Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Mayercraft: Pros & Cons

Last February, I embarked on an adventure called the Mayercraft Carrier.

A three day cruise to the Bahamas, with John Mayer as host, and a whole bunch of other bands playing on a sort of music festival at sea. Other than the massive disaster that was American Airlines losing my luggage for the entire cruise (and the seven weeks that followed the cruise), it was an amazing trip. Great music, fun day trip in the Bahamas... and being stuck on a ship with John Mayer wasn't anything to shake a stick at, either.



In a possibly brilliant, possibly misguided move, my friends and I re-upped for this year's Mayercraft Carrier 2. This year, the cruise will be to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, will be longer, and most importantly, will depart from the Los Angeles, eliminating all possibilities of American Airlines losing my luggage again.


Since booking Mayercraft 2009, we've determined that there are some serious pros and cons to booking a trip like this... For a while we were up in the air about the ingenuity of booking. But we determined it was a good choice for us, even while it might not be for everyone.

Here are the pros and cons to Mayercraft.

Pros:
You're on a boat with John Mayer.
You get to see all kinds of music and comedy shows.
Free food.
Cruise to Cabo, plus a day to hang out at the beach in Cabo or go on a crazy adventure.
Everything is paid for months before you leave, so it almost feels "free."
Little to no communication with the outside world means total relaxation.
Tons of fun things to do on the boat, if you choose.

Cons:
You're on a boat with John Mayer, and so are 3,000 other people. (And there are some CRAZY John Mayer fans out there)
There's a chance you won't like the other musicians on the boat since they're not announced before you book. (Fortunately, we like them all)
Sodas and alcohol are not included in the overall price.
If you've been to Cabo, this might not be a big deal for you.
There are random last minute taxes and "fuel" fees.
If you HAVE to have Internet, it costs an arm and a leg.
You're stuck on a boat.

So, is it worth it?

For me, definitely. I can avoid the other people on the boat if I need to. I enjoy enough of the artists to see shows all the time. I am dying for a few days to chill out with girlfriends, sit in the sun, read, nap, and have a generally relaxing time. I love the never ending food on cruises, and I am not a heavy drinker. (And I think for this trip we'll try and bring on a bottle of booze if we can, to further reduce costs.) Plus, I've never been down to Cabo San Lucas, so that's one more place I can knock off my travel map.

But careful consideration should go into booking a trip like this. Unless you're fine with frivolously spending money, a different vacation might be better for you if the cons I listed above are deal breakers for you!

3 comments:

S~DLT said...

It is a good idea, most certainly if you like John Mayer. For me, it would have to go on _____Craft, basically anyone but JM. He had a really good idea when he came up with it though. So, props to John. And depending how much shore time you have - go to La Bufadora just outside of Cabo if you get a chance. So beautiful.

A pretty nice little Saturday said...

That sounds really fun! Maybe it's because it's January and I'm in Chicago, but the sunshine, music, fun, & drinks, just sounds AMAZING!

addy said...

Yes, that's definitely part of the fun! Getting away to sunshine in winter!