PUZZLE #159: Helter Skelter 3

PUZZLE #159

HELTER SKELTER 3

Happy New Year, everyone! I don't have much more to add to that, so I'll just get on to the directions:

Each answer in this crossword variation starts at the indicated number, and then moves towards the direction of the next number (thought it may or may not stop there). The direction of the last answer is to be determined by the solver.

Once the grid has been filled out, unscramble the gray squares to get this week's FINAL ANSWER: An 8-letter word

1) Jamaican tune also known as "The Banana Boat Song"
2) Unrestrained party
3) Foo Fighters singer Dave
4) Puzzle video game where you have to save lots of green-haired rodents
5) Real Sports with Bryant _____
6) Coffee cups
7) Attacked from all sides
8) Gum brand that comes in "Ice" and "Fire" varieties
9) Like someone well past retirement age
10) Blue-haired maid from Re:Zero (or a sleep phase acronym)
11) _____ on a Bench (Jewish version of Elf on the Shelf)
12) Ship that got wrecked in a Longfellow poem
13) "Eh, why not?"
14) Extended dance version of a song, say
15) Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy _____
16) Frozen stalactite
17) Planet in Universal's logo
18) _____ Square (where they play the song mentioned in Clue 19 every New Year's Day)
19) "New York, New York" singer Frank
20) More sore
21) Request for another card at a blackjack table: 2 wds.
22) One of three won by Ben Bailey for hosting Cash Cab
23) Breakfast, lunch, or dinner
24) Smoked salmon placed on bagels

Once you think you know what the FINAL ANSWER is, send it to either redhead64@chartermi.net or itsredhead64@gmail.com (though I'm more likely to check the second one) and I'll put your name on a solvers list once I post the answers in about two weeks. You can also use those email addresses to give me some comments and feedback (or get a hint from me in exchange for a "hint star", more details for that are on the sidebar to the right) or send me the answer to last week's puzzle, if you haven't already figured it out. If you have a printer and want to solve this puzzle on paper, just head below the break for a version you can print out!