.bluescruise.com or call me; Leon Banossian For more information on how to charter your very own cruise ship for a music festival, corporate event or meeting, give us a call at Worldwide Cruise Associates – the leader in outsource purchasing for the charter, incentive and meeting market! |
I
arrived in San Diego on the late afternoon on October 4th.
Walking out of the airport, I was already excited to be in Southern
California and San Diego in particular. This is one of the best cities
to spend some pre or post time in around a cruise program. I checked in
to the “official” hotel for the blues cruise and it had been taken over
by the loyal cruisers, many of whom sail on each and every charter. The
hotel is literally located across Harbor Drive from the ship terminal.
Early on the morning of the 5th, I made my way across the
street to the pier and was onboard the Ryndam by 800am with the
production team. Our early boarding is necessitated as the Blues Cruise
completely transforms the ship into a floating music festival venue,
complete with a full blown outdoor festival stage on the back pool
deck. In addition, all of the professional audio and lighting equipment
has to be brought on and set up prior to the 500 pm sailing time. The
crane was swinging the equipment by 830 am which was right on schedule. 
are
working together to build the stages, set the sound up in lounges, move
the equipment, set up the shops, etc. etc. etc. The event is flawless
because of LRBC and HAL continuous teamwork, communication and
willingness to find solutions to issues. 
The
Ryndam is an intimate vessel at just 1252 guests based on double
occupancy. The staterooms are incredibly comfortable and well
appointed. Most bathrooms have bathtubs and showers and all staterooms
feature the “Signature of Excellence” upgrades which include the
upgraded bedding (i.e. heavenly bed), flat screen televisions, cd/dvd
player, electronic safe, and ship to shore phones. Also Holland America
still offers fresh fruit baskets replenished daily in your stateroom at
no charge.