CruiseMan3000

Awesome! Have a blast and don't forget to bring the noise!

It's sad looking at this picture. Knowing that this time next year, Carnival Pride will be on her way leaving us in MD. Such a cruise industry tragedy, you know? Okay enough of that... now for today's post! You know all this blogging about my cruising bffs got me thinking of other things I like bringing with me when on the high seas. I am as extrovert as they come on the high seas and could careless about what someone thinks about me, my noise or the way I party. If my Youtube videos don't convince you, join me on the high seas for a few days... but be careful, my inner cruisetacular party animal may catch ya and have you leading the way (I promise to follow)! When I was in the dollar store before a cruise a few months back, it was during graduation season and so there were a lot of yard signs in stock. You know, the signs that say "The Party Is Here" and "Party's This Way." Then I had this humungo cruise ah-ha moment in the store and said, "I could use these on the ship in the club, at sailaway and for the welcome aboard picture." Oh, but I didn't stop there - I added whistles, glowsticks and leis to the mix! Oh yes, we were decked out and I think you should go all out too! But let me just warn you now. Everyone on the cruise is gonna want to be with your group (so bring extras to share with others). I was tossing glow sticks faster than hot cakes on a Sunday morning in the night club. I told my fam on the next cruise, I'm gonna open up shop in my cabin (CASH ONLY - lol). So for your next cruise be sure to pack a whistle and add a little glow to your evening wear - it'll take your cruise to cruisetacular heights! Don't forget that optimistic attitude and a few clothes too! Until we talk ship again next week, keep cruising and grooving! Oh, before I go, let me give my sis Heather Forrester (@itsme_Heather) a special shout-out as she gets ready to sail Norwegian Breakaway to Bermuda this weekend! Shout-out to everyone on a cruise right now, too! I hope you're living it up, eating my share and hitting the wrong... I mean right notes in karaoke! Peace and much love--Shon!

Many of you may remember a post I wrote earlier in the year talking about one of my cruising, elastic best friends. Yeah, those swimming trunks are still around as a high seas sure thing for me, but I almost forgot to tell you all about another one I have. If you follow me on Twitter or watched a few of my YouTube videos, you may already be hip to which BFF this post is about. I am a HUGE hot sauce LOVER! If you didn't know, hot sauce and I have a thing going on (let's just keep this between us, okay?)! I douse it on just about everything - popcorn, spaghetti, and even fried alligator (yes, I do eat fried alligator)! It also adds a nice kick to a sandwich I have from time to time. I'll never forget when my family and friends sailed Carnival Glory at the peak of summer this year; I showed up a little late to the dinner table one night BUT for very good reason - I turned back to my cabin to get my bottle of hot sauce (I don't play)! And I'm glad I did because that bottle of hot sauce got passed around more than the salt and pepper! LOL You can even see my bottle of hot sauce likes to photo-bomb photo shoots onboard, too! One of the main reasons I LOVE sailing from ports closer to my home - Baltimore, New York and Norfolk - is the very reason that I don't have to fly. Meaning I can bring my bottle of hot sauce without extra drama, ya know? Now don't get me wrong, I love flying , but I'm not a fan of the liquid ounce restrictions. When I fly, I pack light so I never have to check my bags (which means everything I bring has to get through security... including the liquids) Many may find it inconvenient not being able to bring an expensive bottle of cologne, that "special" bottle of shampoo or even a bottle of hot sauce... oh wait, did someone say hot sauce? LOL Yeah, I always shed a tear when I have to part with my bottle of hot sauce for a few days... but the FIRST thing I start doing once I'm on "the other side" of security is the hot sauce collection raid! When I went on my last cruise, a coworker of mine knew I was gonna need/want my hot sauce while away, so she went to a fast food joint and grabbed a few extra packets of the addictive stuff for me. Then it hit me: that's how I'll get around this! So now I literally hit every fast food restaurant inairport concourses collecting hot sauce with NO SHAME to ensure I don't have to go without it when sailing the high seas... ever! I know... it's odd... it's strange... but it's me! Stay tuned for an introduction to another cruising BFF of mine soon! Keep cruising and grooving until we talk ship again! Much love always--Shon.

Oh sure thing! Be sure to let me know whatcha find when you do! Thanks for reading! :)

Woohoo! Thrift shopping for the win! And that's something I've have yet to do aboard. Okay, I like this Jan, you gave me something new to try and I passed one to you, too - let's keep this up! :) And free t-shirts, you say? Which ships ya talking? I also like hitting up the last night bargins onboard - you can always find some good stuff then! :)

Haha! I love the "I Love Me" walls! Also, let me take this time to thank you for service to this country. Coming from a family where military and law enforcement careers are nearly ubiquitous, I truly appreciate and understand the nature of the call. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. I also have one of Celebration, Fascination, Imagination, Victory and two of Triumph! I miss those too! Maybe they could bring 'em back? One can hope and dream, right? LOL

Awesome stuff there, man! And YES! I DOOOOO remember those beautiful painted-like portraits Carnival used to give out back in the day (now I'm gonna go try finding mine)! As you know, I always welcome the cruise chatter, so please never apologize for sharing your amazing high seas adventures - I love 'em!

Happy Monday, cruisetacular peeps! I hope you all have been enjoying the cruising stories I've shared over the past few weeks. I'm gonna take a break from them today, but know I'll have many more in the weeks and months ahead. In fact, I just finished my blog-writing schedule last night for the duration of 2013 and it's hard to believe another year is getting ready to close on us. Whew! Time is flying, wouldn't you say? I noticed a trend on my side of town and was wondering if you all have the same thing happening where you live? I was going through my closet the other day and realized I have an overabundance of cruise ship t-shirts. Many I wear to the gym, some I use as clothing changes when doing videos for my Youtube Channel and others are archived in plastic because they're so vintage. I have Carnival Cruise Line's m/s Celebration's inaugural cruise tee, Celebrity Cruises' m/v Horizon graphic tee and even Norwegian Caribbean Line's (now Norwegian Cruise Line) s/s Norway on a tee (you can view here). Many of you may have seen these shirts in a few videos I've done, but if you do the math something doesn't quite add up... Many of you may wonder how do I own shirts of cruise ships that are older than me? How did I find them? Where did I find them? Well, the answer lies in a hidden gem in my neighborhood - my local thrift store. Seriously, I find so many cool cruise momentous in there! It came as a suggestion from a friend of mine one day and ever since, I've been going there looking for cruise tees and sporting them like no tomorrow. Do you shop at thrift stores? I know many people "look down" on 'em, but they are truly loaded with treasures many others have trashed (you know how the saying goes). Feel free to share what you've found that's cruise related, in your local thrift store below. And if you've never been to one, you now have some motivation to not just look for tees, but also mugs, pins and host of other cruise collectibles (you never know what you'll find)! Keep cruising and grooving and be sure to rock your new 'thrifty cruise finds' along the way! See ya next Monday with more cruisetacular coverage!

Congratulations to y'all! Woohoo! Keep the cruisetacular party alive and bumping!

Thanks for having my back, Sarge! Yeah, I was really trying to not get out of control, but man was my family a hot angry mess - whew! The Ford wrath was strong on that ship! LOL And I agree, they should have walked the plank!

Ahhhhhhhh! OMGSH! That's so close and exciting! Hey, get her all warmed up for me! This is on Grand Princess, correct?

Happy Labor day, cruisetacular peeps! Ready for another story from this summer's highs seas adventures? Alrighty, here we go. This one comes from when I sailed Carnival Glory from Norfolk with my family and friends. If you watched The Post-Cruise Show: Carnival Glory on my YouTube Channel, you may remember me briefly talking about this story. But just in case you missed it, this is what went down... So there we are. Night one of our cruise having a blast and we decided as one big group we would perform "We Are Family" to break in the family and friends reunion cruise. After putting in our song number and fighting over who was gonna sing lead, we were ready... well kinda. So this was "Karaoke Live" meaning you did karaoke with a live band and not a track (which all of us thought was cool). We got there about 20 minutes after it started and saw the clock ticking closer to the end time of the karaoke. Then they called a group who didn't show up. They called them again and THEN they called my family! We were so excited! This was it, we thought. I ran right on the stage after seeing my friend Metria by the door, grabbed the mic, signaled for my crew to come on up and then... then I ALMOST popped someone with a backhand! Remember that group that was called and never showed? Well guess who came on the stage out of nowhere? Yeah... and guess what the karaoke hostess told us? That they're gonna let that group go; they would be the last ones for the night, and she was sorry... Excuse me? There are few things you don't tell me on a cruise and not being able to perform karaoke with my family is one of them! The hostess and I had a brief one-on-one conversation (where I was very calm) and she explained to me there was nothing she could do because the comedy show was about to begin approximately 15 mins later. I was persistent. I pretty much said, "So you won't allow one more 4 minute song? I don't mean to be inconsiderate, but that still leaves roughly 10 minutes for transition for the comedy show." She wouldn't budge. We were so upset. We all wrote about it in our post-cruise surveys, and we truly thought how all that went down was all the way wrong and ALMOST deserving of a backhand, LOL! What do y'all think? Well perhaps no backhand, but I thought Carnival could have made that up to us some kind of way. Despite helping other groups (we didn't know) with their songs that evening at karaoke, it wasn't the same performing karaoke without my fam (which rarely happens since we only cruise once a year all together). Anyway, we got over it. We're in better spirits and as many of you know, I don't dwell on the bad for too long (but I did dance on my soapbox for a few hours, hehe). Nonetheless, life has taught me a lesson I share with my friends a lot. You know it's never the problem that's the issue, but it's the perspective you have and take towards the problem. Even when the DJ stops the music, keep grooving because life is one big party that never stops... that is if you want to join in! Note: The title of this article and use of the term "backhand" as used above are used for humorous purposes and not meant to be interpreted as a threat or any related actions to Carnival Cruise Line or any of its affiliates.

Awww, you're too kind! :) How ya been, Jan?

Happy Monday, everyone! How are ya cruising this week? I hope with smooth seas and cruisetacular weather! So let's get back to the story telling. I saw a few comments asking when I would get back to sharing some funny stories from the high seas and your wish is my command! This story comes from the 4th of July sailing I did on Norwegian Sky from Miami to the Bahamas last month. Okay, I just woke up. Had breakfast (I didn't have to fight anyone for a cinnamon roll... this time - haha), got my tender number and was off the ship in record time. The water was a little choppy, but we made it into Great Stirrup Cay's (Norwegian Cruise Line's Private Island) harbor just fine. Like everyone else, I wanted to get a beach chair (and a really good one at that). I walked around for a while, surveyed the land and finally saw this spot that was full of trees, had decent shade, was close to the dance floor and I decided to POUNCE! I begin walking over and that was when I was stopped by a random guy. He asked me, "Are you actor?" He had an accent I couldn't pick up on at that moment, but I just responded with a laugh and said I wasn't an actor. Well, then I set up shop at my beach chair, grab my sister Mia and we began doing some filming for my YouTube Channel. Things were going great until this guy came back over and said, "Well if you're not an actor, why do you have a camera and doing a video?" That was when I shared with him I was a travel writer and cruise blogger and video taping is an added thing with my gig. He laughed it off, in disbelief it seemed, and then walked away. By this time I was a little hungry so I headed over to the pavilion for just a small snack (you know how it is when you cruise... you eat every 20 minutes). But while I was away, my sister told me that this same guy (pictured above with me and his girlfriend) came BACK and told my her, "It's okay to tell me if he's really an actor. I promise not to tell anyone - I know that's Eddie Murphy!" So I came back and he screams, "EDDIE!" I then laughed and told him I've been told I favor Eddie Murphy since I was in college but I'm promise I am not him! Honestly, I think it's just the mustache I rock that makes people have that "inkling" to assume I'm him in younger form. Then the guy asked for a picture with me, pulled out HIS video camera and would not stop filming me when I joined in with the group line dances on the beach and he wouldn't let it go. He was truly a character and when he saw me roam around the ship he just began waving and laughing. I just laughed and shook my head. Now I get it. I favor the guy some (at least some people think so), but honestly, do you think I REALLY look like him? I mean to the point where you would do all this guy did? Anyway, this was another time in my life I was mistaken for Eddie. I'm gonna start wearing a donkey outfit and setting up a booth if this keeps up! LOL Keep cruising and grooving, y'all! Catch ya on the next update!

Over the past few months, many of you have asked, "Shon, when can I sail with you?" I'm no genie, but your wish is my command? Here's your chance to sail with me in 2014 right from my backyard on Grandeur of the Seas! We'll be sailing to one of my favorite destinations: Bermuda! I hand-picked this special 7 day/6 night cruise that's been dubbed as the "Bermuda's Grandeur with Shon" cruise! The cruise departs on Friday, September 12, 2014 and returns on Thursday, September 18, 2014! I know the weather will be great, seas will be smooth and this cruise will go down as one you'll always remember! I'm teaming up with Daley's Destinations based here in Maryland on this sailing; helping to give you a great price, on-board credit and even a reduced deposit*. If you book between now and Thursday, September 05, 2013, all you have to do is place a $100.00 deposit down per person to secure your spot (that's it). The other portion of the deposit - which is $150.00 per person - would not be due until Sunday, February 02, 2014 and the final payment of the cruise would not be due until Sunday, June 29, 2014. What a deal on that deposit break-down, right? And on top of that, we're throwing in free on-board credit per cabin! I promise you, this is one sailing you won't want to miss! The videos are cool, the pictures may tell the tale, but seeing it live and in person is something you'll be glad you did! So what are you waiting for? Get your cabin booked today so we can sail to the pink sand shores of Bermuda in 2014! Bring your friends, family and even brotha man from the 5th floor! Interior cabins are currently $716.12 per person and Ocean views are running at $818.12 per person. If you save $25.00 per week every month, you'll have $100.00 per month to pay on the cruise and going this way, it'll be paid off before the June 29th deadline. Now remember, you can only take advantage of this special promotion and pricing by booking via Daley's Destinations. For more information on this sailing, check out the e-flyer, call Daley's Destinations direct at 1-888-803-6189 and stay tuned for more updates from me. Be sure to mention you saw this cruise advertised on The Ocean Escape and they'll be sure to make sure you get to take advantage of all the good stuff mentioned above. Act fast because cabins are limited! As always, you're cruisetacular for reading! Hoping to cruise and groove with you in 2014--Shon! *The reduced deposit of $100.00 per person is only valid until Thursday, September 05, 2013 so act fast!

I couldn't agree with this more, Karen! Amen to it ALL! If you're free next September, I'd love if you could join me on the high seas for a great time on Grandeur of the Seas from Baltimore! Only $100.00 deposit needed per person if you book by September 5th! All the details are here: http://theoceanescape.blogspot.com/2013/08/come-sail-with-me-in-2014.html

Hahaha! Thanks, Sarge! Come sail with me in 2014 from Baltimore! Get all the details here: http://theoceanescape.blogspot.com/2013/08/come-sail-with-me-in-2014.html

I sure am and you can truly look forward to many story recaps! Stay tuned...

When it comes to cruising, many of you know I have no issues just letting it all hang out. Well, I do put my belt on to suck some of it in, but when it comes to deck parties and night-life on the high seas you can bet your bottom dollar that yours truly, his whistle and party crew will be in the house ready to BAA-RING DA NOISE! A conversation I had with a fan inspired this post and I hope the words I shared with her would also encourage you to jump out of your comfort zone and live life to the fullest! YOLO! So there I was a few months ago sitting in the karaoke lounge sailing on Carnival Glory. A fan of the blog approached and struck up a conversation with me. She was saying how she couldn't understand how I could get up in front of so many people and not seem to care what they thought of me; if they were laughing at me and even wanted to know how I "showed my face" around the ship the next morning. I simply told her this, "I stopped caring what people had to say about me when I realized no matter if I pleased 1 or 1 million, everyone was not going to like everything I did - which is fine by me. I also realize that I will never see most of the people on this cruise ever again in my life... so why not give them a show?" She began to nod and laugh. I said, "You only get one shot to live this life here on earth, so why not spend your days laughing hard, cuttin' a rug and showing others they too don't have to just sit there but can join in!" She soon grabbed her teenage daughter, brought her to the karaoke lounge and together they took the stage singing Coldplay's smash hit, "Viva la Viva!" I gave them both a standing ovation and the mother told me, "I did it because I took what you said to heart!" I have walked into many nightclubs on cruises where people aren't dancing and the mood needs to be that of a club and not a community music sitting center. So with all the dance floor space I see, I round up my crew, we jet for the floor and GET IT INNNN! Then before I know it, others are joining us asking if they can hang with us while we're in the club. That's when I realized that when cruising people can get so caught up into what everyone else is thinking of them, they allow strangers to hinder themselves from having a great time. Is that you? Stop that right now if it is! Yes, now I do know that not everyone is an extrovert and/or is comfortable with displaying goofy moments in poolside games, vocal abilities at karaoke or even their gaming skills in the casino, but I do know that we all have a chance to use a cruise to help us step outside of our comfort zone, wouldn't you agree? I mean come on, you eat all that food when everyone is looking (you may not even know it sometimes, but people are watching), so why not put on a show for 'em?! Next time you hit the high seas, don't let your shy and bashful side get the best of you - shine like the brightest star in galaxies and let the ship know YOU know how to bring the noise! As always, you're cruisetacular for reading and I have nothing but love for ya! Keep cruising and grooving--Shon!

Hahaha! You're always a sure thing, Tim! I'll fly you in next time fo sho! Oh wow, before you know it, you'll be doing 4-5 a year! Build up that cruise tally, man!

Heeeeeeey, everyone! How have y'all been? Wow, okay, so I haven't blogged here in nearly a month and many of you probably want to know why, right? I promise I haven't been on hiatus again. I have been a little busy this summer... more so than I was planning. I've been on 4 cruises doing a little to much twancing and I think I hit a burn out fuse and am trying to replug it in. If you follow me on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook, then you've had a front row seat to the back, to back, to back, to back cruise madness. Don't get me wrong, I've had a blast meeting some of y'all, partying like it was 3012 and sailing to some cool ports, but just know that it has taken its toll and I think everything came crashing at once. I got sick a few times along the way, lost my voice twice and was barely sleeping which I believe is the culprit for the burn out of all things cruise from CM3K. But no worries! Next Monday, I'll be back in action to update you ALL on everything that's been happening - cruise by cruise - so stay tuned! ? I promise I'm okay and I'm on the better side of mountain! Look for me next Monday with regularly scheduled blog posts! As always, you're cruisetacular for reading and I've got nothing but love for ya! Cruising and Grooving, Shon

There are many relationships we have in life that help us become the greatest individuals we can be. Sometimes it's a close friend that pushes us to go after a job we're on the fence about, a personal trainer who believes you can when you're ready to throw in the towel or even a sibling giving that "mark the calender because you'll never hear me say these words about you ever again" speech that shocks us all. But there is one relationship that is better than anything - the bond between a father and son! I know first-hand with the relationship I have with my father God and I've also seen it through those I know. I want to introduce you to my cruise industry/Twitter friend Michael and his son, Colton. It was in 2004 when Colton took his first cruise with his dad at only 10 months young! He sailed aboard Carnival Miracle from the Port of Baltimore and since, Colton has 13 cruises under his belt (which is pretty impressive)! He and his dad use the high seas for bonding and fun father-son time... even though "Mom" tags along, too! They admitted to me in our interview that they don't get too rowdy on ships with random pillow fights or impromptu handstand contest in cabin hallways (but that doesn't mean they haven't thought of doing it - haha). They say it doesn't take much for them to enjoy each other as a family. Mike mentions getting breakfast together and having alone time are special, cherished times that never get rushed (they make certain of it). Colton's mom and Mike wife even chimes in with words about cruising as a family Steph says, "Having that time together allows us to focus on being together as a family without distractions." And as I always say, a cruising family is a happy family! When I asked Mike if he had any advice for father-son relationships who also share a love for cruising, he responded by saying, "It sounds simple, but just getting alone time is special. Family time is great when we’re all together, but I really value the time he and I get to spend on our own on a cruise. We’ve carved out a routine of getting that time together each morning, but you could do it any time really." Hear that, y'all? Mike ain't say nothing about dropping off your kid with the youth counselors for the whole cruise! LOL I don't have a close relationship with my father, but I do have the best of relationships with my mother and cruising was the common ground that rooted and grew us into the amazing life we know now. So I truly get how the high seas is a special place for any parent and child. Seeing families like Mike and Colton on the high seas gives me hope for our young people. We've got men like Mike raising their kids as a father should - with love, care and global awareness! It's truly great to expose children to the wonders of the world and cruising is the best way, in my opinion, to do just that! These amazing guys don't foresee they'll out-grow cruising with each other and I can agree with that! Why else would they break the bond they've loved since '04? Be sure to follow Mike on Twitter (@spridlewv) and check out his blog with many cruise updates! Keep cruising and grooving, y'all and don't stop enjoying each other! What an awesome family, right? Be sure to give yours the best you've got - show them love and always spend crazy times with them on a cruise!

So have y'all been keeping tabs on what's been going down here at the Port of Baltimore between Carnival Cruise Line and the EPA? Well let me bring you up to speed: D-R-A-M-A! Before I give y'all the 411, let me just plug a personal anecdote in. Is that okay? Alright, so a few weeks ago I began looking at cruises to Bermuda from Baltimore (since it's only 15 minutes from my driveway). I was hopeful that Carnival would send Carnival Pride back to Bermuda... but when I pulled up her sailing schedule, it's only posted until April 2014 which had me raising an eyebrow (especially since Royal Caribbean has Grandeur of the Seas' sailings posted until next fall). So I tweeted the Carnival Public Relations team and they told me they would get back to me on if they'll be going to Bermuda next summer. THEN I see something interesting in the Baltimore Sun about a week and a half later that pretty much stated Carnival Cruise Line has threatened to leave the Port of Baltimore all together! Say what? I KNOW! So now I'm just really at a loss for words. Okay so here's what happened that's causing this "possible threat", three letters: E-P-A. Yeah, so the EPA told Carnival they had to get Carnival Pride burning some cleaner fuel in order for her to continue to moor here in Charm City (which I get and am okay with). But Carnival instead of agreeing with this new mandate has threatened (again, I say threatened and not confirms) to leave the Port of Baltimore. As a resident and tax payer to the state, I am all about having cleaner air to breath here in Maryland. And the inner cruise ship lover in me wants to see Carnival Pride stay in Baltimore, but if Carnival wants to leave... let them! So our Governor, Martin O'Malley (D), has intervened on Carnival's behalf. He wants to see Carnival to stay, but from what I'm reading in reports from the Baltimore Sun, he is trying to get the EPA to lessen the regulation so Carnival will stay (which has many Mary;and residents upset). Carnival's argument is that if they make the enhancements needed to see that Carnival Pride burns cleaner fuel while in Maryland, they would then front the money to passengers who sail from Baltimore; stating an increase of around $5.00 per person. This is a story that is continuing to unfold so check back for an update from yours truly on this shocking news. In the mean time, check out the posted article in the Baltimore Sun and watch this video giving you my 2 cents on this. Until we talk ship again, keep cruising and grooving!

I am super excited, y'all - thanks for chiming in! I promise, no spoilers! See those who can make it on Thursday night @ 8pm!