CTTE 2024

[SteveSly]

CTTE does not seem to get much love on this forum, but for anyone interested here is my review that I posted on the CTTE group Facebook Site:

We are finally home from Florida and I am nursing a slight knee injury with time on my hands so thought I would do a short write up for this year’s Cruise To The Edge for anyone interested. So here is my Cruise To The Edge 2024 diary that I originally posted on the CTTE page.


This was my 2nd CTTE as Laurel and went on our first one in 2022. I approached this one a bit differently. Last time I had a whole schedule mapped out of bands I wanted to see and exactly what I was going to do for all 5 days. Once the schedules got off track that all kind of went out the window. This year I decided to just go with the flow. I had a few performances that I definitely wanted to see, but I also wanted to hang with friends, have some nice dinners, get off the boat in the ports, and generally have a more relaxed time, so that was my approach this year Here goes…..


Day 0 Pre-Show Miami:


We had been in Florida for a few days visiting some family / friends and taking in a Spring Training Tigers game, so we drove over to Miami from Naples to our hotel that afternoon. The pre-show at Magic City Casino was set up in their outdoor amphitheater which used to be their old dog track. I thought the venue was great and we got seats right down on the track. Drink prices high until we found that they were significantly cheaper if you walked into the casino instead of buying them outside of the venue. Marbin, District 97, and Steve Morse were all great, although the SMB suffered from numerous technical issues over the course of their show. The weather was beautiful for being outdoors and it was a kick ass way to start off the week. The venue was in the direct flight path of their airport, so all through the shows big jets were flying right over the stage. The noise was a little annoying, but overall, it was kind of cool.


Day 1 Miami – Out To Sea:


We arrived at the ship around noon-ish and had a pretty easy time getting on the boat as Norwegian appeared to be pretty organized. Once on board we could not get to our rooms, so like almost everyone else we went to the buffet. We had friends who got there before us and found a table, which was good as the place was packed. As I was standing in line to get something to drink I glanced behind me to find Steve Morse standing right behind me doing the same thing. He was genuinely nice and we chatted a bit about the technical problems he had had the previous evening. It was one of many surreal moments that happened throughout the week. After eating I decided to catch Symphony X’s theater show at 2PM. I found a cool seat in the front row of the upper deck so looked right down on the stage. The band put on a killer hour long set and it was a fantastic way to get everything started. Next it was up to the pool deck for the sail off party with Martin Barre. For this one I was moving around to different vantage points and chatting with friends we ran into on the boat. Pulling out of Miami with Jethro Tull songs in the background was very cool, and the weather was amazing. We had blue laminates so our first reserved show was Flying Colors in the Theater at 6PM that evening. Going from the blazing sunlight on the pool deck to the darkness of the theater was a bit weird at first, but Flying Colors kicked ass with a great set of songs throughout their 3 albums. I enjoyed every minute of a band I did not think I would ever see live. After the show, a group of us went to the main dining room for a nice dinner and conversation. I then drifted up to the pool stage for Dave Kerzner’s set which was enjoyable. I stood right in front of Fernando Perdomo who is always entertaining and unpredictable. Along with being a great guitarist he is a character on stage. I had originally planned to go to the Haken late night theater show, but the theater schedule was way behind. It was well after midnight and the doors to the theater were not even open yet, so I decided to call it a day.


Day 2 At Sea:


11:30AM came bright and early with Wishbone Ash on the pool stage. These guys are such pros and they put on a blistering set to get the day started. The finale of the 15-minute jammer “Pheonix” was a highlight. I did a stupid thing though. This show was in the noon sun (there was not a cloud in the sky) and I forgot to wear a hat or put on any sunscreen. My balding head got pretty scorched. Oh well, the things we do for rock n roll! Next I bopped down to the theater to catch the end of Protocol’s set. Simon Phillips had his full monster drum kit with him this time around and of course he picks the cream of the crop of musicians. Great stuff! Next was back up to the pool stage for The Steve Morse Band. Since I had just seen them at the pre-show I kind of strolled around checking out from different vantage points including some of the show from behind the stage and some from way up on the top deck. Next I popped down to the Atrium for the Adrian Below Power Trio Q & A session which was interesting. I then went down to the Spinnaker Lounge where Dave Kerzner was playing. It was packed so ended up drinking a few beers and chatting with some friends near the back. Next it was back up to the pool stage for Airbag. This is a band that never really clicked with me, but I wanted to check them out live, so again treated this one more casually watching bits and pieces of the set from different vantage points. After the show I was walking back to my room when I ran into Michael Romeo from Symphony X in the hallway. He could not have been nicer and let me take a quick picture with him. We made another nice dinner in the dining room and then it was time for Haken on the pool stage. Their theater show the night before had featured their new album, so this show was more of a “best of” from throughout their career. It was a fantastic set and one of the highlights of the whole cruise. I then popped down to the Spinnaker for Lonely Robot. The line was long, but we managed to sneak up front and sit on the floor right by the stage. It turned out to be a great vantage point. I am a fan of most things John Mitchel is involved with and own several Lonely Robot albums, so I knew this was going to be good and it was. Great set from an all-star lineup. As soon as Lonely Robot was over it was back up to the pool stage for a rocking set from Queensryche already in progress. They stuck to the band’s best-known songs for the pool performance and hearing “Take Hold Of The Flame” in the middle of the ocean was a horn throwing highlight of the whole week. On the 2022 cruise I never went to any of the Late-Night Live sessions, but we had some friends participating in this one so I went this night. To be honest, most of the performances were less than great, but overall, it was fun.


Day 3 Cozumel:


My friend Todd had booked a private snorkel trip for a group of 10 of us at 9AM, so we had to get up significantly earlier than my normal for the ship. We were taken in a van to another area of the island where we boarded a small boat and proceeded to 4 different sites. Unfortunately, at the first snorkel site I managed to swallow some sea water and felt a bit queasy for the rest of the voyage (I had forgotten to take any Dramamine beforehand as I sometimes have problems with motion sickness). We still had a good time. At the 4th stop they stopped near a beach where the water was only knee deep. The crew broke out beers, tequila, fresh salsa, guacamole, and chips. I wish my stomach had been a bit better, but everything was great and we all had a lot of fun. After the snorkel trip we walked around Cozumel for a while and found a cool little restaurant with great food and margaritas a bit down from the main port touristy places. Back on the boat it was time for The Flower Kings at the pool stage. They are always great and this was no exception. Unfortunately, I had to skip the end as we had blue laminate Marillion show to attend in the theater. Marillion did a mostly “best of” set with 3 songs from the newest album and everything else older classics. The show was a bit on the short side, but overall, it was great. Then it was time for one of the shows I was most eagerly anticipating. Symphony X on the pool stage. I got a spot standing stage center and they did not disappoint as the band were on fire. At the end they got a rousing ovation. I thought the set was too short, but the crowd kept cheering for more. The band came back out and proceeded to play the entire “Odyssey” suite which is almost a half hour long. Watching this epic being performed on a boat in the middle of the ocean was just a mind-blowing experience. So much fun!! I decided not to wait in line to get into the theater for Big Big Train and went down to the piano bar to join my wife and her friends who were holding court in their usual spot. Eventually I popped back up to the pool stage for Goblin who put on a great set of music from their career accompanied by film clips from many of the movies they have composed scores for. Goblin finished around midnight and I called it a night.

[SteveSly]

Day 4 Cozumel:


Our friend Matt had decided to rent a car to drive around the island in search of good food and margaritas and invited us along, so it was time for another adventure. It took a while to find the rental car place as it was down by the ferry terminal and not where the ship actually docked, but once we found it we were on our way. First we stopped at a little roadside bar that we happened across. I am not even sure they were open yet, but these two guys came out and made us some great margaritas. They then brought us out free chips and salsa, some kind of sausage that was good, come ceviche which was amazing. I think they would have kept feeding us as long as we wanted to stay there, but we wanted to hit some more places. We drove to the other side of the island where we found a cool beach bar called Mezcalitos. Again, the margaritas were amazing and the scenery stunning. We had to have the car back by 2PM, so headed back to Cozumel. Once dropping off the car we found a very cool little brewery called Kusam Brewing. They only made a few different beers, but on a hot 90-degree day damn did that IPA they made go down well! It was really tasty beer and not something you find often in Mexico. We continued to walk around heading in the general direction of back to the ship when we found another place that had fantastic margaritas. We also got some homemade guacamole and chips that were divine. When we got back in the port area we ran into Dave Kerzner and Durga McBroom who let me take my picture with them and were friendly as always. We made it back on the ship just in time for Big Big Train on the pool stage. I managed to find a spot down on the floor in front of the stage as they were putting on an amazing show. New vocalist Alberto Bravin fit right in and is a great front man. The band has 4 great singers so along with the amazing music they also did a lot of 4-part harmony vocals. The band were everything I had hoped they would be. Next I stopped down to the atrium for the Queensryche Q&A session which was interesting to hear. Next we popped down to Bar City where the girls were participating in Star Trek / Sci Fi night and having a blast. After spending all day drinking beers and margaritas on Cozumel I admit I was getting a bit tired, but the blue laminate Riverside show was next at 10PM and that woke me right back up. Other than being a bit on the short side it was a fantastic set. These guys just keep getting better.


Day 5 – At Sea:


So maybe I missed the memo, but I was not aware that the time was going to change on the ship overnight on our last day at sea. We slept in and were kind of getting ourselves together in our room talking about going to the buffet to get something to eat when my wife got a text from friend about the time change. It was actually one hour later than what all of our watches and phones said it was (I had no phone coverage at sea). I really wanted to catch Queensryche’s theater set at noon, so got myself down to the theater, and nabbed the same upper deck front row seat that I had for Symphony X earlier in the week. The QR theater show was quite different from the pool set. They did some deeper cuts and more songs from the Todd LaTorre era of the band which personally I am all for as I love all 4 of those albums. They ended with “Queen Of The Ryche” which had everyone in the theater up on their feet and rocking. I met back up with my wife and we hit the buffet for something to eat, then it was back up to the pool stage for Klone. I got a spot leaning on the stage for this one and this young band were great as always. After standing for the show, I decided to take a seat in the shade over on the side of the stage when I ran into my friend Buster. We sat there shooting the shit talking, having a drink and watching Wishbone Ash set up for more than an hour. One of the great things about CTTE is moments like this when you get the chance to catch up with people that you may only see once or twice a year. Once Wishbone Ash started I went back to the floor as they were playing the “Argus” album in it’s entirety which was very cool. It was then down to the theater for the Steve Hackett blue laminate show. Steve and his band are always amazing and this was no exception. The show was a bit on the short side, but still great. I will be seeing him again this Saturday night in my hometown. After Steve’s show we popped down to the Bliss Lounge for The Big Lebowski party. My wife had made up costumes and she and her friends were having a blast with the other participants. The Bliss lounge even had a real bowling alley in it! After Lebowski night my friend Todd and I went to the Spinnaker lounge to catch some of Ryo Okumoto’s show. We were able to get an obstructed view seat (I could only actually see Ryo when he broke out the keytar), but it was a fun show with Nick DiVirgilio coming on stage to perform the old Spock’s Beard song “Carrie.” On the last song it started getting a little weird as this overzealous security guard was yelling that he was going to shut the show down. Apparently Ryo had gone over his allotted time and there was another event in the lounge? Not really sure what was going on as I never saw anything else like this on the ship, but this guy literally had his hand on the plug to shut everything down when the show ended. As soon as it was over they were kicking everyone out. It was very strange. Anyway……I popped back up to the pool stage to catch the end of Jane Getter’s set which also featured Alex Skolnick on guitar. What I saw of it was really good. That was the last official show of the cruise, but my friends were playing again at Late Night Live so went there to finish the cruise. The overall talent level seemed quite an improvement over the first night I attended LNL. Overall, everything was a blast. Kudos to the organizers, crew, artists, and everyone involved in pulling this off.


A few additional observations. The only other CTTE I have been on was 2022 when we were on a Royal Caribbean boat. Generally, I liked the RC better, but there were some plusses and minuses to both.


Venues: Loved the pool stage. You could always get a good spot; the stage and lighting were great. Better than RC ship by far. The theater was better on RC although the Norwegian theater was good too. No real complaints here. The Spinnaker Lounge was not a particularly good venue. Many sight lines were obstructed by speakers and just not that good. The lounge on the RC ship was better The RC ship had the big ice surface venue which was far superior for the mid-size shows. The Atrium had a nice set up although I only saw Q&A’s, a little bit of Marbin and Late Night Live there.


Boat: My wife and I have done a lot of cruising over the years and Norwegian generally ranks near the bottom for us. The food is just ok, beer selection is usually abysmal, service is about average, and the boat itself a bit on the tired side. I generally like Royal Caribbean and other cruise lines better.


Lineup: Not as many bands this year, but generally I was pleased with the lineup. I would like to see a few more younger up and coming artists included, but generally I have no complaints.


Ports: I was looking forward to going to Jamacia for the first time, but it is what it is. We made the best of it and had 2 great days in Cozumel.


Drink Package: We usually get it when on cruises as we can pretty easily make it a value for us. However, on this cruise the price seemed closer than what we would pay for a 7-day cruise than a 5. In the end our final bill was quite a bit less than if we had gotten the package so we made the right decision by not getting it.


Overall Experience: I have seen a lot of really nit-picking criticism on social media and I agree that not everything was perfect, but in general I thought the whole thing was a fantastic experience and I enjoyed every minute of it. We will be back!

[moecurlythanu]

^ Nice review, Steve. Why was Jamaica removed as a port-of-call?

[SteveSly]

^ Nice review, Steve. Why was Jamaica removed as a port-of-call?

A few weeks before the cruise was set to sail there was a U.S. Government security warning issued for Jamacia, so they diverted the itinerary. We were also supposed to go to Grand Caymon Island, but ended up staying 2 nights in Cozumel.

[moecurlythanu]

That's too bad. In the naughts, myself and my family went on a cruise that was Cozumel, Grand Cayman, and Jamaica (Ocho Rios.) It must be a fairly common itinerary.

[RandallB]

I was also on CTTE. My second time. The first was in 2022 as well. The best way to describe it is Prog magazine, The Prog Report and my CD collection come to life. Had a 4th row seat center section for the Red laminate theater shows. My main reason for going was Marillion and they didn't disappoint. Right from the opening video to The Invisible Man I knew it was going to be good. Nick Beggs added a new energy and he had h, Rothers and Mark Kelly smiling throughout their performance which also was the longest on the cruise. I also went to their Q&A and Photo Experience sessions. Big Big Train in the theater was quite memorable. The band were on their game right from the beginning of Folklore and the audience was very appreciative knowing what BBT has gone through the past couple years to get to this point. East Coast Racer with the brass section added was outstanding to the point that I had goosebumps and was almost in tears. Surprising since I'm not an emotional guy but it was just a Wow moment. Hoping to go again in 2025.

[SteveSly]

I was also on CTTE. My second time. The first was in 2022 as well. The best way to describe it is Prog magazine, The Prog Report and my CD collection come to life. Had a 4th row seat center section for the Red laminate theater shows. My main reason for going was Marillion and they didn't disappoint. Right from the opening video to The Invisible Man I knew it was going to be good. Nick Beggs added a new energy and he had h, Rothers and Mark Kelly smiling throughout their performance which also was the longest on the cruise. I also went to their Q&A and Photo Experience sessions. Big Big Train in the theater was quite memorable. The band were on their game right from the beginning of Folklore and the audience was very appreciative knowing what BBT has gone through the past couple years to get to this point. East Coast Racer with the brass section added was outstanding to the point that I had goosebumps and was almost in tears. Surprising since I'm not an emotional guy but it was just a Wow moment. Hoping to go again in 2025.

Marillion shows on the boat are not quite the same energy level as when they are playing a gig to their fans alone, but I thought the blue show was very good (did not see the Red show). Not sure if they did the same set list for both?

I did not catch the BBT theater show. I walked down by the theater at one point and the line was so long I just didn’t want to deal with it, so I went to see other people. The pool show was great though, and I was able to get right up close to the stage for the whole thing.

[Mstove]

Marillion shows on the boat are not quite the same energy level as when they are playing a gig to their fans alone, but I thought the blue show was very good (did not see the Red show). Not sure if they did the same set list for both?

I did not catch the BBT theater show. I walked down by the theater at one point and the line was so long I just didn’t want to deal with it, so I went to see other people. The pool show was great though, and I was able to get right up close to the stage for the whole thing.

It was our sixth (second for our third roommate)

It is too bad you gave up on the BBT theater show. As I mentioned in that thread, it really wasn't bad because even with long lines it was a big venue and there still seats open at the start of the show. If you are on the FB group, I recommend taking some of the panic from at least one poster about size of the venue with a grain of salt. I posted we showed up 15-20 minutes before doors on the BBT thread, though I think it was closer to 30 minutes after talking to my roommate, but definitely not longer. He remembered our conversation about just getting seats wherever with the pool show the next day. There was a huge line upstairs running through the shops, but most people went down from there and we were only two rows behind our favorite spot upstairs. The FB group is nice, but sometimes people panic about stuff a bit more than necessary.

Marillion's red show was one the best CTTE performances of theirs I've seen. Funny enough, the two best I've seen were 2014 (both shows with Ian out) and this year's red (I didn't make the blue show). It is a bit like they kick into gear a bit more when a sub is there to make up for it. Both of those trips included a bit of a tipsy H (shocker) and both years were really fun. The other years we were on the boat with them they were still good, but a bit less energetic than on shore.

It was a bummer spending the two days in Cozumel - but once the threat level went up to three it was kind of inevitable Jamaica was out. The good thing is that we got to head out of port and putter around for an evening which means they can make the pool shows less windy.

I really liked 2022's boat having the second large indoor stage (ice rink) and having that interior mall area which made for nice, comfortable indoor gatherings later at night when it cools down. But, I do think the Pearl had the best sounding rooms of the different boats I've been on for this. It was remodeled a bit ago with charters in mind (they are in the middle of two months of this type of cruise) and it does seem like they've made that better than when we were on in 2015.

I do wish they had used the Atrium for more shows. In 2015 it got more use than the Spinnaker - they put a bunch of card table type chairs on the lower level and there were some more seats upstairs. I love Marbin, but I would have loved to see some other shows there. In 15 we saw Holdsworth, Thank You Scientist, Lifesigns and others on that stage. Sadly, I suspect the reason they didn't use it as much as they can't control the access as well with the pub/restaurant upstairs and customer service on the lower level. Can't just close doors or rope it off as easily. Back when we went last time, no rooms other than the theater ever had lines like now because they didn't hold us steerage passengers so the VIP tickets can get in. That started inconsistently in 2019 (just some of the club shows and theater shows) and then became the norm in 2022. I get how much more they pay, but I really miss the benefit of if you are willing to get there early, you get good seats and usually get to watch a soundcheck. I suspect that at least a few people were annoying during soundchecks (I witnessed it in 19 during an inside soundcheck for the David Cross Band) and that doesn't help. This is really my only complaint about the trips - I think OTB does a fantastic job with everything from diverse bands to scheduling. There will always be conflicts and people will scream, but I think they schedule it well and yeah, you have to make a tough choice or two. But, this year I saw every band that I wanted to twice with two exceptions that I only saw once (one of those was Marillion and I wanted to get to Gryphon early more than deal with the second show numbering system). I suspect my roommates are not going to do the next one and that likely means I won't unless my bride decides to come along. She's always let me do this as a guys trip with two of my best friends, but she is a music person by profession and enjoys a lot of prog, so she might be up for doing it once to see what it is about. Depends on the lineup, I suppose.

As to size - this was a lot more like 14 and 15 in terms of number of bands and pacing. I generally enjoyed it as we've done several where we make well over 30 shows and it was kind of nice to just relax some at times. The only lines we did with any length other than the BBT line were the Lonely Robot and Gryphon shows in the Spinnaker as well as the Lifesigns show there (because we'd skipped their first to get to Lonely Robot). Everything else we either just walked into or was on the pool stage.

[moecurlythanu]

Can someone explain the Blue Laminate/Red Laminate thing? Are their upcharges after you get on the ship? (I know it's a cruise, so duh, but wondering about the extent.)

[Mstove]

Can someone explain the Blue Laminate/Red Laminate thing? Are their upcharges after you get on the ship? (I know it's a cruise, so duh, but wondering about the extent.)

There are typically four bands that are sort of the headliners (the number can vary, but that is typical). For those four bands the seating is based on when you purchase your cabin (non-VIP typically starts in about the 6/7th row). Since the theater is designed on most boats to accommodate about half the passenger capacity, those bands play two shows in the theater with assigned seating. Red and blue just means that is your group, nothing else. Depending on the year and band it is easier or harder to get into a show that isn't your assigned one. After it starts, they will let people in to sit in empty seats though if the person with the ticket for that seat shows, they get it. Even the most popular bands seldom fill it completely because nobody is a fan of everything and people will choose to see other bands instead of using their laminates sometimes. We had never skipped a laminate show, but this year I skipped Riverside and Flying Colors (my roommates caught part of FC). I like Riverside, but had a conflict I wanted to see more and I'm not particularly blown away by FC. Particularly when I was able to see Steve's trio twice which I like much more than FC.

For upcharges, you have essentially paid for your room, food in the buffet or main dining areas, and access to shows. Things like drinks or some of the specialty dining areas cost more. Use of the spa, etc. also is not included. Basically, things that I believe are upcharges on regular ones are on CTTE as well.

I've had so many great experiences. Anyone considering going should not take my post as complaining about the event - just noting the single thing I don't like. It wouldn't ever impact me going or not, I just prefer how it was done before.

And, Steve, I hope that didn't come off as nagging at you. I only mentioned it was too bad because we had decided to say screw it for that BBT show after seeing there were big lines earlier than we stood in them, but we had some time to kill so we just went anyway.

[Mstove]

There are a bunch of other theater shows that don't have assigned seating, like the BBT show. What I really liked this year is the majority of those then also had pool shows. You can always get a spot somewhere for a pool show so you know you can catch those even if you miss a smaller venue. Makes it easier to build your itinerary, IMO.

[jriley1762]

Thx for starting a thread! It was my 2nd CTTE (2017 was my first). The highlights for me were Marillion, BBT and Lifesigns. I also really enjoyed Haken, Hackett, Protocol and Wishbone Ash. The biggest disappointment for me was the Jane Getter Premonition. I really enjoy her last two albums but the live performances didn't deliver the same energy. It was also interesting to see Queensryche, who I feel that is more of a metal band then prog. I highly recommend going to the next CTTE you can.

[Plasmatopia]

Thanks for the write-ups, guys. Very interesting to read.

[SteveSly]

And, Steve, I hope that didn't come off as nagging at you. I only mentioned it was too bad because we had decided to say screw it for that BBT show after seeing there were big lines earlier than we stood in them, but we had some time to kill so we just went anyway.

No problem. Seeing BBT twice was just not that big a priority for me. I knew I was going to see them at the pool where I could stand right up close to the stage and I also wanted to catch the Goblin pool show which conflicted so it was all good. I felt a little bad for Goblin as they played for a really small crowd for most of their set. You could tell the minute BBT let out as the pool deck suddenly had a big influx of people.

[SteveSly]

Thx for starting a thread! It was my 2nd CTTE (2017 was my first). The highlights for me were Marillion, BBT and Lifesigns. I also really enjoyed Haken, Hackett, Protocol and Wishbone Ash. The biggest disappointment for me was the Jane Getter Premonition. I really enjoy her last two albums but the live performances didn't deliver the same energy. It was also interesting to see Queensryche, who I feel that is more of a metal band then prog. I highly recommend going to the next CTTE you can.

For me "Operation Mindcrime" is one of the greatest prog metal albums of all time, so I thought they fit, but I know not everyone agrees with me. I also like the fact that did significantly different sets for their two shows.

[SteveSly]

Thanks for the write-ups, guys. Very interesting to read.

[Mstove]

No problem. Seeing BBT twice was just not that big a priority for me. I knew I was going to see them at the pool where I could stand right up close to the stage and I also wanted to catch the Goblin pool show which conflicted so it was all good. I felt a little bad for Goblin as they played for a really small crowd for most of their set. You could tell the minute BBT let out as the pool deck suddenly had a big influx of people.

Cool - just thought that read kind of weird.

I really hated missing Goblin this year (caught the last 10-15 minutes of the Spinnaker show only). Particularly knowing they had the screen going.

[Mstove]

For me "Operation Mindcrime" is one of the greatest prog metal albums of all time, so I thought they fit, but I know not everyone agrees with me. I also like the fact that did significantly different sets for their two shows.

They were on 2014 as well. They aren't my thing, but I really like having a bunch of different styles which attracts a lot of different people and also makes it easier to choose sometimes. We have good friends we met through these trips and they are definitely more on the metal side, but even with us living in the same state, we wouldn't have met them without this diversity. And, they do like checking out some of the other styles (particularly some of the fusion) and I will check out some of the heavier stuff when I don't have a conflict. Haken is really, really good, I just won't skip something to watch them.

[SteveSly]

It was our sixth (second for our third roommate)

It is too bad you gave up on the BBT theater show. As I mentioned in that thread, it really wasn't bad because even with long lines it was a big venue and there still seats open at the start of the show. If you are on the FB group, I recommend taking some of the panic from at least one poster about size of the venue with a grain of salt. I posted we showed up 15-20 minutes before doors on the BBT thread, though I think it was closer to 30 minutes after talking to my roommate, but definitely not longer. He remembered our conversation about just getting seats wherever with the pool show the next day. There was a huge line upstairs running through the shops, but most people went down from there and we were only two rows behind our favorite spot upstairs. The FB group is nice, but sometimes people panic about stuff a bit more than necessary.

Marillion's red show was one the best CTTE performances of theirs I've seen. Funny enough, the two best I've seen were 2014 (both shows with Ian out) and this year's red (I didn't make the blue show). It is a bit like they kick into gear a bit more when a sub is there to make up for it. Both of those trips included a bit of a tipsy H (shocker) and both years were really fun. The other years we were on the boat with them they were still good, but a bit less energetic than on shore.

It was a bummer spending the two days in Cozumel - but once the threat level went up to three it was kind of inevitable Jamaica was out. The good thing is that we got to head out of port and putter around for an evening which means they can make the pool shows less windy.

I really liked 2022's boat having the second large indoor stage (ice rink) and having that interior mall area which made for nice, comfortable indoor gatherings later at night when it cools down. But, I do think the Pearl had the best sounding rooms of the different boats I've been on for this. It was remodeled a bit ago with charters in mind (they are in the middle of two months of this type of cruise) and it does seem like they've made that better than when we were on in 2015.

I do wish they had used the Atrium for more shows. In 2015 it got more use than the Spinnaker - they put a bunch of card table type chairs on the lower level and there were some more seats upstairs. I love Marbin, but I would have loved to see some other shows there. In 15 we saw Holdsworth, Thank You Scientist, Lifesigns and others on that stage. Sadly, I suspect the reason they didn't use it as much as they can't control the access as well with the pub/restaurant upstairs and customer service on the lower level. Can't just close doors or rope it off as easily. Back when we went last time, no rooms other than the theater ever had lines like now because they didn't hold us steerage passengers so the VIP tickets can get in. That started inconsistently in 2019 (just some of the club shows and theater shows) and then became the norm in 2022. I get how much more they pay, but I really miss the benefit of if you are willing to get there early, you get good seats and usually get to watch a soundcheck. I suspect that at least a few people were annoying during soundchecks (I witnessed it in 19 during an inside soundcheck for the David Cross Band) and that doesn't help. This is really my only complaint about the trips - I think OTB does a fantastic job with everything from diverse bands to scheduling. There will always be conflicts and people will scream, but I think they schedule it well and yeah, you have to make a tough choice or two. But, this year I saw every band that I wanted to twice with two exceptions that I only saw once (one of those was Marillion and I wanted to get to Gryphon early more than deal with the second show numbering system). I suspect my roommates are not going to do the next one and that likely means I won't unless my bride decides to come along. She's always let me do this as a guys trip with two of my best friends, but she is a music person by profession and enjoys a lot of prog, so she might be up for doing it once to see what it is about. Depends on the lineup, I suppose.

As to size - this was a lot more like 14 and 15 in terms of number of bands and pacing. I generally enjoyed it as we've done several where we make well over 30 shows and it was kind of nice to just relax some at times. The only lines we did with any length other than the BBT line were the Lonely Robot and Gryphon shows in the Spinnaker as well as the Lifesigns show there (because we'd skipped their first to get to Lonely Robot). Everything else we either just walked into or was on the pool stage.

I agree about the Ice Rink venue on the last boat. That was a really great 2nd venue to have. I also thought they could have used the Atrium area more. The only music I saw there was a little bit of Marbin and the Late Night Live stuff. There was also the Bliss Lounge area that they did not use at all other than the Big Labowski party. Seems like they could have done acoustic acts or something similar in there too. I also really liked that promanade area of the last boat too.

I also thought Hogarth was a bit tipsy at the blue show, but wasn't sure if that was just me. When he sat in with Lonely Robot I thought the same thing although that was later at night. I have seen Marillion more than a dozen times over the years and I am not sure that any CTTE shows rise to the level of when I have seen them in front of their home crowd, but I thought they were better this year than on the last cruise.

Regarding Cozumel, we made the best of it and had a good time, but the fact that we ended up in the same port on the 2nd day kind of screwed things up as we were supposed to be right by where the rental car company was where we could walk to it, but ended up being miles away where we had to take a taxi to get there and then another taxi to get back to the ship after dropping off the car.

Regarding your friends not going. My wife goes with me and is not much into the music at all. She goes to the laminate shows and the occasional pool show, but mostly spends time hanging out with other girls she has met on the boat and having a good time.

[Mstove]

I agree about the Ice Rink venue on the last boat. That was a really great 2nd venue to have. I also thought they could have used the Atrium area more. The only music I saw there was a little bit of Marbin and the Late Night Live stuff. There was also the Bliss Lounge area that they did not use at all other than the Big Labowski party. Seems like they could have done acoustic acts or something similar in there too. I also really liked that promanade area of the last boat too.

I also thought Hogarth was a bit tipsy at the blue show, but wasn't sure if that was just me. When he sat in with Lonely Robot I thought the same thing although that was later at night. I have seen Marillion more than a dozen times over the years and I am not sure that any CTTE shows rise to the level of when I have seen them in front of their home crowd, but I thought they were better this year than on the last cruise.

Regarding Cozumel, we made the best of it and had a good time, but the fact that we ended up in the same port on the 2nd day kind of screwed things up as we were supposed to be right by where the rental car company was where we could walk to it, but ended up being miles away where we had to take a taxi to get there and then another taxi to get back to the ship after dropping off the car.

Regarding your friends not going. My wife goes with me and is not much into the music at all. She goes to the laminate shows and the occasional pool show, but mostly spends time hanging out with other girls she has met on the boat and having a good time.

I'm not sure we will go (I haven't even brought it up), but I'm pretty positive she'll have fun if we do. I'm also just assuming they won't likely be going. We also weren't going to go this time until the lineup came out. I was originally going to take one off and that seemed to be the consensus, but then I thought about maybe doing it another way. I know I'd end up at some shows solo which is fine.

H was pretty tipsy but in a fun way at the Red show. He admitted to kind of letting loose after that before the Lonely Robot gig (and he was still fun there). Last year they were good, but H was cranky the whole cruise, by his own admission on the boat and his podcast, and I think it kind of showed in their performance. Still really good, but not like onshore.

We were confused when we got off the second day expecting it to be by the populated area. There's a restaurant we really like over there, but we didn't feel like cabbing so we just ate at something close. In 2017 we got off the boat thinking we were in the same place as in 14 and eventually walked. This time I was able to use my GPS on my phone and realized pretty quickly we hadn't really moved. lol

[JohnG]

^nice review Steve^

this was my fourth CTTE, started in 2017 (it was four nights then) and continued in 2018 and 2019 but we had decided to take a break for 2020 and lucky we did as covid hit. The CTTE resumed in 2022 but we of course hadn’t booked for 2020 and I still didn’t want to travel on a boat at that point (hate masking and booster shots) so we aimed for 2024.

And once again it was a glorious 5 days at sea with all that music. It was nice to once again be on the boat with all those Prog heads and a full boat it was, nice to see everyone back.

We were looking forward to Jamaica and Grand Cayman’s but Cozumel is as easy as a comfortable shoe to us (our fourth time there) and we do travel to Mexico often.

Lots of great bands including BBT and Lonely Robot, I go for Steve Hackett every time. Marillon impressed.

Hope to be on the 2025 version which should be announced soon (it’s in April 2025).

[Mstove]

^nice review Steve^

this was my fourth CTTE, started in 2017 (it was four nights then) and continued in 2018 and 2019 but we had decided to take a break for 2020 and lucky we did as covid hit. The CTTE resumed in 2022 but we of course hadn’t booked for 2020 and I still didn’t want to travel on a boat at that point (hate masking and booster shots) so we aimed for 2024.

And once again it was a glorious 5 days at sea with all that music. It was nice to once again be on the boat with all those Prog heads and a full boat it was, nice to see everyone back.

We were looking forward to Jamaica and Grand Cayman’s but Cozumel is as easy as a comfortable shoe to us (our fourth time there) and we do travel to Mexico often.

Lots of great bands including BBT and Lonely Robot, I go for Steve Hackett every time. Marillon impressed.

Hope to be on the 2025 version which should be announced soon (it’s in April 2025).

I'm glad they didn't stick with the four night thing like 2017. The first couple we did were five and then four felt too short. I didn't do 2018, so I don't remember if that one was four or five.

I'm really glad we signed up for 2020 because I sort of doubt we'd have gone in 2022 if we hadn't already paid.

I hope John and Craig find a way to play out with Lonely Robot more, though I realize it won't likely be in the states. It worked really well with the band they had and I would love to see them again. If they (or BBT) return in 2025, that will make the decision easier. It would be the right move financially to take a year off, but depending on the lineup it would be hard to skip. It is such a fun event.

[Mstove]

^nice review Steve^

this was my fourth CTTE, started in 2017 (it was four nights then) and continued in 2018 and 2019 but we had decided to take a break for 2020 and lucky we did as covid hit. The CTTE resumed in 2022 but we of course hadn’t booked for 2020 and I still didn’t want to travel on a boat at that point (hate masking and booster shots) so we aimed for 2024.

And once again it was a glorious 5 days at sea with all that music. It was nice to once again be on the boat with all those Prog heads and a full boat it was, nice to see everyone back.

We were looking forward to Jamaica and Grand Cayman’s but Cozumel is as easy as a comfortable shoe to us (our fourth time there) and we do travel to Mexico often.

Lots of great bands including BBT and Lonely Robot, I go for Steve Hackett every time. Marillon impressed.

Hope to be on the 2025 version which should be announced soon (it’s in April 2025).

I'm glad they didn't stick with the four night thing like 2017. The first couple we did were five and then four felt too short. I didn't do 2018, so I don't remember if that one was four or five.

I'm really glad we signed up for 2020 because I sort of doubt we'd have gone in 2022 if we hadn't already paid.

I hope John and Craig find a way to play out with Lonely Robot more, though I realize it won't likely be in the states. It worked really well with the band they had and I would love to see them again. If they (or BBT) return in 2025, that will make the decision easier. It would be the right move financially to take a year off, but depending on the lineup it would be hard to skip. It is such a fun event.

[moecurlythanu]

^ Thanks Mstove for the detailed explanation of the laminates and upcharges above.

[SteveSly]

^nice review Steve^

this was my fourth CTTE, started in 2017 (it was four nights then) and continued in 2018 and 2019 but we had decided to take a break for 2020 and lucky we did as covid hit. The CTTE resumed in 2022 but we of course hadn’t booked for 2020 and I still didn’t want to travel on a boat at that point (hate masking and booster shots) so we aimed for 2024.

And once again it was a glorious 5 days at sea with all that music. It was nice to once again be on the boat with all those Prog heads and a full boat it was, nice to see everyone back.

We were looking forward to Jamaica and Grand Cayman’s but Cozumel is as easy as a comfortable shoe to us (our fourth time there) and we do travel to Mexico often.

Lots of great bands including BBT and Lonely Robot, I go for Steve Hackett every time. Marillon impressed.

Hope to be on the 2025 version which should be announced soon (it’s in April 2025).

5 days seems about perfect to me.