While We Are At Sea

Though we are at sea for the next several weeks (January 28 – February 25), please know that while some of us are away, our office will be open during normal business hours, our email lines will be open and the websites for each of our cruise programs will be available 24/7.

These services are available to guests who have questions about their upcoming ’25 Sailings and those who wish to complete or discuss a ’26 Reservation. To contact us, you may choose among the following:

  Call the Office: 
Toll Free US & Canada – 888.852.9987
Toll Free International – 01.800.852.99872
Monday – Thursday: 10 AM ET – 6 PM ET
Friday: 10 AM ET – 5 PM ET

Inquire by E – Mail:
info@scecruises.com

Learn More or Make a Reservation:
www.scecruises.com or review SCE Brand Book
Select the Cruise Program You Wish
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Stateroom Availability

With 13 active cruise programs, it is difficult to keep up with Stateroom Availability. To assist you with your planning, below is a chart that we will update weekly in The Weekender. 

Cruise Programs 2025

Cruise Programs 2026

Hot Offers

Inside Staterooms are available on Journey of Jazz ’25. From now through February 28, you can reserve an Inside Stateroom on the cruise for under $2,000/person. Reservations are based upon double occupancy, available for new reservations only and non-commissionable. Further, this discount may not be combined with any other offer (Promo Code: ATSEA).

The Smooth Jazz Cruise ’25.2 has been fully reserved for months. Guests do cancel their reservations for various reasons and we place those staterooms with guests on the Wait List. If you are on the Wait List or wish to reserve a stateroom for one of these sailings, call the office for availability and pricing.

Sullivan Fortner’s Southern Nights

The pianist Sullivan Fortner, who was a big hit during the last two weeks with our guests sailing on The Jazz Cruise and Botti at Sea, has just released Southern Nights, his fifth album as a leader. 

Recorded live at the iconic Village Vanguard in NYC, the album features a wide-ranging repertoire, including tunes by Allen Toussaint and Clifford Brown, and tributes to Sullivan’s late mentor Bill Lee and Lee’s sister, the underappreciated pianist and educator Consuela Lee, as well as an original from Sullivan. Accompanied by bassist Peter Washington and drummer Marcus Gilmore, Sullivan celebrates his roots in the Crescent City.

“New Orleans is at the top of the Caribbean,” he explains. “It’s definitely not America. The Spanish and Caribbean influences run deep, and you can hear that in the music.”

LEARN MORE

Signature Jazz Cruises’ Programs

JOURNEY OF JAZZ ’25
Limited Time Promotional Pricing

Now through February 28, or until fully reserved, promotional pricing is available on Inside Staterooms for Journey of Jazz! Make your reservation today using promo code ATSEA for significant savings*! Exciting land-based concerts and excursions are also available! *Discount applies to new reservations only. 

BOOK NOW

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HOMECOMING: THE CRUISE ’26
Open Booking Now Available!

Join us for a celebration of HBCUs and inspired by the tradition of the Divine Nine Challenge from recent sailings of The Smooth Jazz Cruise. Sailing January 15 – 20, 2026 (including MLK Day), this cruise will deliver Excellence, Education and Entertainment. ALLBLK’s Homecoming: The Cruise is produced in association with the National HBCU Alumni Alliance and features Babyface, Chanté Moore, Take 6 and more! The best part is that we will award over $200,000 in scholarships to deserving organizations. Reserve Your Stateroom Today! 

BOOK NOW

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CHRISTIAN MCBRIDE’S WORLD AT SEA
Open Booking Now Available!

9X GRAMMY® winner Christian McBride will host our newest Signature Jazz Cruises’ program, Christian McBride’s World at Sea! The cruise will feature legions of musicians who comprise the various ensembles that are the hallmarks of Christian’s music world AND first-class comedy talent. See the full lineup here!

Open Booking has begun! Reserve your stateroom today! 

BOOK NOW

THE JAZZ CRUISE ’26
Open Booking Starts February 19!

Hailed as “Jazz Heaven” by musicians and guests alike, The Jazz Cruise ’26 lineup will feature some of the most iconic musicians from the straight-ahead jazz genre. See the full lineup here.  Guests who registered for the Pre-Sail are selecting their staterooms now, and Open Booking will begin on February 19!

LEARN MORE

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THE SMOOTH JAZZ CRUISE ‘26.1 & 26.2
Open Booking Now Available

 The Smooth Jazz Cruise ‘26.1 & ‘26.2 are in Open Booking (anyone may reserve any available stateroom) and staterooms are more than 85% reserved. Reserve your stateroom today!

BOOK NOW

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THE TOP SHELF COUNTRY CRUISE
Headline Artist Just Announced – Keith Urban

Fans of the country genre love the music that represents the simple, humble American lifestyle and they love to party. Top Shelf Country Cruise brings these ideas together on a luxury ship for one unforgettable week, February 27 – March 6, 2026! The inaugural sailing will feature headline artist Keith Urban and widely popular personalities from iHeartMedia’s The Bobby Bones Show, led by Bobby Bones himself. Pre-Sail reservations are open now through tomorrow, February 9! Visit topshelfcountrycruise.com for more information and join the Pre-Sail today! 

LEARN MORE

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THE SMOOTH JAZZ CRUISE ‘26.3
Open Booking Now Available

For the first time in many years, The Smooth Jazz Cruise will sail on the West Coast, embarking in Vancouver, sailing to Victoria and San Francisco before disembarking in Los Angeles. Exciting land excursions will be available in the ports-of-call! The Smooth Jazz Cruise ‘26.3 is in Open Booking! Anyone may now reserve any available stateroom.

BOOK NOW

BOTTI AT SEA’25 is Fully Reserved!
Pre-Sail Reservations Accepted Until February 11!
Open Booking Begins February 28

We’re thrilled to be able to announce that Boz Scaggs, Elvis Costello and Melody Gardot will be onboard the Botti at Sea ’26 . Of course, Chris Botti will be there with his very talented band and, as always, we will fill the remaining performance slots with a variety of great music, comedy and more. Establish your priority for reserving a stateroom NOW by joining the Pre-Sail. 

LEARN MORE

Mug Shot of the Week

Guests on the ’24 jazz cruises received The Weekender mug, which we hope you will use with your Saturday morning coffee while you read the latest edition. Please share a picture of yourself & your mug with us so that we can include it for the 100,000+ folks who receive The Weekender each Saturday.

Tag us @thejazzcruise, @bottiatsea, @thesmoothjazzcruise, #jazzcruises and #theweekender. Email your photo to MugShot@scecruises.com.

The post Our Take: From Botti to Smooth appeared first on Signature Cruise Experiences.

Honoring Marcus Miller on Receiving the
Los Angeles Jazz Society’s Lifetime Achievement Award – 2024 

Introduction by Michael Lazaroff

In 2010, our company was discussing a new cruise program, one that would sail in the North Sea for several days and then dock in Rotterdam and become the hotel for folks attending the North Sea Jazz Festival. Working with MOJO, the Dutch company that produced the festival, we batted around names of top performers to play on the ship and then at the festival, but we needed a host.
 
For this event, we needed someone of the highest talent level, universally acknowledged as a superstar musician, known and revered by fans in Europe and the United States, as well as a person who had the people skills to engage guests from all over the world.
 
I asked the opinion of many musicians, agents and producers. Without a doubt, one name dominated the responses. Armed with that name, I contacted the folks at MOJO to share this information, but, before I could say a word, they asked me if I thought Marcus Miller would be acceptable to me. Laughing into the phone (no Zoom calls yet), I told them that Marcus was the near unanimous choice of those I polled.
 
Great, we were set. Marcus Miller would be the host of the North Sea Jazz Cruise.  There were two hurdles to making that happen. First, they asked me to contact him and make an offer. Second, though I knew the name and a lot about his career, I had never met the man.
 
Through a third party, I set up a meeting with Marcus at his studio in Los Angeles and flew out to meet him. I stumbled through my pitch afterwards Marcus asked two questions: “May I select the musicians?” and “Is there a budget for the talent?”
 
The answers were “yes” and “whatever you need.” As Bogie said to Claude Reins at the airport in Casablanca, this was “the beginning of a beautiful friendship.”
 
The career of Marcus Miller spans decades and includes performing, composing, arranging and producing music with and for some of the most talented vocalists and instrumentalists in the world: Chaka Khan, Herbie Hancock, Eric Clapton, Aretha Franklin, George Benson, Elton John, Roberta Flack, Al Jarreau, Bob James, Lalah Hathaway, Wayne Shorter and more. His talents have been utilized for live performances, recordings of all types, film, television and documentaries.
 
Perhaps his most famous associations were with David Sanborn, Luther Vandross and Miles Davis, a very diverse group of generational talents. Only someone with the talent of Marcus Miller could be the driving force for those three. Marcus Miller is a man for all music.
 
The experience with Marcus hosting the North Sea Jazz Festival was eye opening for us. Of course, we knew his musical chops, but he showed himself to be the very best host ever. He led the talent, engaged the guests and made himself available for all events.
 
Though, in no way is he a “smooth jazz” musician, when our host for that cruise, former NBA star Wayman Tisdale, became ill, Marcus stepped in to help his close friend host that program. 

Evidently, for years, Marcus and Wayman were exchanging bass lessons for basketball opportunities. Marcus served as a close confidante of Wayman’s during his tragic illness.

Upon Wayman’s passing, Marcus has become the leader of that program along with our other jazz programs. In fact, Marcus has hosted over 40 of our sailings. 

His talents on and off the bandstand are the best in our world of cruising. He is the straw that stirs this drink. In my 25 years of producing jazz events, I have learned that the best way to measure the stature of a musician is to watch them when they are with their colleagues.

Without fanfare or announcement, Marcus is the leader of every group of musicians with whom I have seen him. They hang on his every word, take stock of their status based upon his reaction to them and follow him on stage without hesitation.

Mind you, Marcus does not demand those reactions. In fact, he is more than a little oblivious to what he means to the others. In sports, you recognize the captain as the guy with the “C” on his jersey. In our jazz cruise world, just look for the man in the porkpie hat and follow him.
 
Before closing, I want to share a personal message. Marcus and his talented and brilliant wife, Brenda, have been the most significant association we have had during our 25 years of producing cruises. Never once has there been even a hint of conflict or concern. They have shown us respect and friendship and, we have tried to return those feelings at every turn.
 
“Do not hire your friends” is a very good business rule. But there is no rule against becoming friends with your business associates. It is my honor and privilege to call Marcus and Brenda my friends and I applaud the Los Angeles Jazz Society for having the wisdom and knowledge to honor Marcus Miller with its highest honor, the Lifetime Achievement Award for 2024.

At this point, I anticipate thunderous applause from the audience, as they acknowledge the greatness of Marcus Miller and enjoy the relief of me not speaking any more.

I consider Marcus Miller to be the most complete and talented jazz musician I have ever known. But, what I admire most is his natural leadership skills. When on stage, he is always in charge, but never once have I heard him say something to assert that role. He simply does what he does and everyone knows to listen and follow.

Never once have I seen or heard him “brag” or “boast.” Well, there is the story of him telling Alonzo and me about his time with Prince Albert of Monaco. Alonzo asked a question about one matter Marcus mentioned. Responding as naturally as possible, Marcus told us the “he and Al” were working on a solution. “Al,” really!

Funny thing, it never dawned on him that others might find that reference to be a boast. He just does not think that way.

If only everyone in the world followed his lead. Just as all musicians do!

By Michael Lazaroff, Executive Director of The Jazz Cruise, The Smooth Jazz Cruise, Chris Botti at Sea, Christian McBride’s World at Sea and Journey of Jazz. Feel free to express your views or pose questions to him at michael@scecruises.com.

The Smooth Jazz Cruise ‘26.3
Will Be Announced On October 11!

With the number of completed reservations and Pre-Sale Reservations totaling over 2,000, Jazz Cruises will be announcing the plans for a third sailing of The Smooth Jazz Cruise ’26. Though the full details are being finalized, here is what we know now:
 

The Smooth Jazz Cruise ’26.3
Dates: September 11, 2026 – September 18, 2026
Ship: Celebrity Summit
Port of Embarkation: Vancouver, BC
Port of Disembarkation: Los Angeles
Additional Ports-of-Call: Victoria BC and San Francisco (overnight)
Cruise Hosts: Marcus Miller & Boney James

Special Guests, Artists and Featured Performers will be announced, together with the reservation procedure, on October 11, 2024! A Special Announcement Webinar will be presented that day as well and Jazz Cruises will answer all questions you may have in real time. You may sign up for the webinar HERE.

NOTICE: To Guests With Reservations on The Smooth Jazz Cruise ’26.1 or ’26.2 (’26.1/’26.2 Guests)
 

• The purpose of adding a third sailing is to provide all guests with the opportunity to sail on The Smooth Jazz Cruise. ’26.1 or ’26.2 Guests may not reserve a stateroom on the ’26.3 Cruise until every guest holding a Pre-Sale Reservation for any ’26 sailing of The Smooth Jazz Cruise has had the opportunity to reserve a stateroom.

Soon after the announcement of the ‘26.3 Cruise, ’26.1 or ’26.2 Guests will be provided an opportunity (small window) to transfer their reservations to The Smooth Jazz Cruise ‘26.3 (“‘26.3 Cruise”). In doing so, such guests will be relinquishing their current reservations, which will be made available to guests wishing to sail on one of those earlier sailings.

No system or procedure is perfect, but, by adding a third sailing of The Smooth Jazz Cruise, allowing ’26.1/’26.2 Guests to transfer to ’26.3, and restricting ’26.1/’26.2 Guests from reserving a stateroom for ’26.3, we believe that we have configured a very fair, equitable and user-friendly system to allow more guests to enjoy a ’26 sailing of The Smooth Jazz Cruise.

John Clayton to Be Honored at Jazz Congress

John Clayton, who, for many years has ably led Anita’s Big Band on The Jazz Cruise, will be presented with the Bruce Lundvall Visionary Award at the Jazz Congress held Jan. 8-9, 2025 at Jazz at Lincoln Center in NYC. The award was created in 2014 in honor of the longtime jazz record executive who was a champion and advocate for so many jazz artists over the last four decades. The annual award recognizes someone who has demonstrated extraordinary leadership and vision in expanding the audience for jazz and who has made a real difference for the artists, the music and the audience. Previous recipients include Randall Kline, Brice Rosenbloom, Christian McBride, Terri Lyne Carrington, Darlene Chan, Barry Harris, Danilo Perez and Dee Dee Bridgewater  Pianist Gerald Clayton will present his father with the award during the keynote session of Jazz Congress.

The Vanguard Jazz Orchestra’s Centennial:
The Music of Thad Jones

The Vanguard Orchestra, which features several All-Stars and Anita’s Big Band members from The Jazz Cruise (including Gary Smulyan, Dick Oatts and Terell Stafford), has just released Centennial: The Music of Thad Jones, an album celebrating the noted trumpeter and big band leader. Released on BCM+D Records, Centennial is a two-album set captured live at the ensemble’s Monday night home for nearly six decades, the Village Vanguard. The Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra, which he co-founded in 1966, modernized the big band sound as the world changed through the late ’60s and early ’70s. Jones’ writing and arranging drew upon the inspiration of two of the most iconic bands in jazz history: Duke Ellington and Count Basie, in whose band Jones had launched his career.  “Thad set the Orchestra up as a small group with a lot of horns,” says lead alto saxophonist Dick Oatts, the current band’s senior member and artistic director. “The way Thad wrote was just ingenious. It was the future of the jazz big band tradition.”

Signature Jazz Cruises’ Programs

The Jazz Cruise ’25
FULLY RESERVED
Celebrating its 25th Anniversary
The Jazz Cruise ’26 to be Announced Soon!

The Jazz Cruise ’25 is fully reserved. Since the cruise does
not sail for several months, there will be cancellations and staterooms will become available. Stateroom vacancies are filled from the Waitlist, which is not lengthy right now. If you wish to sail on The Jazz Cruise ’25, we urge you to JOIN WAITLIST now.  

JOIN WAITLIST

The Smooth Jazz Cruise ‘26.1 & ‘26.2
Pre-Sale Reservation
Holders Begin Booking

Both sailings for 2025 are fully reserved and the Waitlist has more than 4,000 entrants. 
  
We are now focused on reservations for the ’26 Sailings. Three waves of guests with Pre-Sale Reservations (each wave with 200 holders) have become eligible to reserve a stateroom. 

We will continue to activate holders in groups until all those holding Pre-Sale Reservations can book. Open Booking begins on October 17.

See above for the announcement of the 3rd sailing of The Smooth Jazz Cruise in ’26! 

JOIN PRE-SALE

Signature Cruise Experiences Mug Shots of the Week

Guests on the ’24 jazz cruises received The Weekender mug, which we hope you will use with your Saturday morning coffee while you read the latest edition. Please share a picture of yourself & your mug with us so that we can include it for the 100,000+ folks who receive The Weekender each Saturday.

Tag us @thejazzcruise, @bottiatsea, @thesmoothjazzcruise, #jazzcruises and #theweekender. Email your photo to MugShot@scecruises.com.

The post OUR TAKE: Honoring Marcus Miller appeared first on Signature Cruise Experiences.

I guess being around those subjects and items all day long tempers, if not extinguishes, their passion for the very thing that they do for a living.

As one who spends every day in some pursuit of jazz, whether that be signing talent, programming shows or just making sure that our guests have the information they need, I can report that my proximity to the music only stimulates my desire and need for live music.

Our business advisor refers to this as the Baking Pies syndrome. There was a woman who loved baking pies. She was so skilled at doing so, that she went into business selling her product. The packaging, marketing, promoting and rules and procedures that accompany a pie selling business were more than she wanted. She quit the business.

All she wanted to do was bake pies.

At Signature Jazz Cruises, our passion is music. We spend a lot of time engaged in the business of music, but, unlike the pie lady, we will continue to balance our work with listening to live music, which is why last Wednesday night and tomorrow night are so precious to us.

Wednesday night was the opening of JazzSTL, which is St. Louis’ “straight ahead” jazz forum. The first night is usually some type of gala with special guests and fundraising. This year’s offering was Paquito D’Rivera and Chucho Valdés. The evening included a Cuban style dinner, rum and a “meet and greet” with the musicians.

Paquito and Chucho have performed on many of our cruise programs over the years. For years they presented separately, but, on The Jazz Cruise ’24, they shared the stage for several sets and it was magical. As many know, they have been friends and colleagues for decades, back to the early days of the famous Cuban band, Irakere.

Irakere, founded in 1973, combined Cuban rhythms with American jazz, and, in doing so, created a sound that defined Cuban popular music. Chucho was the musical director, and the band included both Paquito and Arturo Sandoval. You can see and hear Arturo on The Jazz Cruise ’25. Due to the testy relationship between Cuba and the United States, Irakere was prevented from performing in the United States, though they did make a landmark appearance at the Newport Jazz Festival in 1979.

In the past, relations among Chucho, Paquito and Arturo have been strained due to differing views as to how to respond to Fidel Castro and the regime in Cuba. Today, not only do they interact, but the three of them are performing together. Sort of like The Three Tenors, only rather than singing, they play instruments.

After the show, we were able to hang with Chucho and Paquito for a moment or two. Both are at the top of the list of gentlemen and ambassadors of our music. When Paula, my wife, was walking with them in Miami earlier this year, she told me that fans came up to them as if they were rock stars. In our world, they are!

Tomorrow night, we will be attending a Chris Botti concert in St. Louis. The venue will be The Factory, where we have presented George Benson, Boney James, Gregory Porter, Samara Joy, Brian Culbertson and many others in the past few years. Most of the Jazz Cruises’ team will be front and center for the show.

Hopefully, we will have a chance to chat with Chris about a few programming plans for Botti at Sea ’25. The star power of that program is amazing. After 25 years of producing cruises, I believe that we are more excited about presenting Diana Krall on that cruise than almost any other performer.

Note: Remaining Inventory for Botti at Sea ’25 includes only 15 Veranda Staterooms, a few Ocean View Staterooms and some Inside Staterooms. The runway to reserve a stateroom is dwindling.

Our world of music is a gift, one that I cherish as it not only allows me to enjoy the best musicians in the world, but it also affords me the opportunity to hang with fellow jazz fans. With two exceptions, I have never met a jazz fan that I did not like…a lot.

Both of you know who you are. No, I am not ready to forgive and forget.

By Michael Lazaroff, Executive Director of The Jazz Cruise, The Smooth Jazz Cruise, Chris Botti at Sea and Journey of Jazz. Feel free to express your views or pose questions to him at michael@scecruises.com.

Introducing Christian McBride’s World at Sea!

Be the first to get the details on our newest program, Christian McBride’s World at Sea! Details will be announced soon for this cruise which will be sailing in late January/early February ’26. Sign up to be among the first to receive the cruise lineup, destinations and reservation information!

Catch Chris Botti at The Factory
in Chesterfield, MO on September 22!

Soon, Chris Botti and his amazing band will be headed off to South Africa for Joy of Jazz 2024. But, before doing so, there’s one more wonderful opportunity to see him. 

The entire Jazz Cruises’ team will be attending the September 22 show as it will be presented at the same suburban St. Louis venue that we have used for many of our own shows. Join us for an amazing night of great music with Chris Botti.

Chris resumes a robust US schedule in October. Check out chrisbotti.com/tour/#/

Ron Carter in Residence at Birdland

During the month of October, Ron Carter will be featured at Birdland Jazz Club in NYC as an artist-in-residence, performing each week with a different group.

The legendary bassist kicks off the month on October 1-5 with shows featuring his new trio of Donald Vega and Donald Harrison (who replaces the late Russell Malone). His Foursight Quartet (featuring Renee Rosnes, Jimmy Greene and Payton Crossley), who will be performing during Journey of Jazz ’25, take the stage October 8-12, followed by his Great Big Band (October 15-19), and a series of duo performances with pianist Bill Charlap (October 22-26).

Monterey Jazz Festival is This Weekend!

Experience the Monterey Jazz Festival set against the breathtaking backdrop of Monterey, California. One of the world’s longest-running jazz festivals, this iconic event has hosted legendary performers like Louis Armstrong, Dizzy Gillespie and Dave Brubeck since 1958. Don’t miss the 67th Annual Monterey Jazz Festival September 27 – 29,  featuring 350 artists across five stages, including Samara Joy, Blind Boys of Alabama, Mavis Staples, Hiromi, Stanley Clarke and more. For tickets and details, visit https://montereyjazzfestival.org.

LA Jazz Society Salutes Renowned Bassist Marcus Miller
with Lifetime Achievement Honors

GRAMMY® Award-winning bassist and frequent Jazz Cruise performer Marcus Miller will receive the 2024 Lifetime Achievement Award from the Los Angeles Jazz Society. Miller will be honored at the 2024 Jazz Tribute Concert & Awards on Saturday, October 5th hosted by the multi-talented comedian Alonzo Bodden. This exciting two-hour event is the annual celebration of jazz and the talented musicians who have made this extraordinary music their life’s passion. Special guests include Stanley Clarke, Michael Lazaroff, John Clayton, Joe LaBarbera and the CSUN Jazz Band plus many more. 

Marcus will be recognized for a 30+ year career as recording artist/performer, composer and producer, including collaborations with dozens of artists from Luther Vandross to David Sanborn to Wayne Shorter. In addition, he also hosts and headlines multiple sold-out Jazz Cruises each year including The Smooth Jazz Cruise.

LAJS will also honor Oscar and Emmy award-winning composer, pianist and documentary director Kris Bowers with the Jazz Composer/Arranger Award and artist and songwriter Veronica Swift who will receive Jazz Vocalist honors.

The annual Tribute is the key Jazz Society fundraiser of the year which supports annual jazz education programs benefitting thousands of young people in LAUSD schools every year. Jazz in Schools provides free educational concerts in elementary schools for 25,000 students and the Bill Green Mentorship Program provides free training in advanced musical techniques from professional musicians for young aspiring jazz musicians. 

Signature Jazz Cruises’ Programs

The Jazz Cruise ’25
FULLY RESERVED
Celebrating it’s 25th Anniversary
The Jazz Cruise ’26 To Be Announced Soon!

The Jazz Cruise ’25 is fully reserved. Since the cruise does not sail for several months, there will be cancellations and staterooms will become available. Stateroom vacancies are filled from the Waitlist, which is not lengthy right now. If you wish to sail on The Jazz Cruise ’25, we urge you to JOIN WAITLIST now.  

Stay tuned for the launch of The Jazz Cruise ’26. Most of the lineup has been secured, so we should be announcing the details of the cruise in mid to late October.

JOIN WAITLIST

The Smooth Jazz Cruise ‘26.1 & ‘26.2
Lineup Just Announced!
’25 Sailings Fully Reserved

Both sailings for 2025 are fully reserved and the Waitlist has more than 4,000 entrants. 

We are now focused on reservations for the ’26 Sailings. On Thursday, the first wave (210 holders) of guests with Pre-Sale Reservations became eligible to reserve a stateroom. By early Friday, every holder had completed their stateroom selection and reservation.

The next wave will be activated on Tuesday, September 24, and we will continue to activate holders in groups until all those holding Pre-Sale Reservations can book. Open Booking begins on October 17, but, if you want to act sooner, there is still time to go to The Smooth Jazz Cruise website and complete a Pre-Sale Reservation for The Smooth Jazz Cruise ’26.   

Stay tuned for the announcement of the 3rd sailing of The Smooth Jazz Cruise in ’26! 

JOIN PRE-SALE

Signature Cruise Experiences’ Mug Shots of the Week

Guests on the ’24 jazz cruises received The Weekender mug, which we hope you will use with your Saturday morning coffee while you read the latest edition. Please share a picture of yourself & your mug with us so that we can include it for the 100,000+ folks who receive The Weekender each Saturday.

Tag us @thejazzcruise @bottiatsea @thesmoothjazzcruise #jazzcruises and #theweekender. Email your photo to MugShot@scecruises.com.

The post OUR TAKE: Why We Love This Music! appeared first on Signature Cruise Experiences.

With our first sailing (The Jazz Cruise ’25) not until January 28, 2025, we have more time this year, but we continued our tradition of this holiday, nonetheless. In part, because the break comes at a good time, as you will learn below, and, in part, because my first ever trip to Wimbledon, while heavily-insured, is too tempting to cancel. Yes, we believe in purchasing Travel Insurance as well as advising our guests to do so! To keep up appearances as a supporter of the art of jazz, we will be visiting Pizza Express and Ronnie Scott’s while in London.

Believe it or not, one of the artists we will be seeing is our very own Marcus Miller, who has a long set of shows at Ronnie Scott’s. For years, our UK friends have jumped the pond to spend time with us listening to jazz. Just the beginning of our theme for this note, “flipping the script.”  

I mentioned that this time of the year is a perfect “break” for us. Our year is divided into four parts, in terms of our focus — January and February we spend at sea mostly, presenting our programs. March through the end of June sees us in full launch mode for the sailings of the next year. Mostly, we are reserving staterooms, finalizing lineups and sharing that information with our guests.

The time after July 4th through Halloween is spent in two ways: We are either creating and finalizing the programming for the upcoming cruises or preparing lineups and other information for the launch of the next set of cruises. These activities are not linear. We flip back and forth all the time, dedicating certain days for Performance Schedules, Programming and Special Events and some time for new lineups, website improvements and guest correspondence. Once we hit Halloween, it is full go on the production of the upcoming sailings. When we are closer to those dates, we can share some stories with you.

By now, you have either forgotten or no longer care to learn about why this note is titled “Flipping the Script.” Sorry, but I cannot let you off that easily. In part, out of curiosity and, in part, to either confirm or deny our recent conclusions, rather than us telling you something, we are asking you to “tell us what you think.”

Specifically, share with us the 3 – 5 aspects, events or elements of one or more of our cruise programs that you enjoy the most and 3 – 5 of such items that you would prefer us to either delete or modify in some way. Please identify the cruise you are assessing somewhere in your note. We would hate to remove an item on Cruise #1 that was a sticking point on Cruise #2!

Bullet points are sufficient. No need to explain in detail why you like or dislike something, but, if you believe that a description would assist us, feel free to add one. Send your notes to us at info@scecruises.com. We may respond back to you asking for more information or posing questions for you to consider. Your participation would be greatly appreciated. Let’s shoot for all incoming guest emails be delivered to us by June 30. And all responses from us by July 31.

From the inception of our cruise programs, we made it clear that our goal is to present the type of cruise programs that our guests want to experience. Given the popularity of the programs, we sometimes lose sight of the fact that not everything we do is loved by all and that we may not realize what elements of the cruises are “gold” to our guests. We think we know these things, but it has been a while since we have asked you to share.

Granted, most of our guest information is gathered anecdotally and our guests, never known for their shyness, frequently share their thoughts with us via email or by phone. We do our very best to respond in a timely manner, but sometimes the volume of emails causes us to miss one or two or not respond as we would like to do. By this process, you sending us your comments by email, we will have the holiday time to carefully review each submission.  

St. Louis to London is a long plane ride. Reading your mail will make that trip go by very quickly.

By Michael Lazaroff, Executive Director of The Jazz Cruise, The Smooth Jazz Cruise, Chris Botti at Sea, and Journey of Jazz. Feel free to express your views or pose questions to him at michael@scecruises.com

Ken Peplowski’s Live at Mezzrow

Clarinetist and saxophonist Ken Peplowski, a longtime regular of The Jazz Cruise, has just released his second album of the year. Live at Mezzrow was recorded at the intimate jazz club in NYC and features Ken with Ted Rosenthal, Martin Wind and Willie Jones III, performing several jazz classics as well as some lesser-known gems.

“This is my favorite way to record,” Ken explained. “I like to work on song material for a year or two, find some interesting tunes that are not so often played, revive some tunes that I haven’t played in years, and just go in with friends and record in a set up like a band on stage and play through the music, warts and all, and that’s exactly what we did.”

MidSummer Vacation July 4 – 14, 2024

As mentioned in the “Our Take,” the offices of Jazz Cruises will be closed starting at 2:00 PM ET on July 3 through July 14 for a Midsummer Vacation. We will reopen at the usual time (10 AM ET) on Monday, July 15, 2024. During this time, guests may complete reservations online, check their Jazz Cruises account and submit questions to us at info@scecruises.com. Responses may take a bit longer, but we will answer all questions submitted.

All of us at Jazz Cruises wish you and yours a happy, fun and safe July 4th holiday. Whether you spend it on the beach, at a pool, on the deck or just lounging, every holiday deserves a few hours of great jazz! Do not live without it!

Jazz Cruises’ ’25 Programs

The Jazz Cruise ’25
Celebrating its 25^th Anniversary
The Last 90 Staterooms…Act Now! 

The plans for the 25th Anniversary sailing of The Jazz Cruise ’25 are spectacular. The cruise is over 94% reserved and is currently in Open Booking, which means that anyone may reserve any available stateroom. The remaining inventory, totaling just over 80 staterooms, includes Veranda, Ocean View and Inside Staterooms.

BOOK NOW

The Smooth Jazz Cruise ‘25.1 & ‘25.2
Starting its 3^rd Decade
Both Sailings Fully Reserved

With both sailings being fully reserved, guests wishing to sail on a ’25 sailing of The Smooth Jazz Cruise should JOIN WAITLIST now. Cancellations will be filled exclusively from the WAITLIST. WAITLIST guests qualify for special terms when reserving a stateroom on The Jazz Cruise ’25 or Botti at Sea II.

JOIN WAITLIST

Botti at Sea ’25
Every Night is a Night on the Town
New Performer – Diana Krall! 

Botti at Sea ’25 is over 65% reserved. Anyone may reserve an available stateroom by calling the office during regular business hours or doing so online. It was this time last year that there was a “run” on staterooms, so act now! Diana Krall has just been added to the lineup! 

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Journey of Jazz ’25
Jazz Life at Sea & On Land 
Reserve Now – Land Events Menu Soon

Jazz Cruises’ newest program, Journey of Jazz, hosted by Marcus Miller & Gregory Porter, is in Open Booking. Though not sailing for 15 months, the cruise is more than 65% reserved. Menu of land-based events in Victoria and San Francisco to be announced in late July! Reserve your stateroom now to be eligible for events at that time.

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1-Day Tickets to STL Jazz Fest Are On Sale Now!

Mug Shots of the Week

Guests on the ’24 jazz cruises received The Weekender mug, which we hope you will use with your Saturday morning coffee while you read the latest edition. Please share a picture of yourself & your mug with us so that we can include it for the 100,000+ folks who receive The Weekender each Saturday.

Tag us @thejazzcruise @bottiatsea @thesmoothjazzcruise #jazzcruises and #theweekender. Email your photo to MugShot@scecruises.com.

The post OUR TAKE: Flipping the Script appeared first on Signature Cruise Experiences.

The addition of more vocalists on The Jazz Cruise and The Smooth Jazz Cruise over the years reflects several considerations. First, we have found that many vocalists are prepared to perform with one of our bands or a combination of their music director, most often a piano player, and our musicians. Second, adding vocals to our lineups has been well received by our guests. Listening to tunes they know being presented by top voices has enriched the cruise experience, broadened the audiences and enlivened the programming. Finding the “right” singers, however, remains a challenge, particularly for The Smooth Jazz Cruise.

Botti at Sea II is intended to offer the broadest array of talent and programming, so vocalists abound. With at least one more significant vocalist addition to be announced soon, this cruise boasts Katharine McPhee, Corinne Bailey Rae, esperanza spalding, Morgan James, Thana Alexa, Mindi Abair and Benny Benack III.

Journey of Jazz ’25 follows suit with Gregory Porter, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Cecile McLorin Salvant, Bria Skonberg and Benny Benack III.

The art of jazz remains dominated by instrumentalists sharing the bandstand. There is no plan or reason to believe that our cruises will depart from that foundation, nor should it. One way to look at our programming is to assess the volume of music. In reviewing the history of our cruises, the hours of vocals have not been added at the expense of instrumental presentation. Instead, vocals account for the expanse of our programming. The total number of instrumental music on The Jazz Cruise ’25 is no less (actually greater) than it was in ’01. The total number of hours of music, though, has increased dramatically, directly related to the addition of vocals and special shows.

That is our story, and we will sing (and play) it from the top of the mountain down to the sea. After all, Jazz Cruises is the Gold Standard of Music at Sea Since 2001.

STL Jazz Fest 1-Day Tickets Available Now!

1-Day tickets for STL Jazz Fest are now on sale!
For details about the festival and information on how to purchase tickets, see below: 

STL Jazz Fest
Produced by Jazz Cruises
The Factory – Chesterfield (St. Louis) Missouri

Friday, August 23, 2024
Eric Marienthal Quintet, featuring Niki Haris
The Comedy of Alonzo Bodden
GREGORY PORTER

Saturday, August 24, 2024
Mindi Abair with Eric Marienthal & Friends
The Comedy of Alonzo Bodden
BRIAN CULBERTSON

Doors 6 PM | Showtime 7 PM

Labor Day Weekend Jazz Festivals

Vail Jazz Party

Detroit Jazz Festival

This sprawling free event is held over the four-day weekend downtown in the city that claims some ownership of the labor movement. Originally founded in 1980, the 2024 edition of the Detroit Jazz Festival features many artists who have appeared on our Jazz Cruises programs, including Christian McBride, Monty Alexander, Warren Wolf, Chief Adjuah, Billy Childs with Sean Jones, Isaiah J. Thompson, Nate Smith and Marquis Hill. Drummer Brian Blade is the artist in residence and will perform multiple sets with his Fellowship band.

DC Jazz Festival

Celebrating its 20th anniversary, this festival in our nation’s capital features a hybrid of free and paid concerts, with the main event being a series of outdoor concerts Aug. 31 and Sep. 1 at the Wharf, as well as some shows at the nearby Anthem venue. Headliners include several Jazz Cruises favorites such as Samara Joy, Dianne Reeves, Kenny Barron, James Morrison, Ron Carter Trio and the Emmet Cohen Trio with Houston Person. In addition, the festival hosts the DCJazzPrix International Band Competition, with the winning group receiving a $15,000 prize and a yearlong association with the DC Jazz Festival

Jazz Cruises’ ’25 Programs

The Jazz Cruise ’25
Celebrating its 25^th Anniversary

The plans for the 25th Anniversary sailing of The Jazz Cruise ’25 are spectacular. The cruise is over 90% reserved and is currently in Open Booking, which means that now anyone may reserve any available stateroom. Staterooms with Verandas remain in inventory along with Ocean View and Inside Staterooms.

BOOK NOW

The Smooth Jazz Cruise ‘25.1 & ‘25.2
Starting its 3^rd Decade

With both sailings being fully reserved, guests wishing to sail on a ’25 sailing of The Smooth Jazz Cruise should JOIN WAITLIST now. Cancellations will be filled exclusively from the WAITLIST. WAITLIST guests qualify for special terms when reserving a stateroom on The Jazz Cruise ’25 or Botti at Sea II.

JOIN WAITLIST

Botti at Sea ’25
Every Night is a Night on the Town

Botti at Sea ‘25 is in the Open Booking stage and is over 60% reserved. Anyone may reserve any available stateroom either by calling the office during regular business hours or doing so online. It was this time last year that there was a “run” on staterooms, so act now! 

BOOK NOW

Journey of Jazz ’25
Jazz Life at Sea & On Land 
West Coast Style 

Jazz Cruises’ newest program, Journey of Jazz ’25, hosted by Marcus Miller & Gregory Porter, has completed the Pre-Sale process and began Open Booking on April 30, 2024. Like a race care, this program as gone from 0 – 60(%) sold in the blink of an eye. 

BOOK NOW

Mug Shots of the Week

Guests on the ’24 jazz cruises received The Weekender mug, which we hope you will use with your Saturday morning coffee while you read the latest edition. Please share a picture of yourself & your mug with us so that we can include it for the 100,000+ folks who receive The Weekender each Saturday.

Tag us @thejazzcruise @bottiatsea @thesmoothjazzcruise #jazzcruises and #theweekender. Email your photo to MugShot@scecruises.com.

The post OUR TAKE: Let’s Talk Vocals appeared first on Signature Cruise Experiences.

Seeing Marcus Miller on the cruise was a lot of fun. We all know that he is a serious musician. A man who respects the bandstand, cares about his product, and always looking to challenge his band, his audience, and himself. On this cruise Marcus took up the duty of providing Michael McDonald with a first-class band, or, as Michael said, the best band he has ever performed with. That Marcus took this role seriously and with buoyancy is not surprising to anyone. The man is about the music and making the guests happy.

On the middle day of the cruise, Marcus was the leader of what was undoubtedly, the coolest and best onboard, outdoor, poolside, late-night jam session ever. Lisa Fischer, Lynne Fiddmont, and Romeo Johnson were there to add first class vocals. Joining Marcus in the band was Music Director Eric Marienthal, Arlington Jones, Bill Heller, Jay Williams, Kevin Turner, Munyungo Jackson, Patches Stewart, and Nate Phillips. A tried-and-true Jazz Cruises “A” team.

I spent a lot of time this week walking around the ship watching people have fun. The intensity of the search for enjoyment is much greater in a shorter cruise. I learned that. Our longer cruises have a beginning, a middle and an end. Shorter cruises have none of the above. It is more of an “on your marks, get set, go”. Both are valid. Both are fun. But there is a different vibe, for sure. We had a great time on the cruise.

Again, this type of program is not our regular gig, but, as the cruise ended, we had but one regret. Sadly, the program was billed as “A One-Time Only Cruise Getaway”. We’ll see.

By Michael Lazaroff, Executive Director of The Jazz Cruise, The Smooth Jazz Cruise, Chris Botti at Sea, The McDonald & LaBelle Cruise and Journey of Jazz. Feel free to express your views or pose questions to him at michael@scecruises.com.

Botti at Sea ’25
The Botti Vibe Goes Sailing

One of the jazz magazines called the other day to talk about Botti at Sea II (’25). The writer had not sailed on Botti at Sea ’24, the inaugural sailing, but had recently attended a dinner at which two couples who had been on the cruise were sharing how much fun they had on the program.

One of the husbands, who was neither a cruise fan nor a music fan, told the group that it was the best people watching event in years. He could not remember seeing so many sophisticated and engaged people having so much fun.

I had not thought of the cruise in that way, but it was an apt description. Of course, that is the Botti Vibe. Elegant, talented, first-class, but also fun and exciting. Chris has collaborated with some of the top performers in the world, Sting, Paul Simon, Barbra Streisand, Lady Gaga, Frank Sinatra, and many more. Earning a Grammy^®, multiple Gold and Platinum records and a score of chart-topping jazz albums, Chris’ talents and excellence is in the upped end of the “no doubt” category.

But, as alluded to above, the Botti Vibe is more than that and it has never been in greater display than on the cruise. Botti at Sea II (’25) continues that party, every night is special aura that captivated the sold out sailing a few months ago.

With every day being either a gorgeous, fun filled day at sea or on a beach enjoying Grand Cayman and Cozumel, Every Night is a Night on The Town… dinner, a main show and then your choice of late night fun and excitement. 18X Grammy^® Winner David Foster performs with his famous wife, Katharine McPhee. 5X Grammy^® Winner Esperanza Spalding presents a magical show of great music and dance. Corinne Bailey Rae shows why she is an international star. Kamasi Washington, perhaps the most dynamic musician in jazz, will present his famous show. Kool & The Gang, an OG with great songs and pizzazz, will hit the stage. And, of course, Chris Botti and his amazing group of musicians and vocalists will mesmerize you. Ready to dance, Mindi Abair and an all star band are ready to make that happen. Add in the comedy of Alonzo Bodden and more.
Yes, you can catch the Botti Vibe on land. No one performs more than Chris Botti, but the “at sea” version of the Botti Vibe…now, that is special.

Newport Jazz Festival

The storied Newport Jazz Festival has just announced the lineup for its 70th edition, to be held August 2-4, 2024 at Fort Adams State Park in that iconic Northeast town. With Christian McBride at the helm as artistic director, the historic event features artists from a wide range of jazz genres and “jazz-leaning” genres. Among the 50 or so headliners are several artists who have sailed on our programs, including Kamasi Washington, Kenny Barron, Robert Glasper, Samara Joy, Artemis, Johnathan Blake and, of course, Christian himself who will lead a Jam Jawn group with special guests.

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Jazz Cruises’ ’25 Programs

The Jazz Cruise ’25
Celebrating its 25^th Anniversary

The Jazz Cruise ’25 is 82% reserved and is currently in “Open Booking,” where anyone may reserve any available stateroom. You may view current stateroom availability and start your reservation on the website now.

BOOK NOW

The Smooth Jazz Cruise ‘25.1 & ‘25.2
Starting its 3^rd Decade

With both sailings being fully reserved, guests wishing to sail on a ’25 sailing of The Smooth Jazz Cruise should JOIN WAITLIST now. Cancellations will be filled exclusively from the WAITLIST.

JOIN WAITLIST

Botti at Sea ’25

Botti at Sea II began “Open Booking” on March 5, 2024 and is over 50% reserved. Anyone may reserve any available stateroom either by calling the office during regular business hours or doing so online.

BOOK NOW

Journey of Jazz ’25
Jazz Life at Sea & On Land 
West Coast Style 

Jazz Cruises’ newest program, Journey of Jazz ’25, hosted by Marcus Miller & Gregory Porter is currently in the stateroom Selection Process for Pre-Sale Reservation holders. “Open Booking” will begin on April 30, 2024.

For more information about the cruise, the lineup of musicians (as of today), full itinerary, pricing and reservation process, go to www.journeyofjazz.com.

LEARN MORE

The post OUR TAKE: Great Music is Just That…Great Music appeared first on Signature Cruise Experiences.