BCE: Our Epic Adventure.

So… this is the blog I’ve been dying to write since October, since we booked our cabin on VH1’s Best Cruise Ever… the recap. This will go down as being the best vacation of my life so far. And let me tell you, it did not disappoint. At. All.

Seriously though. For those of you who know Chris and me, you know that combining a cruise with concerts is pretty much the best thing you can do vacation wise. We are concert people. We are that couple among our friends, the ones who go to more shows than people understand. So the day that Ryan Star announced he was performing on the cruise, we booked. Not that Ryan was the only good act on the cruise, not by a longshot. Lifehouse, The Script, Train, Mat Kearney…there were lots of great acts on board that we loved. We decided to familiarize ourselves with the other bands after we booked, and I must say, I fell head over heels in love with The Daylights when I bought their album in November. We were lucky enough to catch them a few times before the cruise, which was pretty fantastic. Needless to say, there was not going to be a shortage of good music for us onboard. Now all we needed was for April to hurry up and get here.

For clarification purposes: I was with my husband Chris, my sister Nikki (who I call Ki) and her best friend Noelle (who I’ve known since she was like 4). I did not personally know anyone else going, but we sure as heck made a lot of friends onboard thanks to the Facebook group, and the other diehard RStar fans who we met that first night.

Some of this is taken directly from my journals, for better or worse. Some of it is what I recalled later on. All photos were taken by me or Chris, save for a few I stole from my sister. Those are noted.

Also, we caught snippets of a lot of shows that I didn't mention here, such as Deck of Jack, Yacht Rock Review, Ben Rector, and Crowfield. I just didn't feel like I saw enough to really form an opinion. We also managed to miss Alpha Rev and OneEskimo due to scheduling conflicts. No disrespect to these bands at all. I heard amazing things about all of them! I did hear part of the U2 cover night, which I'm pretty sure was Yacht Rock Revue, and that was pretty awesome.

Wednesday, April 27, 2011 (written on Thursday, April 28)

We made it to Tampa alive. Planes still amaze me. How I can wake up on one coast, and in a few hours, be completely on the other side of the country. Florida looked really pretty from the sky, like people built houses and bridges over a series of puddles. Then we got off the plane, and I remembered that Florida has this little thing called humidity…

We met up with Noelle and Ki, once her plane finally landed after a short delay. There was a pretty cool mall nearby, with food, and stores I can’t afford. Seriously… Tiffany, Louis Vuitton, Coach, etc. It reminded me a bit of my favorite mall, the Spectrum in Irvine. Without the pet store and puppies. Anyway, we saw celebrity chef Robert Irvine at Cheesecake Factory. Chris went and said hi to him, and apparently he was very nice. I opted against it because I’ve seen how mean he can be on TV :) We hung in the hotel pool, then Chris and I decided to turn on SportsCenter and chill for a bit. I completely passed out. Waking up at 3am is not my favorite.

Thursday, April 28, 2011

IHOP began the day… then Chris and I hiked a mile to get soda to take with us. We repacked our suitcases, jumped on our shuttle, and got to the Port. My excitement level was off the freaking charts at this point. I’m pretty sure I had perma-smile for the rest of the day. We got through security (rum and all) and were shepherded to a little waiting area waiting for our zone to be called. I was antsy. But luckily, we didn’t wait long. Before I knew what was happening, we were at a table on the Lido deck, getting ready to grab lunch. And so it begins. Within 20 minutes of boarding, we get Jason Wade sighting #1. The man is EVERYWHERE, I found out. I think he probably has clones all over the place. But it was a great reminder of exactly where I was. I ordered a drink pretty much immediately. It was tropical and tasty!

As soon as the rooms were ready, we ran down to put away our carry-ons. Our luggage hadn’t arrived yet, but Sixthman left us some pretty sweet little gifts in our room. More reminders of where we were. The TVs in our room played a VH1 loop with artists from the cruise too! In addition to the Carnival channel, the Lido deck cam, and a few CNN channels. We ran into Svend and Ran from The Daylights on our floor, we were so looking forward to their show later that night! We met up with Ki and Noelle back on the Lido deck, and I walked into heaven. Lifehouse was soundchecking “Take Me Away.” They played the entire song a few times, I got up to Lido just before the last time. I’m pretty sure my jaw was somewhere on the ground… I love everything about that song. And I’ve never heard it live until today. And it was everything I hoped for.

Somewhere in the middle of Lido deck madness, we ran into Ryan. Hugs were exchanged, we did some minor catching up, and I got to show him my tattoo. Then I held my leg up very awkwardly while he gleefully took a picture of it with his phone. I then informed him that since I got the tattoo, he damn well better since the song [The song is 11:59. I have “11:59” tattooed on the inside of my left leg, just above my ankle]. We made plans to hang later.

Lifehouse played the first show of the cruise, on Lido, as we left Tampa. It was a great show. Got to hear some of my fave songs from Stanley Climbfall (besides “Take Me Away”) like “Spin” and “Wash.” Also continued drinking, so my buzz was pretty decent at this point.

Jason kicks off the Cruise!

Ki and Noelle enjoying some drinks

The girls: Nikki, Noelle, and me

My hubby and I

We decided to go to formal dining. Yeah… it took so long that we actually left before the entrees arrived to make it to Ryan’s show at the Promenade stage, which I absolutely was NOT missing. We got there in time! We met a guy named Zach who saw Chris' A's shirt, and struck up a conversation with us. He's from Oakland originally! We had a great time getting to know him over the course of the cruise, as we kept seeing him everywhere. Hopefully we'll cross paths with him again, he was awesome! The show started soon after we arrived, and I was in my happy place. It was a weird lighting situation photo wise, with the room itself being dark, but having huge, bright windows behind Ryan and Dallin… but the pictures came out. The show was great! Chris even ended up onstage playing tambourine! After the show, hung out to talk to Ryan. Talked to Dallin in the meantime, it was so good to see her again. I love her. Talked to Ryan for a bit, and he and Chris did a shot together.

The one and only Ryan Star

An abundance of good looking men on stage! Chris' rock star debut.

Dallin, in silhouette.

We ran back down to our room, decorated our door, then headed to the Atrium to see my boys in The Daylights.

Our door. It was awesome.

The Atrium is a strange venue. It’s multilevel, the bottom floor being the Empress deck, the 7^th floor. The stage is actually on the 8^th floor on this tiny little landing between the glass elevators, with a flight of stairs on each side, flanking the bar, which is on the 7^th floor and directly below the stage. Got it? Yeah. A weird spot for a rock show, you feel pretty disconnected from the band. They guys did great, but I couldn’t wait for their Lido deck show. I got a little worried for Ryan, since he and Dallin were playing the Atrium Sunday night. Dallin had assured me that they were going to rock the place, and that they were looking forward to it. I figured if anyone had a shot at blowing the roof off of the Atrium, it was Ryan and Dallin… Talked to Ran for a little while at the bar, which was awesome! Please note, he does not like Bud Light with lime.

The Daylights (Ran and Ricky). Photo credit: Nicole Glass

We split up with Ki and Noelle, who were going to see The Script. We decided to see Train. But to be honest, I got bored after only a few songs. The venue wasn’t my favorite, and we were crammed in the back, so we left and headed to the Lido deck to meet up with Ki and Noelle. Luckily, we had only missed a few songs. The Script was AMAZING live!! Danny is so passionate and has so much energy! You can tell he loves what he’s doing, and that he is exactly where he wants to be. We danced, sang, screamed, and had a rollicking good time with our boys from Dublin :)

Danny, singing his heart out!

We were rocking out too!

Ended up at the Lido buffet [please note that I spent ridiculous amounts of time here. The sandwiches were awesome, and there was soft serve ice cream and frozen yogurt 24 hours a day]. Grabbed some pizza and settled in to get some nourishment before joining the party on Promenade. Ended up eating with Svend and having a great conversation. Dinner with rock stars? Yes please!

We partied for a bit in the Promenade, but were back in our cabin at a respectable 2:30 am. This was our earliest bedtime the whole cruise. As I had an early morning planned, I wanted to get to bed “early.” Ha.

April 29, 2011

Happy Wedding Day to William and Catherine, Duke and Duchess of Cambridge!

I was up at 5:30 to watch the wedding at 6 (because I'm crazy. I'm aware that very few people understand, but it's okay). It was beautiful. Kate’s dress was stunning… then again, Kate herself is stunning anyway. Seriously one of the most beautiful women in the world. But she looked like a princess, and it was perfect for a Westminster Abbey wedding. I’ll admit that I cried, but that shouldn’t surprise anyone since I’m a hopeless romantic. Between the time that the newlyweds arrived at Buckingham and the balcony kiss, I ran up to grab breakfast. I enjoyed my bagel and coffee alone on the deck, quietly, looking out at the water. It was the most peaceful breakfast I’ve ever had! Watched the balcony kiss, then returned to my room, where my husband greeted me with the following quote: “I saw the dress. It was gorgeous.” I love him!

We decided to take a stroll around the deck, then he spent the morning playing on the waterslides while I stretched out on a lounge chair with my iPod staring at the water. Perfection. We watched the men’s wet t-shirt contest, had some lunch, and spent some time on the Serenity Deck with Ki and Noelle, and our new friends Evynne and Susan. Found out that Ki met Jason, and was happy to hear that it was everything she dreamed it would be :) I also “officially” met Serena, as I had been twitter stalking her for months!

Chris and I. One of my favorite pictures from this trip.

I was a big fan of this relaxation thing.

Chris and the waterslides!

Next on the agenda was our vow renewal. Ricky from The Daylights was officiating… yeah. It can’t get any better. I put on my pretty new dress and put a flower in my hair! “Father Daylight” led us in the cheesiest vows, and I loved every second. Despite the cheesiness, we truly were taking time out of our day to recommit our lives to each other (and rock and roll). So it counts as a legit vow renewal in my book ! We re-exchanged rings and of course, had our “first” kiss. Or, as the good reverend said, “now everyone make out!” We even got a “wedding certificate” delivered to our cabin later.

Our "wedding" picture

Us and our awesome officiant, Father Daylight :) Photo Credit: Nicole Glass

I fulfilled my dream of watching a concert from a swimming pool shortly thereafter, as we jumped into the Lido pool for Mat Kearney’s set. We jumped out relatively quickly to go grab a photo with Pat from Train, then jumped back into the pool for the rest of the set.

Pat and me!!

We watched The Daylights rock Lido!

Ran

Ricky

Svend

Then we got all dressed up for Royal Wedding night, had dinner, and headed to Paris Lounge to watch the beginning of Lifehouse before ending up at the Lido stage for Train’s performance.

Noelle, Nikki, me, and Chris in Paris Lounge.

Train on the Lido deck. Man. As gimmicky as Train can be, this was a fun performance. It’s impossible not to smile through a Train show. I got all of my favorites from over the years… my favorite though was getting to hear “Drops of Jupiter” outside on a perfect night. It was a moment that I’ll remember well! Hearing “Hey Soul Sister” and “Save Me San Francisco” was super fun, though it made me miss Jackson. All in all, they put on a fun show. And I totally watched a Train show, on a cruise ship, in a fabulous wrap dress and red high heels. Hot.

Again with the Promenade and the partying, and another late night for the Adys! And I met a few rock stars along the way. It was fun getting to tell Jason that I've been listening to Lifehouse since No Name Face came out. I remember the first time I listened to that album, and I STILL listen to it all the time!

Me with Danny from The Script

Me with Jason Wade!!

Saturday, April 30, 2011

COZUMEL!!!

It was time for a day in paradise. I wore shorts, breaking my streak of nothing but dresses (but rest assured, I was back in dresses that night, and stayed that way until pajama night!). We packed for our excursion, disembarked, and walked the pier to our ferry that would take us to Playa Del Carmen.

Yep. From one boat to another. We were serenaded by our Mexican superstar Francisco, who sang us a variety of songs ranging from Jason Mraz to Dave Matthews to Train. Yes, Train. Not quite the version of “Hey Soul Sister” that we heard on the Lido deck the night before, but not bad at all. He laughed when he found out we were on VH1’s cruise, and asked if he did the song justice.

Playa del Carmen was beautiful, the little bit of it that we saw.

We went from ferry to bus for our 45 minute drive to Tulum. Once we got to Tulum, it was a ½ mile walk to the entrance. The city was walled in, so you have to walk to the original entrance (which is very low. Ancient Mayans must have been short). Once we got in, I was stunned. The buildings and foundations were remarkably well preserved, and you get a really good idea of what the city must have looked like in its heyday. Our tour guide, Raul (who kicked major butt. I loved him) gave us a few quick lectures on what we were seeing, then walked us to a point where we could see the Temple of the Sun God really well for some awesome photo ops. The temple rendered me speechless. Now, you might think it’s just old rocks. But I don’t… to me, it’s absolutely beautiful (and we wonder why I became a history major). It got even more beautiful, as we hiked around looking at the buildings, then walked behind the temple to see the white sand beach with the bluest water I’ve ever seen. I couldn’t help it, I had to dip my feet in. And who knows? Maybe I got a blessing out of it, as Raul explained that the proximity to the temple leads them to believe it’s holy water.

Temple of the Sun God

Close up of the temple and altar stone

Standing directly behind the temple.

Paradise.

After ruins, Chris and I walked the ½ mile back to the parking lot, through a little marketplace type area, and had lunch at a little restaurant that our tour guide assured us was good.. Now, I’m very proud of this. Those of you who know me know that I’m a super picky eater. This restaurant had no menu, the waiter just informs you what they serve. I ordered my lunch without asking what was in it, and without customizing it at all. I was determined, for once in my life, to not be picky. It paid off. I was given the most delicious Mexican food I’ve ever eaten, and loved every bite.

We made the trip back on the bus, then the ferry, then spent about forty minutes walking around the shopping center at the pier before heading back onboard. We boarded the ship and went through security with the guys from The Script! We tracked down Nikki and Noelle, and went up to Lido to catch Colbie Callait’s show. She’s not my type of music, for the most part, but she wasn’t bad. And I love the song she sings with Jason Mraz, “Lucky,” which she sang with her guitarist (and I think boyfriend?) Justin. He sounded really good! We didn’t stay for her whole show, opting to go for dinner in formal dining before Ryan’s show that night. After dinner, readied ourselves for music video night. I went as a Robert Palmer girl (from the “Addicted to Love” music video), Nikki went as Beyonce (“Single Ladies”) and Noelle as Lady Gaga, blonde wig and all. We looked awesome. Nikki and Noelle were ready first, and came down to wait while I finished my makeup. I was doing the smoky eyes and bright red lips, and we had a fun conversation with Ran from The Daylights that involved me busting out an off key rendition of “Dancing In The Dark” with my makeup half on. Rock on.

Left to right: Charlotte (a friend from our Facebook group), and Nikki. the Single Ladies, Noelle as Lady Gaga, and me as a Robert Palmer girl

Ryan’s show was in Candlelight Lounge tonight, a GREAT venue for him. We ordered drinks, and I got an Long Island in his honor. Great way to start my night! Ryan was ON IT tonight . My moment of the night? "11:59." He played it tonight [and it was the only night he played it] and it was PERFECT. I loved his cover of “Rolling In The Deep” that he threw into the middle of “Take a Ride.” Also, his mash up that he does during “Back Of Your Car” was super special tonight… “My Heart Will Go On.” Please go find video of this, stat. It was an amazing cruise moment for me. After the show, we hung out with the RStar gang for a bit… Nikki and Ryan bantered back and forth, which cracks me up every time. Took pics with Ryan and Dallin, which was fun. Chatted with Serena for a hot second. Chris got drafted into the crew, so he helped haul equipment while I hung out in Candlelight waiting. Not that I minded, I got to catch Hope’s show in the meantime. I love her. She’s adorable, and has a great voice.

Ryan and Ki's first pic together. They wanted it to be memorable.

Me, Ryan, and Chris. This pic is on my mantle now. Haha.

The beautiful Dallin and me. She's awesome!

Hope during her show at Candlelight

Back to the Lido deck buffet, where Nikki lectured Ryan about his eating habits (before we arrived), I had a sandwich and some ice cream, and Ryan ended up at our table for a little bit where Nikki lectured him about his eating habits again (you had to be there). He’s fun to hang with! I hope to get to do that again some day.

We ended up going to the costume contest. There were a few Madonnas, like 6 Katy Perrys, a handful of Gagas, a few Single Ladies, a Michael Jackson, and an MC Hammer. One of the Katy Perrys actually looked like Katy Perry, which was a bit freaky. Hammer won! After, it was back to regular clothing before heading to see Civil Twilight in Candlelight. Now, I just saw Civil Twilight in March, and I have to say, I enjoyed them more the second time. They’re pretty cool. Not a band I would listen to all the time, but they have an interesting sound and the lead singer has a great voice. Chris and I brought out wine to the show, and we enjoyed it from one of the high backed round booths. It was a pretty cool way to watch a show, different from my usual vantage point somewhere in the sea of people near the stage. After Civil Twilight, we said good night to Ki and Noelle. We hung out in the lounge a bit longer, met Anita from our Facebook group, and even got a chance to say hi to Jimmy, the guitarist from Train! He’s amazing. I love that he gets a chance to show off during the live shows, the albums really don’t give you a good idea of his talent. Made it to bed sometime in the 3:00 hour.

It seemed very appropriate to take a picture with Jimmy from train while drinking some Napa Valley wine. :)

Sunday, May 1^st, 2011

Let me start with this. Today was the Race For Hope in Washington DC, and I was originally going to be there. However, for a variety of reasons, we decided to do the cruise instead. However, that did not stop me from joining David Cook’s team as a virtual runner, even if it meant completing a 5k on a cruise ship. This is a cause that I support 100% and I plan on participating in some way or another every year. So that was my first order of the day: run a 5k.

This may very well be one of the most interesting 5k’s I’ve ever run. I couldn’t find the gym, so I opted for the track on the top deck of the ship. In one direction, I could barely run due to the win, and in the other direction, the wind made me run! But I can safely say that it’s the only 5k that I’ve completed that involved a shirtless Jason Wade. I used him to pace myself. The game was to not let Jason lap me, which I was successful at. He finally lapped me during my cool down, and smiled (I won’t lie, the man has a killer smile) as he passed.

After getting cleaned up, it was time for Flip Cup. Sadly, the Flaming Dr. Peppers did not make it past the first round, but we had fun anyway. Then it was off to Lido for the acoustic afternoon: Colbie, The Script, Lifehouse, and Train. We missed Colbie’s show, but totally rocked out for The Scripts. For Lifehouse, the girls found spots poolside, so I had my feet in the water. I LOVED hearing old stuff, like “Breathing.” It was sad knowing this was the last Lifehouse show of the trip. We watched part of Train’s show, but knew that we needed to rush to be able to squeeze dinner in before The Daylights. After dinner, we donned our jammies (and robes, since Jason declared a robe party) and headed for promenade to see our boys!

Time for Ryan’s show! As Ryan requested, we parked ourselves on the second level of the atrium above the piano. Behind the scenes, there was a lot going on, but let’s not dwell on that. Instead, let’s dwell on the fact that it was WITHOUT A DOUBT my favorite show on the cruise. And my favorite Ryan show ever. This was my favorite “Last Train Home” [my favorite Ryan Star song] of the cruise, for starters. Also, he played his cover of “Head Like a Hole.” It was amazing. Then he went down to the piano and proceeded to blow my mind, and everyone else’s. First, he played “Losing Your Memory.” This is one of my favorite songs, and I’d never heard it live. It’s now my favorite Ryan live performance. The best way to describe the song is hauntingly beautiful. It’s chill inducing. When Ryan got to the bridge, and subsequent chorus, time stopped. People stopped walking, the bartenders stopped mixing. The only thing that existed in that moment was Ryan, and his voice soaring through the atrium. Then he moved on to “Sink or Swim,” then “Losing My Religion.” Glorious. It killed me. The piano set did me in. He went back up on stage to finish out the show. We heard “Take A Ride” with “Rolling In The Deep” again, as well as “Back of Your Car” and “My Heart Will Go On.” The atrium was really and truly rocked that night, and it will live on in the hearts and minds of children everywhere… or at least the minds of those fortunate enough to be present. I will NEVER forget this night, for more than just this show…

For the sake of scale... Ryan and Dallin are on the far left.

The multi-level audience in the Atrium

"We Might Fall"

Dallin, looking rather fierce

Best show of the cruise.

We saw Mat Kearney in Candlelight that night, then Chris and I went up to Lido for a late night snack. Then everything went crazy. Nikki and Noelle come running to find us. This is how the conversation pretty much went:

Ki & Noelle: “DUDE!!! OSAMA BIN LADEN IS DEAD!!”

Chris & Sandi: “WTF?!?! DID WE TAKE HIM OUT??”

Ki & Noelle: “YES! SECRET MILITARY OPERATION! GET DOWNSTAIRS NOW!”

I kid you not, I ran, ice cream cone in hand, in my pajamas, down to Chopin Lounge (which is by Candlelight) and gathered around one of the TVs. They had CNN on, and we were waiting for President Obama’s address. When he finally came on, everything quieted down so we could hear. It was surreal. When he announced that Bin Laden was dead, the room erupted. It quieted again, and when the President said that there were no U.S. casualties, there was more cheering. After his speech, more cheering. It was awesome. We went down to promenade, and not everyone had heard. I had the fun of getting to tell Evynne and Susan, and see their faces! When Trailer Park Ninjas announced it, everyone started chanting “USA! USA! USA!”

Later, we partied it up. I had the…. we’ll call it “unique pleasure” of seeing Ben Carey’s robe party attire. Again, you had to be there. We saw Ran again, and took pictures and hung out.

Me, Ran, and Chris

Ki in her robe :)

We had our second bottle of wine too, so I was in a great mood! Ki and Noelle stayed up with us until a respectable one in the morning before calling it a night. Chris and I went back to the buffet (hey. It was my last shot at 24 hour ice cream!) and then back down to Promenade. I got to meet Hope, who is a sweetheart.

Hope and me

We ran into Serena and Ryan in the casino, and ended up hanging with Serena until we went to bed. She’s totally awesome. I ‘m so happy I got to get to know her a bit on this trip. Of course, we couldn’t leave without saying good bye to our boy Ryan. I’m pretty sure Chris wouldn’t be able to sleep at night if we didn’t say good bye. (Man crush. Bromance. Whatever you want to call it, it’s hysterical.) But seriously, we love the guy, and are so happy that he was on this cruise and got new fans! It was a sad good bye, as we didn’t know when we’d get to see Ryan next. It’s the first time in a year that I haven’t known when my next Ryan show would be. Hopefully soon (hint, hint).

It was 5 in the morning before we made it to bed. Somehow we woke up and got to the airport, but had to wait a zillion years before our flight left. I was already in concert withdrawal, but I was keeping my eye on the prize… kisses from my favorite little boy! And many many hours later, after way too long on airplanes, we were home. Coming down the escalator at Sacramento Airport, I saw my son, running to meet us. We scooped him up into a hug, complete with wet kisses and tears. I missed him so much!

And thus ended the journey. It truly was the Best Cruise Ever. At least, until they announce the lineup for BCE 2012, which hopefully will be even better!