TCB CRUISE 2016
The Elvis Team Berlin cruised the mediterranean sea for you! Here is our TCB Cruise report
Dear Elvis fans,
a wonderful cruise has come to an end and now we love to share our experiences with you. You should know that we have made this trip in the name of all Elvis fans in the world. We want to express
that you have travelled with us in our hearts - wherever you may live. It is our wish that all Elvis fans of this world get along together well. This is very important to us and this is exactly
what motivates us to keep going on with our daily Elvis Team Berlin activities.
Your Elvis Team Berlin
Find more pictures of the cruise in the gallery!
Day 1 - Arrival in Venice and start of the cruise
After we have arrived in Venice safe and well we checked in on board of the Norwegian Jale right away. The embarkment process was very well organized and not complicated. So nothing stood in our
way to enjoy what lay in front of us. The first event took place while we were leaving Venice: the meet & greet with the TCB Band, Dennis Jale, Priscilla Presley and Jerry Schilling. While
passing by the wonderful city of Venice the atmosphere couldn’t have been better on the sun deck. Fans and celebrities were in great mood and cameras were clicking unstoppably. We as a team were
extremely flattered by Priscilla’s personal welcome of our team. Afterwards everybody enjoyed the view of Venice with a cocktail in his hand while celebrating the start of the cruise.
Day 2 - at sea
Because this day was spent on the sea all day through, the program started already in the morning. While cruising the Adriatic sea we joined the TCB band autograph session. Glen D. Hardin,
James Burton and Ronnie Tutt (accompanied by his lovely wive Donna) took time for a little chat and picture with every fan. The atmosphere couldn’t be any better although the mass of fans was
huge and there was quite a queue. Thanks to the band for their patience and all those great chats with the fans! It meant a lot to everybody. In the meantime and in the same room - called
„Elvisland“ during the cruise - the Elvis Team Berlin was able to introduce the fans to our team’s activities. The Elvis Presley Gesellschaft e.V. made fans happy with their wide range of
books, videos and CDs. Also Henrik Knudsen was able to present his Memphis Mansion in Randers (Denmark) - the true replica of Graceland - which we, by the way, recommend to visit!
The next highlight happened at the big concert hall: the talkshow with Priscilla, accompanied by Jerry Schilling. First of all Priscilla received a honorary award from the Austrian
organization „Mission Hoffnung“ (mission hope) for her support of children in distress. (More information about the organization: http://www.missionhoffnung.org). Then Priscilla answered all the questions that were handed-in prior to the show. She was very kind, open and charming. Many questions were posed
about her life with Elvis at Graceland. She pointed out with great emphasis how important Graceland was for Elvis and how he felt about it. It was a kind of oasis for him that he consciously
sealed off from the outside world. Also Jerry mentioned the „crazy“ but wonderful time with his best friend Elvis. In the end Priscilla stressed how important the fans are for her and she
expressed her appreciation for them for keeping alive Elvis heritage and love all over the world.
In the evening it was time for the concert of „Sam’s Fever“ - the winner of the „Elvis Contest“ at the Elvis Festival in Bad Nauheim 2015. He rocked the stage and it was a lot of fun for the
fans. Afterwards we cooled down at the Aloha Bar where we enjoyed the music of a great piano player who has given us a great time not just this one evening with wonderful (i.e. Elvis)
songs.
What happened in this bar this very night we have to tell you because it is something special and heartwarming: when we arrived at the bar there nearly weren’t any places left. So we asked a
nice couple if we may join them on the big sofa and table they were sitting at. The man was wearing a shirt with Elvis motives, both arms tattooed all over with Elvis and he even wore real
blue suede shoes. Which made us believe this couple is participating at the TCB Cruise. As soon as we started talking we found out that they were NO participants at all! We couldn’t believe
this. These two - Eldert and Janette from Australia - have just heard two days before the cruise that there is a TCB program and you could have booked it as „TCB Cruise“. Unfortunately, this
information has never reached them before, otherwise they surely would have booked it. Anyway they were very happy they could be close to many Elvis fans. Eldert told us about his lifelong
love and appreciation for Elvis and also James Burton. It was him who made Eldert start playing the guitar over 30 years ago. He possesses guitars by James’ brand and James is his all-time
musical hero. He just finished this sentence when we saw James walking by the bar. So we offered Eldert to come with us so we could introduce him to James. What happened then was just
heartwarming: a fan meets his idol. We are sure that everybody understands this well. When Eldert returned to his seat his eyes were full of tears and they won’t disappear for the rest of the
evening. He just couldn’t get what just happened! And we couldn’t either. Because these are exactly the moments why we actually do what we do as a team. To enable fans to experience meetings
like these. Wherever we can. KUONI was so kind to offer these two the TCB Cruise package for the rest of their trip. By this, these wonderful people from Australia were able to experience
many more great events at the cruise and they really appreciated it. Now our Team bear has a new little Koala friend, by the way. And we gained two wonderful friends, too.
Day 3 - Korfu
The first stop of our cruise. In order to see as much as possible in a short amount of time we chose to take a typical tourist double-decker bus which brought us around Korfu City and we were
able to get a nice impression of the beauty of the Island. Afterwards we walked through the beautiful city, enjoyed a very tasty greek meal and constantly bumped into fans from the ship as
well as some of our celebrities like James Burton and Priscilla with their families.
Back on the ship two further talkshows awaited us: the wives of the TCB Band musicians started off: Louise Burton and Donna Tutt. The ladies told us about i.e. that both, James and Ronnie -
same as Elvis - appreciated their homes as their shelter when returning from a tour. There, they were just „normal" husbands and fathers just like the others - and that’s what was very
important to them. In their absence the wives took the role of the head of the family. But as soon as the men returned, they took over again, as Louise mentioned. She quoted a saying from the
US South: „the man is the head of the family but the woman is the neck which decides where the head will be turned“. The audience just loved this.
After the great stories by the wives it was for the TCB Band and Jerry Schilling to appear on stage for their talkshow session. The humorous atmosphere continued. We have recorded parts of
this session which you will find in our Youtube channel. (We will provide the link as soon as possible!).
Day 4 - Santorini
To experience the island you can either get on the cable car or a donkey. Or, if you feel you should get rid of all the calories from the great food on the Norwegian Jade, you might chose to walk
all the way up to the village. As our team felt extremely fit - we chose to take the cable car.
The view was breathtaking but it was also very windy. In the narrow alleyways we met again lots of Elvis fans from the ship so our stay was very sociable. Back on the ship we had the pleasure to
join the autograph session with Dennis Jale and Jerry Schilling. Perfect spirit!
Day 5 - Mykonos
To get on the island we had to use tender boats again. Once on the island we were taken by the charm of this wonderful place. We were wondering the beautiful narrow streets with very well
maintained white & blue houses and enjoyed the hospitality of the locals. On a land strip we took a look at the 5 windmills standing proudly in the landscape. There, our ship was embedded
into this wonderful scenery and provided a perfect picture motive.
After our return on the ship we had the honor to have a private meeting with Priscilla. We - together with a few further guests - had this honor because of our promotional work prior to the
cruise. We thank Priscilla for this special meeting which we appreciated hugely!
One highlight after another: next we were hugely enthusiastic to see the show of Dennis Jale & Andy Lee Lang. They gave a fantastic concert in the Spinnaker Lounge: rock `n roll at its
best! They rocked the lounge - every one of them in his own special way. We couldn’t sit still. This powerful mood has been continued in the Elvis-Disco after the concert. The dance floor was
completely filled with wild Elvis fans. What a party!
Day 6 - Katakolon/Olympia
After this intensive night we were looking forward to an easygoing visit of the greek mainland. A great portion of the cruise guests visited the antique city of Olympia. We decided to have a
round trip of the area around Katakolon. This brought us to a beautiful vineyard surrounded by grape vines and olive trees. After wine tasting we proceeded to the beach of San Andreas and
finally we had a delicious meal at a nice tavern in the harbor - with a view of our ship. So we were ready for the next thing on our program: two concerts of the TCB Band!
The first concert by Dennis Jale and the TCB Band was only for TCB Cruise members. At this concert, the interaction with the audience was very strong. Dennis and the TCB Band were laid-back
and powerful at the same time and they „played“ with the audience. When the concert reached its peak with Suspicious Minds, Dennis even invited people on stage. Great fun for everybody and a
very nice gesture from the musicians. They couldn’t create more closeness!
The second concert that night was open to all guests of the ship. So we didn’t wonder why the concert hall was completely sold out. The atmosphere, of course, was different from the first
gig: the crowd has made it to an even bigger event. Also Priscilla and her family, as well as Jerry Schilling and his wive Cindy enjoyed the concert from the balcony. They were introduced by
Dennis and warmly greeted the audience. When Dennis mentioned Priscillas birthday, the entire crowd sang „Happy Birthday“ which was just a stunning moment for everybody. The guys stroke the
keys even more powerful, Dennis sang even more emotional and strong. Just breathtaking. It was huge fun for everybody and the sparks have passed from the stage to the audience.
Day 7 - at sea & end of cruise
On the last day of the cruise we all were able to relax as we spent this day at sea again. But one last big highlight was still ahead of us: the autograph session with Priscilla. We were
convinced that this event would be a magnet to all the TCB Cruise participants so we prepared ourselves for a long queue time. A long queue time it really was but it was sweetened by the good
organization of this session. And also by the fact that we were able to spend the waiting time enjoying a nice cocktail among great friends. Table by table the people were guided to the area
where Priscilla sat - hidden behind a folding screen. By this, they created a nice and even private atmosphere for her and the fans whose turn it was to see her. She took the time for a
little chat, she asked questions and so did we. We really appreciated it and we thank her so much. We are sure that people were happy to wait longer for this warm and „private“ moment with
her.
At the bar we all had a last occasion to say goodbye to the TCB Band, Jerry Schilling and the wives. They were again very open and in a good mood so lots and lots of pictures were taken and
many chats were held. The band and their relatives assured us that they have had a great time during the cruise and that they were very pleased by the fans.
A wonderful, thrilling but also very harmonic cruise came to en end. Secretly, we hope this event will be repeated some time but if this wish will be fulfilled is still written in the stars.
It was a huge pleasure for us to have made this cruise with all of you in mind. It is so important to us to connect the entire Elvis-world and to make it accessible for everybody. This is why
we do what we do. We hope that we have been able to provide to you a part of the joy on board of the Norwegian Jade!
We want to thank the KUONI team for a brilliant organization of the cruise.
ELVIS FOREVER!