Yamaha Drums Take To The Waves Aboard Royal Caribbean Ships

YAMAHA DRUMS TAKE TO THE WAVES ABOARD ROYAL CARIBBEAN SHIPS

—Voyager Class Liners Feature Seven Drum Sets Each—Even Marching Gear—

BUENA PARK, CA (October 22, 2001)—Where can you find amenities like climbing walls, ice rinks and simulated golf—at sea? Hint: all this floating fun follows the beat of Yamaha drums. The ships of Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines, each of which includes as many as seven drum sets in a variety of performance spaces, feature Yamaha Maple, Birch and Beech Custom Absolute drum kits for their passengers' enjoyment.

With an ice rink, a climbing wall, a street fair and other remarkable features, Royal Caribbean's massive Voyager of the Seas sails with Yamaha drums in its many performance and entertainment spaces.

Royal Caribbean's Voyager of the Seas, Explorer of the Seas, Radiance of the Seas and the soon-to-debut Adventure of the Seas are all outfitted with Yamaha drums, as are the Millennium, the Infinity and the Summit, which sail for the affiliated Celebrity line.

"We were looking for a relationship with an established company," notes Marguerite Scott, Entertainment Supervisor, Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines. "Yamaha has a reputation for quality, and came highly recommended from many musicians."

Christopher Vlassopulos, Royal Caribbean's sound, lighting and video specialist, noted that the stability and quality of Yamaha drums made them well suited to shipboard life. Environments that passengers find alluring—salty sea air, humid pool decks, frosty ice rinks—put an extra strain on musical instruments, but the Yamaha kits shrug off the abuse. "Punishment we can give them, that's for sure," Vlassopulos says. He notes that other manufacturers' equipment installed in the same spaces has proved more susceptible to corrosion after months of use at sea.

The relationship between Yamaha and Royal Caribbean began more than two years ago, and this November, the newest luxury ship, Adventure of the Seas, leaves San Juan, Puerto Rico on its maiden cruise. All ships planned for the future will also feature Yamaha drums.

The five-story, 1,363-seat La Scala theater onboard Voyager of the Seas was inspired by classical European venues, and Yamaha drums punctuate the many Broadway-style shows that grace its stage.

"This is a partnership we're especially pleased with," says Dave Jewell, product manager, Pro Audio & Combo Division, Yamaha Corporation of America. "Royal Caribbean has the most innovative cruise ships afloat, with passengers that deserve nothing but the best. Of course, I'll have to make frequent inspection visits."

Adventure of the Seas joins Explorer of the Seas and Voyager of the Seas in Royal Caribbean's Voyager class, which was launched in 1999 to serve the Caribbean. The biggest cruise ships on earth—each about twice the size of the Queen Elizabeth II—are all geared toward active leisure travel, with activities like climbing, skating, basketball, golf, and SCUBA lessons in addition to the many lounges, clubs and theaters in which Yamaha drums keep the pace.

For example, Voyager boasts 1,200 crew members and accommodates 3,000 passengers. While cruising, they may hear the Solid Black Maple Custom drum set in the 1,350-seat La Scala theater, the White Beech Custom set by the main pool, or the Maple Custom set in the High Notes Jazz Club. The piano in the Aquarium Bar has been painted to match the Turquoise Maple Custom Set installed alongside it, and when the ice rink is covered and used as a concert venue, a Maple Custom set will back up the artists there. Another Maple Custom set will keep time in the Cleopatra's Needle dancing lounge. Yamaha marching drums will be featured whenever the marching band takes to the Royal Promenade.

Passengers dance to the rhythm of Yamaha drums in the Egyptian-themed Cleopatra's Needle nightclub, the main dance lounge on Voyager of the Seas.

According to Scott, Voyager carries around 100 entertainment personnel onboard, including lounge pianists, the marching band, a string quartet, two orchestras, dancers, singers and ice show performers. Guest on-board entertainers have included Ben Vereen, The Platters and The Coasters. At least two more Adventure class ships are planned for 2002 and 2003.

The Radiance of the Seas, and Celebrity's Infinity and Summit, use the Panama Canal to serve both Alaska and the Caribbean, while Celebrity's Millennium plies the Atlantic for vacations in both Europe and the Caribbean.

Yamaha Maple Custom Absolute drums feature a thin 100 percent Maple shell with a high-gloss lacquer or hand-rubbed vintage exterior finish for a bright, cutting sound; the Birch Custom Absolute set features a this 100 percent Birch shell with a high-gloss lacquer or special synthetic resin finish for clear mid and low tones; and the Beech Custom set uses 100 percent Beech shells to bridge the attack and presence of Maple and the warmth of Birch. All three drum sets use Yamaha's Air Seal System, staggered diagonal seams for evenly distributed air pressure, and the Yamaha Enhanced Sustain System (YESS) mounts to increase resonance and dynamic range.

For more information, write Yamaha Corporation of America, Pro Audio & Combo Division, P.O. Box 6600, Buena Park, CA 90622, telephone (714) 522-9011, e-mail infostation@yamaha.com or visit www.yamahadrums.com on the Web.

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