Can you handle a WHOLE MONTH of Parrot Head Madness?

It all starts out at Dick’ Last Resort on April 6^th with Dick’s Buffett Bash Concert Warm-up Party.  With only one week before Jimmy’s Dallas concert, we’re going to get warmed up at Dick’s Last Resort.  Come dressed in Hawaiian shirts and all your other Parrot Head parrotphernalia.  The band Break Through will be playing lots of Buffett.  Want to win a couple of Buffet concert tickets?  Then sign up for the Buffett Karaoke contest (even if you can’t carry a note, come on and cheer on the other Parrot Heads who think they can) or buy a chance at the door and see if you’re lucky enough to win two concert tickets!

We will also be doing some charitable fund raising.  Tickets for the charitable drawings will be sold at the door.

Come early to get a good seat.  Food & drink specials start at 4.  The band starts at 8.

Concert Day  is April 13^th!  Tailgate parties like you would not believe.  The Lone Star PHC is planning a huge party and holding a Margarita making contest.  Details are sketchy at this time, but it looks as though each club will have one entry.  So, if you are going to be there and can make that “Perfect Margarita” let Garrett know ahead of time.

Our monthly happy hour at Crabby Jack’s is on April 20^th.   Coronas, margaritas, Cheeseburgers and phun!

We’re hitting the road for an Austin Road Trip on April 28^th to hear Sunny Jim, a great island music entertainer who plays and sings lots of Buffett.  He performed at the Galveston Bay Pre-Concert Party and definitely knows how to get Parrot Heads in the island mode of dancing and singing.  You don’t want to miss it!

What A Month!

Trivia Question

What famous 90’s female vocalist sings back up on “Off To See The Lizard”?

A – Bonnie Raitt         B – Alanis Morrisette

(look below for answer)

Parrot Head Cruise 2000

Atlanta Parrot Head Club sponsored a 7-night cruise on the Costa Victoria, a 76,000-ton Liberian registered vessel.  Costa Cruise Line touts its’ Italian flavor.  The ship is 824 feet long and carries 1,928 passengers and a crew of 800.  We sailed from Port Everglades, Fl., on March 12 for a cruise to the Eastern Caribbean.  Our four ports-of-call were 1. San Juan, Puerto Rico, 2. St. Thomas, USVI, 3.  Catalina Island, Dominican Republic, and 4.  Nassau, Bahamas.  There were many excursions offered in all ports varying in price and itineraries.

120 Parrot Heads from 14 different states signed up for the cruise. Fred and Sara Guerrero represented your San Antonio Parrot Head club.   We were the only people representing Texas and, I must admit, did a fine job representing your club and our “Great State”.

We received an outstanding group rate thanks to Brent Sr. and Stella Jones who are Parrot Heads in Florida and Brent Jones of the Atlanta Parrot Head Club.  Brent Sr. and Stella Jones own and operate “For Cruise Reservations”, their travel agency in Florida.  They made arrangements for 55 cabins for Parrot Heads and another 30 cabins for some of their other clients.  We were assigned a category 9 cabin amid ship-starboard side with a large picturesque window to the world.  We had two lower beds that were converted to a queen.  The normal tariff was $1609 with the advance purchase rate of $1109 per person but we paid $759 for the group rate.

As might be expected, few passengers and crew knew what to make of 120 brightly plumed and singing people.  The crew referred to us as the “Parrot People” and said they had never seen the like.  It was an awesome time with awesome people.  On Saturday, March 11, the cruise started with a pre-party at the Ft. Lauderdale Airport Hilton and then moved to “Le Tub” near the downtown area.  “Le Tub” is a renovated gas station next to the water that caters to Jimmy Buffett fans, i.e. us.

We sailed on Sunday and spent the day getting to know the ship and each other.  By early that afternoon, we were all best phriends. The Parrot

Heads were seated in the middle of the Fantasia Dining Room all kept together, a nice touch. The first dinner was somewhat quiet and reserved as were still getting acquainted, but as the week progressed the decibels grew proportionately.  Monday and most of Tuesday found us at sea and we became quite familiar with the ship, especially the bars, decks, pools, hot tubs, and heads.  Maybe that should be the title of Jimmy’s next compilation album.  We lost a phew phriends during the “Hot Tub Stuphing Party”, only momentarily, and we determined that we could stuff about 30 Parrot Heads per hot tub.

We arrived in San Juan on Tuesday at 4:30 p.m. and Sara and I tagged along with 8 other new friends to do some shopping.  As we returned to the ship that evening, for some adult beverages and dinner. 

About 40 Parrot Heads invaded San Juan’s Hard Rock Cafe and we took over the upper bar.

The Costa Victoria sailed Wednesday, for St. Thomas and we docked at 7:30 a.m.  Sara and I opted to go snorkeling on the “Buccaneer” along with 10 other PHs and 20 “civilians”.  We called ourselves “The Dirty Dozen” and had a wonderful day.  We left St. Thomas that afternoon and sailed to Catalina Island.  We arrived the next morning and began disembarking passengers and crew.  Catalina Island was the Costa’s private beach and we partook of the fun in the sun and sand.  The ships’ cooks, waiters, and others treated us to a wonderful day on an Island. That night, about 25 of us pulled an “all-nighter” and stayed up to see the sunrise.  Three phellow PHs had their guitars and treated us to some of Bubba’s songs.  We also had some CDs and the night was spent singing.   We were joined by Joel Spyer, the piano player in the Capriccio Bar.

We must mention that the Parrot Heads took over that bar every evening and adopted Joel as our very own.  At any one time there would be about 50 PHs in the bar.  We knew by the 100 shoes that were kicked off and put in the middle of the floor.  Joel said that in 7 years working on cruise lines he had never seen anything like us.

Friday was another day at sea that allowed us to recuperate (four hours of sleep).  That happened to be St. Patrick’s Day and a Day At The Races.  Six miniature carousel horses were bid on Monday for a grand “Owner’s Race” on Friday.  Groups of Parrot Heads raced 3 of the horses.  Ours was Jimmy O’Dreams.  She was a well-adorned filly, complete with bra and the trimmings.  She didn’t win a race but she was good for lots and lots of laughs.

We arrived in Nassau at 1:00 p.m. and again went snorkeling with some 20 other PHs.  That evening, we prepared for “Toga Night”.  The Costa, with its Roman flavor, says its motto for the last night is “No Sheet? No Eat!”  We were given white linens with instructions for tying and draping them into togas.  Needless to say, the PHs all had brought their own colorful and tropical togas, setting us apart from the other passengers.  It was a sight to behold.

We pulled into Port Everglades early Sunday morning and began disembarking around 9:00.  It was a trip to remember and one that we will do again.  The first trip two years ago cruised with 50 Parrot Heads.  This year, there were120 Phellow cruisers.  Brent anticipates 200 cruisers for next year. 

Right now, Brent is looking at the Carnival Victory.  The ship will go into service this October and is offering an “extraordinary” rate for March 4, 2001.  This will be Carnival’s largest and newest ship.  The itinerary includes the Western Caribbean with stops at Playa del Carmen/Cozumel, Ocho Rios/Jamaica, (Dunn’s River Falls), and Grand Cayman (Sting Ray City), It will be a 7-night cruise and will sail out of Miami.  The price is not determined but will be similar to this year’s fare.

“Mother, mother ocean……I have heard your call”

“I want to go back……to the Islands”

Sara and I will be there.