Hypothetical Question

No, but only 'cause I'm an underemployed writer. On paper, I totally love the idea. I just couldn't pull it off.

Sounds like fun but I'm on the East Coast so the expense and time of travel to Seattle AND then cruise is a little too steep -- no matter how much I dig JoCo and friends (and I do, of course!).

I said "No, for some other reason..." because I don't have that kind of money. BUT, if I did I would totally do it.

That sounds like a great idea. My wife and I have always wanted to take an Alaskan cruise. This could be the tipping point to convince us to go.

Maybe if it left from Florida, and then sailed around the Caribbean. Alaska is very cold.

Why don't you just do the one the Weakerthans just did? I think that's been going on annually. http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/travel/2008246131_trmusiccruises12.html

umm... by "that kind of money" I meant "any money to my name"...

just fyi...

No, because I live in FL and to go to seattle for a cruise would be out of my league. But if you were on a cruise from Port Canaveral (I'm only 15 min away :P) I would ABSOLUTELY go!

Only if you bring Hodgman.

I'm totally on board with the idea, but that's a little bit too expensive.

I would go for like $800, $1300-$1500 is seriously pushing it, I'm sorry. :( What an awesome idea, though! :D

I'll start saving now! Keep us posted!

I happen to be in London, so as awesome as a Coulton Cruise would be, the price would be astronomical :(

No...too expensive, and who wants to go somewhere kinda COLD on vacation? (Alaska in the summer's still kind of chilly, I've spent a summer there).

If it was a shorter cruise, and maybe from LA to Mexico or something...sure!

Would this be a family-friendly cruise? 'Cause I'm pretty sure our twelve-year-old would never forgive us if we went on something like this without her.

Basically count me as a "ditto" for Joshua's comment. If it becomes a regular thing I would definitely save up for a later one though!

I'm totally down. As long as it's worth the social interaction I hope it is! If you can portray that people are gonna have a week long AWESOME vacation alongside joco and friends, then I'm sure then people would be willing to fork out the cash to go

It's not that it's 'too expensive' in the sense of money for value. More in the sense of 'I just don't have that kind of money to spend on entertainment.'

I love the idea, but $1500 is quite a bit of money. If it were lowered to something I'd be able to afford, I would LOVE to go.

I picked "No, for some other reason..."

It's because of money, but not because I think $1500 is too expensive for a week-long cruise, just because I have no moneys.

Only if your friends Hodgman & the Johns from TMBG come along ;)

I said no for other reasons.

I think it is a Fantastic Idea. I've been looking to go on a cruise to Alaska a lot and if it included JoCo and friends, that would be even better.

I am dirt broke, so I couldn't afford it, but I don't think the price range is unacceptable, just too much for me. Actually, it is probably too much for a lot of your fans, but the idea is fantastic and if I win the lottery I would go and buy a whole bunch of tickets for friends, but I would have to play the lottery first.

What about starting with something smaller? Like a day cruise around Puget sound or something?

I've wanted to do that cruise anyway, so this would be great. Only kink is that most cruises are priced on double occupancy in a room. as amorous as I am sure many JoCo fans are, if you could match up roommates for singlefolk that would rule.

Same comment as I left on the survey (since I imagine a lot of people won't head over there):

I can find a number of cruises that are about a week long, departing from Seattle and going to Alaska, for around $600-750. Are tickets to your shows usually $500-700? If not, how do you reach $1500?

I'd think you would be able to work out a better price with a cruise line for something like this.

I said no, but only because it would be difficult for my husband and I to budget for the cruise and the airfare to get to Seattle if it happens this summer. If you were to leave from Florida and/or if we had a little longer to plan and budget, we'd totally be on board. (See what I did there? On board? A cruise? . . .yeah, nevermind.) I do love the idea, though, and it's definitely something I'd be very interested in if I could make it work with my schedule/budget.

It sounds awesome and wonderful, but I already have expensive plans for Summerish 2010.

If those plans were not in fact planned already, I would definitely want to go. Seattle to Alaska is an excellent trip, the duration is good, and the cost is reasonable (though I'd hope that taking my family with me would not result in 3x the cost of a single.) Get Marian Call on that boat somehow and it becomes an event not to be missed.

I said depends on details and by that I mean real dates and a real price. I would like to be able to do this but it all depends on vacation time and stuff like that (and tickets to get to west coast for people up in Boston)

It would be very difficult to keep me from going, but it would also be very difficult for me to put things together so as to go due to the price tag. Other thoughts are similar to the above posters: I'm on the East Coast, would prefer a cruise that goes south rather than north, and would prefer under $1,000 for the cost.

But I don't know that I'd let those things stop me.

That price range is a *tad* high. Maybe not impossibly high for a whole week cruise, but it would be nice if it were a little lower.

There's also the issue for us that we don't want to take our daughter on a cruise until she's a bit older (at least over 2, which she won't be by next summer), so we'd probably be out for that reason.

No, for a few reasons. A seven day cruise is currently out of my price range, and the additional cost of traveling from NYC to Seattle moves it even farther out of that range.

Now, a weekend or long-weekend cruise out of NYC for ~$500-700? Sign me up!

I would be concerned about the ecological impact of cruise ship travel.

(Also, I read "A Supposedly Fun Thing That I'll Never Do Again" and now I can't un-read it.)

Yep. Same problem as ColB.

It would just be too expensive to get from NY to seattle and back, to still pay for the cruise. But the idea is wonderful-- may if you left out of ny or nj?

We live in Tacoma and would lo-oo-oove to do this. I would FIND the money.

No, because cruise ships are pretty horrible, environmentally speaking. (Do come out to Seattle and host a convention or something, though.)

@Matthew: Yes, my concerts always cost $500. Actually, the extra money would go to pay for stuff beyond the cruise itself, like the other entertainers, parties, events, etc. Think about it like MaxFunCon (or somesuch) on a boat.

I would totally go for something like that.
We are talking both ways right? lol
Count me in

Awesome concept, but if I'm going to go on a cruise, I agree with Grant - Caribbean is the only way to go.

Besides, have to convince the wife to come - she already bailed on your Chicago show (which was awesome, btw)

My Family took an Alaskan Cruise this past August & it was fun. As for the Summerish 2010, I'd be up for taking the family again, but we will have a newborn & would have to see how it works out with that.

I said "Absolutely!"

Hoping for family-friendly, as a week of babysitting for 5- and 1-year-old would be difficult. Husband and I have been wanting to do an Alaska cruise for a long time, and we would LOVE to spend a week with JoCo and friends!

Trip savings plan has begun!

I like the idea. If Hodgman is there it becomes even better. I'll keep watching for updates.

Absolutely! For several reasons:

* IIRC, that's roughly standard price for a 7-day cruise
* I live in the Seattle area
* Wife and I were planning to do a cruise out of Seattle anyway - this would just be about a year earlier than planned

sounds absolutely brillian and marvelous and so much fun but since a,I live in Chile,far far away and b)I'm a student with no money, I'm gonna have to pass

If it was with Carnival Cruise lines, no way. The cleanliness on the cruise I went with them was disgusting and I know two people that got food poisoning on it.

Then again, I couldn't make it in 2010 because I'd like my daughter to be at least 2 before going on one (assuming that it would be family attendance friendly).

Yes, plz. Srsly. Although for that price, some way to get online better be included... With all the technophiles on there, we'd need something.

I would love to go. Alaska is cool and the money isn't even all that hideous. The big problem for me is the time involved and that I am on the east coast and it would about double the cost. I'd much prefer an Alaska thing to something based here on the east coast though.

Tough one.

The question is, how many wealthy JoCo fans with time and liquidity on their hands are on the west coast?

here's an idea - line it up to happen the week before or after PAX, so people who are already traveling to Seattle get twice the bang for their buck. Eh eh? :)

Oh, one more thing, let me second (or more) the downcheck on Carnival. I would NOT go on a Carnival cruise if it was free. I've been too close to Carnival to want to spend my money to cruise on one of their floating disease carriers. They're a terrible line.

Where is this survey that others are mentioning?

I would LOVE to go... But as a poor student... I cannot afford it...

I'd think seriously about this being a yes for me, alas our vacation dollars are already being spent on a trip to the Caribbean next summer. How 'bout 2011?

1. oh sad, cookies still had Scarface as my comment name in thurr.
2. ZOMG I WANNA GO

Also, I agree an NYC cruise maybe up to Novia Scotia & back would be pretty awesome.

I marked it for the expenses, but it's also that I'm not that big on cruises. Particularly cold ones :/

While I love the idea of a giant mobile JoCo party/convention, I think you'd be better off holding a ground-based convention. It would be cheaper, people would be more free to come and go for food and/or to accomodate time constraints, and there would be less of an environmental impact. Heck, you could hold it open-air on a beach with a boardwalk (like in Santa Cruz or somewhere like that... I actually haven't been to many beaches that have boardwalks) and people would be able to build sandcastles and play games to win plush monkey/pony dolls while listening! The JoCo Carnival :D People might even start building a giant Skullcrusher Mountain or other sandy tributes on the beach ;)

I also would need to understand the logistics of bringing a 8 and 4 year old along. But I'd be down for that.

The idea itself is lovely and sounds like a blast, but imagining myself ever having a free $1300 to spend on a cruise is laughable at best.

I've been wanting to go to Alaska on a cruise for a long time and I love the idea of a JC convention thing, plus I know that if folks were there for the convention they'd be my kind of folks...it's just that to me 1,500 is a lot of money. Add to this that cruises always tack on 300$ or so of extra expenses once you get on there (tip fees, anyone?) and you'd want drinks and souvenirs it's basically a 2,000 trip w/o airfare.

Oh man I'd save up for it hardcore. Probably wouldn't make it, but I'd save SO hard.

I say it's an awesome idea - I've always wanted to see Alaska.

Sadly, I can't afford it at press time.

Sounds really cool. I would love to go, but I can't afford it. Maybe something less expensive... I'd be willing to take a super crappy room too if it meant going below $600

If I had money to go on another cruise, this would definitely be the one I'd go on.

No. I can take JoCo in 3- to 5-minute stints, but a whole week? I'd eat my OWN brains! Hehe. Just Kidding JoCo. Nice idea, but I'd only do it for $13-$15 bucks (depending on how nice a room I want). Sorry.

It is a good idea, and not too expensive, but I'd have to treat it like a vacation more than a concert, and going to Alaska on a cruise isn't something that I was planning on doing next year.
I would love to go on an Alaskan cruise, from everybody i've talked to who has gone, it is a fantastic time, but next year isn't when it's going to happen for me.

Wife is deathly afraid of water, so cruises are out. Even if she was not, it would be a tough sell to use a week of vacation for this kind of thing. I personally would probably have a blast, but I am not the only decision maker in the family. :)

This would be awesome, especially if it dovetailed into PAX

While that is expensive, I'd find a way to work it out.. and I know a few others in the seattle area that would as well.

@JoCo

Is the high price because there's such a limited audience, then? In light of that, it makes sense.

It seems that most of the commenters feel it's too expensive for them... I wonder what the economic demographic of your fans are. I'd like to think we're all wealthy nerds with fancy technology ideas who do quite well money-wise, but that may not be the case.

If I had the cash, I would totally be up for this.
Especially if Joco's friends were super fly.

Can we request which "famous powerhouse entertainment friends" come along? Like we get to request songs at your shows? I vote Paul & Storm; Hodgman; and Wil Weaton. I'm sure I can think up a few more too.

Looking forward to seeing you in MSN on Sunday. :)

I'd absolutely love to, save for the fact that I don't have the money. I don't think it's too expensive, I just don't have the cash. Damn!

Is that $1500 per person, or per room? Or something else? $1500 doesn't sound that bad for a couple, but $3000 is pushing it.

I live in Seattle. I would be more likely to take a winter cruise that goes south.

I said no for a bunch of reasons:

Too expensive for East Coasters. The cross-country airfare plus the cruisefare makes it unreasonable.

Too high priced compared to comparable music cruises with more entertainment. I've been on Rock Boat and Cayamo as listed in the article someone helpfully linked to. I'm assuming the $1300-1500 is per person. We paid about the same for Cayamo (total was $2200 for both of us) but got 7 full days of music and music activities for that price, not just four. So obviously I'm not against music cruising. But I don't see the bang for the buck here.

Alaska for me is a destination in itself- most people don't just casually go there. If I were going to take on the expense and large chunk of vacation time needed to make this happen, I'd want to focus on the trip itself, not add extra stuff in the way of themes and musicians.

If you're seriously batting this around, I'd consider talking to the people at Sixthman who run the Rock Boat, Cayamo, Ships & Dip and several other music cruises. They're good at it, it's their business, and it's probably easier to partner with someone who has an established thing going than to try to get your own off the ground.

This has the potential for a bit more awesomeness than I'm prepared to deal with right now.

Does the $1300-$1500 pricetag include convincing my fiancee that this would be an awesome honeymoon idea?

If I had the money, I would TOTALLY do this. I've wanted to do a Geek Cruise and this sounds like a very similar idea and the price is similar to the Geek Cruises I've looked into.

Because my math skills suck, I should mention that we paid about $2200 for the two of us for Cayamo, but that was base fare only and didn't include extras...and on a cruise ship, everything's an extra, including tips, which are semi-mandatory, beverages other than water on most cruiselines, and incidental spending money. Also didn't include travel insurance, which on a trip of this magnitude is pretty much not optional.

And my math skills suck.

It seems there's an overwhelming response of the too expensive kind going on here. It is an awesome idea though. Maybe you can hold off a little longer and give the majority of us some extra time to save some serious dough. Maybe winter 2010/2011 in the Caribbean?

No, because I can't afford it, and then I would be so sad that such a thing exists, and I couldn't do anything about it. But have you seriously considered what it would be like to be TRAPPED ON A BOAT with a bunch of crazy fans?

Maybe, just because I don't live in Seattle so in addition to the $1500 cost of the cruise I'd have to deal with getting to Seattle. But otherwise this sounds like a great idea for a vacation. :)

I would love to, sounds really awesome. However I'm unemployed and its not likely to change. If it does it will be some minimum wage thing. However, if I win the lottery I would sign up in a heartbeat.

It's an absolutely fantastic idea. But I think you should expand the fan base by giving it a cool generic name like MaxFun Cruise or the Wootstock Cruise. Then invite other Geektastic stars to come on board. The RiffTones. Molly Lewis. The Guild. Obviously, Paul and Storm. Maria Bamford. Mary Jo Pehl. J. Elvis Weinstein. Joel Hodgson. John Hodgman. Hank and John Green. Wil Wheaton. Neil Gaiman and Amanda Palmer. The Fabulous Lorraine. Ken Plume. Len Peralta. Make it a floating SXSW! Call it the NXNW Cruise and show the Hitchcock film one evening!

Get the Governor of Alaska to rename one of the uninhabited Alaskan Islands "Skullcrusher Island" for a week, or permanently. Heck, who wouldn't want to tour "Skullcrusher Island"!

At the moment, no just because I'm so money-less. If I had the money, I would definitely be on it in an instant.

The more I think about it, the more it makes sense to have "Cinematic Titianic" aboard. Come on! That's too good to pass up.

I did the Barenaked Ladies "Ships and Dip" cruise and it was AWESOME... but $1500 per person is a little too rich for me -- If $1500 is the MAXIMUM then I would definitely go - but if the median is $1500, I don't think I can go :(

There's free on-ship wifi, right? And Jill Whelan is in your entertainment posse, right?

Also, did you know that there are lots of cruises that leave from New York City and sail up to Canada via New England? Seems like it would be a bit more convenient for you. And me, but really it should be all about you.

Depends. You guys gonna play Flood?

But seriously, I'd be very interested if we didn't already have MaxFunCon plans. Only so many happy-fun-time conventions one can fit into a year.

Only if the cruise was named "Tom" and it was an insane, wacky, maybe even "crazy" cruise.

This wouldn't hypothetically be the MS Amsterdam, would it? I was doing that Alaska itinerary as music director in 2004 just before I hung up my sea boots :-) Folks, I'd give my eye teeth to be on there as a crew member, and it's better for passengers...

It it were on the East Coast my wife and I would go in a heart beat.

I marked it as too expensive, though I'd LOVE to go! I live in the Portland,OR area, so travel to Seattle wouldn't be too bad, but that's a lot to spend on a weeks vacation. I totally agree with everyone suggesting it be a land-based thing. If you were in Seattle, it couldn't be that hard to swing down here, right? 

Multiple reasons for me, but mostly because I can't stand being on boats for more than an hour or two at a time. For that reason, I can't for the life of me understand why anyone would ever want to go on a cruise.

Cruises make me puke. Repeatedly. I'd only do it if I were trying to lose 50lbs. Other than that, it's an awesome idea at a reasonable price.

I'm not paying because I have no money.
I love the idea

This would get us over the hump to actually take that cruise, which we've been wanting to do for ... several years. Go for it!!! Let us know if it happens!

Man, I would so rock that cruise, but $1500 is like five car payments and nobody's invented rocket boots yet. :(

Aw, I said no before I read the comments. If hodgman and old Scarface and other friends of JoCo (like Doc Hammer perhaps?!) were attending, I'd be sorely tempted to pony up.

I said no, because I'm not american... (that's quite a good reason...)
But if I could...

Not unless the costs of traveling to Seattle and the cruise are perks of being in Paul and Storm's Brigade of Minions...

I'm a college kid! I have only enough to get your songs from iTunes! :)

I live in Seattle and sold my soul to the man just so I could afford something this awesome! Yes please!!!

Not too expensive as a cruise, but too expensive for me. Even though I live in the Seattle area, I can't even begin to imagine having that much disposable income by next summer. If it weren't for that, though, I would totally go for it. JoCo, P&S, Hodgman... the mind boggles!

I would love that, but unfortunately I haven't the money, and I will also be in school at that time :(
But it does sound awesome...

I love the idea, but a week is bit too long and the price is a lot too high for me. But maybe a shorter, less expensive cruise? That works for me!!!

I am thinking this could be a good honeymoon. Let's do it! (and by honeymoon, i mean for my future husband and I). And I agree, bring Hodgman, and also Paul and Storm and anyone else cool like that.

At first I thought "Wow! I would LOVE to go!" Then reality started popping into my head- the price is too much for us, the added price of flying cross country, and the ultimate reality- a night of JoCo and P&S leaves you hungry for more and happily listening to the CD's in the car on the way home, a full week though....you will run out of songs and it will be the whole "working in a doughnut shop" dilemma again. You know, where you work in a place like that and in a week never want to see, smell or eat another dougnut again in your life. I don't want to be so oversated with JoCo that I hit "next" every time one of his songs pops up on my iPod.
Now a WEEKEND get together anywhere in the country, a JoCoCon type of thing with lots of sitting around in circles doing sing-alongs, a fancy pants banquet and dance, games and events based on your songs- THAT would be a blast! What's more if it was local to the DC area I would be happy to be on the con committee for planning events too. Best dressed toy monkey contest anyone? Ponkey races? Scavenger hunt? Mass invasion of the Air and Space Museum?

Yes! Already contemplating an Alaskan cruise. This would be an amazing experience!

Please choose a good cruise line. It can make all the difference.

Would absolutely love to, but the cost of getting to Seattle (from Wellington, New Zealand) and the cost of the cruise would be a bit prohibitive.

I've done 2 cruises with Sixthman - the Ships & Dip Cruises, and they were hands-down the best vacations we've ever taken. And being that Alaska is on our list of places to go...SURE, we'd be happy to go with you. But it'd better be good...and really, the price may need to drop just a touch - the Sixthman cruises were a little less expensive than that, and we were getting 20 bands on board...but theoretically - sounds like a blast!!!

Oh man, me and blackcatbonifide got married a year too soon! Or you had this idea a year too late. We planned our honeymoon around going to PAX this year, and hopped on a cruise to Alaska immediately afterwards. It would have been 10x more awesome if it were this cruise.

As it stands, we'd be tempted anyways, especially if you planned it adjacent to PAX so we could also get that out of the trip (we'd be flying from Pittsburgh). But yeah, expense and number of vacation days make it a bit borderline for us. I voted 'maybe, depending on details' in the poll.

Great seeing you at PAX btw! Looking forward to seeing you in Pittsburgh in December!

It depends on where I fall in relation to the "powerhouse famous friends."

That's 7 semesters worth of books, man!

I said absolutely, though my husband said maybe, so perhaps i'm actually a maybe? lol! I don't mind the location, but some of these east coasters are right, the west coast really does get the best of nerd stuff. At least PAX is finally bringing it east this year!

Jonathan, we did it with the Browncoat Cruise (although that went down into Mexico) on a Carnival ship a couple of years back, so I KNOW it can be done!!! I would love for it to start in Seattle, and Alaska is a beautiful place!

Please, do it!

(One of the good things about the Browncoat Cruise was that, because it was on an inexpensive Carnival boat, it was relatively inexpensive as far as cruises go. I think it was $500-600. But we only had four celebrity guests to pay, and three of them weren't main cast members. The more celebs, generally, the more we gotta pay to be there. But then again, the more people you get in the group, perhaps the lower the price can go, too...)

Things for people to remember: on cruises, your meals and lodging are already paid for. Only alcohol is extra (and believe it or not, there are a fair number of people who don't drink alcohol in the world. *wink*). As far as a "floating convention" goes, cruises are a good deal.

As far as the cruise line... yes, the higher priced ones are awfully nice. I've traveled on both. But for a convention/groupthingy like this, when you need to consider keeping costs lower, it can be a good thing to consider the lower priced cruise lines. Because, after all, why are you there... to spend every day lounging in comfort and the sun, or to spend time with other fanatics like your self and rubbing elbows with your favorite celeb-type people?

Your price point is good, for the time/goods offered but I've neither the time or the cash right now to spend a whole week away. I'll have to catch you next time you hit Denver.

No, because I don't have money.

However, get Molly there, and I'll consider panhandling. I kinda want to see her perform live.

Idea? Awesome.
Price? Way, way, WAY out of my price range.

I love you, JoCo. But not "kids, you have to stop eating for a few months so daddy can go on a cruise with JoCo" much.

Kind of like Barenaked Ladies Ships n' Dips, eh? Honestlyu, if I had the money, I'd be interested. But, you'd almost have to spice up the deal, sort of a convention on seas, if you will. You know, lots of guest stars and entertainment.

Oh I'd love to do that and would leap at the chance but i'd have to add a couple of grand extra to get to Seattle from over here in Australia.

When are you coming here? :(

Depends.
Will I get to lounge on the deck while Jonathan feeds me grades and softly croons "Soft Rocked" into my ear?

My first reaction was "OMG YES", but I had to choose "depends on details" in the survey. There are a couple reasons for this:

1) I hate planned vacations and tours, so cruises sound intensely boring to me. Four days of entertainment by awesome people = great. Three following days of being trapped on a boat with nothing to do = not so awesome. I'd need some reassurance that there would be SOMETHING interesting for the remainder of the trip. That or make it shorter.

2) How willing I am to spend $1500 for a week would depend on the final guest list. If one or two more of my favourite entertainment people were on board, I'd say absolutely, no matter the cost.

As an aside, my parents go on one or two music cruises *every year*. The basic idea has always appealed to me; it just needed a theme more geared to my own interests. I will probably ask my dad how much they usually pay (once they get back from the latest cruise) to gauge how reasonable $1300-1500US is.

I'd love to, but my wife hates your music. And there's no way I'd get away on a cruise without her.

No, because i live in Australia, and it would require flying to Seattle, then back, so it would cost heaps. but if i could i would

As cool as it sounds I have no desire to ever do a cruise in my life.

Yes, absolutely. we want a cruise to Alaska next year anyway. you tell me when and I am all about it.

PS, get Wil Wheaton, his hot wife and Scalzi and his hot wife and I am even more there.

I'd love to do a cruise, I just have no earthly idea where in God's name I'd come up with $1,500. For another $500, I would just assume travel abroad for two or three weeks.

Fantastic idea though, I'd love to hear more details.

Love the concept (hey, it works for the Bare Naked Ladies and friends) but I have plans for my vacation time in 2010 already. A Seattle to Alaska cruise, no less (with my daughter's class so definitely not as fun as a JoCo cruise but also kinda hard to get out of now that I'm in).

Some other year?

I would if I had the money, but I don't.

We would absolutely love to do something like this. However, we could not do it next year since we are probably going to Canada for Christmas next year (from Australia). We would love to do a cruise to Alaska one day and this would be a better than perfect way to do it!

BTW... if you ever come to Australia, we're there.

I would say hell yes because it would be awesome and Alaska is one of the last four states I haven't been to. Conveniently, my parental units are located in the starting point, making the trip an excuse to see them as well :oD.

This is the kind of vacation I imagine myself going on once I'm done my MBA and in a high-paying, steady job. So I think it's a fantastic idea, I just hope it's repeated in the summer of 2012.

Would it be appropriate for a 10 yr old boy? I would want to bring my son.

My initial reaction was a face-splitting grin and "Whoooaaa cool!" followed by "Aw man, ALASka!?" Boyfriend and I had been talking about doing a cruise sometime, just more in the general direction of the Caribbean.

Ditto, Kat. The hubby and I are planning to take a cruise sometime soon and he loves this idea. If it were a Caribbean cruise, my answer would have been different. I have no interest in an Alaskan cruise.

If I had that kind of money I would be so, totally there.

I voted no its to expensive, But infact that is because I have no money to begin with! You should go for it!

The price and time sounds right, but sadly I can not afford either. I'm pushing my vacation days and income to the limit as is with two PAXes.

I'm with others - it's fairly priced, but could not afford it personally (Yay university!)

This sounds like something perfect for your older fans (By older I don't mean elderly I just mean older than me.) Cause to be honest it seems like your youngest fan. I can't afford a cruise (I'm 16. When I went to a UK show I was the youngest there everyone looked 21)

My wife and I just finished going on our first cruise, around Italy's boot. It was amazing, and the only way to make one better is to spend it with our favorite musician(s)!

Funny, we were just talking about a cruise to Alaska, like you described...

We are so there.

Change the itinerary to leave from the Brooklyn Pier and go to the Caribbean and back and I'd say "Anchors Aweigh!!!"

I am a student! So, maybe if I could split a room with 2-4 of my student friends in steerage, and opt out of Cruise Food, and just eat whatever we had packed, and washed dishes every night - would you give scholarships?

I'm sure I could convince my wife to go, provided we were able to save up enough cash before then, but for now it's a "no for other reasons."

Are you working on a cover of "My Heart Will Go On"... like, zombie-robot style or something?

Hell yes! The girlfriend and I are *IN*. Please do this!

please please please do this!

Also, stop over in Juneau and do a show! I will personally make sure everyone in town comes to see you

No, but I'll totally envy the people that do get to go. (just like I envy people that go to Pax, and cons, and signings, and concerts, and...)

A week of JoCo? Great!

On the water?..... I'm to much of a land lubber for that.

You are an evil temptress Jonathan. An Alaska cruise has been on my list of "vacations I'd like to take if we were willing to spend over $1000 on a vacation" for many years. Getting to photograph the beauty of Alaska *and* hang with you and friends? Why oh why am I not independently wealthy?

If the $1300-1500 were per room not per person we could possibly make it work.

You know the free tickets you always offer me for working merch? How about I do your merch for the cruise? ;) I could even volunteer to take pictures the whole week too.

As for those folks who want an east coast cruise instead... Doesn't matter to me (other than the fact that Alaska's supposed to be freaking gorgeous!). Since I'm in Minneapolis there's no cruises leaving from anywhere near here. It's pretty much the same difference to fly east or west.

Sharon, Merch Minion who's looking forward to Monday's show!

DH (and his dad, who has no idea who you are, but maybe we could get him to come too!), have been trying to convince me to take a cruise to Alaska. Having you on the ship is a major draw here. But if $1500 is for a single ticket, I'm not sure we can afford that, since we'd have to either bring the kidling (5 years old) or find someone to care for her.

And I'm not sure you've thought through the ramifications of being cooped up on a ship with that many of your fans...no escape.

But I must say, you are the biggest enticement I've ever seen for a cruise to Alaska.

I may be living at the Powell St cablecar turnaround by then. So, out of my price range. Also, can't go to Alaska because I'm afraid of Sarah Palin.

I had to say no because of the cost. However, if this were a 2011 magical musical cruise-type situation I'm sure the husband and I could scrape something together. And, of course, if he meets that millionaire girlfriend he's always talking about, then we're definitely in!

No travel to the US for me until you get rid of the stinking VISIT program. I ain't giving my fingerprints to nobody.

Shame, because I liked Seattle when I visited in 2004 - a friend got married in up-state Washington. Looks like it was just before the fingerprint requirement was imposed for Visa Waiver Program countries.

I agree w/ ColB. Couldn't you pick a more fun place to go to than Alaska?
I've been on fan cruises before and I can tell you, they are a ball.
Living in the Northeast, though, I would never EVER spend the time/money to take a cruise to ALASKA, especially IN THE SUMMER.
Why not pick a more central port of departure so airline tickets from the East or West coast wouldn't be so costly and then go somewhere WARM?

Also, you should go somewhere in the WINTER that is warm and line it up to coincide with college winter breaks so that college age fans can come too. Then spend your summer doing the festival circuit instead.....USE YOUR HEAD, COULTON!

How about this: Along with musical entertainment from JoCo and team, add a bunch of seminars and tutorials from a bevy of top high tech entrepreneurs, game developers, cool executives from Etsy and other grassroots-oriented sites, etc. etc. And re-brand this, "Jonathan Coulton's Geek Tech-Culture-Bizness Cruise" or somesuch. Like SXSW Interactive but on the high seas. That way, all the people in the tech/Internet/gaming business could write the cruise off on their taxes. I bet companies would buy whole blocks of cabins. You'd sell out tickets in a week.

It's not that I don't think a cruise + JoCo 'n Friends isn't worth $1500, it's just that it's way out of my price range. Oh but here's an idea. In San Diego they have these ferry type of things that go out into the bay and all they do is party. I dunno if they have such a thing in Seattle, but I'd do that for an evening. :D

@JessicaM: There is no "central port of departure" because cruise ships departing from the middle of the country really don't go anywhere due to lack of ocean!

No matter which coast you pick, JoCo, half the fans are going to bitch. The only solution is to make it an annual thing and alternate which ocean you cruise! :)

We would love to, but the price is a bit high, and we would have to know if it is kid-friendly, etc. But it sounds like great fun, and I have always wanted to go to Seattle and Alaska.

Aren't you glad you asked us bunch of nitpicky, crazed monkey-pony zombie-robot fans?

Sounds cool but too expensive for my recession hit bank balance especially as we'd have to travel over from the UK.

Do it and make me jealous though - that approach worked well for the Barenaked Ladies..

Certainly interested in this type of trip.

My wife and I are regular cruisers, and would very likely book such a cruise - were she not expecting a baby early next summer.

If there were something target a warmer climate next winter, or another the following summer, we'd certainly be in.

I would absolutely love such a thing, but it's completely impossible.

Gotta spend that time working in a mine for my robot overl- I mean Protectors.

Wow, that's a lot of comments. There's a good chance that someone already said what I'm about to say, but I'm going to say it anyway.

I said "No, for other reasons." Part of it is money, but really, I would be able to save up the cash for an event like this - it would depend on when it needs to be paid, whether or not I could pay in installments, and if my cousin is still living in Seattle next summer.

But another wrench in the plan is that I already have 3 vacations planned for 2010 (2 cousins getting married in Ohio, one in May, one in September, and I live in Minnesota, and my 30th birthday blowout in Vegas in October). If I weren't already going on all those trips, then I'd, without a doubt, go on the JoCo and Friends Alaskan Cruise. Because, dang, that sounds awesome.

In the end, it depends on whether or not my company is giving out bonuses in the spring. If it's anything like last year's bonus, I'm in. But chances are that's not happening, considering all the layoffs. So, maybe another year!

Working for a nonprofit, I can only afford one big expensive trip every couple of years. And next year's is already scheduled. (Italy FTW!) But if I weren't doing that, I'd be mighty tempted to blow my hard-earned cash on a JoCruise. I hear Alaska's gorgeous in the Summer.

I get seasick so I'm just going to sit in front of a fan with an ice cube hanging from it while playing Skullcrusher Mountain on Rock Band.

I'd be totally there if not for the fact that I live on the opposite coast. I'd find some way to deal with the expenses if it was just the cruise, but I'd also have to deal with a coast-to-coast round trip, and that's not so great.

The idea itself, though, I love and definitely support.

Good idea in concept but not in execution. I've done an Alaska cruise and it was awesome but very busy. Different ports almost every day and lots to see. Even when not in port, part of the attraction to cruising Alaska is the on-going scenery.

Also Alaska in the summer is very popular with families with kids. Not so much a partying crowd.

All, in all, this itinerary is not conducive to a "fan cruise". You'd be better off with a Mexican Rivera itinerary from the west coast or a Caribbean itinerary from the east coast. Cost of either of these should be less than Alaska as well. Also, for the Caribbean, 3, 4 or 5 day cruises are regularly offered which would bring the cost way down.

Hell yes I'd be down for that. Although a little cheaper would be better. also getting to Seattle can be expensive too.

Also like to chime in with the Carnival haters, those ships are bad news.

I agree with the comment on playing a show in Juneau while you're here (or come back and play) We really need quality enertainment around here!

While I'm certain such an event would be well worth the price, it is sadly out of my budget.

My fiance and I are getting married in June of 2010, and we're wanting a non-run-of-the-mill honeymoon. This would definitely fit the bill!

Depends on when my husband returns from his governent-sponsored vacation to Iraq..... but oh, I would so love to go. Price seems reasonable, except that airfare would kill us since we live in BFE (ok, ok, Minnesota....).

BNL has done this type of thing for a few years in a row and I have friends that have gone and said it's an amazing time.

I just wanted to say, with all of these people requesting that it was on the east coast, that the location is perfect for me. So is the idea of going to Alaska, actually. Just since people are more likely to mention what's wrong with it rather than what's right with it - while both are useful information.

Now... the only problem is saving up $1500ish. I'm not sure if I could manage that one. I don't know if it's "too expensive" in terms of what it's actually worth, but as far as what I'm actually able to afford, $1500 is some serious cash.

What are my stowaway options - will there be heavy security?

HELL YES!

(1) I have done a Seattle-Alaska cruise (Inside Passage) and it was fantastic.
(2) I agree that Hodgman would be a big plus. (Assuming Paul and Storm are a given.)
(3) Also, howbout Wil Wheaton! And Neil Gaiman! And the RiffTrax guys!
(4) Did I mention HELL YES?

If the details work out, I would go, and I live in the UK.

This poll is an obvious answer for me:
YES!

But-- if only I had money...

And if only I were OLDER.

Awww... I would but we already blew that dough on MaxFunCon. Have you thought about a Mississippi riverboat? It splits the left and right coast travel time, plus it practically guarantees Kenny Rogers will show.

I totally would, if I lived anywhere remotely near the place the cruise left from, or even the same country and if I had the money to spare. In fact, if I was super rich I'd definately go, even though I live in NZ!
Sounds like it would be awesome fun and worth every penny! If only I had some!
Super jelly of those who do go! Hypothetically...

I would love to if I could, but I can't. :(

Well, I'm definitely interested!

I guess it'll depends on who else is going and if I can save the money. And convince my partner to go.

It'll be tough, as we're in Eastern Canada and therefore need to consider the exchange rate and travelling (although Google Maps has informed that'll only take 45 days to walk there, lol.) Oh, and health care coverage. And a passport.

This needs to happen. Don't let the naysayers get you down. This is a sweet fondant sailboat made of awesome.

Assuming I could save up the money and convince my fiance to go, then yes. Absolutely, 100%, yes.

I voted No (Other Reason) because I don't know who Jonathan Coulton is. I only got here by clicking aroudn My Phil Dudes blog.

It seems like you're doing things that retired celebrities do. Retrospective compilation, do not disturb vacations, and convention cruises. You're a talented person and I like your music but, I hope that you view your accomplishments as your freshman effort. I would love to hear the results of a concerted song-writing and recording effort. I'm sure you've got a great record in you. Please, get to work.

"Please, get to work."

Please, bite me.

Hey Dayton Guy, click the "info" button up top (or jump straight to the "music" button) and poke around a bit. You'll be glad you did!

I voted "no - other reason" because I love the idea, and I don't think it's too expensive - except for my unemployed butt. I've always wanted to do a cruise like that, and if I had a job, I'd definitely do it! But alas, the circumstances force me to say "nope" this time around.

Oh hell yeah, I live in Seattle and I'm loaded. Count me in.

You have to talk to the people over at Sixthman.net who organize the Rock Boat. They do kick ass cruises and cost $500-900/ person. Much better price tag then what you're proposing.

Via boat? Or, to put it another way: Why a boat?

I'd be willing to help put together a music convention for landlubbers that would cost less (and therefore draw a bigger crowd), feature more acts, and perhaps have multiple stages and other events (e.g. autograph and jam sessions).

You precognitive (insert derogatory expletive I'm too polite to say)! You stole our idea!

We were going to do the same thing for our fans... similar to the Trains of Heaven thing we did in March from Chicago to New Orleans and back...

Of course, _your_ fanbase can probably support it. Especially out of Seattle (where our fellow geeks are slightly wealthier). We're more likely to end up doing a riverboat cruise up and down the Mississippi in 2011.

I hope you go for it and that everyone else goes with you.
We did an Amtrak run from Chicago to New Orleans and back with about 40 fans on board and a concert on either end this past March. Lives were changed, and lifelong friendships took root. We would all do it again in a heartbeat.

Only if in this hypothetical situation I had any freakin' money.

:(

Devil's in the details. If, as many people have stated, you have a hit lineup that included all the people he listed (especially Hodgman), the chance to hang out for a week on a ship with them would be too good to pass up. It's a value proposition. I could afford it (absolute value) but it would have to be worth it (relative value). Also if the USD to Pound exchange rate holds up.

Set something like this up on the east coast and I'll be there!

Re: cruise costs -- my parents, who returned from their most recent Blues Cruise a few days ago, claim to pay between $2000-$3000 per person for a week-long cruise out of California. $1500 sounds completely reasonable to me.

Hellziggy, the one fan cruise I have been on departed from NOLA (the port at New Orleans) which is pretty central with a destination of Cozumel, Mexico. Both East and West Coasters were present and it worked out well for all involved.

Just wanted to add that were I to go I'd be happy just with JoCo and Paul and Storm. Keep in mind that there is going to be OTHER STUFF going on aboard the ship and when you get to port there is going to be EVEN MORE STUFF to do. Plus there will be lots of new friends to meet and do fun stuff with which you'll want to have time for as well. I think a big celebrity techie thing might be overkill. Additionally, it would probably substantially drive up the cost and make scheduling more difficult. People, is JoCo not enough for you?

No for other reasons, because when reading the idea my mind exploded at the possibility of that much amazingness and then with grief and knowing I'd never be able to afford it.

If I weren't already taking a vacation that spring, then I would be all for it.

I've already been wanting to do an Alaskan cruise, and this is just the kind of thing to push me over the edge. Yes it is a bit pricey, but I would find a way. I also like the idea of having it lead into PAX.

I would definitely go if I had the money. your music is great. I am going into the Navy, and I will be making a lot more money, maybe then I would be able to afford it.

Oh man, that's around the time that we're planning a honeymoon trip. That would be an AWESOME honeymoon trip.

I said "No" because I already have conventions to attend in both July and September 2010 and, quite apart from the basic cost, probably can't afford the time off from work, at least in 2010. Future years could work better, especially with notice to start saving up.

However, having just attended the Minneapolis TMBG "Flood" show last night and been dreaming about some sort of TMBG/JoCo/Frontalot/etc. festival, I do encourage further planning of this sort.

Also, as an old fat person, I request more venues with seating!

This sounds perfect! We'd love to do it. Curious...is this the kind of cruise where one could bring one's kids, and there's kid activities and such? We'd be interested, either way, but might be more inclined to do it if we could bring our children, too, and they could do their thing. We live on the west coast, and Seattle to Alaska would be ideal!

Hell yeah! We live in L.A. and are loaded, so we would love to go! The only thing is convincing my dad to take me, he is not much of a cruise ship guy. Would be awesome if it ended with PAX.

Ha ha ha hah haa ha ha haahhh... I don't have £892!..

*sighs*

*looks at old, falling apart jeans*..

Pity me.

(It does sound fun, but no.)

It does sound intriguing, and the money wouldn't necessarily be a huge barrier, but with 3 small children at home I marked "too long." Because that's too long to leave my wife at home, and I don't think we could bring everyone nor would we want to.

If I could engineer an ideal event, it would look more like a 3 or 4-day weekend, probably not a cruise but a landlocked convention type thing in any nearby city.

Having guests and several performances sounds like fun, but what I personally would enjoy more would be some workshops. Some guitar workshops: technique and theory. Joco's take on how to write an interesting arrangement for guitar, especially for live accompaniment. Maybe a demo and talk session on best practices for home recording, both demos and full multi-tracked songs, and mixing. Especially valuable would be a songwriting workshop. In other words, sessions that were targeted as musician to (aspiring) musician.

That's what would entice me, at least.

And how would such a cruise be promoted?

Uh-oh; I feel some lyrics coming:

Would you listen on a boat?
Would you listen with a goat?
Shambling zombies recommend:
""Jon-Con! Jon-Con! Must... attend!

(OK, now all we need is a melody.)

I couldn't find an option in the poll that fit ...
I want you to take the cruise because I live in Alaska, and it's probably the only way we'll get to see you up here. Please tell me you'd get off the boat and perform at some of our cool venues!

Geeze, Jon, do you *really* want to spend a whole week with these fanboys?

Yes, it may be the only way to get my husband on a ship!!

Make a pre-PAX event and run with it, but bring Wil Wheaton with you - pretty please.

I'm not going to vote, because it would depend on whether I'd have a convenient excuse/enough leave to be in the US at the time, but I would love this. One of the reasons I went to the UK three times to see you was that your fans are great fun to hang out with. It'd be like the Road Trip of Doom we did for the 2008 UK tour, but with more tripping and fewer roads.

I live about 6000 miles from US, so I voted "no, other reason".

Just too poor

I'm IN alaska so would you be performing at the towns you stop at?

I'd say, "That's as much as my car costs"

So, I'm a "No for other reasons" meaning that there should be a "Yes, if I can could scrounge up that cash, but it is doubtful" category. It really is a very detailed category. Since I'm writing, I might as well say I like what you do. Thanks for doing it.

Unfotunately Im on the east coast and airfare would push this far beyond my price range. Maybe if you did a survey to see if you have more willing fans on the east coast or west coast you could choose between a Seattle/Alaska thing or something leaving from New York or Florida. Also if you did a 3 or 4 day cruise it may drive the price down to $500 - $600 which would also help alot. Needless to say this would be the best thing ever and I would totally be down for something leaving from the east coast.

If it went internationally i would.

i dont have enough money to buy gas to get to houston ...i dont think i could afford to go ona a cruise anywere

No, because we live in Florida and it's just too far for a week long cruise. It's also a bit on the high side price wise. $1000 - $1200 is a bit more reasonable. $1500 would be okay for a cabin with a balcony.