Reflection from the Dave Matthews Caribbean Cruise Getaway
Story by:
Justin Ward
Just this past weekend, Dave Matthews and Friends hosted their first ever cruise festival, much in the same vein as Jam Cruise. It was supposed to be very innovative, especially considering how they divided the festival into two, different cruise ships (instead of just one) to wisk concert-goers off to some hidden island (which was actually just Atlantis on Nassau)…
From the early looks of it, it didn’t really go off as well as planned.
Relix had this report amidst the snippets of info on the festival colloborations…
Since a number of fans missed the acoustic portion of the supergroup’s performance due to the heavy showers, Dave Matthews and Friends boarded both ships to finish its electric sets. Still unable to use its equipment, the group first borrowed Toots and the Maytalls’ gear, before heading to the second ship to utilize RatDog’s full setup.
I’m glad to see that the bands stepped up and worked together to keep the music going, and while it appears that the bands were not at fault for some of the other problems recounted below, I’m certainly glad I didn’t really entertain the thought of taking this trip until they worked out their kinks. It looks like they’ll have plenty on the to-do list for next year’s incarnation of the festival, if they even decide to do another one…
The following words are a preliminary excerpt from an article written by Jeff Rogers…
Disastrous isn’t the best adjective, but it’s the first one that comes to mind. The ‘private, secluded’ island is Atlantis in Nassau; you can get there for a $4 cab ride from anywhere in the city. Fans would be better off booking a Nassau flight, staying at Atlantis, and chartering a private boat to camp out in the inlet for the show. We had to pay extra for refreshments at the venue ($5 water, $7 hot dogs, $10 hamburgers) when no one had warned us those amenities were extra until the day of the show. There was no running water at the venue and they ran out of toilet paper before the first note was struck; the unflushed toilets and inability to wash my hands reminded me all too much of Woodstock ’99.
I’ll admit, the talent stepped up and put in the extra time to make sure we enjoyed as much music as possible. The ship’s service staff kept their wits about them as everything fell to s***. The worst part involved the pseudo-hippies who cried about every little thing they couldn’t get for free. For all their veganism and environmentalism and left-wing dogma, they carried on like the drunken frat boys they taunted the entire trip and elevated elitism to an all-time high. All they cared about was how much free booze they could swindle as they stole t-shirts, pissed in the elevators, harassed the help, and puked on cue so often the ship crew kept maintenance workers on every deck with carpet extractors to soak up all the coughed up alcohol. Our on-board entertainment options were live performances, gambling, and booze; Royal Caribbean struck the rest from the itinerary. I never saw any attempt to limit the drinking for the sake of the rest of the attendees. I spent the weekend standing guard over my fiancée, threatening lecherous granola munchers with all sorts of mega violence if they didn’t back off. When I measured the conduct of a lot of the cruise patrons against the Christ-like patience and good spirit of the international service staff, I was truly embarrassed to be an American. No wonder the rest of the world hates us.
We’re DMB fans, which means most of us are compassionate pot-heads who understand we live in an imperfect world. Most of us took our treatment a little too well. It’s like I told one of the customer service representatives, “You bait and switch like this with the Chesney getaway, and you’re gonna have a riot on your hands.” The rep shrugged me off with a ‘s*** happens’ attitude.
As Hunter Thompson would say, “How dare they sandbag a doctor of journalism!” Fans deserve better, and if you have any access to Kenny whatsoever, he’d be advised to triple check the details before he loses some of his most passionate fans. Musictoday should be ashamed, VH1 should be ashamed, and Dave would be wise to start collecting heads as quickly as possible before he loses his fan base. As the saying goes, buyer beware.
Jeff continues below after doing some more fact-checking with the organizations involved. Check and mate–the cruise lines were damn-near responsible for the fact that the festival didn’t have a solid contingency plan. In their defense, who plans for equipment failure on a two-ship floating music festival…
I spoke with Patrick Jordan, Dave’s manager, earlier today. He cleared the air about a lot of what I posted, and he’s going to help with the fact finding about Atlantis’ and RCC’s failure to work with the promoters. Dave and company volunteered to do an extra show on both boats that night; the Miami boat (Majestic) knew about the performance due to shipboard announcements, while the captain on my boat (Sovereign) denied the request for announcements due to his concerns about the whole boat being in Folly’s Lounge. Atlantis and the Bahamanian authorities made them switch to the smaller, less fun beach, and no one knew Atlantis was going to fleece us until load-in; my guess is that Atlantis threatened to shut down the show if they didn’t comply.
Patrick has been a saint. He’s contacting the fans who sent comprehensible complaints to arrange for VIP tickets for this summer’s Dave tour, and he made himself available to me for fact verification and back-story for the full piece I’m developing. He’s a passionate pro who’s been working non-stop to smooth over any disgruntled fans that were disappointed by the weekend. It still doesn’t change the fact that Kenny Chesney fans could be in for the same sort of hell we paid a premium price to endure. I’d mobilize the fans you know to contact Atlantis and Royal Caribbean to see if they’re going to treat music fans better than they treated us. I spent $1400 at the art auction, I wore business casual for all of the seated dining, I tipped the staff well, and they treated me like a dirt merchant.
Hence, my flurry of e-mails. I’m not necessarily a fan of Kenny’s music, but I believe that everyone should know when they’re approaching a treacherous situation. Thanks for your help with all this; you’ll definitely get credit in my acknowledgements.
So, interestingly enough, Kenny Chesney’s Caribbean Cruise Getaway just might suffer the same fate unless they learn their lesson from Dave’s cruise…
Buyer beware is right.
I have to agree with KB in that I was treated very well. It was no one's fault that the weather was not optimal ( or even slightly dealable). Though I do feel that some sort of compensation for all the money I spent is not too much to ask for. I had a grand time and loved all the music I heard. Though I do regret not being able to see all the bands. There were a few that ended up overlapping and I was hoping to be able to see all of them. But what can you do? You take what you can get. The Majesty was gorgeous and the bands were awesome. I didn't spend a penny on the island. Why not wait till you get back to the boat? It doesn't cost anything to eat and there's plenty of toilet paper! All in All, I'll never forget the adventure!
Well…..I just finished filling out my Royal Carribbean cruise customer survey. I waited until now because I did not want to fill it out until I had time to absorb the way I truely felt about the fiasco I had endured. FIASCO pretty well sums it up. I was onboard the Majesty which from what I gather was a superior experience to what the people on the Sovreign endured. The people were great. The Crew was Great. The music…once it got going, was GREAT. Brett Dennon, Ozomatli, G. Love, Ratdog….The set @ 2:30 in the morning That Dave and the guys gave……all Fantastic!
The first set on the beach…my first time seeing Timmy with Dave…I Cried. Had I known that the beer would be gone in an hour I would have held my tears….Thankfully, the Driving wind and cold rain sobered me up from my two beer buzz and I found myself with 30 or 40 others huddled under a small stage set up in the rear of the tiny beach head for handicapped folks. Thanks to the quick thinking of my travel companion we grabbed a mini tour bus with 20 others back to the ship where we were greeted with warm towels!!! Yay! Just about the only thing that happened that seemed above and beyond. I believe that we were basically seen as chattle to be used by the ATLANTIS resort….I guess that the Michael Jackson Suite does’nt see as much action as they would like. Profiteering by other fans on the tickets that folks would stand in line for hours to buy to stand in another line that was blurring into the other lines…..Ridiculous. I tried to find ANY representatives of the Matthews anf friends Cruise and had a very hard time doing so. I went to the first aid tent, No-one. I searched and finally found someone wearing an all access pass and relayed to him that people were VERY upset and that they should probably expect Hundreds or even Thousands of emails and letters…..his response? I’m on Vacation. That pretty well sums up The management of the Dave and Friends Group…Sad, since DMB and Trey have been in the biz for so long and obviously know how to put on a great venue. And Where the hell was VH1? You think they might have had enough forethought to film the event and offer a dvd? I don’t know. Mixed feeling. I give the whole experience a C+ and it’s highly doubtful that I would ever do anything like this again. For Craps sake….I could have went to Amsterdam for 2 weeks for what I spent. So very glad I saw the show @ 2:30am. Dave, Trey, Timmy AND Bob Weir on the same stage @ the same time….and I have an Mpeg of Rocky Mountain Way? Priceless.
Well…..I just finished filling out my Royal Carribbean cruise customer survey. I waited until now because I did not want to fill it out until I had time to absorb the way I truely felt about the fiasco I had endured. FIASCO pretty well sums it up. I was onboard the Majesty which from what I gather was a superior experience to what the people on the Sovreign endured. The people were great. The Crew was Great. The music…once it got going, was GREAT. Brett Dennon, Ozomatli, G. Love, Ratdog….The set @ 2:30 in the morning That Dave and the guys gave……all Fantastic!
The first set on the beach…my first time seeing Timmy with Dave…I Cried. Had I known that the beer would be gone in an hour I would have held my tears….Thankfully, the Driving wind and cold rain sobered me up from my two beer buzz and I found myself with 30 or 40 others huddled under a small stage set up in the rear of the tiny beach head for handicapped folks. Thanks to the quick thinking of my travel companion we grabbed a mini tour bus with 20 others back to the ship where we were greeted with warm towels!!! Yay! Just about the only thing that happened that seemed above and beyond. I believe that we were basically seen as chattle to be used by the ATLANTIS resort….I guess that the Michael Jackson Suite does’nt see as much action as they would like. Profiteering by other fans on the tickets that folks would stand in line for hours to buy to stand in another line that was blurring into the other lines…..Ridiculous. I tried to find ANY representatives of the Matthews anf friends Cruise and had a very hard time doing so. I went to the first aid tent, No-one. I searched and finally found someone wearing an all access pass and relayed to him that people were VERY upset and that they should probably expect Hundreds or even Thousands of emails and letters…..his response? I’m on Vacation. That pretty well sums up The management of the Dave and Friends Group…Sad, since DMB and Trey have been in the biz for so long and obviously know how to put on a great venue. And Where the hell was VH1? You think they might have had enough forethought to film the event and offer a dvd? I don’t know. Mixed feeling. I give the whole experience a C+ and it’s highly doubtful that I would ever do anything like this again. For Craps sake….I could have went to Amsterdam for 2 weeks for what I spent. So very glad I saw the show @ 2:30am. Dave, Trey, Timmy AND Bob Weir on the same stage @ the same time….and I have an Mpeg of Rocky Mountain Way? Priceless.
The Chesney Cruise rocked IMHO. The bands on the ships were EXCELLENT as well. View our photos at http://dianesummer.com/
Bands include; Kenny Chesney, Chris Cagle, Dierks Bentley, Big Kenny, Hot Applie Pie, Little Big Town, The Nashville Hitmakers… it was definitely a page from the redneck yacht club – great weather and a lot of fun!
I can’t wait ’til next year!
The Chesney Cruise rocked IMHO. The bands on the ships were EXCELLENT as well. View our photos at http://dianesummer.com/
Bands include; Kenny Chesney, Chris Cagle, Dierks Bentley, Big Kenny, Hot Applie Pie, Little Big Town, The Nashville Hitmakers… it was definitely a page from the redneck yacht club – great weather and a lot of fun!
I can’t wait ’til next year!
I want to thank Dave and Friends for a great trip…
What memories !!!!!!!!
I plan my vacations every year around Dave. Went to Boston and had a great time and it rained but saw alot of history, The cap and even stayed at the same resort Dave stayed at. Boston red socks game and Cheers.. The next year San Diego and saw a Padres game and went to the beach and played some golf..
Went to Washington and saw Seatle and Mt. Ranier and more.
Went to San Fran. and went to Oakland and been to Carson.
I guess my point of the matter is we all take trips for the adventure.. I promise you will be talking about this trip for a long time.
I had the time of my life and would go again!!!
I want to thank Dave and Friends for a great trip…
What memories !!!!!!!!
I plan my vacations every year around Dave. Went to Boston and had a great time and it rained but saw alot of history, The cap and even stayed at the same resort Dave stayed at. Boston red socks game and Cheers.. The next year San Diego and saw a Padres game and went to the beach and played some golf..
Went to Washington and saw Seatle and Mt. Ranier and more.
Went to San Fran. and went to Oakland and been to Carson.
I guess my point of the matter is we all take trips for the adventure.. I promise you will be talking about this trip for a long time.
I had the time of my life and would go again!!!
The Monkey
Awesome pictures. Your are a great photograher.
The Monkey
Awesome pictures. Your are a great photograher.
Still shots of DMB
http://ourglass.smugmug.com/gallery/1188091
DMB music photoshow (3 of them)
http://photoshow.comcast.net/glennjean/_
We had a blast, hope you enjoy the photographs and video
the monkey
Still shots of DMB
http://ourglass.smugmug.com/gallery/1188091
DMB music photoshow (3 of them)
http://photoshow.comcast.net/glennjean/_
We had a blast, hope you enjoy the photographs and video
the monkey
Being from South Florida, even I was surprised when the untimely rains began during the “island” show…the rain was unseasonably cold & windy and everyone and everything was quickly soaked through and through. And by everyone and everything I’m including Dave Matthews, his bandmates and his equipment.
Having arrived on one of the first ferryboats to the “island” , My wife and I of course were able to get very close to the stage, have our fill of food and beverage, and even use the public facilities with no delays. I was however amazed at how long the lines became soon after, and I was equally amazed at the amount of patience I witnessed on the part of the fans. The “island” staff actually appeared to be amused at the discomforts we were experiencing.
But how about the band?? From our vantage point up front we could actually hear the popping of electicity from the stage. I’ve been to many concerts in unfavorable weather but never have I witnessed the tenacious respect Dave Matthews exibited under those conditions for his fans. I mean the guys kept going until risk of life or serious injury would have been a likely outcome had they played any more while that rain continued. When we saw the rodies unplugging some of that expensive equipment it was then we doubted that the band would play anymore that night, counted our blessings for having been able to get there early enough to witness such great musicians and got out of there on one of the first CAB RIDES!! back to the boat for a semi-warm shower and some hot food. As the stragllers came in wet and hungry, reporting that Dave had indeed come back and played some more I was envious of the gleeful smiles I saw on their faces that they had stuck it out and been witness to even more of Dave Matthews’ commitment to his fan base. Later in the casino, I too heard the rumor that Dave was on the boat and was going to play some more even though he’d done just that already on the Sovereign….WHO ELSE WOULD HAVE DOME THIS BUT DAVE & FRIENDS??
I must admit that I initially went on this cruise because my wife Stephanie is such a big fan of Dave and I surprised her with this cruise as a gift.. But after this incredible “Carribean Getaway” with Dave and Friends, I only wish that I could shake Dave’s hand personally and thank him for such a wonderful event. Maybe I’ll get that chance next year when I sign up for the cruise again and get back “ON the Boat”. Thanks Dave, you Rock!!
Jim W.
Being from South Florida, even I was surprised when the untimely rains began during the “island” show…the rain was unseasonably cold & windy and everyone and everything was quickly soaked through and through. And by everyone and everything I’m including Dave Matthews, his bandmates and his equipment.
Having arrived on one of the first ferryboats to the “island” , My wife and I of course were able to get very close to the stage, have our fill of food and beverage, and even use the public facilities with no delays. I was however amazed at how long the lines became soon after, and I was equally amazed at the amount of patience I witnessed on the part of the fans. The “island” staff actually appeared to be amused at the discomforts we were experiencing.
But how about the band?? From our vantage point up front we could actually hear the popping of electicity from the stage. I’ve been to many concerts in unfavorable weather but never have I witnessed the tenacious respect Dave Matthews exibited under those conditions for his fans. I mean the guys kept going until risk of life or serious injury would have been a likely outcome had they played any more while that rain continued. When we saw the rodies unplugging some of that expensive equipment it was then we doubted that the band would play anymore that night, counted our blessings for having been able to get there early enough to witness such great musicians and got out of there on one of the first CAB RIDES!! back to the boat for a semi-warm shower and some hot food. As the stragllers came in wet and hungry, reporting that Dave had indeed come back and played some more I was envious of the gleeful smiles I saw on their faces that they had stuck it out and been witness to even more of Dave Matthews’ commitment to his fan base. Later in the casino, I too heard the rumor that Dave was on the boat and was going to play some more even though he’d done just that already on the Sovereign….WHO ELSE WOULD HAVE DOME THIS BUT DAVE & FRIENDS??
I must admit that I initially went on this cruise because my wife Stephanie is such a big fan of Dave and I surprised her with this cruise as a gift.. But after this incredible “Carribean Getaway” with Dave and Friends, I only wish that I could shake Dave’s hand personally and thank him for such a wonderful event. Maybe I’ll get that chance next year when I sign up for the cruise again and get back “ON the Boat”. Thanks Dave, you Rock!!
Jim W.
With all due respect,
Why should we EXPECT better than heaven here on earth?
To me, that’s just it…
the line dividing those who had the
time-of-their-life and those who had the worst-experience-ever is the path of EXPECTATIONS.
Stuff went wrong. Stuff goes wrong everyday for everybody. War, disease, hunger, unemployment, homelessness, rape, murder…
It was a vacation, folks. Great music, great fans, great opportunity.
We all knew what the pricetag was for this trip and we chose to do it. Thank God we had the choice.
Count me in the 10% or whatever folks are purporting that had the TIME OF MY LIFE. No regrets.
Best,Sheila
With all due respect,
Why should we EXPECT better than heaven here on earth?
To me, that’s just it…
the line dividing those who had the
time-of-their-life and those who had the worst-experience-ever is the path of EXPECTATIONS.
Stuff went wrong. Stuff goes wrong everyday for everybody. War, disease, hunger, unemployment, homelessness, rape, murder…
It was a vacation, folks. Great music, great fans, great opportunity.
We all knew what the pricetag was for this trip and we chose to do it. Thank God we had the choice.
Count me in the 10% or whatever folks are purporting that had the TIME OF MY LIFE. No regrets.
Best,Sheila
Agree w/ all the comments above. Thank god I was on the Majesty who made the announcment at 2:30 that dave was about to play, because even though rumors were floating about that he was playing, who would believe it. And after the day I went through(worse that the Pilgrims on the Mayflower…well maybe not, but close), I just wanted a good night’s sleep after being drenched and cold and soaked(bone chilling cold), and a horrible dinner of crappy warmed over burgers and spaghetti on board. Yes, I am with the majority on the Majesty, our glass was half full and still yielded one of the greatest w/ends of my life, but with SLIGHTLY better planning and cooperation with Mother Nature(ie. the weather), it could have been truly incredible and better than heaven.
Donna
Agree w/ all the comments above. Thank god I was on the Majesty who made the announcment at 2:30 that dave was about to play, because even though rumors were floating about that he was playing, who would believe it. And after the day I went through(worse that the Pilgrims on the Mayflower…well maybe not, but close), I just wanted a good night’s sleep after being drenched and cold and soaked(bone chilling cold), and a horrible dinner of crappy warmed over burgers and spaghetti on board. Yes, I am with the majority on the Majesty, our glass was half full and still yielded one of the greatest w/ends of my life, but with SLIGHTLY better planning and cooperation with Mother Nature(ie. the weather), it could have been truly incredible and better than heaven.
Donna
I had THE VERY BEST WEEKEND OF MY LIFE! I am 39yo and went on Majesty with my 24yo nephew! Met Dave fans on flight from Detroit to Miami and continued to meet fabulous people entire weekend!Michael Tolcher,Brett Dennen, Toots, John Brown’s Body, North Mississippi Allstars, & Bob Weir&Ratdog, all incredible! RC staff phenomenal, hot towels awaiting us as we re-boarded ship after storm. Front row on island to see Dave!(Yes Atlantis does sit on an island, Paradise Island!)Yes, we were told prior to booking cruise,”Bring cash on island for ALL food/beverages/t-shirts, etc,” I had plenty of TP in porta potty, who has attended a concert and NOT waitied in line for beer/food???That is what i’d like to know!Tenders worked like crazy getting ferries in dock to get us ALL safely back to ships(in which they did, at no cost to fans)those who took bus/taxi opted to do this and chose to pay. I NEVER once saw anyone “puking/peeing” anywhere?! Fans were ALL gracious in midst of storm allowing pregnant women, children and handicapped folks on ferries first! Everyone sang “”We all live in yellow submarine”together, could have been utter chaos as storm was wicked! Yes it was cold, yes we were all shivering/freezing and soaking wet, Dave could not control mother nature! Dave turned potential disaster into dream come true! Glad it stormed able to see him in both venues,ship&island(I missed his 2nd island show, i am not angry, I chose to leave.
Being die hard dave Fan, puzzled how anyone could gone to sleep after island show? I was euphoric and knew in my gut he’d come thru for his fans, I had feeling he’d come on ships and he did! Dave played for ALL of us from 7pm until 4:30am! WHAT OTHER MUSICIAN would do that for his fans?!I am a more devoted Dave fan more now than ever! He is genuine, real and humble! I saw no crazy behavior, nothing but nice, friendly fans on elevators, pool decks and at shows! It was the best weekend of my life! Guess it is all in your perspective! I am appalled by ALL of the complaining as fans should be responsible for bad choices they made on that stormy eve! I do feel for those who missed start of island show(on last ferry)they should get VIP passes. I do not feel other fans(including myself)entitled to additional perks because of a storm?! Dave went above&beyond accomodating us! I heard announcement on MOS loud and clear, so loud you’d have thought ship was sinking! Ship was beautiful, clean, food and beverages were magnificant! I would NOT change a thing about that LEGENDARY weekend! Dave is a musical genious and I am grateful he even opted to do cruise for his die hard fans, I feel ALL of this negative energy is a betrayal to Dave!
Dave’s song “Pig” says it all, always wanting more from above, are we ever just grateful for the good that transpired? Nothing is perfect, it was the first inaugural cruise, if anyone deserves VIP passes, I feel it is Dave’s devoted die hard fans that back him 100%, no matter what! How about ALL of those die hard fans who chose to stay in that horrendous storm and hear him play again, how bout Dave, playing again?!
UNREAL! Those fans deserve VIP passes, those fans showed Dave how much his talent is appreciated!Bob’s show next night, rocked the MOS, incredible! I am sorry, I simply only have positive vibes, still euphoric, and would go back and do it all over again! Worth EVERY penny!
I had THE VERY BEST WEEKEND OF MY LIFE! I am 39yo and went on Majesty with my 24yo nephew! Met Dave fans on flight from Detroit to Miami and continued to meet fabulous people entire weekend!Michael Tolcher,Brett Dennen, Toots, John Brown’s Body, North Mississippi Allstars, & Bob Weir&Ratdog;, all incredible! RC staff phenomenal, hot towels awaiting us as we re-boarded ship after storm. Front row on island to see Dave!(Yes Atlantis does sit on an island, Paradise Island!)Yes, we were told prior to booking cruise,”Bring cash on island for ALL food/beverages/t-shirts, etc,” I had plenty of TP in porta potty, who has attended a concert and NOT waitied in line for beer/food???That is what i’d like to know!Tenders worked like crazy getting ferries in dock to get us ALL safely back to ships(in which they did, at no cost to fans)those who took bus/taxi opted to do this and chose to pay. I NEVER once saw anyone “puking/peeing” anywhere?! Fans were ALL gracious in midst of storm allowing pregnant women, children and handicapped folks on ferries first! Everyone sang “”We all live in yellow submarine”together, could have been utter chaos as storm was wicked! Yes it was cold, yes we were all shivering/freezing and soaking wet, Dave could not control mother nature! Dave turned potential disaster into dream come true! Glad it stormed able to see him in both venues,ship&island;(I missed his 2nd island show, i am not angry, I chose to leave.
Being die hard dave Fan, puzzled how anyone could gone to sleep after island show? I was euphoric and knew in my gut he’d come thru for his fans, I had feeling he’d come on ships and he did! Dave played for ALL of us from 7pm until 4:30am! WHAT OTHER MUSICIAN would do that for his fans?!I am a more devoted Dave fan more now than ever! He is genuine, real and humble! I saw no crazy behavior, nothing but nice, friendly fans on elevators, pool decks and at shows! It was the best weekend of my life! Guess it is all in your perspective! I am appalled by ALL of the complaining as fans should be responsible for bad choices they made on that stormy eve! I do feel for those who missed start of island show(on last ferry)they should get VIP passes. I do not feel other fans(including myself)entitled to additional perks because of a storm?! Dave went above&beyond; accomodating us! I heard announcement on MOS loud and clear, so loud you’d have thought ship was sinking! Ship was beautiful, clean, food and beverages were magnificant! I would NOT change a thing about that LEGENDARY weekend! Dave is a musical genious and I am grateful he even opted to do cruise for his die hard fans, I feel ALL of this negative energy is a betrayal to Dave!
Dave’s song “Pig” says it all, always wanting more from above, are we ever just grateful for the good that transpired? Nothing is perfect, it was the first inaugural cruise, if anyone deserves VIP passes, I feel it is Dave’s devoted die hard fans that back him 100%, no matter what! How about ALL of those die hard fans who chose to stay in that horrendous storm and hear him play again, how bout Dave, playing again?!
UNREAL! Those fans deserve VIP passes, those fans showed Dave how much his talent is appreciated!Bob’s show next night, rocked the MOS, incredible! I am sorry, I simply only have positive vibes, still euphoric, and would go back and do it all over again! Worth EVERY penny!
I am a person whose glass is half empty, but still had the time of my life. Oh sure, I could have complained on and on and on and on. The cruise was totally and completely unorganized. There were announcments on our boat,(Majesty) however it sounded like i was hearing Charlie Brown’s parents talking…wah, wah,wah. Now, I am in my early 50’s, but my hearing isn’t that bad. I didn’t see half the bands I wanted to, wanted to see Grace Potter…waited 4 hours and finally heard her belt out the most amazing sound. Also wanted to see G Love…have no idea when they played. I wanted to see all the bands. What Dave played before it started to storm was perfect. I was very upset I left the island just before Dave played again. Of course who knew he would play again…no announcements at all. In fact how the h=ll do we get back to the boat? So wet, so cold. We just happened upon a bus that took us back. Long lines to get coupons to buy drinks, then lines to buy drinks, food etc. and they run out of beer even before the concert starts. What is up with that? Didn’t anyone realize that 5000 music heads were coming to party? Most of the guests were between 23 and 35. HELLO… totally unacceptable. I’m no party planner but I would have had a budweiser semi truck there, and kegs of beer flowing every few feet. They even ran out of beer on the ferry to the island. I was thrilled that Dave played for us back on the boat. We were very fortunate that we heard a rumor he was coming to our boat. Once again, no announcement until a minute before the show was about start. Many were already asleep and missed the performance which was awesome at 2am. Next day met many who missed it. The people I met were the best. Had a ball on the pool deck listening and dancing to Ozomatli. I never saw anyone puke or pee in the elevator. Yes people were partying, big time, but the mood was always very mellow. If this was a different type of music audience it would have been very scary, a possible mutiny. All in all it was a trip of a lifetime. Imagine if it went as planned?
I am a person whose glass is half empty, but still had the time of my life. Oh sure, I could have complained on and on and on and on. The cruise was totally and completely unorganized. There were announcments on our boat,(Majesty) however it sounded like i was hearing Charlie Brown’s parents talking…wah, wah,wah. Now, I am in my early 50’s, but my hearing isn’t that bad. I didn’t see half the bands I wanted to, wanted to see Grace Potter…waited 4 hours and finally heard her belt out the most amazing sound. Also wanted to see G Love…have no idea when they played. I wanted to see all the bands. What Dave played before it started to storm was perfect. I was very upset I left the island just before Dave played again. Of course who knew he would play again…no announcements at all. In fact how the h=ll do we get back to the boat? So wet, so cold. We just happened upon a bus that took us back. Long lines to get coupons to buy drinks, then lines to buy drinks, food etc. and they run out of beer even before the concert starts. What is up with that? Didn’t anyone realize that 5000 music heads were coming to party? Most of the guests were between 23 and 35. HELLO… totally unacceptable. I’m no party planner but I would have had a budweiser semi truck there, and kegs of beer flowing every few feet. They even ran out of beer on the ferry to the island. I was thrilled that Dave played for us back on the boat. We were very fortunate that we heard a rumor he was coming to our boat. Once again, no announcement until a minute before the show was about start. Many were already asleep and missed the performance which was awesome at 2am. Next day met many who missed it. The people I met were the best. Had a ball on the pool deck listening and dancing to Ozomatli. I never saw anyone puke or pee in the elevator. Yes people were partying, big time, but the mood was always very mellow. If this was a different type of music audience it would have been very scary, a possible mutiny. All in all it was a trip of a lifetime. Imagine if it went as planned?
As someone who looks at the glass half full, despite all the mishaps, miscommunications, or lack there of, I had a great time. All of the people I met were terrific, have been in touch with some of them since my return. Yes, there was plenty of disorganization, lack of announcements, but i did not see one person puke, pee in an elevator, or act disrespectful to the staff or fellow travelers. Could the planning have been better? Absolutely! The secret island was anything but, and the “ON DEMAND” boats available to ferry you over was anything but on demand. The lines for tickets for beer were hideous, only to have to wait in another beer line, only to have no beer available after waiting. Red Wine is definitely not my idea of a quenching beverage for a rock and roll show on an island. Did i think for a minute i’d be returning on a bus back to the boat with my friend and i looking like we’d been shrink wrapped in our garbage bags, which i was happy to have, don’t get me wrong. A missed port of call due to weather? Other than winds, the day was gorgeous, and whoever said it sure did boost RCC’s alcohol profits. Dave rocked, and as a deadhead who was all about Weir, loved seeing them both on stage on the boat! Also was extremely impressed with Grace Potter and her kick ass band. All in all, we had a blast, and being two women in their late 40’s had a blast! Hung out with guys half our age who wanted to hang w/us i guess cuz we’re such fun. Great ego boost. Would I go again. You bet. Would I plan things differently knowing what I know now, absolutely!
As someone who looks at the glass half full, despite all the mishaps, miscommunications, or lack there of, I had a great time. All of the people I met were terrific, have been in touch with some of them since my return. Yes, there was plenty of disorganization, lack of announcements, but i did not see one person puke, pee in an elevator, or act disrespectful to the staff or fellow travelers. Could the planning have been better? Absolutely! The secret island was anything but, and the “ON DEMAND” boats available to ferry you over was anything but on demand. The lines for tickets for beer were hideous, only to have to wait in another beer line, only to have no beer available after waiting. Red Wine is definitely not my idea of a quenching beverage for a rock and roll show on an island. Did i think for a minute i’d be returning on a bus back to the boat with my friend and i looking like we’d been shrink wrapped in our garbage bags, which i was happy to have, don’t get me wrong. A missed port of call due to weather? Other than winds, the day was gorgeous, and whoever said it sure did boost RCC’s alcohol profits. Dave rocked, and as a deadhead who was all about Weir, loved seeing them both on stage on the boat! Also was extremely impressed with Grace Potter and her kick ass band. All in all, we had a blast, and being two women in their late 40’s had a blast! Hung out with guys half our age who wanted to hang w/us i guess cuz we’re such fun. Great ego boost. Would I go again. You bet. Would I plan things differently knowing what I know now, absolutely!
I have to admit that I’m leaning way more over to the dark side as far as this cruise was concerned. Grant it, me and my best friend had a lot of great times; the music and the people were the best. As far as the cruise line (not the porters or wait staff or janitorial staff – they were terrific) but as far as knowing anything, keeping us informed and being accomodating, they did not have that down. The first night was a disaster as I was so jazzed to see Ozomatli and then Ratdog but then Ozomatli didn’t play until 12:30 a.m. when Bob and Ratdog were playing and before that we thought we could only go to one 2 hour Ratdog show which to a Deadhead is blasphemy. Needless to say missing Ozomatli was a real disappointment but when after 3 hours of waiting for Bob to play they didn’t even check the wrist bands to see what show you were supposed to go to (smart on their part). We were at Ratdog until 2:30 and then wanted to eat, of course NOTHING was open (I thought cruises had 24 hour food) except roomservice and that was a two hour wait as EVERYONE was ordering since nothing else was open (I ate stale crackers). Saturday – all the excursions were cancelled; still excited about the big concert that night. Went over on the 5:00 p.m. boat; was great when we got there, good spots left to grab. The concert starts, it’s great…people are still being ferried over???? The concert starts with not all the attendees there???? It’s only a 5,000 person concert; we can’t wait to start until we have all the audience…if I was those people, I would have been really pissed but it only gets worse. Rain sprinkles, feels great everythings groovy. Two young kids that I met with their Mom come up to me crying say they lost their Mom on the other side of the concert…can’t find ANYONE to help. Finally, I had met the DJ Quarter ? (Patrick) parents and I knew they had access to backstage. His Dad and Mom were phenomenal. Went and found their son, he came took the kids backstage (this is probably about 1/2 hour after they came up to us). Bands still playing…no announcement; no announcement; no announcement. They never annouced that they had 2 kids in the back looking for their Mom. We were all livid. They did reunite we heard. Then the rain really starts…raining sideways…we run for the food tent…no staff do anything to help people stay dry or do anything (guess the promoters didn’t see the weather channel and plan to have tents (would have been comfy and cozy)or actually had the wherewithall to put the tarps that enclose the tents (too easy). Guess living and working in the Bahamas doesn’t necessarily translate into knowing the weather patterns??? I digress, instead people had to hold the tarp together, get table cloths and try and keep ourselves enclosed; people were freezing and soaked. Finally someone started handing out garbage bags and we at least had those to keep our body heat in and get warm. These were not given out by the workers but by one of the concertgoers (they should have organized this event, at this point anyone could have done a better job). Finally after TWO HOURS OF THIS and NO ANNOUNCEMENTS; the rain stops and Dave gets onstage to play for about 1000 people who stayed; it was amazing – we were all in our fashionable and I mean fashionable; people are very creative in our garbage bags; we dubbed it “Dave Matthews Cruise Wear”. Fantastic concert; ferry back took long but we were all in a good mood because we just saw an amazing show and met lots of friends on the way back. We’re eating in the dining room when we got back (oh, no food was available before the concert on the boat because all restaurants on the boat were closed before we left for the “island” (another joke). A cruise person comes up to our table and tells us that Dave is getting ready to play in the Follys lounge…she didn’t tell anyone else in the dining room, we told everyone…NO ANNOUNCEMENTS on the boat????? Many, many people missed both the show on the island AND the boat show because they didn’t make an ANNOUNCEMENT. Concert was AMAZING! (Thank God we didn’t miss it). Sunday morning have a pedicure at 8:00 a.m. after 15 minutes of small talk she tried to sell me $500.00 worth of products; she was lovely but I was annoyed with being so bombarded with their marketing ploys; I just paid $55.00 for a pedicure. Get back to stateroom; sleep until 12 noon…look at the TV we are still sailing and we were supposed to be at Coco Cay at 8:00 a.m. …asked a porter in the dining room and he said that Coco Cay had been cancelled. It was a beautiful day and Royal Caribbean had a captive audience and probably profited 1000% on the consumption of alcohol … Superbowl Sunday or not. If we were able to go to the Coco Cay; they would have lost a lot of business…ummm was that planned…never was told why we didn’t go…but that was par for the course with the info given out which was nil even at the most dire times. After everyone has been drinking all day and night they want you to have your luggage outside your room by 12 midnight…ha, half the people were still out for 4 hours dancing to the music…not one stitch of luggage was left outside the staterooms on my floor (2nd). Getting off the boat was quick and easy but not as pleasant, as most people who were all smiles most of the weekend (people really put up with a lot from this cruise and didn’t complain nearly enough about the shortcomings – the promoters should be very happy this wasn’t another kind of concert; they would have had rioting) were looking anything but kindly. I was glad to “GET OFF THE BOAT” quickly; never to return on a cruise or a similar event in the future. Royal Carribean; the Warehouse and my credit card will be getting this three page letter in the mail; let’s see what compensation they offer.
I have to admit that I’m leaning way more over to the dark side as far as this cruise was concerned. Grant it, me and my best friend had a lot of great times; the music and the people were the best. As far as the cruise line (not the porters or wait staff or janitorial staff – they were terrific) but as far as knowing anything, keeping us informed and being accomodating, they did not have that down. The first night was a disaster as I was so jazzed to see Ozomatli and then Ratdog but then Ozomatli didn’t play until 12:30 a.m. when Bob and Ratdog were playing and before that we thought we could only go to one 2 hour Ratdog show which to a Deadhead is blasphemy. Needless to say missing Ozomatli was a real disappointment but when after 3 hours of waiting for Bob to play they didn’t even check the wrist bands to see what show you were supposed to go to (smart on their part). We were at Ratdog until 2:30 and then wanted to eat, of course NOTHING was open (I thought cruises had 24 hour food) except roomservice and that was a two hour wait as EVERYONE was ordering since nothing else was open (I ate stale crackers). Saturday – all the excursions were cancelled; still excited about the big concert that night. Went over on the 5:00 p.m. boat; was great when we got there, good spots left to grab. The concert starts, it’s great…people are still being ferried over???? The concert starts with not all the attendees there???? It’s only a 5,000 person concert; we can’t wait to start until we have all the audience…if I was those people, I would have been really pissed but it only gets worse. Rain sprinkles, feels great everythings groovy. Two young kids that I met with their Mom come up to me crying say they lost their Mom on the other side of the concert…can’t find ANYONE to help. Finally, I had met the DJ Quarter ? (Patrick) parents and I knew they had access to backstage. His Dad and Mom were phenomenal. Went and found their son, he came took the kids backstage (this is probably about 1/2 hour after they came up to us). Bands still playing…no announcement; no announcement; no announcement. They never annouced that they had 2 kids in the back looking for their Mom. We were all livid. They did reunite we heard. Then the rain really starts…raining sideways…we run for the food tent…no staff do anything to help people stay dry or do anything (guess the promoters didn’t see the weather channel and plan to have tents (would have been comfy and cozy)or actually had the wherewithall to put the tarps that enclose the tents (too easy). Guess living and working in the Bahamas doesn’t necessarily translate into knowing the weather patterns??? I digress, instead people had to hold the tarp together, get table cloths and try and keep ourselves enclosed; people were freezing and soaked. Finally someone started handing out garbage bags and we at least had those to keep our body heat in and get warm. These were not given out by the workers but by one of the concertgoers (they should have organized this event, at this point anyone could have done a better job). Finally after TWO HOURS OF THIS and NO ANNOUNCEMENTS; the rain stops and Dave gets onstage to play for about 1000 people who stayed; it was amazing – we were all in our fashionable and I mean fashionable; people are very creative in our garbage bags; we dubbed it “Dave Matthews Cruise Wear”. Fantastic concert; ferry back took long but we were all in a good mood because we just saw an amazing show and met lots of friends on the way back. We’re eating in the dining room when we got back (oh, no food was available before the concert on the boat because all restaurants on the boat were closed before we left for the “island” (another joke). A cruise person comes up to our table and tells us that Dave is getting ready to play in the Follys lounge…she didn’t tell anyone else in the dining room, we told everyone…NO ANNOUNCEMENTS on the boat????? Many, many people missed both the show on the island AND the boat show because they didn’t make an ANNOUNCEMENT. Concert was AMAZING! (Thank God we didn’t miss it). Sunday morning have a pedicure at 8:00 a.m. after 15 minutes of small talk she tried to sell me $500.00 worth of products; she was lovely but I was annoyed with being so bombarded with their marketing ploys; I just paid $55.00 for a pedicure. Get back to stateroom; sleep until 12 noon…look at the TV we are still sailing and we were supposed to be at Coco Cay at 8:00 a.m. …asked a porter in the dining room and he said that Coco Cay had been cancelled. It was a beautiful day and Royal Caribbean had a captive audience and probably profited 1000% on the consumption of alcohol … Superbowl Sunday or not. If we were able to go to the Coco Cay; they would have lost a lot of business…ummm was that planned…never was told why we didn’t go…but that was par for the course with the info given out which was nil even at the most dire times. After everyone has been drinking all day and night they want you to have your luggage outside your room by 12 midnight…ha, half the people were still out for 4 hours dancing to the music…not one stitch of luggage was left outside the staterooms on my floor (2nd). Getting off the boat was quick and easy but not as pleasant, as most people who were all smiles most of the weekend (people really put up with a lot from this cruise and didn’t complain nearly enough about the shortcomings – the promoters should be very happy this wasn’t another kind of concert; they would have had rioting) were looking anything but kindly. I was glad to “GET OFF THE BOAT” quickly; never to return on a cruise or a similar event in the future. Royal Carribean; the Warehouse and my credit card will be getting this three page letter in the mail; let’s see what compensation they offer.
Unfortunately I have to agree with Jeff Rogers 100%. The cruise was a series of disappointments resulting from poor planning. The music was great and the bad weather was uncontrollable, but the vast majority of the mistakes, mishaps and problems are to be blamed on whoever organized (or, perhaps more aptly, disorganized) this sorry excuse for a cruising musicfest. I am working on a letter of complaint now. Anyone know where best to send it?
Unfortunately I have to agree with Jeff Rogers 100%. The cruise was a series of disappointments resulting from poor planning. The music was great and the bad weather was uncontrollable, but the vast majority of the mistakes, mishaps and problems are to be blamed on whoever organized (or, perhaps more aptly, disorganized) this sorry excuse for a cruising musicfest. I am working on a letter of complaint now. Anyone know where best to send it?
The concert was good if you were one of the luck ones to get to the island. The attendents on the Majesty were wonderful. Trying to keep hundreds of people calm while power failed to work to accommedate the bands the first night had to be stressful. I know looking back, i did my share of bitching and whinning about not having anything to do for 3 hours. But the casinos were open, a good point. We were on the first boat back to Nassau when the rains came. Enjoying the bar there, then returning to the boat to find out Dave was going to be on there was pleasing. They did annouce it at 2:30 to come to the show on our boat. I would really like to go to the Kenny concert, but after reading the agenda about being out at sea all day on the last day, doesn’t appeal unless you are packing motion sickness pills. lol. The food was awesome, the ship was beautiful and over all, it wasn’t that bad of a trip. I did miss going to Coco Cay, but i guess that just leaves an opening to go another time.
The concert was good if you were one of the luck ones to get to the island. The attendents on the Majesty were wonderful. Trying to keep hundreds of people calm while power failed to work to accommedate the bands the first night had to be stressful. I know looking back, i did my share of bitching and whinning about not having anything to do for 3 hours. But the casinos were open, a good point. We were on the first boat back to Nassau when the rains came. Enjoying the bar there, then returning to the boat to find out Dave was going to be on there was pleasing. They did annouce it at 2:30 to come to the show on our boat. I would really like to go to the Kenny concert, but after reading the agenda about being out at sea all day on the last day, doesn’t appeal unless you are packing motion sickness pills. lol. The food was awesome, the ship was beautiful and over all, it wasn’t that bad of a trip. I did miss going to Coco Cay, but i guess that just leaves an opening to go another time.
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Its so good to see that some people on this cruise kept their wits about them and reflect what a disaster this event was. We were some of the folks that got to the show so late from the supplied shuttle that the bands left, the beer ran out, and we got to stand in a massive line just to get back on the shuttle in the downpour. This being just one of the dissapointments. I applaud the bands for continually attempting to give the fans the best under these conditions. VH1, Blusea Inc., Clear Channel and any other companies responsible for this disgraceful event should be ashamed. I mean who puts on any event without ensuring the most basic needs are locked down. Anyone with factual information on what went wrong please email me.
Its so good to see that some people on this cruise kept their wits about them and reflect what a disaster this event was. We were some of the folks that got to the show so late from the supplied shuttle that the bands left, the beer ran out, and we got to stand in a massive line just to get back on the shuttle in the downpour. This being just one of the dissapointments. I applaud the bands for continually attempting to give the fans the best under these conditions. VH1, Blusea Inc., Clear Channel and any other companies responsible for this disgraceful event should be ashamed. I mean who puts on any event without ensuring the most basic needs are locked down. Anyone with factual information on what went wrong please email me.
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my wife and i sailed on the sovereign. the cruise ship left over and hour late and the bands started almost 3 hours late. from there the trip only got worse. arriving in nassau late again and having all activities cancelled was a huge dissapointment. dave and friends did the best they could under the conditions. to find out they had returned to the ships {on the sovereign without announcement} only made matters worse. we where able to get to the island before he started, but many missed the island concert. the bands on ship where great, but most times overlapped making it impossible to see all. the icing on the cake was not stopping at coco cay, again all activities cancelled. during departure we where informed to fill out our comment cards left in the rooms and drop them off at the desk, but all of the guests that i spoke too did not recieve one as well as us. if anyone has contact info on where i can send comments/complaints for cruise line and dmb, please forward to my email address.
my wife and i sailed on the sovereign. the cruise ship left over and hour late and the bands started almost 3 hours late. from there the trip only got worse. arriving in nassau late again and having all activities cancelled was a huge dissapointment. dave and friends did the best they could under the conditions. to find out they had returned to the ships {on the sovereign without announcement} only made matters worse. we where able to get to the island before he started, but many missed the island concert. the bands on ship where great, but most times overlapped making it impossible to see all. the icing on the cake was not stopping at coco cay, again all activities cancelled. during departure we where informed to fill out our comment cards left in the rooms and drop them off at the desk, but all of the guests that i spoke too did not recieve one as well as us. if anyone has contact info on where i can send comments/complaints for cruise line and dmb, please forward to my email address.
I have to agree with KB in that I was treated very well. It was no one’s fault that the weather was not optimal ( or even slightly dealable). Though I do feel that some sort of compensation for all the money I spent is not too much to ask for. I had a grand time and loved all the music I heard. Though I do regret not being able to see all the bands. There were a few that ended up overlapping and I was hoping to be able to see all of them. But what can you do? You take what you can get. The Majesty was gorgeous and the bands were awesome. I didn’t spend a penny on the island. Why not wait till you get back to the boat? It doesn’t cost anything to eat and there’s plenty of toilet paper! All in All, I’ll never forget the adventure!
Wow. I just read your posting and I have to say I had a different time than Jeff Rogers…I was treated exceedingly well by the harried and hurried staff members, I never came across one single person who was drinking…and getting sick, anyways. All of the people that I met on the Majesty were incredibly nice, happy to be there, not complaining a whit about the snafu’s. Yes, the organization and planning could’ve used some fine-tuning, and perhaps next year will be a better year, but this cruise was one of the best music experiences I have ever had-rain included. I have now seen Dave & Friends with less than 2000 people, and not many of my fellow fans can say that. I saw my old favorites G-Love, Toots & the Maytals, Ozomatli, and found some new music to fall in love with, especially North Mississippi All Stars and Brett Dennan. For me, my 2 sisters, and good friend, we had such a great time, and would not change it for the world!
Wow. I just read your posting and I have to say I had a different time than Jeff Rogers…I was treated exceedingly well by the harried and hurried staff members, I never came across one single person who was drinking…and getting sick, anyways. All of the people that I met on the Majesty were incredibly nice, happy to be there, not complaining a whit about the snafu’s. Yes, the organization and planning could’ve used some fine-tuning, and perhaps next year will be a better year, but this cruise was one of the best music experiences I have ever had-rain included. I have now seen Dave & Friends with less than 2000 people, and not many of my fellow fans can say that. I saw my old favorites G-Love, Toots & the Maytals, Ozomatli, and found some new music to fall in love with, especially North Mississippi All Stars and Brett Dennan. For me, my 2 sisters, and good friend, we had such a great time, and would not change it for the world!