Cruise Travel....

BASEBALL GREATS AT SEA:
MSC's Major League Theme Cruises Are A Big Hit

When the final out of the World Series is made each fall, fans immediately start thinking about the first pitch of spring training in Florida or Arizona. However, cruise and sports fans in-the-know can actually get their hardball fixes all winter by heading to Fort Lauderdale for one of MSC Cruises' very popular “Baseball Greats” theme sailing.

Taking place aboard the MSC Poesia, these theme cruises are unlike anything else afloat--and one doesn’t have to be a big baseball fan to enjoy a wide variety of free interactive passenger/player activities. Everything is included in the price of the cruise, though many do buy a ball or picture to have signed by participants on that particular cruise.

The personable person behind this great concept is former Yankees pitcher and 20-game-winner (for the Chicago White Sox) Stan Bahnsen. In the past 20 years, he’s hosted more than 50 baseball-oriented cruises with a number of lines, but has been working exclusively with MSC since 2003. “MSC’s president and CEO, Rick Sasso, has really been supportive of the concept and they are more popular with every sailing, including lots of repeat participants--and that’s both former players and participating passengers.”

Because of his big league career and contacts, plus word of mouth between former ballplayers who have experienced a baseball cruise with him, Bahnsen is typically able to lure four or more former stars, coaches, and managers--and even the occasional current player, manager, or coach looking for a little winter sun and baseball chatter. Bahnsen generally brings different participants for each cruise of the season, including the likes of Vida Blue (who always gets rave reviews), Rico Petrocelli, Tony Oliva, Darrel Evans, and Hall of Fame pitcher (and storyteller) Bob Feller. “They’re all great storytellers and are actively involved with passengers,” says Bahnsen.

Though the participants for the 2010-11 season haven’t been announced yet (beyond Bahnsen), a 2009 “Baseball Greats” cruise we enjoyed during the Thanksgiving holiday can serve as an example of what to expect. The participants were Bob Feller, Dodgers great Bill Russell, home run king Frank Howard, and former ballplayer and current Blue Jays manager Cito Gaston.

Bahnsen generally schedules the same activities for every cruise and tries to schedule everything around time in port. “We try to provide a variety of possibilities at convenient times and the crowds we draw must mean it’s working” says Bahnsen.

Highlights of the “Baseball Greats” schedule have to include: clinics (like Frank Howard on hitting, Bill Russell on fielding, Cito Gaston on managing, and Bob Feller on--what else?--pitching); Q&As (where fans get to ask widely varied questions); storytelling (with lots of Yogi Berra tales); a trivia contest; a number of raffles of cruise and baseball memorabilia; pitching competitions by age and sex; baseball-oriented films; and an autograph session, which Bahnsen says is always the most popular offering. We can attest to this statement, as adoring fans lined up to get balls, bats, pictures and more signed on our cruise (Bahnsen has a great ticketing system to keep the waits short--even for the likes of Feller).

Feller’s participation certainly brought (and will bring) passengers who chose the cruise specifically because of his presence. Jack and Pat Williamson of Arizona had planned on booking a “Baseball Greats” cruise, and the deal was sealed when they saw Feller on the list. Jack grew up a Cleveland Indians fan, saw Feller pitch as a baseball-crazed kid, and remains an Indians follower from afar more than 50 years later. His favorite event was the trivia contest (his team won), while Pat liked the storytelling and the pitching competition (she tied for the win, while pitching from a wheelchair!). “We’d most definitely take another one of these cruises,” Pat told us.

Fellow lover of the high seas Feller says he hopes to enjoy a “Baseball Greats” cruise with Bahnsen and others each winter, “I proudly served on the USS Alabama during World War II and always enjoy getting back on the high seas.”  Bahnsen notes Feller remains one of the biggest draws for these cruises, but that each cruise draws both general baseball fans and fans of specific participants (like Feller). Every one of the well-organized events on the cruise typically draws a couple of hundred people.

Those lucky people get to talk baseball in the middle of the winter aboard a beautiful cruise liner in the Caribbean. That will certainly get them excited for that first pitch of the spring!

And if baseball isn't your cup of tea, MSC offers a wide variety of other theme cruises, including Culinary, Big Band, Bridge, Astral, Christmas, and more. For more information contact your travel agent or MSC Cruises (Cruise Travel Magazine), 6750 North Andrews Ave., Fort Lauderdale, FL 33309; log on to www.msccruisesusa.com; or call 877-665-4655.

Here's Your Line-up

Five upcoming sailings aboard the 93,300-gross-ton/2,550-passenger MSC Poesia (all are roundtrip from Fort Lauderdale) will be "Baseball Greats' theme cruises (players to be named later):

*November 14, 2010: Seven-night Eastern Caribbean cruise calling at St. Thomas, St. Maarten, and Nassau.

*December 5, 2010: Seven night Western Caribbean cruise calling at Key West, Ocho Rios, Grand Cayman, and Cozumel.

*January 9, 2011: Seven-night Eastern Caribbean cruise.

*January 23, 2011: Seven-night Eastern Caribbean cruise.

*February 6, 2011: Seven-night Eastern Caribbean cruise.