My Wish List: Top 10 Rock Concerts on Luxury Cruise Ships

I admit that I've got a few obsessions in life... two of which are rock concerts and cruise vacations. In my younger days I worked for Musician magazine and spent more time at concerts than in the office. These days I'm more selective about the shows I see, but still love being in the middle of the crush as a band plays to fans who know every word of every song on the set list.

On the cruise front, I love trying new ships and have a checklist that keeps track of which ships and ports of call I still need to visit. It's little wonder then that I was daydreaming earlier today and came up with a wish list of rock concert that would be amazing if they were staged aboard luxury cruise ships.

My Wish List: Top 10 Rock Concerts on Luxury Cruise Ships

1. Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers aboard Paul Gauguin Cruises' m/s Paul Gauguin in French Polynesia
   
   
2. U2 aboard the Yachts of Seabourn's Seabourn Sojourn in the Norwegian Fjords
   
   
3. Jackson Browne aboard Silversea's Silver Spirit in the Mediterranean
   
   
4. Martin Sexton aboard American Safari Cruises' Safari Explorer in Hawaii
   
   
5. Daniel Lanois aboard Windstar Cruises' Wind Star in Costa Rica
   
   
6. Brian Setzer Orchestra aboard Cunard's Queen Elizabeth for a transatlantic crossing
   
   
7. John Mayer aboard Oceania Cruises' Marina in the Caribbean
   
   
8. Jimmy Buffett aboard SeaDream Yacht Club's SeaDream II in the Caribbean
   
   
9. James Taylor aboard Regent Seven Seas' Voyager in New Zealand and Australia
   
   
10. Nora Jones aboard Crystal Cruises' Crystal Symphony in New England and Canada

Note: THIS IS JUST A DREAM LIST; these concerts (sadly) will never happen. It's just something fun to think about. Which bands would be on your cruise wish list?

—Andrea M. Rotondo for LuxuryCruiseBible.com

Try Crystal Cruises' New Priority Check-In & Planning Center

While not every traveler feels the need to digitize their cruise plans, more and more luxury lines are offering online planners and reservation mechanisms. Crystal Cruises just announced a serious upgrade to its pre-cruise planning functionality by introducing its Priority Check-In and Planning Center.



The Priority Check-in Checklist takes care of all the basics like...

• immigration forms
• credit card information for onboard charges
• preferences, such as bed configuration
• air itineraries for transfer arrangements

The Planning Center can assist with...

• spa and salon appointments
• Crystal Dining Room reservations (through Open Dining by Reservation, beginning in 2011)
• specialty restaurant and Vintage Room winemakers' dinner reservations
• Crystal Adventures shore excursions
• tuxedo rental
• Creative Learning Institute and Computer University@Sea classes

The Cruise Calendar function keeps track of all your reservations and preferences and provides a day-by-day snapshot of your cruise. Helpful information includes dress codes, docking times, and port locations for each day of your voyage.

The great thing about Crystal's new online planner is that you can choose to use it yourself or designate that duty to your travel agent. Give this new online planner a try once you put down a deposit on your next Crystal cruise.

—Andrea M. Rotondo for LuxuryCruiseBible.com