A fan of live musical concerts? Do you also love to cruise? In 2023 and 2024 you can enjoy both with a music-themed cruise that mixes your favorite genre—from rock to blues to disco to country—with an amazing vacation in the Caribbean, Mexico, the Mediterranean and beyond.
Spend the day exploring your favorite Caribbean island, and then, as the sun is setting, gather by the ship’s pool to hear your all-time favorite band play an outdoor concert. After rocking out to hit after hit, you may even find yourself elbow to elbow with the lead singer at the bar. The ultimate fan experience, a music-themed cruise offers the chance to mingle with band members as you enjoy a cruise vacation with a fun group of like-minded music lovers.
There are music-themed cruises for fans of all genres. Here are 10 of the best options for 2023 and early 2024. And if your top choice is already sold out, most of these cruises happen annually, so check the links for updates on the next sailing—and prepare for a memorable party at sea.
The ‘80s Cruise
The ‘80s Cruise is always a crowd-pleaser and 2023’s musical line-up is certain to have fans of this memorable musical decade on their feet. The cruise will feature more than 50 concerts and live performances and it will be hosted by original MTV VJs Mark Goodman, Alan Hunter, and Downtown Julie Brown.
PS: Don’t forget to pack your hairspray, neon spandex, leg warmers and Members Only jackets.
- Dates: March 3-10, 2023
- Ship: Royal Caribbean’s Navigator of the Seas
- Port of departure: Los Angeles
- Itinerary: Puerto Vallarta, Cabo San Lucas, and Ensenada
Artists: Devo, Brett Michaels, Howard Jones, The Church, Living Colour, Morris Day and the Time, Kim Wilde, the Smithereens, Autograph, Tone Loc, and others
Rock Legends Cruise
The annual Rock Legends Cruise, now in its 10th year, is a “cruise for a cause” featuring live onboard concerts by some of the biggest musical names of the ‘60s, ‘70s, and ‘80s along with memorabilia auctions and photo-ops—all helping to benefit the Native American Heritage Association (NAHA), which offers direct aid to struggling Lakota (Sioux) peoples living on reservations in Wyoming and South Dakota.
- Dates: February 13-17, 2023
- Ship: Royal Caribbean’s Liberty of the Seas
- Port of departure: Port Everglades, FL
- Itinerary: Perfect Day at CocoCay plus two sea days.
Artists: Roger Daltrey, Deep Purple, George Thorogood and the Destroyers, The Marshall Tucker Band, Lou Gramm, Night Ranger, Randy Bachman, Outlaws, and others
’70s Rock and Romance Cruise
If you’re stoked to relive the days of polyester and platform shoes as you groove to music from this iconic musical era, the 7-night ‘70s Rock & Romance Cruise promises live musical performances plus a ‘70s Costume Ball, a Disco Party under the stars, artist Q&A sessions, panel discussions, pool parties, and more.
- Dates: March 16-23, 2023
- Ship: Celebrity Summit
- Port of departure: Miami
- Itinerary: Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic; San Juan, Puerto Rico; and St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands
Artists: Jefferson Starship, Rick Wakeman (of Yes), Foghat, Bay City Rollers, Leo Sayer, Don Felder (formerly of the Eagles), John Lodge (of the Moody Blues), The Hollies, Pure Prairie League and others
Ultimate Disco Cruise
Whether you were alive when doing the Hustle was first a thing, learned your best moves from John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever, or are just riding the never-ending wave of this oh-so-danceable 1970s musical genre, the Ultimate Disco Cruise will make you want to get down and boogie all night long.
Dates: February 25-March 2, 2023
- Ship: Celebrity Summit
- Port of departure: Miami
- Itinerary: Key West, Florida and Cozumel, Mexico
Artists: KC and the Sunshine Band, Kool and the Gang, Billy Ocean, Taylor Dane, Sister Sledge, Evelyn “Champagne” King, Tavares, The Trammps, and others
The Broadway Cruise
If you’re prone to humming show tunes in the shower and love the glitz and glamour of Broadway, you can enjoy five nights basking in the spotlight of live musical theater performed on three different stages during The Broadway Cruise, sailing roundtrip from (where else?) the Big Apple.
- Dates: March 31- April 5, 2023
- Ship: Norwegian Gem
- Port of departure: New York
- Itinerary: Royal Naval Dockyard, Bermuda
Artists: Kristin Chenoweth, Alan Cumming, Laura Benanti, Randy Rainbow, Michael Cerveris, Sierra Boggess, Lena Hall, and others
Keeping the Blues Alive at Sea
The blue waters of the Aegean, Adriatic, and Mediterranean create a perfect medley with the blues instrumentals and vocals of top international performers on the Keeping the Blues Alive at Sea Mediterranean sailing, which will also feature live performances, stripped down acoustical sets and unique artist collaborations—all to benefit the Keeping the Blues Alive Foundation whose aim is to fund scholarships and programs for talented students.
- Dates: August 17-22, 2023
- Ship: Norwegian Jade
- Port of departure: Athens, Greece
- Itinerary: Santorini, Greece and Dubrovnik, Croatia
Artists: Joe Bonamassa, Blackberry Smoke, Christone Kingfish Ingram, Ruthie Foster, King King, Jimmy Vivino, Kirk Fletcher, and others
The Country Music Cruise
During the 2024 Country Music Cruise, you can enjoy a full week of kickin’ things up during onboard live performances, attend panel discussions and tribute nights and practice your line dancing, Texas Swing and two-stepping in this country saloon overlooking the sea.
- Dates: January 20-27, 2024
- Ship: Holland America Line’s Nieuw Amsterdam
- Port of departure: Port Everglades, FL
- Itinerary: Grand Turk, Turks and Caicos; Key West, FL; Half Moon Cay, Bahamas
Artists: Clint Black, Tracy Lawrence, Neal McCoy, Joe Nichols, Shenandoah, Home Free, Wade Hayes, Darryl Worley, Billy Dean, Grand Ole Opry at Sea, and others
The Soul Train Cruise
The 10th anniversary Soul Train Cruise in 2023 is already sold out (a wait list is available), but this popular musical event at sea will feature more than 50 live performances and “Soul Train”-themed activities all day long.
- Dates: January 29–February 5, 2023
- Ship: Holland America’s Nieuw Amsterdam
- Port of departure: Port Everglades, Fort Lauderdale, FL
- Itinerary: Grand Turk, Turks and Caicos; San Juan, Puerto Rico; and Half Moon Cay, Bahamas
Artists: Babyface, George Benson, The Commodores, The Spinners, Peabo Bryson, Evelyn “Champagne” King, Midnight Star, Deniece Williams, and others
Flower Power Cruise
Another 7-night sailing that’s already sold out for 2023 (wait list available) is the Flower Power Cruise, a groovy celebration of all things ‘60s—from tie-dye to peace signs to bell bottoms—with a line-up of top pop and rock musicians in concert and participating in artist Q&As.
- Dates: March 23-30, 2023
- Ship: Celebrity Summit
- Port of departure: Miami, FL
- Itinerary: Belize City, Belize; Cozumel, Mexico; and Costa Maya, Mexico
Artists: The Zombies, Herman’s Hermits, Mickey Dolenz (of The Monkees), The Yardbirds, The Buckinghams, The Grass Roots, The Fifth Dimension, The Family Stone, The Cowsills, and others
The Rock Boat
While The Rock Boat XXII is sold out (a wait list is available), the spectacle at sea will continue in 2024 with dozens of talented musicians onboard, billing itself as the “World’s Greatest Floating Music Festival.”
- Dates: January 23-28, 2023
- Ship: Norwegian Pearl
- Port of departure: Miami
- Itinerary: Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic and Nassau, Bahamas
Artists: NeedToBreathe, Neon Trees, American Authors, Lit, Red Wanting Blue, Welshly Arms, Magic Giant, Carbon Leaf, and others
Other music-themed cruises worth checking out: Blue Note at Sea, an annual cruise (2023’s dates are January 13-20 aboard Celebrity Millennium from Fort Lauderdale) featuring top jazz headliners; Monsters of Rock Cruise (April 29-May 4, 2023) aboard Royal Caribbean’s Mariner of the Seas sailing from Port Canaveral to the Caribbean and featuring “five nights of rock decadence”; Beatles and Beyond 2023 on Cunard’s Queen Elizabeth, sailing April 19-28, 2023 roundtrip from Tokyo and featuring music from the Beatles (including a finale show by the tribute band Bootleg Beatles) as well as nightly dancing to top hits from The Rolling Stones, The Who, The Kinks, Tom Jones and others; the next The Kiss Kruise isn’t slated until 2024, but it’s been a wild and rockin’ good time for more than a decade and details about the next voyage are slated to appear on the website by spring 2023; The Outlaw Country Cruise 7 (January 21-27, 2023) is already sold out (with a waiting list) but as in past years features a jam-packed line-up of performers as well as artist panels and fun onboard activities.
