Guest / Entertainment Announcement
So ... when should we expect the first announcement about special guests and entertainment? I'm trying to convince friends to go, but it's rather difficult without any idea of the entertainment until (what's rapidly becoming) the last minute.
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Comments
(AT least, after I talked myself into it financially, having saved a tiny bit out of my paycheck specifically for vacation purposes for months at that point, but never having taken one.)
I absolutely get that specific entertainers can be a big selling point for people when it comes to a vacation this big and expensive. I really, really do. But the comparison I always draw is MaxFunCon. MaxFunCon generally goes on sale on or around Black Friday. It occurs in the late May/end of June timeframe. It costs $800 or so per person, plus travel to the L.A. area. And, normally, it is sold out before any entertainers or instructors at all have been announced. The actual class lineup is maybe a month out, which is months after all the tickets have been sold.
People pay that much money, up front, without knowing who is actually going because:
- The atmosphere and attendees of MaxFunCon are a huge selling point, just like with the JoCo cruise.
- Everybody trusts the MaxFunCon staff to source and book a selection of people who are amazing ... just like with the JoCo cruise.
That's how I look at the JoCo cruise as well. The entertainers and the nightly shows are a tiny part of the whole experience, and at this point there's a proven track record of their being great.I'd like it if the cruise reached the point that MaxFunCon has, where it's just a given that many to most people decide to go in advance of the performers, with the performers not being people's deciding factor most of the time.
...I guess there IS a casino on board.
When guests have to cancel now (as they do, and as they have before, sometimes at the last minute) there is way less risk of that, because most people bought their tickets before it was announced that the now-canceled entertainer would even be on board. People will still be disappointed, but there will be no "OMG I can't believe I WASTED $2,000 on a cruise to see Bubba Bo Bob Brain and Bubba Bo Bob Brain ISN'T GOING TO BE THERE."
The entertainment's awesome, but it's such a tiny part of the cruise as a whole. An individual entertainer's set is going to be maybe an hour out of the whole thing. Making buying decisions based on entertainers is a road to disappointment.
I can confirm the presence of one half of the band Crazy For Jane, who just signed up without so much as checking the dates or location or really anything on the cruise website or the work of the known entertainers, purely on the strength of my enthusing about it being a cruise full of geeks and music. I meant this more as a chetman-style 'entertainment announcement', but in context I guess it can also function as a 'see, you don't need to know about the entertainers!' example, though of course with limited vacation time and budget it's a good idea to read the details of location/time/pricing/etc. before booking.
Now I live in the same city as a pre-monkey, and that is very exciting! Later, I will get to have sea monkey reunions without even crossing a country! But that's a bit off-topic.
Although, I suppose it doesn't really convey much information, given that Wonder Woman and Wonder Man are not actually married to each other. On the other hand, I don't think Mr. Do is married to do. Maybe Mr. Do is a formal way of referring to a to-do list.
Anyway, I bet all the men are glad not to be Mangelastic or Angeladtic.
Complicating matters further, I'm pretty sure his name was "Mr. Do!" including the trailing exclamation mark. And yes, that means later games sometimes had graphics calling them things like "Mr Do!'s Castle"
I can confirm the expected presence of nerd-folker Glen Raphael. Does that help? :-)
2. That the entertainment comes with an extra bonus of literacy, common sense, and serious wickedness And, most likely, fine Scotch will be somewhere nearby.
3. Do not treat Chetman like a Superhero. As my my grannie used to say he'd get too big fer his britches.
4. Erin!, on the other hand, should be treated this way. :-)
@Oboewan : Awww, shucks. The real question is how to make the next "Glen Raphael & Friends" event top the last one. I mean, we could JUST add more cello and harmony and swap in some newer songs and give Ryan more room for a drum solo, but that would be TOO EASY. *steeples fingers like Mister Burns* *chuckles maniacally*.
@Oboewan: Are there any of my songs you find in particular need of oboe?
...and if so, would I get to say "It's in B; watch me for the changes and try to keep up"? Because I've always wanted to say that. :-)