Nashville – Day 2

We got up, grabbed a quick breakfast and headed over to the Opryland Hotel. I heard some positive things about the property and gardens, so we decided to check it out. It was overwhelmingly big and it turns out that it’s the largest non-gambling hotel in the world. We decided to take a Riverboat Tour of the indoor gardens that gave us a great view of all the different plants, flowers and waterfalls. Our guide was great and informed us that when the Delta River was built, the hotel requested water samples from all over the world and from every river in the United States. A “mixing of the waters” ceremony was held when the river opened in 1996.


Waterfall in The Cascades Atrium


One acre skylight in the Conservatory


View from the Riverboat in Delta Island


Christmas may be over, but this is too pretty not to share

From the Opryland Hotel, we headed over to the Grand Ole Opry House to see a little piece of history. I’ve never been a big fan of country music, but the Opry was a must-visit. To see the spot where so many country superstars have performed is impressive. I also can’t believe the venue was partially underwater less than two years ago. You would never know it by the looks of things now.


Us outside the Grand Ole Opry House


I don't think you're supposed to stand up there...whoops!

We headed back downtown for dinner and settled on Sole Mio for some Italian. After dinner, we got ready for the night and went to 12th & Porter to meet-up with Chad & Amy for the SafetySuit CD Release Party. I couldn’t have been more excited to see SafetySuit there since it’s the venue where they were originally signed.


12th & Porter


Us with Chad & Amy ready for the show


The opening acts consisted of Chasing Change and Throwing Gravity. The bands did a great job warming us up for the main event. SafetySuit took the stage and about two songs into their set, it was obvious that something was wrong. Doug (lead singer) wasn’t playing his guitar and just didn’t look well.

Ultimately, he had been battling a stomach virus all day and it took everything in him to come out and perform the 5 songs he was able to make it through. He even tried to give it another go while he used the mic stand to hold him up. He apologized profusely and acknowledged that so many people had come from all over for this event and it’s not his style to cancel a show. You could see the emotion all over his face as he appeared to be even more disappointed than the fans. Personally I can’t imagine making it to the mailbox with a stomach virus, so to see him push through tells me everything I need to know about what kind of band SafetySuit is (not that I didn’t already know).


Doug

The drummer, Tate came on the mic and said they were going to try something different. The rest of the show turned into a sing-along with members from the opening bands coming out to lead the crowd. This speaks volumes about the kind of fans SafetySuit has. While most people would have left after hearing Doug was done for the night, everyone did the exact opposite and showed their allegiance by singing and celebrating what the night was all about: SafetySuit and their new album, These Times. It was bittersweet and I’m glad I was there to be a part of it.


Us with Tate, J and Dave from SafetySuit

Weekend recap

I’ve been so busy (hence my lack of blogging) and decided that enough was enough. This was a weekend to relax and get some fun back in my life.

Friday, we made a quick mall run and then hit Arby’s for dinner. We stayed in the rest of the night and relaxed. Just what I needed after a long week.

Saturday, Geof and I went to Spice for dinner and I got my usual Indian dish (Chicken Tikka Masala). It was so good, as always. From dinner we went to the movies to see X-Men: First Class. It was really good and kept my attention the entire film. I’m not into comic books, but have seen all of the other X-Men movies and it was interesting to see the backstory on Professor X and Magneto. Sorry if I sound like a huge nerd right now, but I love superhero-ish movies. Hugh Jackman also made a cameo which was a nice little surprise. Jennifer Lawrence played the young Mystique and I’m realizing more than ever how absolutely gorgeous she is. Kevin Bacon also played a great bad guy. There really aren’t enough good things to say about this movie.



Chicken Tikka Masala



Sunday, our friends Kristen and Dan came over and we headed down to World Café Live in the city to see The Daylights and The Parlotones. We met up with our friends Emily and Jen and all had a really nice time. We first saw The Daylights on the Vh1 Best Cruise Ever and became fans there. It was nice to see them again and they sounded fantastic. The Parlotones are a band from South Africa and they were great as well. It was the last night of their tour together, so both bands played plenty of pranks on one another during their sets.


Geof and I with Ran from The Daylights


The Parlotones

Monday I took the day off and Kristen and I went to the pool. Pure relaxation!

Weekend recap

Friday I took the day off and our friends Stephanie and Tracy from Maryland came up for the evening. We went to happy hour at The Deck for a bit and then headed down to The Mann Center in the city for The Script concert. We got these tickets weeks ago and found out that SafetySuit was recently added to the tour. You all know they’re my favorite band, so to get to see both was an awesome plus. Some of our other friends were at the concert and Dawn and Stacy had extra tickets in better seats so we moved down to be with them. The weather could not have been better for a show at an outdoor venue and seeing both bands took me right back to a few weeks ago when we saw them on the VH1 Best Cruise Ever. After the show we waited around and got to see the guys from The Script. They’re so down to earth and nice, especially for being as popular as they are.


Tracy, Stephanie, Geof and I at The Deck


Us with Danny from The Script

Saturday, Geof and I went to Linvilla Orchards for the Strawberry Festival. The weather was nice and not too hot. We went to feed the deer and then took a hayride out to the strawberry fields to roll up our sleeves and get to picking. We only picked the best and made it a nice afternoon out of it. No matter what season it is, I love spending time at Linvilla.


Strawberry Festival

Sunday, we got my mom and went to the movies to see Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides in 3D. I loved it and it’s probably my favorite movie of the summer season so far. I hope this ignites a new series in the Pirates franchise as the movie certainly left it open for more. I also loved Penelope Cruz as the leading lady.


On Stranger Tides

After the movies, we went to Pinocchio’s and then headed and caught some of the MTV Movie Awards. Every year that I watch, I cringe little more and it makes me feel so old, yet I continue to tune in.

VH1 Best Cruise Ever 2 - Day 4

This was the last full day of the cruise and we had to make it count. We started the day off with lunch, met up with Chad & Amy and headed down to the Candlelight Lounge for Pop Culture Trivia. We made it fun, but the questions were pretty ridiculous and it wasn’t what we thought it was going to be. Afterwards, Geof and I decided to head off to the casino for some slots. Note to self: Never gamble on a cruise ship. They’re there to take your money, not make you money. I need to learn to play table games.

There were acoustic shows all day on the Lido Deck and we got out there with just enough time to catch Train’s entire set. It was the first time we saw them on the cruise and they were excellent. We had an early dinner after Train and then headed off to our cabins to get ready for the night.


Enjoying Train on the Lido

The evening started off with a robe party hosted by Lifehouse. There were people all over the ship in their pajamas and robes, including Chad! The first show of the night we wanted to see was Deck of Jack. They drew a large crowd and even got Ben from Lifehouse to come up and play. The song that had me laughing the most was about Jim Shearer’s days working at McDonald’s and when there manager would leave they would make 100’s of nuggets and “blow out the bin”. This was back when all the food was ready made and sat in those bins/boxes. I guess you had to be there, but it had everyone in stitches.


Geof and I ready for the night!


Me with Danny from The Script, Geof & I with the boys from Lifehouse and Geof with some the guys from The Daylights

Later, we went to the Candlelight Lounge to see the rest of Mat Kearny’s set. Like I said in my previous post, he is so talented and I’m really glad I got to see him on the cruise. After Mat, SafetySuit was up to play the last show on the ship. I cannot think of a better way to end vacation then have my favorite band play last. The Candlelight was mobbed and they put on one hell of a show. Things really got pumping once front man Doug Brown made the official announcement of Bin Laden’s death. There was a really camaraderie among the cruisers and we even got a U.S.A. chant going. Doug told us a story about how his father was in one of the towers on 9/11 and thankfully was able to make it out. I can’t imagine what their family went through on that day.


Deck of Jack, Mat Kearney & SafetySuit


The gang!


Amy & I with Doug



The thing that continues to set SafetySuit apart from other bands is their stage presence and energy. It doesn’t matter if it’s a large or small crowd; they always give it their all. I realize I’m a little biased since you all know I’ve seen them one too many times, but I saw many people on Facebook that had never seen them before that said the same thing.


Geof & I with Mat Kearney

We ended the night with our crew up for some late night snacks. I was so dehydrated from all the singing and dancing that all I wanted was water. Lots and lots of water. It was pretty much a pout fest on how much we didn’t want our trip to end.


Best.Time.Ever

Last year was pretty darn hard to top, but I think we did it. I had so much fun this time around and felt even more relaxed. Thank you all for taking this little journey along with me through my recaps!

VH1 Best Cruise Ever 2 - Day 3

We started the morning bright and early with breakfast and then met up with Tracy & Steph to get to our Cozumel excursion. It was a beautiful day in Mexico and we really couldn’t have asked for better weather the entire cruise.

We went right to the docks to board our catamaran and get the day started. The guys on the crew of our excursion were a blast. There was one named “Nacho” that looked like a Mexican Jack Sparrow. No joke.


Our excursion!


Tracy & Steph with Nacho!

We went out to the reef and jumped in the water for about an hour of snorkeling, seeing lots of colorful fish in what was a great experience. Then it was time for fun in the sun with margaritas when the catamaran took us all to a beautiful beach for some playtime in the ocean. The beach was filled with all kinds of goodies including everything from water slides to trampolines. It was so fun! The slide was the best part, but climbing it was an upper body workout. I did it once and that was enough for me. On the other hand, the water trampoline was awesome. After we got back onto the catamaran, they gave us a ride back to the docks, filled with more drinking and some cheesy line dance music, which was a ton of fun. I’m so glad we did this excursion because it was a blast and worth every penny.


Sun & Fun!

When we headed back to the ship for a quick lunch, we grabbed Chad & Amy and then went back on the island to hang out at Fat Tuesday, where we spent a few hours talking, drinking and laughing. On our way back to the ship, we spotted Jimmy from Train and took a funny picture with him at the bar. After that we saw our buddy Jim Shearer who happened to be filming a segment for the Top 20 Countdown and they ended up putting us in the shot with him, which was really exciting. Hopefully, we should be in the very last segment of the show this weekend when they air the countdown.


Fat Tuesday


The gang with Jimmy from Train


Us with The Inspiration in the background


Getting ready to be on the Top 20 Countdown

Once back onboard, I was feeling pretty worn out from sun, swimming and margaritas. We had took a nap, grabbed some dinner and roamed the ship before getting ready for the night. We headed up to the Paris Lounge to see Mat Kearney and The Script. I can honestly say that I didn’t know much about Mat or his music before the cruise and left vacation a huge fan. He has some great tunes and is a genuinely nice guy. After he went off, it was time for The Script. I’ve been looking forward to seeing these guys for months and they did not disappoint. Danny has an incredible voice and even though they’re considered rock/pop, he has a flow to his singing that almost reminds me of rap/R&B. They really put on a show and Danny’s stage presence kept everyone engaged the entire time.


Me with Jason Wade from Lifehouse


Mat Kearney


The Script

After the show, we headed up to The Candlelight Lounge to find Chad & Amy. We bumped into Ryan Star and chatted with him for a little. He was another very nice, talented artist on the cruise. We caught part of the Civil Twilight show and then went to see the Yacht Rock Revue on the Lido Deck. They were doing covers of U2 songs that night. We stayed for a bit and then went with Tracy and Stephanie to get some late night snacks. The weather was beautiful, so we dined al fresco. It was great to relax and chat awhile with good friends.


Us with Ryan Star

VH1 Best Cruise Ever 2 – Day 2

We slept in until 11 and headed out of our cabin for a fun day at sea! We started the day off with some lunch and then went down to the Serenity Deck to relax and look at the beautiful ocean for awhile. We also took a walk down the Promenade Deck and ran into Pat Monahan from Train. He was very nice and it was great to chat with him for a bit. From there, we went up to Lido Deck and met up with Tracy and Steph for some sun and fun. The four of tackled the awesome water slide a few times.


Starting the day off with a margarita!


Time to tackle the slides!


Us with Pat Monahan from Train

Deck of Jack was playing on the Promenade Deck at the Violin Bar, so we made sure to get there early for that. Jim Shearer from the Vh1 Top 20 Countdown is the lead singer of the band and they are absolutely hysterical. There are no words to describe how hard they had us all laughing. They sing about everything from Turtle Wax to Apollo Creed. We were there with our “Wolfpack”(me, Geof, Chad, Amy, Steph & Tracy) and had a blast.


Jim Shearer with his band Deck of Jack

From there, we went to plan our land excursion and then had dinner with Steph and Tracy in the Mardi Gras dining room. After dinner, we went to our cabin to get ready for the evening.

We met everyone up in the Paris Lounge for SafetySuit and Lifehouse. Both shows did not disappoint and we all had a blast. From the concerts we went up to the Candlelight Lounge for Karaoke. People sang some really random songs. It was fun to see though.


Geof & Chad ready to rock


The ladies


Jason from Lifehouse


Us at Karaoke

To cap the night off, we all went for a midnight snack at the buffet and ran into John from SafetySuit. He chatted with us for awhile and then J from SafetySuit came along and we said a quick hello to him too. We all hung out for awhile longer enjoying some late night laughs and shenanigans. By the end of the night, I officially lost most of my voice.


This pic says it all!

VH1 Best Cruise Ever 2 – Day 1

Hello my lovely blog friends! I’m back from vacation, unpacked and ready to relive the memories through some recaps. I’m hoping this doesn’t bore you to tears, but I always like to relive my vacations through my blog. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gone back to read old posts and remember the fun times.

On Thursday, we flew to Tampa and were very worried we wouldn’t get out of here due to some nasty weather headed straight for Philadelphia. Once we were in the air, I was able to breathe a sigh of relief. We landed safely in Tampa and shared a cab to the port with two fellow cruisers from Boston that we saw several times on the ship. Great guys!

The second we walked on the Inspiration, we were met with smiles from good friends Amy and Chad that we met on the cruise last year. We’ve keep in touch with them ever since and I was super excited to see them.


Us with Chad and Amy

We all went and had some lunch at the buffet and then headed down to our cabins to get settled in. Lifehouse rocked us out to sea on the Lido Deck and we went to check it out with Amy and Chad. After that, we listened to Crowfield for a little bit play in the Atrium.


I missed those towel animals


Lifehouse rocking us out to sea

We went to the Carnivale Dining Room for dinner and loved our server and host. I asked them if they love these types of cruises, since they don’t have to dance around the dining room and they said I just read their minds because they hate that. It made me laugh…a lot. After going on the Vh1 cruises, I could never go back to a regular one.

After dinner, we went back to our cabin to get ready for the night. We met up with Amy, Chad, Tracy and Steph in the Candlelight Lounge for the SafetySuit show. This was one of the best shows on the cruise and we had a blast. We got to hear 4 new songs off of SafetySuit’s upcoming album and the mood in the audience was awesome. We saw Tate, Dave and Chico from SafetySuit after the show and talked to them for a bit.


Amy and I


Tracy, me & Steph


One of our many self-portraits


Doug from SafetySuit

From SafetySuit, we headed up to the Lido Deck to catch the rest of The Script show and ran into our buddy Jim Shearer from the VH1 Top 20 Countdown. He is awesome, but more on that later. We also got to meet Danny from The Script and he was very nice.


Us with Jim Shearer


The Script


Us with Danny from The Script

To cap off the night, we got some late night pizza with Chad and Amy and then headed back to the Candlelight Lounge to see the Yacht Rock Revue. They were awesome and played hits from the 70’s and 80’s. They’re actually pretty talented and never stayed out of their retro characters the entire cruise. We took a late night stroll of the Promenade, hit the club/disco for a bit and called it a night.


Us with the Yacht Rock Revue