The most recent SQL Cruise aboard the Norwegian Dawn disembarked on Friday, March 11th sending those Cruisers, Speakers, and Sponsor Representatives off to various points across the United States after days abroad in the Cayman Islands and Cozumel Mexico. 

The cruise was another success.  As has been the case, the Cruisers received more of an education than was promised – as time permitted we branched off in the formal training sessions to cover such additional topics as metadata mining, sponsor products, blogging, and MCM (Microsoft Certified Master) preparations.  Informally, we covered a vast spectrum of topics while outside of sessions: be it while enjoying a beverage in the ample sunshine, after one of the many team building contests, over dinner, or even while on a ferry or bus to one of the excursion destinations we were all able to enjoy on one of the non-training days.  One thing is for sure, whenever (and wherever) you gather two or more SQL Professionals into any setting, the talk will eventually turn to shop andhow we all tendto accomplish our tasks.  As a trainer I enjoy this aspect of SQL Cruise the most.  I always go home with some new things to try; this cruise will be no different.

Our sponsors continue to be the primary resource that allows SQL Cruise the ability to keep the training costs reasonable for our attendees.  A thank you on a Titanic scale goes out to SQL Sentry, Quest Software, Idera Software, and Red Gate!  Without your valuable support SQL Cruise would not be the established success it has been to-date.  You truly make great products and enhance the SQL Community with your support!

Over the course of this week we will be highlighting the events of each day aboard the Norwegian Dawn and SQL Cruise Miami 2011. We will then turn our attention forward to May 2011 and the next SQL Cruise for 2011 setting sail for Alaska and Canada from Seattle on board the Norwegian Pearl.  First, however, I feel it appropriate to give insight into how our great sponsors ehnanced the cruising and training experience of this SQL Cruise:

Kevin Kline Lost Somewhere in Mexico

Quest Software, was a returning sponsor from our first SQL Cruise.   Besides providing each attendee with licensing for their suite of SQL Server tools, Quest Software also provided Kevin Kline, their long-serving SQL Server Evangelist and former PASS President on the cruise.  He was a valuable resource for discussing Quest products and SQL Server technical and professional development topics.  He also provided great comedy relief while on our excursion to the Mayan ruins at Telum on the mainland coast of the Mexican state of Quintana Roo as can be evidenced by this lovely shot taken by returning Cruiser Crys Manson.  

SQL Sentry, also a returning sponsor from our inaugural cruise, provided each attendee with the most ingenious thumb drive I’ve seen yet – a steel bottle opener/USB drive.  more importantly however, they also are offering to provide an extended 60-day demo- period license for their Enterprise Manager and Performance Advisor products and also recently released a free community product – Plan Explorer- which we were able to use in our Hairiest Execution Plans contests while on the cruise.  Winner of the hairiest plan of all was a tie between Bill Sanscrainte and Mitch Bottell.  I won’t say which one crashed Management Studio with their plan, but one of them did!  Winners both received the only two copies of Brent Ozar’s (and co-authors’) Performance Tuning SQL Server book signed by all authors.  These books have travelled the globe in order to be signed by all. 

Crys Manson Extends the Women's Win Streak on SQL Cruise

Red Gate, our third returning sponsor, provided the Cruisers with a full year license of their 14 tool SQL Toolbelt product as well as an IPad for the winner of their SQL Cruise Search the Ship contest!  We sent all the Cruisers off in teams far andwide throughout the ship to get photos with the mass of NoSQL-Cruisers.  Gareth Swanepoel and Crys Manson were on the winning team – we then sent them each off on a mini scavenger hunt to determine a winner for the IPad.  Gareth came up short.  Crys walked away with the IPad.   Since this is historically the first contest of SQL Cruise – a team-building event that enhances those relationships fostered over months on the dedicated private newsgroup and the SQL Cruise Eve SQLBBQ – Crys managed to extend the domination of SQL Cruise Women by winning the 5th consecutive contest, thus shutting out the Men 5-0.  Gareth could not keep up with Crys in the running department when it came down to it.  We will let you comment on that fact considering that Crys is in her 2ndtrimester with (as we are calling her/him) Cadillac Manson (though I am partial to SQLAgent Manson or Super Bat Manson.)

Ball-Stacking-Monkey Biting-Dice Rolling SQL Experts

Finally, our newest sponsor, Idera Software provided each Cruiser with a full year license for each of their SQL Server products and a Flip HD Mini video recorder for the three skilled Cruisers who one the first Idera Iditarod.  We sent the Cruisers all over the ship to do feats of skill.  The winning team benefited from Idera’s generosity, that is for sure!  They also learned they could stack 3 golf balls on top of one another while on a rolling and rocking cruise ship.  Even better was Idera’s contribution of a Cruiser – Mitch Bottell – to SQL Cruise Miami 2011!  Mitch was a great addition to SQL Cruise.  Insightful andcharismatic, he was able to also bring his wife, Janelle, along to enjoy her birthday on the cruise while watching Mitch perform amazing things with a Barrel Full of Monkeys in order to win a Flip Mini HD. 

Photos are being posted by all Cruisers and SQL Cruise staff under the tags of SQLCruise and SQLCruiseMiami2011.  Be sure to check them out on various Facebook and Flickr streams!

Thank you to all our Cruisers who showed the world there are adventurous geeks out there ready to have fun and learn at the same time.  We showed those Spring Breakers we don’t need to toss televisions into the ocean to have fun, right?