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Jam Cruise Virgin No More – Day Two

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photo by: Gabe Terlemezian

Please read Jam Cruise Virgin No More for my recount of the first day on the boat.

Ok, I lied. We did find the Jam Room our first night, and were treated to Zach Deputy jamming the first night away. I also forgot that we ate dinner with The Heavy Pets, and we bonded over us all being Jam Cruise Virgins. They told us where the Jam Room was, how to get there, and that they’d be down there. Yes, this was the first day…

photo by: Jeffrey Dupuis

After an amazing first day on the boat, we woke to coffee that we remembered to order the night before, and lounged on our balcony far away from land, my iPhone didn’t get a connection, and I was beginning to feel the first signs of becoming unplugged. Phones were safely locked away in the safe and it was time to start this second glorious day.This day we figured out what the drink tickets were all about. You buy a packet of drink tickets, charge them to your room, and there is a slight savings on price. Not much, but a small savings. I had decidedly become addicted to the fruity cruise drink known as BBC – Bacardi, Baileys, Banana and Pina Colada mix all whizzed together into a smoothie. Oh my my my, delicioso! (I have become so enamored with this drink, that from here on out we make a BBC every Friday – BBC Friday – and celebrate in honor of Jam Cruise.)

Our Hallway Decorated. Photo by: Gabe Terlemezian

The coolest part of Jam Cruise is that the most unexpected people show up. I met a friend who I had met at Warren Haynes’ Xmas Jam in 2010, and it was like no time had passed. I met friends whom I only see at Wanee, or any of the other festival folk I see year after year. The greatest thing was we were all on this boat together for the next 5 days, it was the ultimate festival.

OK – so this second day we found our place on the 2nd level on the pool deck. I slathered sunscreen on my hideously white body and drank my BBC’s while grooving to Keller and the Keels and Bruce Hornsby. The winds were intense, but the mere scene of warmth, water, cruise, lounging, drinking, music and dancing blew any issues of the wind from my mind.

Bruce Hornsby Photo by: View Skewed

We caught Matt Hubbard playing as we walked from the Pool Deck to our room. Photo by: View Skewed

Ivan Neville’s crew were set to play a Sly set on the pool deck, and they did a funky little bit until the rain came. They were troopers, Ivan didn’t want to leave the stage, but the rain came down quick and fast, and everyone scrambled. I was bummed that set was cut short.

We went for dinner at the buffet (pizza and pasta) and then went back to the cabin to get ready for the evening musical extravaganza.

So, there is a theater on the boat called Zebra Bar. And everyone wears zebra clothing in the Zebra Bar. This night, I wore my zebra shoes – 5 inch platform real zebra shoes, which I was only able to stand in for about an hour. We bounce our way down to the Zebra Bar – we have a definite idea now how to navigate around the boat, and the place is pumping with the Dead Kenny G’s. Raging. Hard. Fast. Furious. I’m loving it, in seventh heaven until George Porter Jr. shows up and raises this funk a notch. Or two.

photo by: View Skewed

We ran from the Dead Kenny G’s to see Galactic on the Pool Deck. The rain had passed, and these guys crush it. The pool deck was packed, but not too packed. I stayed on the side of the stage, behind the speakers so the music wouldn’t kill my ears. I tried to be aware of things like that. Me and my crappy ears…thank goodness for ear plugs.

Then we ran to the back of the boat for Eric Krasno’s Jam Room session where the Royal Family members were kicking back, jamming in perfect Jam Room style. Seriously, this room is chill, and funky and intimate. Did I say this whole cruise still felt intimate and accessible?

photo by: Ananda Atmore

Then we hit a little bit of Umphree’s in the Purple Theater (Teatro Carlo Felice) and go for The New Mastersounds on the pool deck, and back to the Jam Room. Yes, it was a Magical Meredith Tour once again from the front of the boat to the back of the boat, up and down elevators, stairs and hallways.

photo by: View Skewed

The third day we got off the boat in Haiti. By this time, I had fully unplugged. Stay tuned!

Jam Cruise Virgin No More

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I took a sail on Jam Cruise this past week, and I am still floating from it.  Besides it being a cruise, on the water, to Jamaica and Haiti, being able to lay in the sun, play in the water, get sand on my feet and enjoy the relaxing surroundings, there were also hundreds of musicians, playing from dawn to dusk every night.  A literal music festival on the high seas, and what a sail it was.

We road tripped from seeing friends in Orlando down four hours to Ft. Lauderdale, dropped the rental car off and got in a cab towards the boat, the MSC Poesia.  She’s a large thing, and as an overall cruise newbie, I had never seen one of these tall humongeous boats in person before.  I was excited, to say the least.  We spent 2.5 hours on line going through customs and being shuffled from room to room, going through the maze of lines, sitting and standing in holding rooms and yet, more lines.  But I was still excited.  I told my boyfriend and he laughed at me.  I was just all over excited, grinning from ear to ear.

We met up with two other friends in line, (I knew of about a dozen people on the boat,) and we walked onto the boat together. My head was spinning and I lost my sense of direction immediately.  We were led into The Zebra Bar for our first drink of the cruise and cheered “to Jam Cruise!” as we made our way to our rooms.  One of our two bags were waiting for us, and that one was not mine.  I didn’t get to wear my outfit for the Bon Voyage Yacht Club theme night party.

We had a small room with a balcony.  Small but cozy and we loved it.  We loved our room.  We jumped up and down, squealing “We’re on the boat!” as the door knocked.  We had 8 or 9 of us in that room, as my friends had the other three rooms next to us, and we had a party in room 10208.  Jam Cruise…we’re jamming before we even left the port.

As everyone settled into their rooms throughout the boat, we unpacked and got ready to go up to the pool deck.  As virgins, we didn’t know where the pool deck was, so we wandered the floors until we found it.  (My boyfriend called these “wanderings” the Magical Meredith Tour.)  On our way, we found the cafeteria, with food ready to be eaten.  We found the pool deck and then we found the bar.  We were told that they didn’t take cash and we had to use our room keys.  Well, that was easy!  Well, not so easy actually.  The bartenders seemed very discombobulated, not organized at all and the wait for a drink was, well, extensive.  But, we got our drinks and headed off to where the Dirty Dozen had already taken stage.  The energy was amped, I was amped, everyone was amped as we danced to New Orleans horns and waited to leave the dock.

And then we left….

Off for one day at sea, then to Labadee Haiti, then to Falmouth Jamaica… ahhhh.

The scene was not your typical festival scene. Everyone had costumes on, matching sailors outfits, men wearing dresses, women wearing nets, brightly colored wigs and the sparkle on clothing were eyeblinding. Masks, feathers, fishnets, neon colors all swirled into a huge crowd dancing, smiling, laughing, hugging each other as we sailed away. I felt the boat move, I looked at my guy wide-eyed and felt it in..my..bones that we were off the grid, unfindable, and on the spectacular Jam Cruise.

We hit the following Monday night shows:

Dirty Dozen
Bruce Hornsby
Lettuce (took over Schpongle’s set)
7 Walkers
Umphree’s McGee
Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe

We never did find the Jam Room that night.

I will enjoy recounting this – perhaps my Jam Cruise glow will stay alight a little longer….
Stay tuned.. And I’ll find some pictures too. :)