The 2024 Banana Ball World Tour ended on a high note as fans grabbed their favorite swimsuits and, of course, a glove before heading out on a cruise with their favorite faces of Banana Ball.
Dubbed Bananaland at Sea, this four day excursion began in Miami and traveled to the Bahamas for what was sure to be an adventure filled with fun and sun.
The Norwegian Jade hosted 2,500 fans alongside staff and players from all four Banana Ball teams for a true Suite Life on Deck experience. It was a way for fans to get to know more about the people they’ve had the pleasure of supporting from stadiums across the country.
And no, there wasn’t a game of Banana Ball played on the deck of the ship. There was, however, a jam-packed schedule that allowed fans the opportunity to take part in exciting activities or be entertained by various Banana Ball talents.
From morning yoga with Zach Blankenship to nail painting with Ryan Cox and Bronson Balholm to listening in on jam sessions by Dalton Mauldin, Jayson Arendt, Bananas Pep Band, or the Party Down Band, there was something for everyone at any point in the day, allowing fans to connect with some of their favorite people.
“It was so fun seeing everyone interact,” Bill Leroy, the Bananas’ catcher said.
Bananas’ own SuperMan, Reese Alexiades, especially loved the Saddle Bags At Sea event, which paid homage to one of Savannah’s most loved country bars, Saddle Bags.
When asked if he brought his best dance moves to said party, Alexiades responded quickly, “Of course.”
The guys are no strangers to busting out their best dance moves. They do it all the time in Banana Ball games.
This was a little different, though, and that was especially apparent in their ‘Bananaland at Sea: The Show!’ performance.
“Personally, I loved our big show that we performed in front of everyone, on stage,” Leroy said. “It was just a different kind of entertainment. When you’re on stage, on a cruise ship, a more theatrical place, it’s a very different feel than being on a baseball field or something that’s super normal to you. Getting out of our comfort zone a little bit and being on a stage and doing a show that’s not our typical show, I think, was really fun, and the fans loved it.”
While the week was packed with info sessions, electric dance parties, karaoke shenanigans, and more, breaks in between activities and shows allowed everyone to just hang out with one another.
That time ultimately created some of the passengers’ favorite moments.
@thesavbananas Fan warm up ✨at sea✨ #baseball #mlb #savannahbananas #baseballboys #cruiseship #cruisetok
♬ original sound – thesavbananas
“The guys that I’ve met and hung out with are amazing,” one fan said. “They are so passionate about not just playing baseball, but the Savannah Bananas organization, as well as being Fans First. They have been so fun to kick back, relax and just connect with. It has been amazing.”
Having the time to connect on a deeper level with the people that have spent so much time supporting their Banana Ball journey was something that many players really valued from the trip as well.
“Two of the fans that I got to know over the past few months were on the cruise,” Alexiades said. “They invited me to go to the arcade one night, so it was like an hour and a half just playing in the arcade, having fun. Their whole family was there. It was probably the most fun I had on the boat.”
Alexiades also noted that there was Guitar Hero in the arcade, to which he “shredded.”
Leroy had too many favorite moments to count, but one especially stood out to him.
Two fans that he had connected with throughout the year at multiple games, a mother-daughter duo, were on the cruise, and this time, they brought gifts.
“They made a t-shirt that said ‘Myself, Bill Leroy,’ like I say every game, and it was a picture of me in the background with my cheetah print catcher’s gear on,” Leroy said. “I thought that was really cool and I got to chat with them multiple times in all kinds of different sessions. We were getting to hang out and get to know each other, and I got closer with them on the ship.”
These fans sound diehard, so we did a little digging and found that cruisers hailed from 47 states and 7 countries!
Bananaland at Sea was also an opportunity for fans to connect with the brains of the operation. Some fans were early risers, eager to grab a cup of coffee and talk rosters with the coaching staffs. Others sat in on discussions with some of the Leadership team, who talked about the business side of things.
“Having opportunities to connect with Jesse and Emily Cole, and Jared Orton and his family have been amazing,” one fan said. “A lot of times, with individuals like that, us as fans, we don’t get to have that interaction.”
The trip also sparked a certain creative flare within the staff members that were there to make content from the trip. This was certainly the case for Zac Gutherman, a videographer for the Savannah Bananas.
“I think from the video side of things, it was the most creative and inspired I felt in a while,” Gutherman said.
He was stationed to film from backstage for that big show that Leroy recalled, and this happened to be one of his favorite moments of the trip.
“I was getting kind of like the behind angle of all the guys the first time they’d done the show,” he said. “The curtain shut and I’m sitting right next to Zack Frongillo–the Director of Entertainment–and he’s just going crazy, and all of them were just like ‘Dude, we just put on a stage show.’ I’ve seen us perform a million games, but seeing them kind of have that excitement after their first ever stage show was probably the coolest behind the scenes moment.”
Gutherman got to not only witness the magic through a camera lens but he also got to create a little bit of his own.
No seriously. Zac is a magician. He put on a literal magic show. There was a straight jacket involved, and the packed room left in awe of what had just happened.
But that’s what you’ll get around Bananaland; a ton of talent and a little bit of magic.
Not only was there seemingly an endless amount of entertainment and fun, but there was also so much time for people to get to know one another. After all, they say the people make the place.
“It turned out to be a really fun environment where we were able to connect with fans in a different way than we typically are on a ball field,” Leroy said. “It was a really cool challenge and a new adventure for us and for the whole organization.”
If you didn’t get the chance to make it onto the ship, no worries. Zac Gutherman did in fact escape the straight jacket, and he’s back in Savannah with all of his camera footage.
So whether it was the Silent Disco, Q and A panels with the players and kids on board, Bananaland at Sea appeared to be a success. The whole organization took to social in the days following the cruise thanking fans for believing in them enough to vacation with them. Cruisers have been responding with demands of another Bananaland At Sea adventure in the coming years, and the organization says it’s being discussed.
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