Once the Sail Away show starts on the pool deck, things begin to get crazy on these cruises. After you board the ship and you get to your room, there is a daily schedule with no less than 13 shows to choose from the first night along with plenty of other activities like Photo Meet and Greets, Q&A Sessions, Karaoke and Theme Parties along with the usual cruise bars, casino activity and more. So, you’ve got some work to do to figure out what your itinerary is going to be for the rest of the night. The NCL Pearl had six stages rotating bands and other events throughout the days/nights with the Stardust Theatre being the largest venue. One of the great things about these Monster cruises is the intimacy of the shows, even in the Theatre, where it was rarely full. There are so many shows going on at once that it’s hard for any of the venues to really fill up. Sure, some of the bigger acts like Mr. Big will draw more fans, but everyone has their own favorites and Firehouse and Vain will still draw fans even though they are playing at the same time. 3,000 rockers spread out pretty well on these ships. On this first night, I caught shows by Kix, Mr. Big, Pretty Maids, LA Guns and Great White. One of the most anticipated shows of this cruise was seeing Pretty Maids for the first time. Hailing from Denmark, they have always been a closet favorite of mine since their EP came out in 1983. They rarely play in the US and it was awesome to see this band up close on the pool deck as we floated around the Pacific Ocean. On this night, others in our group went off to see Black N’ Blue, Firehouse, Vain, Ted Poley, Slaughter and Rhino Bucket. Unfortunately due to a planning/logistics issue (no equipment), one of the more highly anticipated shows of the night, the Cathouse Hookers Ball, featuring the Quireboys and Faster Pussycat was canceled. Day one in the books and we had an awesome time.
Sunday morning we woke up at the beautiful Catalina Island and ready to hit shore. After taking one of the tender boats to the island pier, we rented one of the slowest six person golf carts ever made and set out to tour the island. After touring around the island for a couple hours and literally pushing the golf cart up hills, it was time for a bit of shopping, a quick bite, and a beer and then back to the ship. While the ship was docked there were plenty of activities going on for those that didn’t get off the ship with bands playing, more Meet and Greets and a 5K run with Sirius XM DJ Luc Carl. And of course, there are the pools and bars to just kick back and relax. Today’s Sail Away show was by MORC favorites Kix. The bad boys from Maryland always put on a fun show and they always seem to be extra special out on the pool deck. The previous night in the theater they were great, but there’s just something a bit more special about them playing on the pool deck. Steve Whiteman is one of the best and goofiest front men out there. With 16 shows to choose from along with all the other activities, day 2 provided a lot of entertainment and value for everyone on board. After setting sail I caught shows by Shark Island, Slaughter, Babylon A.D., Mike Tramp, Britny Fox, Richie Kotzen and Black N’ Blue. The Richie Kotzen show in the Atrium was amazing and my 2nd favorite of the cruise. With killer vocals and massive guitar chops, Kotzen has garnered a slew of new fans by being on these MOR cruises as a solo artist and with the Winery Dogs. Other highlights of the night for me were Babylon A.D., who sounded very fresh and should have had a bigger career and a surprisingly great show by Britny Fox who had about 20 scantily clad nurses on stage as they ripped through “Girlschool” to close out their set. Others in our group went off to see Quiet Riot, an acoustic show by Conny Bloom from the Electric Boys, Vain, Tyketto, Vixen and Faster Pussycat. Hitting the rack about 3:00AM and day 3 is going to come pretty early as we land in Ensenada, Mexico.
Nice