This is a huge season for Sixthman, and we're happy to be able to share it with you! In September, we had our 25th full-ship charter - Sailing Southern Ground, hosted by Zac Brown Band. Between Zac's Main Lounge and late night performances and Michael Franti's Lido Deck shows, the guests had more awesome music than they could handle. It was an incredible event! Since then, we have hosted the Jillian Michaels Ultimate Wellness Cruise and another incredibly successful Elvis Cruise with our friends at Graceland.
Now, we're taking a holiday break and preparing for a fun-packed 2011, including our ELEVENTH Rock Boat! We can hardly believe it has been ten years since the first Rock Boat, and we can't wait to usher in a new lineup that includes Ed Kowalczyk from LIVE, Needtobreathe, Nada Surf, and many more.
In our Winter Newsletter, you'll read about more of our upcoming events, including the return of Ships and Dip with Barenaked Ladies and VH1 Best Cruise Ever. You'll also meet the Schragers, loyal Simple Man cruisers, and learn more about some of our Sixthman staffers.
We can't wait to see you on the wide open seas starting in January, when we continue our quest to be the best at creating vacations of a lifetime, but until then, please enjoy our SkyMall matching game!
See you soon!
-Your friends at Sixthman!
After taking a year off, Ships and Dip and Barenaked Ladies are back with a vengeance. You can expect all the glory of Ships and Dip I, III, and V, but this one is even better, because it's not a roman numeral! It's the fourth year, celebrating four band members that will rock the foreheads off their guests.
Ships and Dip 4 sets sail from Miami, FL, and will be hitting the Caribbean February 6-11, 2011. It all takes place onboard the beautiful Norwegian Dawn, a full-service cruise ship with multiple pools, bars, restaurants, 24-hour room service, and a Las Vegas-style casino. Aside from your hosts, you'll also be pumping your fists along to the likes of Guster, Great Big Sea, Thin Buckle, Boothby Graffoe, Odds, Stephen Kellogg & the Sixers, Brothers Creegan, Ben Kweller, Jason Plumb, Mike Evin, and many more to come.
We'll have some amazing theme nights, some once-in-a-lifetime activities, some mind-blowing impromptu musical performances, and of course an awesome vacation with friends and family. Whether it's the oldies you love, or the newbies you crave, you'll be hitting the dance floor every night on board. And we wouldn't expect any less.
Barenaked Ladies themselves are always involved in how we plan the event, and they want to make sure that their guests are treated like the rock lovers that they are. So if it's not music you're listening to on board, it's music you're making, or playing, or singing. You may even get the chance to play Rock Band along side Ed, or listen to soothing sounds while practicing yoga with Kevin.
So come aboard, see Barenaked Ladies rip it up on stage, mingle with the very bands you love, and enjoy five days of music and non-stop fun that you won't want to miss! A vacation full of unpredictable moments awaits you. Don't risk hearing about this amazing event from your friends after it happens! Join us.
The Rock Boat was the first cruise Sixthman ever produced: an organic evolution of music and camaraderie that has turned into ten cruises and counting of unforgettable moments, collaborations, connections and friendships. It is the cornerstone of Sixthman, a reference point for who we are and who we hope to become. So how could we possibly ask a question like, "Is VH1 Best Cruise Ever the new Rock Boat?"
Much like The Rock Boat, VH1 Best Cruise Ever is a true festival on the high seas, with an incredible host of artists, including Train, Lifehouse, Colbie Caillat, and The Script, and 2,000 of their most passionate fans taking over the Carnival Inspiration for four days and four nights of non-stop music and celebration. From Tampa to Cozumel and back again, guests can soak up the sun of oncoming summer while witnessing once in a lifetime artist collaborations and musical moments. There are no ticketed shows, just tons of live music, games and competitions, dancing, and much more.
It's hard to say what exactly will happen when you set up stages all over a ship and give some of the best bands and VH1 "You Oughta Know" artists out there free reign to do what they most love to do without constraints or curfews. But as any true Rock Boater will tell you, it's hard to explain exactly what does happen anyway; you just have to be there to experience it yourself.
It would take a lot of heart and music and spontaneous moments of unabashed fun and fervor, but based on what we saw last year on its maiden voyage, though VH1 Best Cruise Ever may not be the new Rock Boat, it just might be the next one.
Daniel and Meryl Schrager have sailed with Sixthman five times, never missing the annual Simple Man Cruise with Lynyrd Skynyrd, and even managing to hop on Sailing Southern Ground in September.
How did you stumble across The Simple Man Cruise and what keeps you coming back year after year?
We heard it on the local radio station, we were driving in the car, we both turned toward each other, big smiles! We called from the car within minutes and it was almost sold out. We booked it right then and there in the car to hold our place...never looked back since! My wife Meryl and I do a lot of travel and enjoy vacations but as they say, "there ain't nothing like a Skynyrd cruise". It's a combination of great people, great music, totally organized by Sixthman to guarantee lifelong memories.
Favorite Sixthman Cruise Moment?
We've had so many incredible memories on Sixthman, but the one favorite moment was last year on the last day of the cruise in the late afternoon when Skynyrd played on the Lido Deck. We had already had a great cruise with so much amazing music, but when they played that day it was unbelievable!!!! Sharing that moment with my wife and kids was fantastic. We looked around the deck and everyone had a big smile too. We all felt the moment!
What do y'all enjoy doing when you are not cruising?
We love traveling, going to the beach, chilling at home with the family, and when we are home, we almost always have music playing, listening to either southern rock or country music. It makes us happy.
As a seasoned cruiser with Sixthman, what is an insider's tip you would share with a first timer?
Make sure you see every band, especially the ones you never heard of before, you'll be surprised and they wind up being your favorites. We remember when we first saw Zac Brown Band; we had never heard them before. They were so amazing! The most important tip for a first timer: do not miss Blackberry Smoke!
Dinner Party Fun: What 3 guests would you invite to break bread with, dead or alive; and why?
We would choose Doug Gray of Marshall Tucker, Rickey Medlocke of Skynyrd, and Zac Brown. We love listening to great stories, how songs were written, their inspirations, stories from the tours, who their favorites are and why... When you know all the past, it makes the music that much better!
What artists would you put in an All-star dream team band?
Zac Brown and Charlie Starr at lead vocals, Rickey Medlocke, Ian Evans, and Chris Hicks on guitar, Brit Turner on drums, with Clay Cook on keyboards, and Jimmy DeMartini on fiddle.
Any last thoughts?
Thank you for thinking of us, we love Sixthman cruises and we're so excited for Skynyrd in January!!!
Hi Sixthman Cruisers!
It's Mike Williams, Sixthman warrior, here to answer some of your questions that were submitted on Facebook.
Whose crazy idea was it to start this company?
Andy Levine had a reoccurring theme in his life that proved to be much more than a theme, but fate. Sister Hazel was an up-and-coming band of five members. Andy was their manager, making him the sixth(man). After years of faithfully following the band, their super supportive fans wanted a way to mix and mingle with them. A partial charter aboard Carnival Cruise Lines' Jubilee was the solution and The Rock Boat was born. Now, 11 years and 27 full-ship charters later, Sixthman continues to help communities LIVE LOUD!
When will there be a Sixthman Pirate Party between two ships at sea?
If the cruise lines would let us, we would be totally be down for this! Man, that would be fun!
Does the Sixthman staff see your cruises as a chance for a vacation?
Usually the cruises are not a typical vacation for us because we do work long hours on board. But, we definitely do get some down time while on board. Also, we've adopted a new thing this year that allows us to go on one of our events as purely a guest – a stow-away for lack of a better word. We have no responsibility except to enjoy the event as if we were guests, using that perspective to make the company better.
How do you choose your new cruises?
The biggest component that we take into consideration when looking at new cruise opportunities is making sure there's thriving a community out there, harness that energy, and help bring them to the next level of connectedness. We are masters at helping set the stage and bringing people together, but the community needs to already exists.
Have you ever had an artist not want to return?
Simply put – NO! From the different conversations we've had with artists in the past, here is what we can say:
1. There is no other place where they get such intimate and direct interaction with you, their fans. And not only with you, but with each other. Many bands have found their land-based touring partners on Sixthman ships.
2. The environment is pure – no cell phone or internet distractions. Being disconnected creates better personal connections.
3. They feel as if they're on vacation, too! Sixthman works really hard to make sure that the artists (and their families) get some down time on the cruises to enjoy themselves.
As many of you may know the Sixthman team does a lot of traveling, and we constantly find ourselves on airplanes flying from port to port. While spending hours up in the air we have to find things to keep us busy besides the ordinary crossword puzzles and thus, we developed the SkyMall game. We now want to give you the chance to play along and see how well you know your Sixthman staff.
Here is how it works. If you have ever flown, you know the ridiculous gizmos and gadgets you can find in the SkyMall magazine. We have given you a couple of our staff's recent choices - pick the gift that best represents each staff member.
1) Brobdingnagian Sports Chair
This portable chair elevates your physical stature at any outdoor event.
Measuring 5-1/2' tall, the chair is certain to provide stadium seating at any
venue. This would be a perfect gift for a coworker who is laid back and needs
some extra height at any out door venue.
2) The World's Largest Crossword Puzzle
This crossword puzzle holds a world record for it size, and hangs on
a full 7' by 7' of wall space and has 28,000 clues for over 91,000 squares.
This would be a perfect gift for a coworker who is constantly thinking of
ways to solve problems and is always up for a new challenge. You might
find this person running around the office.
3) The Electric Personal Transporter
This is the four-wheeled electric personal vehicle that provides effortless,
smooth 12-14 mph transport on paved paths, and perfect for leisurely rides
through the office. This would be a perfect gift for someone who likes
to cruise through the office on shiny rims while checking out computers.
4) Mustache Mirror
Three bushy, manly lip ticklers are printed boldly at the perfect level
so you can try one on for size; the ready-to-hang accent will be a hit
in your entry or powder room. This gift is for a person who has
a bubbly personality and loves to act. (Beware this one can be tricky!)
5) Orbit Wheels
This is a cross between a skateboard and inline skates, but with more
freedom and simplicity than either. This is a perfect gift for this co-worker
who loves speed and lives for extreme sports, like rock climbing.
6) SpyEar
The office can be a pretty hectic place these days, and it's not always
easy or practical to make every meeting. But you can listen in on conversation
with the SpyEar. This would be the perfect gift for someone who always
needs to know what's happing in the company.
Your Choices:
A) Andy Levine, CEO and Founder
B) Becki Carr, PR Manager
C) Jason Fulsang, IT Wiz
D) Mike Williams, Warrior
E) Maggie Webb, Office Manager
F) Barbara Tushbant, Warrior
(Note: All items and descriptions can be found in the Sky Mall magazine.)
Answers: 1:B, 2:E, 3:C, 4:F, 5:D, 6:A
