Black Cruises

If you are not in this Festival At Sea #33 Group Photo, you missed out; (c) Blue World Travel

First-time cruisers and infrequent cruisers should consider these “Cruising 101 Tips.”

Cruise Line Operators

Royal Caribbean, Carnival, Norwegian, Holland America, Celebrity, and many others own very large cruise ships for multi-day journeys. They follow strict onboarding & offboarding to keep schedules, so be timely. Big Cruise Line Operators are required to follow Cruise Ship Law which is a bit convoluted to travelers because ports of call in so many nations have different laws.

Big Cruise Line Operators do, however, attempt to follow high sanitary and safety standards. If something is not right in your room, report it to the Cruise Line Operator staff. Some Cruise Line Operators include one-day excursion activities on an island they own.

Cruise Group Operators

The groups listed below organize themed cruises for groups, in this case, Black Cultural Cruises. Some cruises take up a quarter, half, or all of a ship big cruise ship. Other Black Cultural Cruises may have groups of 100-200.

The largest Cruise Group Operators have staff to help your journey be more comfortable or better informed. They also tend to have the best entertainment. ONLY Cruise Group Operators can answer questions about their pricing and services.

Shore Excursion Operators

Independent operators who arrange dining, shopping, cultural tours, snorkeling, and other activities. Their quality and pricing vary. In the Passenger Welcome pitch & brochures, Cruise Line Operators will provide extensive lists. Some have special arrangements with local businesses and receive a commission on sales from tourists in their group.

The largest and oldest Cruise Group Operators sometimes have connections with Shore Excursion Operators too. Focus on the Price-Value of the shore excursions you want.

Busiest Domestic & International Cruise Ports

The busiest cruise ports typically have more amenities. From America’s Lower 48 states to the Caribbean, Mexico & Alaska consider excursions from Port Canaveral on Space Coast, Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Galveston, New York & New Jersey, New Orleans, Tampa, Seattle, Los Angeles, San Diego, and Baltimore.

If cruising to the Southern Caribbean consider excursions from Puerto Rico or St. Thomas USVI.

In Europe, consider excursions from Barcelona, Civitavecchia, Southhampton, and Marseille.

Packing for a Cruise    TSA ID Requirements    Hurricane Status    Travel Insurance Pros & Cons

Festival At Sea — The Original Black Culture Cruise Program

Value the joyfulness and kinship of White Night on a Festival at Sea cruise; (c) Blue World Travel

Festival At Sea
PORTS: Fort Lauderdale to Cozumel, Roatan, Montego Bay, Grand Cayman

SHIP: Celebrity Reflection

DATES: 8 Nights, July 24th – August 1st, 2026

WEBSITE: https://www.festivalatsea.com/fas34
DESCRIPTION: In 1992, Blue World Travel launched Festival at Sea as the first African American cultural cruise program, and 33 years later, it’s still the gold standard in culturally immersive travel. This cruise is a celebration of the variety of beauty within Black culture including family, music, dance, religion, comedy, business, our individual and wonderful differences, our community and so much more. For 2026, this cruise will take over the Celebrity Reflection for the third consecutive year and sail to beautiful and fun Caribbean destinations while delivering its signature African-American Twist. From deck parties and live performances to game nights and family-friendly events, FAS creates a sense of camaraderie amongst its passengers. Whether you’re swaying to live music, competing in dominoes, or dressed to match one of their many theme nights, there’s something for all ‘kids’ from 1 to 92!

When they went on sale August 12th, they sold over 85% of their cabins on day one!

Don’t miss the 34th sailing as the 35th Anniversary is right around the corner and current passengers have priority reservation options. Join their mailing list at https://bit.ly/fasfriendsemail

Follow the link to make your reservation below and find out why they say, “Once you go…then you know!”

https://www.festivalatsea.com/bookfas34

Watch the below videos to get a glimpse of the Festival at Sea experience:

Festival at Sea Highlights:

Brandon Beloti – A CRUISE FOR THE CULTURE:

Friends of Festival At Sea 2027
PORTS:
Greece – Mykonos, Santorini,
Turkey – Ephesus (Kusadasi)
Italy – Messina (Sicily), Sorrento/Capri, Rome (Cititavecchia), Tuscany,
France – Nice (Villefranche), Saint-Tropez, Cannes,
Spain – Palma De Mallorca
SHIP: The Brand New Regent Seven Seas Prestige
DATES: 14 Nights, September 23 – October 7, 2027; Get on the Waitlist!
WEBSITE: https://www.festivalatsea.com/friends/
ITINERARY: Luxury Cruising with an African American Twist:
This is the embodiment of Friends of Festival at Sea. This program seeks out luxury international voyages offering serene suites, exquisite fine dining and personalized, all-inclusive service while they tailor the experience for the modern African-American globetrotter.

For 2027, Friends of Festival At Sea will be onboard the brand new Regent Seven Seas Prestige.

The Prestige embodies the future of ocean travel. A commitment to excellence is reflected in every aspect of her elevated design – a commitment suited for Blue World Travel and Friends of Festival At Sea, as they will be among the first travel groups to sail onboard the pinnacle of ultra-luxury travel.

Experience the best of Europe while surrounded by luxury and Friends. Throughout this voyage Friends of Festival At Sea brings their own flavor to the cruise. With their own person DJ keeping everyone partying nightly, dance instructors showing new moves including the latest line dances and of course Blue
World Travel will be bringing along their signature events such as a Bid Whist Tournament, Current Events “Hat Chat,” a Worship Service, and a timeless White Night party.

With all this and more, it’s no wonder everyone says “You get so much more traveling with Friends!”

Join their mailing list and be sure not to miss their next journey! https://bit.ly/fasfriendsemail

Expand your glimpse of their experience with these videos:

France 2024 Highlights: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/u5iFNz6wEpc

France 2024 Highlights: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/2FWXq_I8GqU

Blue World Travel/Festival Photos: https://flickr.com/photos/festivalatsea/albums/

If you missed booking a 2025 Festival At Sea Cruise, here is your reminder to plan for their 2026 & 2027 cruises.

Other Established Black Cruises

Super Cruise 2025
16th Annual SuperCruise
PORTS: Aruba, Curacao, Half Moon Cay, Bahamas
PAST ITINERARY: Entertainment includes Concerts, Theme Parties, Jam Sessions, Contests, Dancing, Open Mic, Workshops, Card Games, Karaoke, Films, Golf Tournament, and Fitness Classes

Tom Joyner Fantastic Voyage Cruise 2025
“Party with a Purpose” in the Caribbean with Tom Joyner and friends
PORTS: Miami, Labadee, Haiti, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico
PAST ITINERARY: Entertainment includes concerts, theme parties, contests, dancing, Open Mic, workshops, card games, karaoke, films, fitness classes
See TJFV Cruise Review

Love and Harmony Cruise 2025
A medium-sized cruise group that emphasizes friendship and good times
PORTS: Fort Lauderdale, Ocho Rios, Nassau
ITINERARY: Includes Live Concerts day & night, meet the performers, parties throughout the ship, plus Roots and Afrobeat music

Grown and Sexy Cruise 2025
Calls itself the “Biggest Party at Sea” and you can’t blame them for trying
PORTS: Miami, Puerto Plata, Bimini
ITINERARY: Includes 1 Dinner at a specialty restaurant; Events include Theme Parties, the “SEXYFEST” Island beach party on Great Stirrup Caye, the Nassau “WE TURN UP” party, comedy show, karaoke, game shows, contests

Smooth Jazz Cruise 2025
It’s like a Jazz concert at sea. After the music, enjoy up-close meet-ups with Jazz greats
PORTS: Miami, Aruba, Curacao
ITINERARY: A line-up of nightly performances by Marcus Miller, Boney James, Alonzo Bowden, Jeffrey Osborne, Brian Culbertson, Jonathan Butler, Candy Dulfer, Rick Braun, Norman Brown, Mindi Abair, Richard Elliot, Peter White, Vincent Ingala, DW3 and more

Soul Train Cruise 2025
Official cruise of the legendary Soul Train TV show
PORTS: Fort Lauderdale, Tortola BVI, St. Maarten
ITINERARY: An incredible line-up of nightly Soul, Funk, and R&B performances by The Temptations, Boyz II Men, Stephanie Mills, En Vogue, Melba Moore, Tower of Power, The Dramatics, Rose Royce, and War; activities include Dance the Soul Train Line, dance lessons from original Soul Train Dancers, 25+ Celebrity-hosted events, panel discussions, artist Q&A sessions, happy hours, game shows, wine tasting, trivia contests, Karaoke, pool parties and more

Jamrock Reggae Cruise 2025
Jamrock Productions invites you to take a journey to Jamaica
PORTS: Miami, Montego Bay, Jamaica, Ocho Rios Jamaica
ITINERARY: Experience top-tier Reggae artists as they perform in multiple venues on the ship. In addition, there will be sound systems blazing the vibes all day and all night

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