Musician's Info

TCMC is unlike any other gig you’ll probably play, and different than even most music cruises…. We are so happy to have you! Take a minute to…

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There are many details you are responsible for. We are a private group within the general population of the ship. Everyone involved (audience members, crew, musicians) are booked as normal passengers on the ship. We are required to follow all protocol and procedures all passengers are required to follow. 

 

Each individual will need to check in on their Royal App or royalcaribbean.com as early as 6 weeks before the cruise. Check in deadline is 1 week before the cruise. 

Your Royal Caribbean reservation number will allow you to check in online before the sailing and purchase shore excursions or drink packages. TCMC rents concert space and hires personnel from the ship for our private shows to TCMC patrons. The ship runs on a very tight schedule, so we only have the venues for the allotted times they have allowed us. We always push hard for as much time as the ship allows us, and we do our best to maximize utility of that time. Shows need to end on schedule to allow hired stage personnel to finish their jobs on time. Ship’s hands are required to cap their hours, so we can’t go over.  

ALL TCMCers (staff, musicians, and crew) are required to board the ship in the same manner as the other cruisers. Traveling internationally by cruise ship has many of the same requirements as international air travel. Boarding will feel similar to boarding an aircraft.  

TOUR MANAGERS: We will need the full legal name and birthday of each person in your group. Once a cabin is assigned it is impossible to change both names without cancelling your booking and rebooking at a much higher last-minute rate. Because of this we need one person per room to be room captain and not cancel. I know bands have frequent personnel changes, so chose room captains that are dependable, long serving members of your organization.  We’ll need Room Captain names before we lose our group prices, which occurs around 4 months before we sail. 

ID requirements: Passport. If no passport you can board with a Driver’s License AND your birth certificate.

“US Citizens require a passport book with a minimum of 6 months validity post the return of your sailing and the corresponding visa required for entry and exit from the country. 

It is important that the name on your reservation be exactly as it is stated on your passport or other official proof of nationality. If your name has changed since your document was issued (e.g., marriage or divorce), it is required that you update the document with the new name or provide an official supporting document (e.g., a state, county or province issued marriage license, divorce decree or legal name change document) of the name change. All documents must be the original or a notarized copy. Additionally, if you are using an identification (e.g., driver’s license) and a citizenship document (e.g., birth certificate), then BOTH documents must match the name on your reservation. Otherwise, it may result in delay or possible denial of boarding.” 

SOCIAL MEDIA – I hope I can rely on y’all to post a few times a month about the cruise. If you create your own content for it email us and we’ll share it in our feeds. TCMC SPRING 2024 VIDEO AND POSTERS: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/vovf3evca3crz3rj0qq17/h?dl=0&rlkey=o7f48vvy2slydhny3ct1y3eo4

 

Boarding:

Terminal 10 address: 1028 Harborside Dr. Galveston, TX 77550

We’ll be set up at 10:45am at the terminal to help you get aboard. Use the two X ray machines on the left side of the screening area because those are larger and fit guitars. 

Log into your royal account to print and attach your luggage tags. These luggage tags will have your cabin number which allows them to be dropped at your cabin door. Luggage drop off is at the beginning of the Pier 10 loading area. Bring a few dollars to tip the porters or carry your tagged bags into the garage door area and drop them with the loaders. Don’t drop your guitars or pedal boards.

IMPORTANT: any gear you are bringing can not be checked through the ship’s porter service due to customs regulations. Guitars and pedal boards and any other gear must be carried ON and OFF the ship. DO NOT GIVE YOUR MUSICAL GEAR TO THE PORTERS. Check your personal luggage onto the ship. 

 We recommend bringing folding carts to help. All equipment will have to fit through airport style security scanners. You’ll be able to roll your pedal boards up, put them through the scanner, fold your cart up, put it through the scanner, then retrieve everything on the far side. Tour managers or drivers should take vehicles to long term parking after dropping off the rest of your band at Pier 10. The check in process is similar to boarding an airplane.  

Parking info: https://www.portofgalveston.com/91/Cruise-Parking–General-Information   We will reimburse each band one parking pass. Email your receipt to info@texascountrymusiccruise.com with your venmo info and we’ll venmo you the amount. (let us know if you need it another way).

Band Check in: From 3pm-4pm go to the conference rooms to meet our staff, get goodie bags, and receive details for your shows. We’ll hand out checks.

Disembarking: The night before we leave the ship, if at all possible, leave your big personal bags outside your door the night before with the provided tags. The ship’s staff will take them to the luggage area outside of customs. You’ll be able to pick up your suitcases after going through customs, where there are porters with carts available in to help. You’ll need to CARRY YOUR GUITARS AND PEDAL BOARDS off the ship. Don’t check your equipment through since it won’t have customs clearance and can lead to huge fines.

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Backline:

 We will be providing full backline. Loading large equipment through the general terminal is prohibited. We will be loading in backline through a required cargo company that takes gear through the cargo dock. We will be bringing a monitor rig with wedges, drum set with snares and brass, guitar amps, bass amp, stands, mics, 2 electric guitars, and a bass. Bands should bring guitars and pedal boards only. These items can be stored in the conference room.  

 

Equipment list:

guitar amps:

FenderBlues Deville
4×10
Fender65 Twin Reverb
FenderHot Rod Deluxe

Drum set:

LudwigNeu-Sonic 3
piece

bass amp:

AguilarTone Hammer
CarvinBRX 10.2
Harke4×10

board:

Allen
& Heath
SQ6X

Monitors:

EVZLX12P
EVZLX12P
EVZLX12P
EVZLX12P
EVZLX12P
EVZLX12P

Sadowski 4 string bass (jazz style), 2 electric guitars: 335 and a telecaster.

Note from our sound guy Hunter: “Last time, we had a rolling rack next to drum land housing the digital snake, the in ear transmitters and a separate small Allen and Heath mixer which would feed the wired in ear mix for the drummer. This allows any drummer to plug in their own buds and get a personalized stereo mix from MON as well as input their own click device. We can input the click into a live channel and send it around to other band members if that’s necessary as well.

I can provide 4 stereo IEM packs on Sennheiser 300 series and I have 1 wireless Audio-Technica for a total of 5 wireless packs and one wired mix, in addition to 6 total floor wedges.”

Hope this clarifies and facilitates your packing!

 

VIP is completely sold out, so we don’t have room for bands to enjoy those areas or shows. There are only about 150 seats in VIP and we have 80 or so bands and crew, so please allow our VIPers space to enjoy the shows for their areas. 

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Onboard food and beverages:  

All cruisers are provided all meals on board. Juice, coffee and tea are also provided. Alcohol is priced at bar prices (EXPENSIVE). I recommend purchasing the deluxe beverage package if you drink five or more a day. Watch for a 25% off sale, which happens regularly. You’ll be able to purchase this through your Royal Caribbean account once you are booked an in the system.  https://www.royalcaribbean.com/booked/beverage-packages 


Dining:

There are many free dining options on board. 

1. The Main Dining room is well appointed and serves dinner as well as breakfasts and some lunches. 

2. The Windjammer is the classic cruise buffet at the back of the ship and is open for all meals. The Windjammer can get crowded, so we recommend taking advantage of the other options when possible. 

3. Sorrentos serves pizza all day and late night. 

4. The Solarium Bistro is free for lunch and dinner. 

5. The Park Cafe, in Central Park, is a great choice for lunch and breakfast. 

6. The Cafe Promenade has light snacks and coffee all day.   

7. The Dog House on the boardwalk has hot dogs and sausages. 

8. Mini bites is near the athletic courts and serves lunches and light dinners. 

9. Room service is free, and we recommend arranging for Breakfast to be delivered to your room if you’re inclined.

Specialty dining packages: the ship has several premium restaurants. I find the food in the included main dining room to be excellent, but specialty restaurants give a lot of other great options.. You can get a package deal or book a meal when you get on board. Lunches are cheaper and the menu is similar to dinner. 

Click for premium dining options:

https://www.royalcaribbeanincentives.com/ship/allure-of-the-seas/dining/


Hospitality:

We will be providing limited beer and water side stage for artists during their set times. We’d love to drop some kegs and do it steamboat style, but RC charges us full price for each bottle. (That comes to $60 for a case of water and $192 for a case of beer.)


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Shore Excursions: 

I recommend guided excursions booked through Royal Caribbean through their app using your cruiser number. If something happens and you are late they will hold the ship for you. If you aren’t on an excursion booked through Royal they will leave without you. 

THE SHIP RUNS ON SHIP TIME. Even if we change time zones the ship won’t, so be aware of ship time before you disembark so you aren’t late getting back. THE SHIP WILL LEAVE YOU.  Roatan shore time is different from ship time.

Roatan excursions: (at this port TCMC and Royal’s schedule run on ship time. Your phone will sync to shore time will show the time has an hour earlier than it is. Use ship time!)  Walking out the gate is a little dicey so I recommend booking a proper excursion ahead of time. We had an artist take a 4 wheeler trip from a random seller outside the gates and he was taken into the country and fleeced. 

Costa Maya: This place is safe to walk off the boat and just stroll around. There is a big area at the base of the dock with bars, restaurants, and fun things to do. There is a big water park on the island you can get tickets to through the ship. 

Cozumel shore excursions: There are great excursions to enjoy, but I recommend renting a scooter or car and driving around the island loop or going to one of the resorts.  The musician’s hang is usually at Mr. Sanchos. You can take a taxi there and back for pretty cheap. It is an all inclusive place with food, drinks, and a good beach.

All that said, you don’t have to leave the boat when we park at an island. The ship empties out, so it is fun to have a run of the place.  

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No merch on board:

We don’t have a place to sell merch onboard. Royal Caribbean demands a huge percentage of anything sold, and there is an extensive process they require to vet each product. They would also require us to pay staff to count in and out. We don’t have a good way to bring merch cases on board anyway, so logistics and cost make it impractical.

We are counting the days until we are on the water again!  Feel free to reach out to us if you have questions.

Eric Lenington
Music Director (512) 658-5163
Booking@texascountrymusiccruise.com

Cynthia Chubick
TCMC owner (832) 298-9898
info@texascountrymusicccruise.com

Hunter Saint Marie
Sound and Production (512) 665-7013
hunterstmarie@gmail.com