This year was the first 5/9 experiment, replacing the 50/90 summer songwriting challenge. It was so much fun, there will be another one in September. As much as I’d mourned the loss of 50/90, I see the value of a 5/9 in July and September since those were probably the most popular participation periods of the old 50/90.
As busy as I am the first half of July, I did manage tow rite 5 songs in 9 days.
The back story for song #5, “Chaos,” is this:
Playing around with the new Logic Pro “Shoulda Never” demo project, I ended up with pure chaos. So I ditched that project but liked the idea of “chaos” and that reminded me of my favorite chick lit novel called “Bet Me” where 3 guys meet 3 gals in a roulette-themed bar and one of the guys swears by “chaos theory” when it comes to love. So this song came about.
And I do enjoy a good friends to lovers romance trope.
Sadly, there is no more 50/90, the summer songwriting challenge where the FAWM community was invited to write 50 songs in 90 days. I actually preferred this over the February songwriting challenge because over the summer, the pace was slower and I got to know people better than the harried month of February. Anyway, this year is the first year they tried a songwriting challenge called 5/9 where you write 5 songs in 9 days.
Here’s my first song, “Never Loved Before.” I’d love to hear which one is your favorite.
As you know from my recent posts, I’ve been highly anticipating the first peeks into the new supper club on the brand new Legend of the Seas. We enjoyed “Lincoln Park,” a Chicago-themed supper club experience on Star of the Seas, so as soon as we heard the theme would be Hollywood on Legend of the Seas, we booked a cabin, even though it would cost us more than we’d ever paid for a cruise. And not even a suite – just a standard balcony stateroom.
From what I’d heard and seen, Star of the Seas was a step above the first supper club on the Icon class (Icon of the Seas) when they carved out a special window for the trumpeter to make his grand entrance. And what a player he was. His solos were outstanding!
So imagine my expectations when I saw the cover art for HollywoodLand.
Gourmet glitz & glamour Cue the lights — you’re in for a decadent night of sultry jazz, daring cocktails, gourmet bites and glamorous sights at Hollywoodland Supper Club. Celebrate the golden age of the silver screen with an epicurean experience beyond imagination — with each immersive, innovative course served with grand, striking cocktails. And from your first champagne toast to after-dinner libations, each indulgent round is paired with the perfect song to match the moment. Put your appetite in the spotlight, only on Legend of the Seas℠. (Royal Caribbean web site).
Looking at the concept art, I expecting something dark, moody, and with a saxophone player. Even the Royal Caribbean description tells us to imagine that. And that’s when I started imagining the playlist from old Hollywood songs with a sax lead. Instead, the final room is very light with gold carpet (why not red?) Red carpet as in Hollywood. No sax player – just the same trumpet player (although he was superb). And the songs were very “Hooray for Hollywood” songs from Hollywood musicals. Very family friendly, although nobody under 16 is allowed. That’s not supper club music. It’s more like a musical in the theatre like the “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” stage production onboard. I love that show, but I don’t want it in my supper club.
We were also disappointed in the train experience. Unlike Utopia of the Seas, where’s it in its own space on a bottom deck so it’s pretty much just the passengers, the train experience on Legend is on the Promenade Deck, my least favorite place on Royal Caribbean ships. That’s where the reputation for Royal ships being a shopping mall got started.
No, this cruise is not worth paying $9K (cabin fare plus all the add-ons), especially for a standard balcony cabin. We moved our deposit to Utopia so we could sail on our actual anniversary in a suite for far less money, and much closer to home.
Although we’re disappointed and, to us, it’s a step back from Star (more like Icon), it’s perfectly fine for somebody who doesn’t have our expectations or maybe they haven’t done one of the other supper clubs. For us, it was too much of a repeat and didn’t wow us enough to go on this ship just for the supper club. If we were already interesting in sailing for all she has to offer, I’m sure it would be a lovely evening. But it was driving the booking for us and wasn’t worth it, in the long run. Not for us.
Matt from Royal Caribbean Blog gives a peek into both the train and supper club dining experiences. And while he says he enjoyed “HollywoodLand” over the other two, his reasoning was that the songs were familiar to him. That’s pretty lame for a jazz lover like me.
Legend of the Seas is sailing with travel agents/vloggers/influencers on a 4-night PR cruise from Malaga, Spain to Rome. Photos and videos are being released daily. I happened to see the menu, including food, drinks and music. Okay, the music playlist isn’t what I’d hoped for, but what I’d expected. I can’t wait to actually see a real live video from a night in HollywoodLand.
Screamie Birds Studios 