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Post by cineclassics on Nov 18, 2022 18:13:18 GMT
Hello everyone. I am going to share with you all my review of the recent TCM Classic Cruise. My wife and I just returned yesterday. With permission from TopBilled, I am going to double post in this thread so I can include numerous photos (each post is limited to 3 photos).
TCM Cruise Review: My wife and I arrived in Miami, Florida at the Port of Call to board the Disney Dream Cruise Ship for the 2022 TCM Classic Cruise. This was our first time aboard a cruise ship. The selected Disney Dream ship suited the occasion as the ship is decorated in the Art Deco design from the 1920s. It is a beautiful ship and one of Disney's biggest cruise lines.
TCM hosts that attended the cruise were: Ben Mankiewicz, Eddie Muller, Alicia Malone, and Dave Karger. Celebrities that attended were: Richard Dreyfuss, Pat Boone, Bob Mackie, Lainie Kazan, Chevy Chase, Deana Martin (Dean Martin’s daughter), Sean Young, Wyatt McCrae (Joel McCrae’s grandson).
Throughout the cruise, various one hour conversations were held with Chevy Chase, Richard Dreyfuss, Bob Mackie, and Pat Boone. Sean Young, Wyatt Mcrae, Lanie Kazan and Deana Martin attended a few intros for films that involved themselves or their family members. On the first day, there were several films being shown in the two theaters inside and at the poolside screen on deck 11 of the ship (there are 14 decks overall). Most of the films shown poolside were “B-films” like Beach Blanket Bingo or Attack of the 50 Foot Woman. Because we boarded the ship mid afternoon, my wife and I decided to explore the ship and forgo any film screenings. We also attended the “sail away party” where all the TCM hosts and special guests gathered on deck 11 and chorus girls performed a musical number as we left the port of Miami.
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Post by cineclassics on Nov 18, 2022 18:18:57 GMT
On day 2, we were up bright and early for breakfast. All 3 meals per day are included in the price of your cruise. Alcoholic beverages are not included, so watch out for that added expense. At 9:15AM we headed to the Buena Vista Theatre to watch Raoul Walsh’s 1939 gangster masterpiece, “The Roaring Twenties.” My wife really enjoyed this film and although I have viewed it many times, this was the first time seeing it on the big screen and it truly does enhance your viewing experience.
After lunch, we headed to the Walt Disney Theatre, which is the bigger of the two theaters, for a showing of Howard Hawks’ western, Rio Bravo. Alicia Malone provided the intro alongside Deana Martin. After dinner, I headed back to the Buena Vista Theatre to check out “Woman on the Run,” with an intro by Eddie Muller. I was surprised by how many folks in the theatre had not seen the film, although I know it is fairly unknown within the genre. Eddie’s background on how his journey to finding the film, it being lost again, then finding another copy in Europe, was arguably as interesting as the film itself, which is a pretty good noir and worth a watch, largely because of the on location shooting in San Francisco and solid performances by Ann Sheridan and Dennis O’Keefe.
Later that evening, we attended the Roaring Twenties Party, where guests dressed up in their most period accurate attire. Eddie and Ben performed an amusing comedy bit together where they acted as though they were gangsters. Wrapping up the evening, my wife and I attended “TCM Open All Night.” This event is in a lounge and the TCM hosts play 3 Truths and a Lie. It’s a unique and fun offering that lets the hosts loosen up and you get to see a more personal side to them than we are accustomed to in their formal intros/outros on TCM.
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Post by cineclassics on Nov 18, 2022 18:22:36 GMT
On Day 3, we arrived at Grand Cayman and enjoyed the island for most of the day. We returned to the cruise ship that evening and viewed “The Thin Man,” in the Buena Vista Theatre. Alicia Malone introduced the film and this was also my wife’s first viewing of this film and she really enjoyed it, largely because of the great repartee between Nick and Nora. Gun Crazy was being shown thereafter with Eddie introducing, but it was almost 10:00PM and I was exhausted and went back to the room and called it a night.
On Day 4, I got up early and headed to the Walt Disney Theatre to view “Design for Living,” a 1933 film by the masterful director, Ernst Lubitsch. Scott McGee (head of programming) introduced the film and indicated that he personally chose this film. He gave his definition of “the Lubitsch Touch.” I grabbed lunch and then headed back to the theatre to watch “Adam’s Rib,” which is arguably the best of the Hepburn/Tracy films. Alicia Malone introduced the film. Later that evening, my wife and I attended the screening of The Palm Beach Story. This was introduced by Alica Malone and Wyatt McCrae.
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Post by cineclassics on Nov 18, 2022 18:24:15 GMT
 Day 5 was the last day of the cruise and it consisted primarily of us docking at Castaway Cay, which is Disney’s private island. My wife and I went on a hike and kayaked for about an hour. After enjoying some great food on the island and laying out on the beach, we headed back to the ship around 3:00PM. After a delicious dinner, we rushed out to deck 11 for the farewell party. All of the celebrities and TCM hosts attended and goodbyes were said, but not before Ben made a special announcement. He asked for it to be shown on the poolside movie screen: The TCM Cruise will be returning in 2023! This time, it will set sail from San Diego, California and visit Cabo, San Lucas. The cruise will sail from November 6-11, 2023. We wrapped up our trip with Holiday, starring Cary Grant and Katharine Hepburn. We arrived back in Miami the following morning and the cruise came to a close.
Overall Pros: Great food, magnificent customer service and seeing the classics on the big screen, with the professional touch from TCM. Also, having access to the TCM hosts is very unique. Many held book signings where you could go meet them and many also held smaller discussion groups, such as Eddie Muller who held a “Rescuing and Restoring Film Noir” session. Also, you would just occasionally run into the hosts: I saw Ben and his family hanging out poolside with everyone else. I randomly ran into Sean Young and noticed her hands were full with two mixed drinks she just got from the bar, so I held open the door for her as she made her way back up to her stateroom. She replied, “thank you that is so generous of you.” Those type of experiences and the overall atmosphere were first class.
Overall Cons: The price is incredibly expensive, especially compared to other cruises. For example, a typical Disney Cruise for two people can range about $3-$5k. The TCM Cruise is about $6-$8k. So you’re looking at nearly double the cost to go on the TCM Cruise than a typical Disney Cruise. This isn’t something my wife and I can afford annually, but I know some folks on board who stated that they’ve attended every TCM Cruise. That would be a dream come true for yours truly, but it’s expensive to say the least. Secondly, the movie programming was problematic for me. You don’t even receive the film schedule for the cruise until a few weeks before the trip after you’ve already paid thousands of dollars. I personally believe you should have that programming available as soon as possible. I don’t want to pay for a premium experience to watch “Incendiary Blonde,” “My Friend Flicka,” and 2002’s “Chicago.” I was pretty disappointed with the overall programming schedule. No Casablanca on it’s 80th Anniversary, no Singin’ in the Rain on its 70th Anniversary, no Judy Garland films on her 100th birthday year, no Alfred Hitchcock films, no leading Humphrey Bogart films, no Jimmy Stewart films, etc. I’m of the belief that if you’re paying for a premium experience, the programming should reflect that with the bread and butter of classic films with the occasional hidden gems like Woman on the Run thrown in for good measure. Instead, the inverse seemed to be the case and it was baffling to me.
Overall, I would give this cruise very high ratings, even with the disappointing film programming (because that’s subjective anyway). I hope you all enjoyed this recap and I’m happy to answer any questions should you have any.
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Post by Fading Fast on Nov 18, 2022 20:31:42 GMT
Cineclassics,
Thank you so much for a wonderful recap of the cruise.
TCM should hire you as I've never understood it as well until now despite TCM's endless commercials and promotions.
I'm glad you had a good time, saw some great movies, heard some good discussions and had some enjoyable encounters.
I completely get not being able to go every year, but hopefully, you'll be able to go again sometime in the future.
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Post by cineclassics on Nov 18, 2022 21:57:38 GMT
Cineclassics,
Thank you so much for a wonderful recap of the cruise.
TCM should hire you as I've never understood it as well until now despite TCM's endless commercials and promotions.
I'm glad you had a good time, saw some great movies, heard some good discussions and had some enjoyable encounters.
I completely get not being able to go every year, but hopefully, you'll be able to go again sometime in the future.
Thanks for the kind words. TCM could definitely improve on the marketing of the cruise, amongst many other things. TCM had a suggestion/comment box at the front desk in the lobby (and Millie De Chirico who hosts TCM Underground was actually working the desk) and I'm not ashamed to say that I not only provided suggestions, I provided my name and contact information and offered to work for them/with them if they're interested in a younger person's perspective on how to preserve the integrity and legacy of classic cinema for future generations. I am 99.999% sure it will lead to absolutely nothing, but that was probably my one and only shot at having a direct link to someone at TCM read a suggestion of mine, so I thought, "I've got nothing to lose, why not." |
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Post by Fading Fast on Nov 18, 2022 22:27:44 GMT
Cineclassics,
Thank you so much for a wonderful recap of the cruise.
TCM should hire you as I've never understood it as well until now despite TCM's endless commercials and promotions.
I'm glad you had a good time, saw some great movies, heard some good discussions and had some enjoyable encounters.
I completely get not being able to go every year, but hopefully, you'll be able to go again sometime in the future.
Thanks for the kind words. TCM could definitely improve on the marketing of the cruise, amongst many other things. TCM had a suggestion/comment box at the front desk in the lobby (and Millie De Chirico who hosts TCM Underground was actually working the desk) and I'm not ashamed to say that I not only provided suggestions, I provided my name and contact information and offered to work for them/with them if they're interested in a younger person's perspective on how to preserve the integrity and legacy of classic cinema for future generations. I am 99.999% sure it will lead to absolutely nothing, but that was probably my one and only shot at having a direct link to someone at TCM read a suggestion of mine, so I thought, "I've got nothing to lose, why not."
It must have been fun, as you note, to to experience a closer more personal connect with a channel you love. I've been watching TCM since or about since day one, but my only experience has been the channel. |
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Post by cineclassics on Nov 18, 2022 22:36:00 GMT
Thanks for the kind words. TCM could definitely improve on the marketing of the cruise, amongst many other things. TCM had a suggestion/comment box at the front desk in the lobby (and Millie De Chirico who hosts TCM Underground was actually working the desk) and I'm not ashamed to say that I not only provided suggestions, I provided my name and contact information and offered to work for them/with them if they're interested in a younger person's perspective on how to preserve the integrity and legacy of classic cinema for future generations. I am 99.999% sure it will lead to absolutely nothing, but that was probably my one and only shot at having a direct link to someone at TCM read a suggestion of mine, so I thought, "I've got nothing to lose, why not."
It must have been fun, as you note, to to experience a closer more personal connect with a channel you love. I've been watching TCM since or about since day one, but my only experience has been the channel. It's certainly an experience I would whole-heartedly recommend, especially considering your history with the channel dates back to its inception. I do wish the company was more transparent about who was scheduled to attend and the programming schedule---spending thousands of dollars up front to reserve a room only to find out the particulars many months later is very frustrating. But with that said, my wife and I really enjoyed it and will probably plan on attending again. I think perhaps my next TCM venture, one of these days, will be the TCM Classic Film Festival in California. |
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Post by Moe Howard on Nov 19, 2022 2:34:40 GMT
Overall Cons: The price is incredibly expensive, especially compared to other cruises. For example, a typical Disney Cruise for two people can range about $3-$5k. The TCM Cruise is about $6-$8k. So you’re looking at nearly double the cost to go on the TCM Cruise than a typical Disney Cruise. This isn’t something my wife and I can afford annually, but I know some folks on board who stated that they’ve attended every TCM Cruise. That would be a dream come true for yours truly, but it’s expensive to say the least. Secondly, the movie programming was problematic for me. You don’t even receive the film schedule for the cruise until a few weeks before the trip after you’ve already paid thousands of dollars. I personally believe you should have that programming available as soon as possible. I don’t want to pay for a premium experience to watch “Incendiary Blonde,” “My Friend Flicka,” and 2002’s “Chicago.” I was pretty disappointed with the overall programming schedule. No Casablanca on it’s 80th Anniversary, no Singin’ in the Rain on its 70th Anniversary, no Judy Garland films on her 100th birthday year, no Alfred Hitchcock films, no leading Humphrey Bogart films, no Jimmy Stewart films, etc. I’m of the belief that if you’re paying for a premium experience, the programming should reflect that with the bread and butter of classic films with the occasional hidden gems like Woman on the Run thrown in for good measure. Instead, the inverse seemed to be the case and it was baffling to me.
Overall, I would give this cruise very high ratings, even with the disappointing film programming (because that’s subjective anyway). I hope you all enjoyed this recap and I’m happy to answer any questions should you have any.
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Post by dianedebuda on Nov 19, 2022 4:09:34 GMT
Thanks for a great review. Have only been on 2 cruises - neither Disney - and had figured that a TCM cruise would never qualify as a good bang for the buck event for us. Think you've confirmed this. Glad you had a good enough time that you're considering a repeat.
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Post by cineclassics on Nov 19, 2022 17:07:05 GMT
Overall Cons: The price is incredibly expensive, especially compared to other cruises. For example, a typical Disney Cruise for two people can range about $3-$5k. The TCM Cruise is about $6-$8k. So you’re looking at nearly double the cost to go on the TCM Cruise than a typical Disney Cruise. This isn’t something my wife and I can afford annually, but I know some folks on board who stated that they’ve attended every TCM Cruise. That would be a dream come true for yours truly, but it’s expensive to say the least. Secondly, the movie programming was problematic for me. You don’t even receive the film schedule for the cruise until a few weeks before the trip after you’ve already paid thousands of dollars. I personally believe you should have that programming available as soon as possible. I don’t want to pay for a premium experience to watch “Incendiary Blonde,” “My Friend Flicka,” and 2002’s “Chicago.” I was pretty disappointed with the overall programming schedule. No Casablanca on it’s 80th Anniversary, no Singin’ in the Rain on its 70th Anniversary, no Judy Garland films on her 100th birthday year, no Alfred Hitchcock films, no leading Humphrey Bogart films, no Jimmy Stewart films, etc. I’m of the belief that if you’re paying for a premium experience, the programming should reflect that with the bread and butter of classic films with the occasional hidden gems like Woman on the Run thrown in for good measure. Instead, the inverse seemed to be the case and it was baffling to me.
Overall, I would give this cruise very high ratings, even with the disappointing film programming (because that’s subjective anyway). I hope you all enjoyed this recap and I’m happy to answer any questions should you have any.
There were very few kids on the cruise, which I suspected would be the case and I was happy about because this is a speciality cruise curated for classic films. There was one Disney stage show, Beauty and the Beast, and presumably every kid/teenager was at that event. But overall, a very good, mostly adults-only experience. |
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Post by topbilled on Nov 19, 2022 22:58:48 GMT
I have had a busy few days, but I was excited when cineclassics sent a message earlier this week saying he would be sharing photos and a summary of the TCM cruise experience. I wanted to wait till the weekend to read it thoroughly, to savor all the details.
First, thank you for going over all the main events day by day. It's nice to know most of what is included in the cruise package, for those who may be considering saving up for a future event.
Second, the photos are amazing. I like how casual and candid the hosts seem to be.
I guess a few questions I would ask are: 1) how many people were on board, and were the movies attended by most of the passengers?...2) if you miss a showing of something, like THE ROARING TWENTIES, does it have a later encore showing?...3) how did you decide which films you were going to see?
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Post by cineclassics on Nov 20, 2022 21:17:38 GMT
I have had a busy few days, but I was excited when cineclassics sent a message earlier this week saying he would be sharing photos and a summary of the TCM cruise experience. I wanted to wait till the weekend to read it thoroughly, to savor all the details.
First, thank you for going over all the main events day by day. It's nice to know most of what is included in the cruise package, for those who may be considering saving up for a future event.
Second, the photos are amazing. I like how casual and candid the hosts seem to be.
I guess a few questions I would ask are: 1) how many people were on board, and were the movies attended by most of the passengers?...2) if you miss a showing of something, like THE ROARING TWENTIES, does it have a later encore showing?...3) how did you decide which films you were going to see?
1) I'm not sure exactly how many people were on board, but it definitely was not crowded. This was aboard the Disney Dream, which is a very big cruise ship, coupled with the fact that it most certainly didn't reach capacity, and it resulted in a very enjoyable atmosphere. For reference, next year's cruise is on the Disney Magic, which is a smaller cruise ship. 2) Many films do indeed have an encore showing. There were a few that did not have encore showings (High Noon, The Manchurian Candidate, etc), but most did. 3) They give you a day by day schedule of events/showings. At any given hour, you may have two movies playing, a book signing, and possibly even an intimate presentation with one of the hosts/guests. It is very challenging to accomplish everything you'd like. I wanted to see both High Noon and Manchurian Candidate but my schedule just wouldn't permit it. |
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