I went on a cruise. I'd always wondered what one was like, but I never saw one that really called out to me until the crew from the Maximum Fun podcast network set up the Atlantic Ocean Comedy & Music Festival (and yes, the URL for the cruise is BoatParty.Biz). It was a festival within a cruise: on top of the usual cruise amenities and activities, the organizers booked three nights of stand-up comedy and music. Plus, by booking through the festival I was able to share a cabin with a complete stranger to defray the costs.
I was aboard the Royal Caribbean Majesty of the Seas. The baggage and security screening process seemed largely aimed at detecting contraband booze. Checked baggage is delivered to the cabin later on in the day, leaving me to hit the buffet and wander the boat. Eleven decks or so, several bars, an arcade, a pool on the deck, a rock climbing wall, places to dump kids, all kinds of stuff to distract you and gently part you from your money. The cruise line really think this stuff through.
Dinner was a sit-down affair. The food was about what you'd expect from a kitchen that prepares 15,000 meals a day, or maybe just a little bit better than that. The staff rocks, though.
Then, the show: the first night was comedy from Cameron Esposito, Scott Simpson, Josie Long, Kurt Braunholer, John Hodgman, and Wyatt Cenac. I really enjoyed everyone in this lineup, but the variety added up to more than the sum of the (uniformly talented individuals). There was absurdity and cringe-inducing personal history from Kurt Braunholer, noir-ed up hip-hop lyrics from Josie Long, jokes about weddings from Wyatt Cenac (and one of my biggest laughs of the weekend, prompted by the racist bakery called Cake Cake Cake), and long-form raconteurism and ukulele from John Hodgman. Something for everybody, and all good.
No comments:
Post a Comment