Hosted by travel agent MICKEY SABIN, and participated by the members of two Elvis fan clubs here in the United States (“ALL SHOOK UP” of Las Vegas and “JAILHOUSE ROCKERS” of California), the cruise was indeed fun!”  The ports-of-call were Acapulco, Zihuatanejo/Ixtapa, and Manzanillo.

       For a few days, the sea was somewhat choppy so some of the passengers needed motion sickness pills.  The slight rocking of the ship, though, did not dampen the enthusiasm of the Elvis fans in attending the Elvis tribute shows.  The three ETAs – PETE PAQUETTE, DON ROSE and CHANCE MICHAELS – wowed the audience with their incredible performance.

The Elvis Tribute Artists

     Twenty-two year old PETE PAQUETTE of Ontario, Canada, has been in the ETA business for just about five years, but he is famously known as “The Canadian Sweetheart.”  You have seen the King when he was Pete’s age – sensuous good looks, incomparable talent, and charisma galore.  No entertainer has ever impacted the world and captured the hearts of millions like Elvis!

    In my opinion, Pete is not far behind!  He may not yet be known to the whole world, but wait and see!  This young man is an incredible talent and he will soon capture everyone’s hearts.  If he has not done so yet!  Mark my words - he has the charisma, moves and voice of the King.

   At the tribute shows aboard ship, Pete easily captured everyone’s attention because he has that charm which is simply irresistible.  Everyone, young and old, were lining up for a photo shoot with him and for his autograph.  Pete also has Elvis’ karate moves down pat, and I was not surprised to learn that he is a black belt in Tae Kwon Do.

    Pete brought his Dad along for the cruise.  Pete Sr. is also a fantastic singer, so we know where Pete Jr. got his talent.  Like father like son!

    DON ROSE is a veteran performer who can impersonate not only Elvis and also TOM JONES.  And a few others too!  He has his own band and back-up singers, and they perform not only in Las Vegas but also all over California.  He is in demand all year round!  A consistent winner in Elvis competitions, he has a fan club of his own, and his club’s members were at the cruise.

    I first met Don in Palm Springs, California in 2003 at the “Weekend of the King” competition.  I was blown away by his voice, (incredible range!) and I was not surprised when he was announced as the first place winner.  I have seen a lot more of his performances in shows and contests since then.

    His son, Ryan, who is following his footsteps as an ETA, celebrated his 8th birthday during the second night of the tribute shows.  Little Ryan personally distributed slices of his birthday cake to his adoring public.  Yes!  Ryan is as fantastic as his Dad, and he can hold his own as an ETA.  Young though he may be, he already has a wide repertoire of Elvis songs.  He looks so cute in his tiny Elvis jumpsuits, which were probably especially ordered from B&K Enterprises.

     CHANCE MICHAELS specializes in gospel songs and ballads.  I love it when he sings “Kentucky Rain”, “It’s Midnight”, and “If That Isn’t Love.”  Tall and good-looking, this versatile entertainer can also do country Western songs ala-Garth Brooks and George Strait.  Chance has won a lot of contests, and is in demand as a performer.

    His charming wife Kathryn was with him at the cruise, taking lots of photos during the show.  I envy her top-of-the-art camera, and I was wishing I had one just like it!   Maybe someday – what do think LLM?

    On stage, Chance looks and sounds so reserved, but wait till he is not on stage.  He will crack you up with his humorous comments and stories, as he did one time while we were having lunch with the group.  JUDY RI CHARD, president of the “All Shook Up” Elvis fan club in Vegas, can attest to that.  Chance and Kat are good friends of ours, and I absolutely adore both of them!  They are so down to earth and so much fun!

    What was so amazing during the Elvis tribute shows was that the ship’s passengers, who got wind of the event, flocked to the Club Cool Lounge to watch the show.  They were not able to get inside the lounge, of course, since it was a private party.  But they congregated outside and watched the show through the glass enclosure.  Elvis can really bring it on!

The Ports of Call

    Going ashore is half the fun on a fun-ship cruise, and there were some exceptional shore excursions to choose from.  The levels of activity for each shore excursion varied from easy to moderate, and from considerable to extreme.  There were also some wheelchair accessible places to go to, as well as a “Camp Carnival” for children.  Something for everyone!

    Our first port-of-call was the sunny splendor of ACAPULCO, where Elvis shot his movie “Fun in Acapulco.”  Sun, sand, glitz and glamour – put them all together and you have Acapulco, the queen of Mexico’s resorts playgrounds!  Acapulco is home to the “rich and famous” and the most beautiful people in the world (most of them from Hollywood).  It is a hot spot for vacationers and tourists.

    Just like any place in the Mexican Riviera, Acapulco offers balmy weather and warm clear water, swaying palms and sandy beaches, history and culture, tropical flowers, and great shopping at unbeatable prices.

     Most of us selected the 3 and 1/2-hour City Tour excursion to become acquainted with enchanting Acapulco.  We traveled along scenic highways offering striking panoramic views of the area’s beautiful white sand beaches.  Then we scaled the vast mountains while seeing the homes of the rich and famous.  Our tour guide took us to the Coyuca Lagoon where movies such as “The African Queen” and “Rambo: First Blood Part II” were filmed.

     The highlight of this tour was going to La Quebrada to watch the well-trained cliff divers jumping from a height of 110 feet to a narrow gorge with only 8 to 12 feet of water.  Cliff diving is very dangerous, however, we could see that the divers revel in what they do.  Utterly fearless, they jump the cliff with breathtaking accuracy and bravado.

    Our second port-of-call were the twin localities of IXTAPA/ZIHUATANEJO.  A haven for tourists since the pre-Columbian times, this twin resort is stepped in history and culture.  We had lots of fun as the “mariachis” serenaded us in the beaches and in the restaurants.

    Comfort-rich Ixtapa has luxury resorts, manicured boulevards and beautiful golf courses.  The main beach in Ixtapa is Playa del Palmar, which offers a variety of water sports, while the best beach for swimming is Playa del Ropa with its unusually mild waves.  Old world Zihuatanejo, a quaint traditional town that still clings to its fishing roots, features a municipal market, bay-protected beaches, and a slow-moving pace.

    No matter where we went, we discovered a trove of things to see and do!

    Our third and last port-of-call was MANZANILLO.  Little did Hernan Cortez knew that a few centuries after he and his conquistadors dropped anchor on Mexico’s Pacific Coast, the sleepy town of Manzanillo would be a world-famous beach resort!  It even provided a perfect backdrop for BO DEREK to romp in the hit film “10.”  But the town also scores a “10” with anglers, who knew Manzanillo as the “Sailfish Capital of the World.”

     None of us ran through the sand like Bo Derek, nor did we do some sailfish fishing, but we had fun galore.  Exploring the spectacular beaches that Manzanillo offers, we enjoyed the sun as we sunbathed on the beach.  Later we went shopping at the fine stores.

    The world-famous Las Hadas Resort is simply magic!  White-washed and Moorish-style architecture welcomed us to this four-diamond hotel.  Las Hadas features a private beach, a swimming pool with a swim-up bar, a wading pool, restaurants and much, much more.  During our four-hour stay, we received two complimentary drinks per person, a full lunch buffet, and use of the hotel’s amenities.

The Staff and Crew

    During the Captain’s night we met the Master of the ship, CAPT. ANTONIO MARCHETTI, and his staff and crew:  MATTEO CAVALLARIN, chief engineer; GIOVANNI VULTAGGIO, staff chief engineer; ARNIO PREM, hotel director; ADRIANO BINACCHI, staff captain; ANDREA CAVALIERE, food and beverage manager; MARCELA SMUTLA, housekeeping manager; LUIS TORO, chief purser; and SHAWN BUSSEY, cruise director.

    The first day aboard ship my husband found out that he left his hypertension pills at home, so we had to go to the clinic.  We met DR. CHRIS TAYLOR, senior physician of the ship, and we talked about cruises and vacations.  I mentioned to him that I’m a reporter, and that I will write an article about this particular cruise.  I also gave him my LLM business card.

    On the last day aboard, I got a call from the purser that Hotel Director ARNEO PREM wanted to meet with me.  So my husband and I went to his office. He said he knew I’m a reporter because the ship’s physician informed him, and he wanted to know what he could do for me.  He said he wished he should have known about me on the first day of the cruise.  Later, he sent to our cabin a bag of goodies plus the photos of the ship’s staff and crew that you see in this article.

The Carnival Legends Show

    Every night at the ship there were contests at the karaoke session to select some of the ship’s passengers to perform at a special show called “The Carnival Legends.” The special show was held on the last night of the cruise.  Four from the Elvis group made it:  SEVE BOTELLO as James Brown, INGRID PHILLIPS as Gloria Estefan, PETE PAQUETT SR. as Ricky Martin, and PETE PAQUETTE as Elvis Presley.  

     The other legends performers were:  LaDAWN STEVENSON as Aretha Franklin, CHRISTIAN PAQUETTE as Elton John, REBECCA FIKE as Britney Spears, TERESA LEACH as Madonna, BILL PHILLIPS as Garth Brooks, and TED KAROFF as Frank Sinatra.  All of them sang and danced with the ship’s professional Carnival Spirit Dancers and Orchestra.

    The Star of the Show, if you haven’t guessed it yet, was our young Pete Paquette.  After his outstanding performance as the young Elvis, he was accorded a standing ovation by thousands of passengers.  Pete became an instant celebrity!  Viva Elvis tribute artists!  VIVA ELVIS!
                                                                  XXX
    
Zena  may be reached by email at  
blue-orchid@hotmail.com