Dance-Music Cruise Covers The High Seas In Polly Esther’s

noah | January 25, 2007 10:54 am

Another addition to the ever-growing list of music-themed cruises is the Groove Cruise, which swaps out shuffleboard tournaments for an “Office Ho’s and C.E.O.’s” party. From today’s NYT:

Devotees have packed cruise ships to see artists ranging the FM dial, from mainstream stars like Lynyrd Skynyrd and Kenny Chesney to blues and Christian bands, and the list of musicians scheduled to set sail is growing.

Yet those cruises attract a largely older audience, while the Groove Cruise, with its allure of club-heavy house music and high maintenance hedonism, attracts primarily dance fanatics who have graduated from college in the last 15 years and who can afford $1,350 for a five-day voyage (and $600 for a three-day cruise). …

Since the first voyage in 2004, revenue has doubled each year, to $500,000; the number of attendees has tripled, to over 1,100 total participants over that period. These dance-obsessed cruisers have come from across the United States, Europe and Australia — 65 percent had never been on a cruise before; more than a third were returning for another spin on the Groove Cruise.

“Traditional cruises have very few alternative entertainment options for young people,” said Mr. Beukema, who has been on 26 cruises. “If you don’t want to see the Broadway revue or the magic show revue you’re pretty much out of luck, and the on-board nightclub has a request D.J., so you’ll hear one hip-hop song and then he’ll kill the dance floor with the Macarena. We bring on some of the best D.J.’s from across the country and go all night.”

How to know that these guys mean business about being “different”: The lineup of events doesn’t even list a Texas Hold ‘Em tournament.

A Dance-Party Niche In The Cruise Industry [NYT] Earlier: Come Sail Away: Idolator’s Guide To Rock And Roll Cruises [Photo: napkinnights.com]

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