“Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything.”  ― Plato

To millions of people, music is the essence of life itself. Music tells of the artists’ background and culture; it evokes joys, challenges and flights of fancy. The experience of travel often shares these same characteristics, so the marriage of music and cruising is a harmonious combination. Savvy travel suppliers have realized this and created a symphony of special music cruises designed specifically for music lovers of all genres.

Norwegian Cruise Line in partnership with Sixthman, a music cruise specialist, has been offering music cruises with top entertainers for years. The 2014-15 winter season offers a well-rounded assortment of Festivals at Sea showcasing a variety of musicians ranging from rock and roll juggernauts to Grammy-winning women, and country duos to blues icons. Like-minded music lovers can sail on select, chartered sailings and enjoy the featured artists’ performances at sea, as well as one-of-a-kind opportunities to interact with the artists onboard.

 

Holland America will be hosting country greats from the Grand Ole Opry on an Eastern Caribbean cruise January 18 – 25, 2015. The lineup includes Martina McBride, The Oak Ridge Boys and Charley Pride, along with many more, and there will be a number of special Opry events during the cruise.

If R&B is more your style, a Soul Train Caribbean cruise February 22 – March 1, 2015 will host more than 30 superstars of the genre, including Gladys Knight, The Spinners, and original stars of the 5^th Dimension, Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis, Jr.

Avalon River Cruises offers a different take on music cruises. Their music-themed European sailings provide insights from local experts, such as visiting a violin maker in Regensburg, an organ recital in Melk Abbey or a short concert in the Budapest Opera House. On board, a local band may come aboard to entertain guest with culturally traditional music of the region. The 2015 options include a 15-day sailing from Amsterdam to Budapest on October 23, 2015 and a 13-day opera discovery from Budapest to Prague on July 15, 2015.

A special 16-day Jazz Cruise will depart June 29, 2015 from Côte d’Azur to Paris. A jazz expert onboard will provide nightly entertainment and conduct enriching lecture about jazz. Local jazz bands will come aboard to play in Arles and in Chalon and guests will have free time in Vienne, France, during its world-renowned Jazz Festival. The grand finale will be an included evening at Le Petit Journal Montparnasse jazz club in Paris.

Carnival Cruise Lines has unveiled its new Carnival LIVE Concert Series roster for spring 2015. The mix of GRAMMY® Award- and CMA Award-winning artists and nominees include Journey, Rascal Flatts, Little Big Town, Smokey Robinson, and Styx, back by popular demand for the second season. More big names are scheduled for the fall concert series.

Shows are performed in the main show lounge onboard while the ship is docked in Cozumel, Nassau, and St. Thomas. The artists come aboard for the performance and do not sail on the cruise. Cruise guest must buy tickets for the performances: general admission from $35 to $60 and VIP tickets from $125 to $250 for seating in the first four rows, an artist meet and greet, a souvenir photo with the artist and a commemorative concert pass.

To find out more about these music cruises or other land-based music travel, contact the travel specialists at Covington Travel and make your next vacation the high note of your year!

 “Without music, life would be a mistake.” 
― Friedrich Nietzsche