Welcome to our 2025 contest page!
You may recall that in 2024, we decided to count how many times we heard the classic Neil Diamond tune "Sweet Caroline" while onboard ships during that calendar year. In our first vlog series of 2025, we announced that YOU would be responsible for counting and reporting it back to us for that year! Now that the year of cruise vlogs is almost complete, it's time for a little contest...
Sweet Caroline: The Contest
Which vlogs count toward the yearly total?
Any numbered daily vlogs from cruises that we sailed on in the calendar year 2025. Editing Jay tried to highlight each instance with a special graphic for easy counting! You shouldn't find any instances in Q&A videos, dedicated final thoughts videos, quick tips videos, or non-cruise-related videos.
Here are our 2025 ships: HAL Volendam, Carnival Vista, Carnival Elation, Carnival Sunshine, MAS Islander (including the group cruise), Riverside Ravel, Costa Toscana, HAL Nieuw Statendam, Celebrity Xcel, Cunard Queen Elizabeth
What is the prize for this competition?
The closest entry to the correct answer receives a $100 gift card of their choice! If the winner gets the number EXACTLY right, the gift card amount increases by an additional $100 to a total of $200 instead. Please note, the gift card must be able to be purchased and delivered electronically to the email address in the winning entry. We are not able to purchase and mail a physical gift card.
How and when should guesses be submitted?
Shortly after the last Cunard Queen Elizabeth vlog posts around the first of February, an entry form link will be added to this page. Entries will be accepted until 11:59pm Eastern time on Saturday, February 7, 2026. Only one entry will be accepted per valid email address, and if multiple entries are received from the same email address, the first submitted entry will be the only one counted.
How and when will a winner be selected?
The winner will be selected and notified by email on Sunday, February 8, 2026. If there are multiple entries with the correct answer, or if there are multiple entries that are the same distance over/under the correct answer, then an online randomizer wheel will be used to select one winner.
Is there anything else we need to know?
This is intended to be a fun way to thank folks for watching our videos, and we hope that everyone will play fair. If we find any abuse of the system, such as someone creating 100 unique email addresses in order to register 100 guesses, they would be subject to disqualification. Let's have some fun!!

* The contest is now closed... thanks to everyone who watched, counted, and entered!! *