Cruisin' with the Ladies

We recently went on our first couple only vacation since our honeymoon 8 years ago, and it was worth the wait! We took a 5 day "Ships and Dip" Barenaked Ladies (BNL) Carnival cruise to Turks and Caicos while Olivia stayed with her grandparents. The temperature was in the 80's the entire trip, the food was plentiful (although not always spectacular), Kate was seasick for the majority of the time (but was still able to have fun), and the entertainment was so constant that Joe had to finally give up and realize that it was not humanly possible to attend every event offered. This cruise featured BNL (Joe's absolute favorite band for those who do not know), with "side" acts of Guster, Vanity Project, Thinbuckle, Harland Williams (comedian), Brothers Creggaan, New Odds, and Sean Cullen (comedian). There is no way to write about all that the cruise had to offer, but multiple daily concerts, a naked picture with the band (yep, you read that correctly!), a songwriters panel, a docking at Turks and Caicos for shopping/sand/ocean fun, and Guitar Hero contests with band members were just some of the happenings. For those who think that this sounds great, you can join the cruise next year as BNL has opted to make this a yearly event (although we will not be attending next year due to Ethan).

I'll start the pictures with a shot of a beautiful beach view of Turks and Caicos - Grand Turk Island to be specific. The sky was a bit overcast that day (we had had about a 5 minute rain shower) but believe me, the temperature was perfect! This was taken from the deck of the boat as we were waiting for the BNL poolside acoustic concert to start.

Joe and Kate waiting for the Vanity Project concert to begin. Our pre-concert entertainment for this show was watching the BNL band members' kids run around the stage.

Joe with Kevin (BNL pianist). He was not an easy picture to get as when we would see him on the ship he was always busy. Joe finally found him in the cafeteria getting a drink after a concert. Yes, all of the band members freely walked around the boat and ate in the same buffet line as everyone else. I must say that the fans did not overly mob the band, as that would not have been "true BNL fan behavior".

Joe with Steve (BNL guitarist and lead singer). This was after he performed in the Vanity Project concert and is extremely sweaty!

Joe with Jim (BNL bass guitar). We were able to talk with him before his Brothers Creggaan performance.

Joe with Tyler (BNL drummer). Also, for those fans in the know...Andy is barely visible in the left side of the picture. He was an original member of the band before dropping out to attend college (he was replaced by Kevin). At the BNL main concert, Kate later caught a drumstick that Tyler threw into the audience. However, Joe is under the (false) belief that the stick was meant for him and has taken ownership of it.

Last but not least, Joe's favorite picture from the cruise. He is posing with Ed (BNL lead guitarist and singer) before the Brothers Creggaan concert - yes, that is right, the band members would sit and mingle with the crowds at every concert. Anyway, Joe loves that Ed is giving the "rock horns" sign.

Our final picture needs a bit of an introduction, to say the least. BNL had a tradition of recording one song from each album in the nude. This love of nudity also applies to the tour bus, backstage at concerts, and the like. Well, someone thought it would be a great idea for the band and willing cruisers to pose for a huge Barenaked picture at sea. After much cajoling of Kate, we headed up to the deck with the other 700 participants and dropped our robes. This is the 'before' pic, and you can imagine all the skin in the 'after'. The band is in the front row of the upper deck area, and they are just as naked as the rest of us in the final pic. We were about half way back, and you can only see our faces and Joe giving Ed-esque rock horns. Actually posting the nude shot may be a little risque for a family blog, so feel free to ask to see it...if you dare.

Sorry all. We tried to put in the pic, but copyright issues prevent it. CLICK HERE to see the pre-nude goodness.

We could not end this posting without a quick note of the trouble it took to get to and from the cruise. The weekend we left was the time of the ice storm that went from Texas through Illinois, virtually canceling all flights out of St. Louis the day before we were to leave. With the second round of ice due to hit that night, we panicked and took an Amtrak to Chicago, slept in the airport, and caught a 6:30 am flight to Florida (after they de-iced the plane twice). All that being said, our original flight out of St. Louis did take off so it was all for nothing. Coming home was not much better as a snow storm was hitting the same states and our flight was canceled, causing us to spend 13 hours in the Ft. Lauderdale airport waiting for the last flight of the day - which luckily took off and saved us from another night sleeping in an airport. Both of us believe that it was all a small price to pay to be able to attend the cruise.