Cruises’ music festival circuit offers concerts for every taste
Norwegian, Sixthman among major lines to present your favourite bands
I probably don’t have to tell you that you can take a cruise to the Caribbean this winter; Caribbean cruises are as common as snow in Toronto and rain in Vancouver.
But you might not know that Norwegian Cruise Line (ncl.com) and Atlanta-based Sixthman (sixthman.net) have been partnering for years now to create some of the best music-themed festivals at sea that explore the Caribbean each and every winter.
With sailings ranging between three and seven days, Sixthman is celebrating its 15th year creating specially designed music festivals at sea, most of which utilize two of Norwegian’s best ships: Norwegian Jade and Norwegian Pearl.
Carrying just over 2,000 guests apiece, these ultracool ships are humanly sized compared to some of the ultra-megaships out there. They’ve got wide-open pool decks for performances out at sea, and state-of-the-art, multi-storey theatres for evening performances with all the bells and whistles.
It doesn’t hurt that there are more than a dozen different restaurants and lounges aboard each ship, either, or that you can try your hand at bowling at sea aboard Norwegian Pearl.
The talent roster of past Festival at Sea artists reads like a who’s-who of the music industry, from country band Alabama to the Barenaked Ladies, John Mayer, Kid Rock, Lynyrd Skynyrd and others. And this coming winter, Sixthman and Norwegian Cruise Line have a whole lineup of sun-drenched oceangoing concerts.
If you’re in Miami on March 10, 2017, you’re probably want to hop aboard Norwegian Pearl’s three-day jaunt to the Bahamas with Pitbull.
It doesn’t hurt that this quickie weekend voyage also calls on Norwegian Cruise Line’s private Bahamian island paradise, Great Stirrup Cay.
If you can’t wait until March to get away, there’s also the Kiss Kruise VI (Nov. 4-9; round-trip Miami aboard Norwegian Pearl), featuring performances by Kiss, The Dead Daisies, Magnetico, Cleveland’s Breakfast Club, Teaze, Sophie Simmons and Evan Stanley. This one always sells out.
Of course, if you’re looking for something a little more subdued, there’s the very-cool “Keeping the Blues Alive at Sea III” voyage that departs Tampa on Feb. 6, 2017 aboard the 2,402-guest Norwegian Jade. Bound for Costa Maya, Mexico, this four-day cruise packs real punch, with performances by Gregg Allman, Joe Bonamassa, King Solomon Hicks, the Honey Island Swamp band and more.
The band Train is also sailing aboard Norwegian Jade from Tampa, Fla., on Feb. 15, 2017, as part of the Sail Across the Sun festival at sea. They’re joined by the talented Matt Nathanson, Natasha Bedingfield, Glen Phillips, Arrested Development and others — as they, too, sail for Costa Maya.
All told, 10 different theme voyages are on offer between now and April 2017, ranging from heavy metal to country. There’s even a full-blown Walking Dead-themed voyage known as the Walker Stalker Cruise. That one departs from Miami aboard Norwegian Pearl on Feb. 3, 2017 and includes the opportunity to meet and mingle with members of the cast and crew of the hit television series.
For Sixthman CEO Anthony Diaz, the whole idea is about giving cruisers more than they would expect with world-class artists that truly love the idea of a shipboard performance.
“Passion trumps everything, he says.
“Our artists love performing onboard. Kiss might do an unmasked, unplugged set on the pool deck one afternoon, and then go into the Stardust Theatre for a more elaborate show.” .