Have you ever seen Axl Rose & Slash try to spell “asphyxiation” backwards?

Artist vs artist trivia went something like that today… we had Not quite Axl & Not quite Slash, members of  Appetite for Destruction, competing against members of The Mighty Dan Halen and Leroy Powell & the Messengers for a pretty sweet prize- the coveted Golden Rock ‘em Sock ‘em Robots.

If you’ve ever been on one of our cruises, the artist vs artist trivia isn’t a new concept – it is a crowd favorite on the Rock Boat, and it draws a crowd on Simple Man Cruise every time. This being a brand new cruise, no one was sure what to expect. The artists were game for anything, and host Mickey Avalon took a crash course in scoring, and they began!  Mickey asked the tough questions- “Do you think you’re better than me?” “Rush or Journey?” “What’s your room number?”  When no one could spell “asphyxiation” backwards, he let them try to spell it forwards, and ended up awarding points to anyone who tried. In fact, he used several unique scoring methods…

In all, trivia was a resounding success!

It was hilarious, and it endeared some new bands to some new fans, and really showed who has the brains on the boat. For the record, I never want to go up against The Mighty Dan Halen in any trivia challenge. They were the runaway winners, and I know they’ll never let their competitors forget it.

-Barb

For those of you back on dry land, here’s a quick video from the first day on Kid Rock’s Chillin’ the Most Cruise.  Enjoy:

Kid Rock’s Chillin the Most Cruise: Day 1

Keep checking back for more updates!

-Steve

Spirit of Detroit

I KNOW all my coworkers are sick of hearing the word “Detroit” from me, but I just can’t help it.

Even though I’m a Southerner, it took five years living in the grittiest city in America for me to figure out who I was and what I valued in life. The biggest advantage to living in Michigan is that everyone bands together to make life a little smoother – Michiganders are straightforward, down to earth, and respectful. And they seem to be everywhere on this ship!

Yes, there is a LOT of drinking happening on the Kid Rock cruise (see Kappy’s previous post about the Jim Beam!), but even inebriated the Detroiters are super nice and incredibly happy to be here. They were even understanding when we told them that **gasp** we could not air the Redwings playoff game (so sorry for the loss guys!)…

I think these characteristics must spread to all Kid Rock fans, because each and every person I’ve met so far is awesome. They’re loyal to Kid Rock and he seems appreciative. As Kappy said, he’s gone above and beyond expectations and made the whole ship happy.

Thanks, Kid Rock, for spreading the spirit of Detroit on the Carnival Inspiration.

-Becki

This is a guest post from Kappy, Sixthman team member who has sailed on practically every event we’ve ever done.  Take it away Kap!

Every first year cruise is always something special.

Having sailed on every “Inaugural” Sixthman Cruise, each one has a special place in history.  Watching first time cruisers, but long time fans, first show up at the port with an anxious look on their face, not knowing what to expect, is something I look forward to.  The best feeling is when they actually realize that this isn’t some cruel joke and they are about to set sail on a ship with the performer that shapes their musical passion.  Today, 2,200 fans of Kid Rock descended like locusts on the Port of Tampa, and with a laser-like focus, brought the thunder to the “Chillin the Most” Cruise.  They were decked out in KR t-shirts, they were yelling to one another, they were dialed in to this event, and all they wanted to do was party.

Now to take it to a whole new level, Kid Rock himself, took a picture with every cruiser as they boarded the ship.  Imagine that you are setting sail on what is the best time ever and your musical GOD is there to greet you and take a picture with you.  I can’t even put into words how happy these people were and grateful to Kid Rock for taking the time to do this.  But that ain’t all folks….. In true Kid Rock fashion, Kid Rock bought EVERYONE on the cruise a shot of Jim Beam… yes you are reading that right, with a flick of his wrist a sail and sign was thrown down and TRAYS of Jim Beam were delivered to the entire Lido Deck.  So now, Kid Rock has taken a picture and bought everyone a drink… could this get any better?  How about a full band show as the Sail Away show… Hell YES… KID ROCK PLAYED A SAIL AWAY SHOW FOR ALL HIS FANS!!!!

It is refreshing to see an artist take such passion, better yet care, of his fans and take it to the next level.  We are 8 hours into the Inaugural “Chillin the Most Cruise…” and I can’t wait to see what happens next!!!!!

KAPPY

Okay, in all fairness, I missed Kid Rock arriving at the port and the madness that ensued…because for the first time in a while I was one of the first on the ship instead of the last.

And I missed all of the excited people getting their picture taken with the man himself, but I heard it was a blast. That aside, I have had AT LEAST ten super moments since we’ve set sail. I could not be more excited about this cruise, these guests and the next four days- and the sun has not even set!

10. First info desk shift- biggest problem? The Friday lap dance class filled up in under an hour.

9. Going under the bridge. I got to see it. For the first time. Pretty neat. Everyone on the lido deck cheered.

8. Everyone on the Lido deck cheering. They cheer about EVERYTHING. These are some of the happiest people I have ever seen. I hope we get out the confetti cannons because that will be mind blowing.

7. Meeting some of the passengers I have been talking to all year and celebrating the cruise with them. They were some truly awesome people and I can’t wait to meet more of them (and hopefully give them more free booze.  Free booze = Happy people!)

6. Life Jackets. Just ask Barb.

5. Crazy Train in the Candlelight. Enough said.

4. Jill Bessey Being the LAST ONE ON THE SHIP. Ha ha Kappy! You lose.

3. The vibe on the Lido deck even before the sail away show. Did I mention how much I love these people?

2. KID ROCK playing the sail away show. SURPRISE!!!! The show was AMAZING and I am pretty sure everyone’s face was rocked the f off!

1. 2000 shots of Jim Beam!!! Ever seen 2000 REALLY happy people? Yeah, I have.

So, four hours in and I already have a top 10 list. Jealous yet? This is going to be one hell of a cruise and you should really be here with us chillin’ the most! Since you’re not, keep an eye on the blog (if you can stand it) and we’ll be sharing the next 1000 over the top and kick ass moments.

-May

As many of you probably already know, Elvis was one of the biggest icons in during the ‘50s and ‘60s.  He changed music and is regarded as the king of rock ‘n’ roll.  As Jack Soden, President and CEO of Elvis Presley Enterprises, once said, Elvis is unique – timely, but timeless… ubiquitous all over the world, in every culture, every language.  The story of Elvis, his unique charisma, the sound of his voice, connects with people.”  So what’s the gap?

There is an ongoing debate in the world of Elvis Presley fans that sounds a little something like this:  “I absolutely love the Elvis tribute artists!  They bring so much life and energy to the music and truly pay tribute to Elvis and his art.”  Then, there is, “No more ETA’s!  I only want to hear from people that personally knew Elvis and can share real life stories and experiences with him.”  You can read this thread to get a better idea of the conversations that happen around this topic.

We experience this sort of thing constantly with the many different events that we have on sale today.  How do you keep an event fresh and attract new guests, yet still bring back guests who want more of the same?  It’s a balancing act and we’re excited for the opportunities and challenges this brings because it will only help us grow, but it’s tough not being able to please everyone.

Sixthman is all about bringing like-minded communities of people together, and although these different groups of people are, no doubt, passionate fans, they sometimes have different views and expectations of how they envision their vacation.  So, how do you bridge the gap and make an unforgettable cruise for everyone?  What’s your take?

-Mike

And we’re back.

Well, I’ve been here the whole time, because I got left behind…but I’m not bitter!

The majority of the Sixthman team has returned from Tampa, FL where they spent the past weekend on the VH1 Best Cruise Ever.  In case you missed out on all the fun, here are the articles that were written while at sea.

• From the Middle of the Ocean – From Carolina Liar
• Best Moment Ever – from Melissa
• A-MAZING – From Lisa
• Firsts – from Mike
• Goonies are Good Enough For Me – from Becki
• First time for Everything – from Calli

We’ve started to have some articles from guests and the press roll in too (I bet they’re still getting their land legs back):

• Here are about 1000 pictures from the event on TampaBay.Metromix
• A Quick Review from the Tampa Examiner

If you were on the cruise, hopefully you had a great time!  Got any great stories to share?  Post them in the comments.  If you WEREN’T on the cruise (like me), then you’re probably feeling pretty left out right now.  Sounds like the bar has been set quite high for the next round of cruises, and I couldn’t be more excited.

Kid Rock Cruise, you’re next.

-Steve

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Not to back track, but my “moment” on Best Cruise Ever came last night. There have been countless times on this sailing where I’ve just been amazed at what’s happening around me. Whether it’s a fan/artist interaction, a kick ass show or a new seating plan coming together flawlessly, they’re all awesome. But my favorite has to be in the Paris Lounge last night during Shinedown’s show. In that venue, we have a section reserved for friends and family of the band to enjoy the show, giving them a comfortable place to sit, while doing our best to keep the “VIP”ness limited and under the radar. Similar to our guests are coming aboard for a vacation, we love to invite our artists to have their families and friends join them to get a little mini vacay out of it themselves. During this particular show we had a booth reserved for Lifehouse and a few other bands. The show got started and the section began to fill up. Shinedown was bringing the roof down, almost literally. Out of all of the past Sixthman events I have been a part of, it may have been the most insane show I’ve seen in that room. They made a room of 1000 people seem like they were playing to a crowd of 50,000. The energy was there, the crowd was into it and the band was playing their heart out.

So you might think that was my “moment”, and it is probably a close 2nd, but a brief conversation with a member of Lifehouse, just put the icing on my Best Cruise Ever cake. Lifehouse showed up during the 3rd or 4th song and took a seat in the booth we had reserved for them. By the end of the 4th song I felt a little tap on my shoulder and it was one of the guys asking if they could go downstairs into the huge crowd of guests. I was a little stunned but “yes! Of course you can go down there!” The whole band piled out and ran down the steps into a massive crowd. They didn’t look for a VIP section, or the front row, they just climbed into the group and found a place alongside their new friends, and enjoyed being a fan for once. I know this might seem like a tiny moment, and one not felt by many. But I can tell you that the look on those guests faces when they looked over to see Lifehouse rocking out with them to one of their favorite bands was priceless and unforgettable. We talk a lot about Sixthman tearing down the walls between artists and their fans but seeing an artist do it themselves was as refreshing and inspiring. And my Best Moment Ever on the Best Cruise Ever.

See you on land tomorrow. Can’t wait to share the rest of these stories we’ve made!

Melissa

I almost couldn’t write this blog because I am just speechless about this cruise.  It has been amazing.  The bands have been amazing.  The guests have been amazing.  VH1 has been amazing.  Sixthman has been amazing.

And following up on Calli and Mike, there is another first on how the production of this cruise went down.  If you’ve seen our Freestyle Officing video, you see that we’re trying new things around the office.  Including our new warrior position (we have yet to come up with a more official name for the position).  The warrior of a cruise is responsible for the vision and really making the event come together.  And this is the first cruise we’ve done with a warrior.  That warrior just happens to me.

I was nervous at first.  It’s a lot of pressure to have an entire event rest on your shoulders. But here, on the last day, I realize there was no reason to be nervous.  Not only has everything gone well, but I’ve even gotten to enjoy some of my favorite songs from my favorite band onboard, Finger Eleven.  I am getting the chance to feel the experience just as much as run it.

There really isn’t any other word I can use to describe this event.  It’s amazing.  And I am proud to have been a part of it.  And it’s great to know that I’ve got 27 people that have my back.  Sixthman is amazing.

-Lisa

Photo by Will Byington

As you might have already read in Calli’s blog there are a couple of firsts happening here:  This is our first time working with VH1, our first time working with most of these artists, and we also have a ship full of first-time Sixthman guests.

Working with VH1 has been so much fun!  They have worked really hard with us to help create this amazing experience over the past year, and you can see their excitement as it all comes to life.  We’re equally excited, but get an extra boost when we see our partners experiencing what actually happens on board the ship – it’s unbelievable.

The same story can be told for the artists.  They are fired up to be here and you can see it come out in every performance.  The emotion and energy is high and it translates right over to the guests.  For the past 2 nights, I’ve had the pleasure of ushering in the main lounge for the 3 Doors Down shows.  Not only are they amazing, but so are our guests.  Tons of respect is being given on from all sides.  Seriously, Brad from 3DD was able to walk right off the stage and into the crowd with no worries.  Maybe that sounds like a small thing, but I think it portrays just how comfortable everyone is feeling in their new community.  It’s a beautiful thing.

I think it’s safe to say that EVERYONE is already having the vacation of a lifetime and we’re only half way through.