Review of Ticket to Cruise 2005

Date: November 18-21, 2005

Ship: Royal Caribbean's Monarch of the Seas

Itinerary: Sailing roundtrip from San Pedro to Baja, Mexico

Beatle fans of all ages came together from near and far for a Beatles Party Weekend Cruise to Ensenada, Mexico. Imagine 3 days jam-packed with tons of Beatle stuff, including private concerts by the Fab Four, the Ultimate Tribute to the Beatles. This was a private party of about 165 people and only those passengers booked through Cruises Cruises Cruises were invited to attend our events.

On Friday evening, after the sail away party on deck, we had a Welcome Aboard Beatles Bash which included a Question and Answer session with the Fab Four. At last... a chance to find out everything you ever wanted to know about this world famous Beatles tribute band. We did a lot of really neat things at that party. What would a Beatles cruise be without obscure trivia questions with very cool prizes going to the winners? Lots of prizes were given away that night and all weekend long.

We arrived in Ensenada, Mexico on Saturday morning. Passengers had the whole day to go off and explore on their own. The weather was spectacular and just perfect for sightseeing, shopping, or just lying out by the pool. Once everyone was back on board, we began our evening Beatle festivities. The Photo Session with the band was a huge success. Individual photos of the passengers posing with the Fab Four made treasured souvenirs, to be sure! Next up... the first of two Fab Four concerts. This show featured the early Beatles with guys wearing their "Ed Sullivan" suits. The set list included several songs from the "Meet the Beatles" album. The Circuit Lounge had couches and comfy chairs which made you feel like you were watching the Fab Four in your very own living room! By the way, this venue also had a huge dance floor where everyone danced and rocked out. The crowd was energized by the note-perfect renditions of your favorite Beatles tunes. Everything was performed live on stage... no tracks or canned music here. The band received a well-deserved standing ovation! The Fab Four rock!

Our Day at Sea on Sunday offered us the perfect opportunity to have Beatle events morning, afternoon and evening! The day started with an inside look at the latest Beatles Buzz. Emcee Rob, former producer of Breakfast with the Beatles, captivated the audience with the recent and future goings-on in the Beatle world. This was followed by Ticket to Cruise's own version of "Family Feud"... Fab Four Feud. Band members teamed up with passengers in this hilarious game that was full of surprises! More cool prizes were given out to all the participants.

On Sunday afternoon we had Beatles Team Trivia. The questions went from easy to difficult in no time at all... definitely challenging to Beatle fans of all ages. After this, passengers had 3 hours to get ready for the Retro Costume Contest and Party.

Who doesn't love to get dressed up in retro get-ups? This event has always been a big hit on our other cruises and this time was no exception. The outfits were extraordinary... hippies in tie-dye shirts with huge peace signs... Mod girls in paisley mini dresses and white go-go boots ... a creative interpretation of the White Album...and a very shagadelic Austin Powers. The show stopper was Bill Silverstein who dressed up as the Captain from Yellow Submarine. It took him hours to put on the red make-up, beard and scalp cover. The authentic-looking captain's uniform was the crowning touch on this costume masterpiece./p>

Following the Costume Contest, we had a group photo taken with the Fab Four. Talk about a colorful group!! Wow!

Next up... the Fab Four took the stage again, this time in their Sergeant Pepper suits. About midway through the show they changed into their "later" Beatles outfits and rocked the house like you wouldn't believe! Having so many people dressed up and partying in front of the Fab Four made for a fantastic journey back to the 60's! How groovy was that?!

All of our Beatle events took place before our 8:30pm dinner seating. We had an entire section of the dining room for our group. Dinner was a lively event complete with singing and dancing waiters!

The ship had all kinds of entertainment after dinner, including Karaoke, a Dueling Pianos lounge act, Dancing in the Disco, full Las Vegas-style casino and more. The bars and lounges were hopping. We hung out till the wee hours every night. What a blast!

We arrived back to Los Angeles on Monday morning. Getting back to reality after 3 fab days on a Beatles cruise wasn't easy. Have you ever had so much fun that you just didn't want it to end? Yeah, baby!

Watch for announcements about future cruises with the Fab Four.