Our Take: They Put a Smile on My Face

In just a few days, we begin a 33-day, 5-program music extravaganza at sea. I cannot begin to tell you how excited I am to be embarking on this journey.

Here are some numbers to consider: 10,000 passengers/guests. Nearly 900 hours at sea. Almost 400 musicians to present. And heaven knows how many steps taken to get around the ship. We’ve been chartering the Celebrity Summit for several years and, somehow, the ship seems to grow in length with each sailing.

For years, I have shared with you my admiration and enjoyment of the musicians. The window right before we sail reminds me of how much fun and how gracious they are. To most people, January 1 is New Year’s. In our world, January 1 is the first time that most of the musicians read what we have been sending to them for months. The questions come in like a river. What is my cabin assignment? Who am I performing with? How many shows?

Amid the anxiety and urgency is a renewal of contact, a strong sense of assurance and a surge of joy knowing that we will all soon be together at sea creating memories for the greatest music fans in the world. I would not call it Spring Training (always looking for a baseball reference), but it is more like the buzz backstage before a live show or performance. The Standards are batted back and forth during the calls. No, not the tunes from the Great American Songbook, but the standard one-liners and jokes that were created in the Borscht Belt. As far as humor goes, our performers are great musicians and vocalists, hence Alonzo Bodden. 

But the pearls in this process are the performance ideas that our performers suggest, making the cruises better and better. Music Director Eric Marienthal, Production Manager Brian Rachko and Entertainment Director Mario Vines do most of the heavy lifting in terms preparing the Performance Schedules. A full week of performances is broken down into days and each day is examined by the hour. Performers receive an Individual Performance Schedule (IPS) that includes rehearsals, soundchecks, performances and other events.

Remember what I said about January 1 being the first day that our performers read their cruise materials? I think some of them put off reading their IPS’s even longer. And this is where Eric Marienthal earns his salary. Say a musician is scheduled to perform on a Tuesday afternoon, but would prefer another time or day or must reschedule that show for some reason. Changing just one show requires working through several steps such as what to do with the newly created open time, where to move the show that you are changing and then making sure that no conflicts are created among the several participants being moved.

It sounds difficult because it is. Now multiply that process by 2 or 3 for each day, then by 7 for a week and finally by 8 which is the number of cruises. For our Past Guests, if you ever wonder why we moved from a printed Performance Schedule to a digital form and our own app, this example should clear it up. In the old days, the one sure thing that you could count on would be the inaccuracy of the Performance Schedule in the Souvenir Program. That we went to great lengths and expense to produce a booklet that permanently recorded our inability to perfect a schedule is one of the great mysteries of life.

As each guest on the cruises will learn, about 10 days before any of our cruise programs sails, the app goes live and the Performance Schedule is there for you to review. Changes are made in real time and there are ways to ensure that you have the most up to date information as possible. Granted, we are not curing cancer or launching a rocket into space, so the level of precision required is modest, but the system we currently deploy allows our guests to plan their days, avoid missing key shows and events and is just plain fun to use (sample below).

Mario Vines is the App Master for the cruises this season and we thank him for his diligence and efforts. He had asked that I not mention his name in this regard (more for the sake of not being blamed than any sense of humility and anonymity), so I will respect that request. After all, he is Mario, your full-time Signature Cruise Experiences’ Entertainment Director. Between his daily onboard television shows where he gives a rundown of the day’s event, and his on-stage emcee duties, if you do not know or learn who Mario is, you must be on a different ship.

As you can see, I am very proud of our team at Signature Cruise Experiences. To a person, they are dedicated to making your cruise experience very special. Now I must finish packing. Someone asked me the other day “How do you pack for 35 days at sea?” The answer is quite simple: you pick two main colors and go from there. How the ladies accomplish this feat is another story altogether.

By Michael Lazaroff, Executive Director of The Jazz Cruise, The Smooth Jazz Cruise, Chris Botti at Sea, Christian McBride’s World at Sea, Journey of Jazz, David Foster: The Hitman Cruise and Top Shelf Country Cruise. Feel free to express your views or pose questions to him at michael@scecruises.com.

---

Wanna Bet?

Though I am not a fan or proponent of gambling, sports betting is now legal in our home state of Missouri. The folks at Signature Cruise Experiences are using that fact to support a wager among themselves. The bet is a simple one…which cruise will become “fully reserved” first, The Jazz Cruise ’26 or The Smooth Jazz Cruise ’26.3?

The staff is evenly divided on which cruise will be out of staterooms first. The Jazz Cruise ’26 has fewer available, but far less time to accomplish the goal. It is always difficult to wager against the fans of The Smooth Jazz Cruise, but 16 Concierge Class Staterooms remaining is an odd fact and not easily overcome.

Well, the wager is now in the hands of the fans. We will keep you apprised as we move forward to the finish line.                

---

Signature Cruise Experiences Upcoming Programs