Like most baby boomers, I'm a classic rock fan. One of my all time favorite bands is the Moody Blues, who I've seen in concert as recently as last year and as long ago as 1971. A Moody Blues concert Julie and I attended in San Diego about 20 years ago ranks as one of the top five concerts I've ever attended.
In January of 2018, the Moody Blues will headline a five night Western Caribbean cruise on a terrific ship, Celebrity Eclipse.
As someone who also happens to sell cruises, I'm impressed and proud of the fact that the 2018 Moody Blues Cruise is already 85% sold out.
The only rooms still available on that classic rock themed cruise are Veranda at $1795 and Concierge Class at $1995 per person, plus tax.
For the quality of the cruise experience compared to the combined price of big city lodging, dining and entertainment, the prices on the remaining rooms are still great, especially when you consider interior rooms on that trip started at $1095 pp while available. If you're interested in joining that specific cruise let me know (quickly, before they sell out completely!).
However, I also have to say that you can get a longer cruise to even more great Caribbean ports, sans old rockers, for those prices or less. And to be blunt, the old rockers are legendary but no longer in their primes (in fact, often only one or two original members, if that many, still perform).
On the other hand, the young onboard entertainers found performing regularly on Celebrity Eclipse and other ships are talented performers in their primes.
It's not just production shows in big theaters but also combos and duets playing in intimate venues, sized like those where classic rockers played when coming up through the ranks (and actually a lot nicer than those dives like the Cavern where the Beatles honed their craft).
In addition, there are special guest stars brought on board for performances between production shows, so you're often surprised to discover a classic artist performing on your cruise.
This is not to say that cover bands replace the artistry inherent in originals, and if seeing the Moody Blues or the Zombies live motivates you to take a themed cruise, I'll be happy to sign you up for that specific trip.
However, keep in mind that in addition to being a world class floating resort with fine dining that calls on great ports, a cruise always includes lots of great entertainment.
Where in the world would you like to go?
In case the connection to the Zombies wasn't clear, I should add that this week, the Moody Blues announced that the original Zombies (or at least all who are still alive) will perform their 1968 album "Odyssey and Oracle" in its entirety as special guests on the 2018 Moody Blues Cruise.
I did a search on youtube and found they had done a 40th anniversary performance of the album in 2008 (embedded above). That album really is a masterpiece that epitomizes the flower power era, even if I don't remember most of the songs.
I did a little more research and found that they released several songs from that album as singles without success. With the backing of a major label, Columbia, the band probably had very high expectations of imminent success. Frustrations over flop after flop probably led to internal strife, but regardless of the exact reasons, the band broke up later that year.
Over a year after the band broke up, Columbia released the single "Time of the Season," which not only emerged as an international hit but subsequently became representative of the '60s in lots of movies.
Over a year after the band broke up, Columbia released the single "Time of the Season," which not only emerged as an international hit but subsequently became representative of the '60s in lots of movies.
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