Our second day was spent at sea, which would normally mean it's time to sleep in… but we had a Q&A panel at 9:30am (6:30am, according my my jet lagged brain) so I was up nice and early (damn early… too early… according to my brain) to make it there on time.
I'd guess that about 1/4 of the Seamonkey population came out to interrogate all of the performers, and we had as much fun as we did last year. As expected, The Hodgman and the F. Tompkins were hilarious.
After the Q&A… I can't remember what I did. But it's safe to assume that I spent the remainder of the day sitting by the aft pool, reading and sunning myself, and making sure that the inside of the pirate ship still worked.
You know, I realized that I didn't make notes for every day, because I was too busy just enjoying every day. I guess that's why I don't have lots of video of my kids when they were little, because it was more important to me to be there than behind a camera.
So let's just wrap this up like this: The cruise was amazing. Anne observed that it's like Geek Summer Camp for Adults, and I was as impressed by her observation as I was jealous that I didn't make it first. By the end of the cruise, I was looking forward to the next cruise with the same excitement and "is it time to go yet?" excitement that, until last week, had been reserved exclusively for PAX.
Every single one of the shows was great to watch, but it was the "second stage" stuff: the Karaoke, the other Karaoke, the Open Mic, the Joseph Scrimshaw Show, and the two DJ Flans dance parties that really blew me away. These events were more intimate than the big stage shows, and felt like they were more about all of us doing a thing together than they were about us enjoying watching a thing together. If there's one reason everyone should go on a JoCoCruiseCrazy (seriously, enough of us so we can get a whole boat without any Snorks to complain at us about things), that's it.
I'm sure there are other stories to tell about the cruise, but I'm drawing a blank. If there's something from our voyage that you'd like me to write about, leave a comment and I'll see what shakes out of my brain, which is convinced that it's still on the boat.
The fact that you can’t recall any other events other than the super-fantabulous-amazing shows and panels probably means you got a decent amount of relaxation peace of mind. Or everything else was so awesome it just blew your mind. Take your pick.
Why, o why, o why do we not get the opportunity for this type of thing in Europe? For pity’s sake, Jean-luc is French after all, isn’t he?
My god, you’ve just pimped nerdvana and no link so they can just take my money now!
*weep*
So, seriously, this sounds hella awesome. When can we sign up?
Love this quote!
“You know, I realized that I didn’t make notes for every day, because I was too busy just enjoying every day. I guess that’s why I don’t have lots of video of my kids when they were little, because it was more important to me to be there than behind a camera.”
It’s one of those hard to describe sorts of experiences. Those on the boat just get it. The talent/celebs/people who are there to be on stage at some point are all just as cool and approachable as those who aren’t. And so we feel lucky to share the experience and just can’t quite figure out what to say about it to those who weren’t there. *shrugs*
Side note: FOr those not able to attend this event where can we look to get on such an amazing boat ride?
Combo Side Note: Was the atmosphere pretty chill or was there staff to keep rabid fans away from relaxing celebrity people?
You don’t have to write about it but I just wanted to thank you again for the encouraging words you gave my boyfriend Phil. It was super great spending a week on a boat with so many people who are just as weird as I am and it’s especially great that someone as cool as you is also part of our strange and wonderful nerd-herd.
Seamonkeys FOREVER! 😉
-Carrie Landers
http://www.jococruisecrazy.com but you’ll only see info for the cruise that just ended.
It was wonderful meeting you… I was stunned by your response to us bringing you Dancing Barefoot (in a good way) and was touched by how much it seemed to mean to you… That book was one of the first ones Simon lent to me when we first started dating and since it seemed to mean a lot to him – I accepted the fact that it talked about Star Trek (Star Wars all the way!)
On another note – I take it as a personal quest to teach everyone left handed I meet the left handed handshake!
Was there a poop deck? If so, what exactly IS a poop deck?
Le Wikipedia: “a poop deck is a deck that forms the roof of a cabin built in the rear, or “aft”, part of the superstructure of a ship.
The name originates from the French word for stern, la poupe, from Latin puppis. Thus the poop deck is technically a stern deck, which in sailing ships was usually elevated as the roof of the stern or “after” cabin, also known as the “poop cabin”. In sailing ships, with the helmsman at the stern, an elevated position was ideal for both navigation and observation of the crew and sails.”
The more you know. *Rainbow*
I really liked the flash mob for Matt Murphy up in the Crow’s Nest that Paul set up. It was just a really cool moment.
Plus he played an acoustic version of Sober, which was nice.
You spoke on FB about not getting as much feedback here… I just wanted to let you know perhaps why (from one POV, of course). I talk at you on Twitter (not with you; I recognize the difference). It’s quick and easy, and I enjoy sharing the occasional thought. Your FB has too many responses for my taste. But here, seems more personal. So I don’t intrude on your stream of thought. But I DO read your entries. Maybe not always the same day you wrte them (I do have my own blog to keep up with, after all), but every day or so, I come to see what’s up in Wil Wheaton World, and enjoy sharing your day’s successes (or commisserate in your frustrations). Thanks for writing. It’s enjoyed, and it matters. 😉
I concur with BRBCurry. this is more fun and sometimes you even reply! Facebook gets very flamewar-ish and base for my tastes. Some of the time. Sounds like you had a blast. Maybe next year…
It was totally Geek Summer Camp for Adults. Anne nailed it.
Every time I wandered through the Casino or the Lido restaurant and bumped into grumpy, confused, polyestered Snorks, I felt like I was at that weird stuffy country club in Dirty Dancing where someone would try and teach me the foxtrot if I stood in one place too long. And then, instead of discovering a secret sexy dance party with the resort staff, I found a secret nerd karaoke night. And iPhone choir. And ukulele flash mob. And, now that I think of it, some secret sexy nerd dance parties.
One aspect of the cruise I liked was that most of us knew to treat the guests as somewhat more famous versions of our fellow Sea Monkeys. I talked to a few of them over the course of the cruise and judged each according to his or her need for personal space. Some were thrilled to chat (or at least were really good at acting that way), others were more reserved. But even so, there wasn’t a huge divide. We were all on the boat to have a good time together, and to help each other have a good time. I hear the volunteers had to deal with a few Sea Monkeys who didn’t know how to behave, but they were a small minority.
Cruises are awesome anyways; a Geek cruise? That the stuff of legends…. I must make next years….
Joseph Scrimshaw is a good friend of mine. I’m really glad you enjoyed his show.
THe atmosphere was EXTREMELY chill, which is why I had such a fantastic time. The Seamonkeys were overwhelmingly awesome, and very respectful of my limits. The performers were all approachable, affable, and generally awesome. It was a great environment, and the main reason I’m hoping like crazy that I’m invited back.
I’m not sure when official signups begin for JCCC3 (which I want to call JC³3), but I’ll announce it here when I hear about it.
Until then, you can probably get on some sort of mailing list at http://www.jococruisecrazy.com
Thanks 🙂
You guys are such a lovely couple! I hope your wedding is as awesome as the Asteroid fight sequence in Empire Strikes Back.
I know, right? That was seriously one of the best moments of the entire cruise for me, and what a great example of how awesome the Sea Monkeys are.
Paul: This guy is awesome. Let’s go give him some love.
Sea Monkeys: ARRR!
He told me afterward that it meant a lot to him; I told him that I was blown away to hear Sober.
Thank you 🙂
Did you ever hear me, Joel, Atom, or Kathleen doing our Snork impressions? We have a huge list of the best entitled complainey things we heard, but they’re best if you can get Joel or Atom to do them in a Snork Voice™.
Also, I got HONKED AT by a Snork in a scooter. While I was waiting for the Snorks in front of me to stop staring at whatever was on the wall, so I could go past them.
HONKED.
AT.
*truestory.jpg*
I can tell you, from my side of things, that the way the Sea Monkeys treated all of us made the cruise awesome. The way you guys could suss out whatever our personal limits were at any given time was some kind of super power.
I wish I lived in the same city as Joseph, so we could to improv together all the time.
I also agree with BRBCurry. I don’t comment on a lot just in general, mainly because I am the shy breed of geek, but I love to read you thoughts and opinions. It does really and truly matter. Also, sounds like you had a bitchin time on a boat. I am going to have to save up so the hubby and I can make next year our first ever “On a boat” experience.
Wait, there were Snorks? Were there Moomins too?
I am so glad that it was such a blast again! I am not at all jealous! (How can I be, really, when staying home gave me the chance to be part of the Doubleclicks’ studio audience for Dot Con Fest?)
I think one of the reasons that people aren’t commenting here is that there is a teensy bit of pressure associated with the comment box that isn’t on Facebook (or Google+? I dunno I keep forgetting I have Google+). On Facebook people just kind of accept that there are going to be typos and dashed off thoughts. If I’m taking the time to leave a comment in a comment box, on the other hand, I want it to be witty! And charming! And clever! And actually worth your time to read! When I look at my comment through all of those lenses, more of then than not I think “so not good enough” and I scrap it.
You’ve met me 🙂 I think I have proven that I am not so good at being clever on command 🙂
I’m pretty sure that you’re being read just as fervently as ever–we’re just more respectful of your time and eyes than we have been in the past. 🙂
“DJ Flans”?? I kind of want to cry a little…
That would work out, because you would also be in the same city as FFG, and you could game all the time. 🙂
I told my husband I really want to go on the cruise next year. I’ve been curious about going on a cruise for a long time. My husband isn’t as interested but I’m pretty sure this is the kind of thing he would enjoy the most –as long as there was some bicycling involved which I think there can be. Depending on the dates, it’s likely we could displace a couple of Snorks on the next one.
Tell your husband that he doesn't have to do traditional cruise stuff if he doesn't want to; there's a TON of stuff to do that's both officially organized by JCCC and even more stuff that's organized entirely by the Sea Monkeys.
I felt like the very best parts of being at a con were all happening on the boat, which just happened to be in the middle of the beautiful ocean, instead of at a hotel by the airport.
Ditto what BRBCurry and Snarke said! I read every post but I comment only rarely. It would be lovely to have a witty response on cue but mostly I smile and nod and enjoy. Thanks for that Wil.
“I felt like the very best parts of being at a con were all happening on the boat, which just happened to be in the middle of the beautiful ocean, instead of at a hotel by the airport.”
Thank you for this. I think that key here is that we as nerds/geeks socialize in our own unique ways and need activities toward that end and the chance to opt-out/recharge when needed. Now I just have to convince my husband it’s worth spending the $$ for that.
Did you have any other encounters like “Hey Magic Hat! Hit or Fold!” ?
One of the highlights: open karaoke night. Cayenne starts absolutely SLAYING “Bat Out of Hell”. Vi Hart, Stepto, you, Anne, Ryan, me, couple other people at the bar all stare open mouthed at each other in amazement and you said “They’re really swinging for the fences tonight!”
That lead to a truly incredible conversation with Ryan after his attempted RickRoll was thwarted by technical difficulties. My head’s still trying to process the stuff your son has already sorted. That doesn’t happen often — and frankly, I find the challenge refreshing. You and Anne have raised a couple of pretty damn amazing kids. For all the wonderful things you’ve done, in my book, that takes the top prize.
You’re probably the one Famous Person among the performers whom the less-nerdy folks in my life have heard of (although if I tell people “the PC guy from the Apple ads was there” they get it), and I’ve gotten a lot of “what’s he like?” questions in the last couple days.
My answer? “Wil really is that awesome. But not only for the reasons you might think. He’s that awesome because he and his wife have raised awesome sons. He’s awesome because he embraced his wife’s boys as his own and been a great example to anyone else in a similar situation.”
Sheesh. We’re getting old, Wheaton. But better. Except for the need for reading glasses.
Hey Wil! It was terrific meeting you and chatting in the cab on Curacao. While you are one of the celebrity guests, it really feels like you are one of us too, and I’m glad you were able to enjoy your time on the cruise as much as we all did. We seamonkeys had a wonderful time on the cruise. I absolutely agree with what you that it is like all the good parts of a convention with none of the bad stuff. (AND it’s a week long, AND it’s on a fancy cruise ship in the ocean, AND we get to go to the beach!)
Watch the space at http://jococruisecrazy.com/
EDIT: I see this has already been answered. Oops. But by all means, join us next year!
Let Scrimshaw know that we all enjoyed his show immensely and want to see more! The Comedy of Doom was a highlight amongst highlights on the cruise.
It’s totally worth it. Hope to see you two on the boat in 2013!
Oh…THAT’S what the poop deck is for. My bad…
I am SOOOOO jealous reading all of your posts. I didn’t know about the JOCO cruise and we booked ours about 3 weeks before it. We will be cruising again next year and I want to get the timing right this time and so will be anxious to hear when the JCCC3 is scheduled. Looking forward to being a SeaMonkey!
Just two quick things about JCCC2:
First, thank you for your great performance. Your stories hit incredibly close to home and were quite touching. (I am not as good a man as you; I haven’t been able to force myself to play Scrabble with my wife for years… it’s just too humiliating. You may have shamed me into making another effort, though.)
Second, I wanted to tell a short story about something I witnessed on the boat that just made me so happy to be with all of you.
One evening, I was heading down to meet my wife and some other Sea Monkey friends for dinner. Our friends’ 10-year-old daughter was walking with me when she spotted you in the hallway on the way into the Vista Dining Room. She turned to me, and excitedly asked if I’d mind taking her picture with you.
“Sure,” I said, “If it’s okay with him, I’d be happy to.”
We held back for a couple minutes because a snork had button-holed you and was yammering away. I found myself really impressed your grace and kindness as you smiled and patiently answered her questions, even though it seemed from your body language that you really kind of wanted to get to dinner.
As the snork kept talking, I started getting uncomfortable. Caught between not wanting to disappoint the girl I was with and also not wanting to be the guy who crassly takes advantage of your generosity.
As I was sort of internally squirming, wondering what to do, the 10-year-old looks up at me and demonstrates maturity far beyond her years, saying, “Hmm. Maybe another time would be better, huh?”
“Yeah,” I said, smiling, “That’s a great idea.”
Just one of those many moments on JCCC2 when I felt surrounded by enormously cool people.
Wil – you’re ABSOLUTELY right about how much awesomer a full charter would be.
Don’t know if you’re already aware of them, but you guys should look into working with Sixthman (www.sixthman.net). They’re awesome at creating full-boat music/theme cruise charters. I’ve missed both JoCo Cruises because of already having reservations on Sixthman cruises (Ships & Dip and the Rock Boat), and I can’t even imagine what it must be like to have civilians on the boat with y’all!
Wil, it was so great to meet you on the cruise and thank you personally to helping give me an amazing engagement story (which is always important for a girl!). Thanks so much for helping out at w00tstock to make the event so memorable. I loved your performances on JCCC2, and am now an avid follower of your Facebook/blog feeds!
I just wanted you to know that we did a shout out to you with a contest we’re in for free wedding (reception) photography. Thought you may be interested in checking it out (and maybe casting a vote or 7 for us?)!
http://rivetsandroses.com/weddings/photography-giveaway-louisa/
Give my best to Anne, my geek adjacent partner-in-crime. 🙂
Sincerely,
Rachel Hultman (and Matt Mayfield)