20 Years of Groovin’ On Groove Cruise
Whet Travel’s flagship event Groove Cruise will celebrate 20 years on the water this 2024! The adventure will go from Miami to Great Stirrup Cay in the Bahamas from Wednesday, January 24 – Sunday, January 28, 2024. And to top it all off, the festival will be hosted on an award winning ship. The Norwegian Encore is the largest and most luxurious Groove Cruise ship to date.
20 years is a long time to party! Groove Cruise has grown so much since 2004 and is known as the “premier floating dance music festival.” Groove Cruise has remained the only independent music cruise sailing from both the East and West coasts of the United States. The nautical festival brand is famous for championing creative self-expression and curating inclusive environments that welcome attendees to follow their inner compasses toward adventure. Groove Cruise’s central ethos is all about becoming yourself but also enjoying the community-oriented atmosphere. Check out our review of Groove Cruise Cabo to check out what the groove is all about.
Setting sail from Miami, Florida on Wednesday, January 24, Groove Cruise invites everyone into their community for a once-in-a-lifetime experience on their crown jewel, the Norwegian Encore. The sailing will feature 96 hours of nonstop music, as well as Groove Cruise’s signature immersive programming! This will include 9 stages with world-class production, over 80 renowned artists, daily themes with dedicated parties, artist-hosted activities, beachside destination parties, Whet Foundation volunteer experience, mental health panels, and so much more.
“I can’t believe that we are going on 20 years . It’s truly a testament to the Groove Cruise community that has developed into lifelong friendships and created a vibe unlike anything I have seen on my 148 cruises and 74 countries that I have been to. Since I started Groove Cruise in 2004 with a small group of 125 friends, it has been my dream that we would one day be on one of the largest and most luxurious ships in the world and that dream is finally coming true. To celebrate this historic milestone, we will be going ALL OUT for 2024. There will be many new innovations, new artists, new stages, new technology, and mind-blowing performances. I can’t wait for the Captains to experience!” – Jason Beukema, Founder
The Norwegian Encore was highly rathed by Porthole Cruise Magazine as the 2020 Editors’ Pick for Best New Ship. As a result, the ship will be the newest and largest ship to join the ranks of Groove Cruise’s 20-year history. Spanning an impressive 20 decks above the ocean, the list of onboard amenities feels endless!!! The ship include the largest race track at sea for over 1100 feet of pedal-to-the-metal action, 10,000 square foot open-air laser tag arena, and virtual reality interactive gaming including a ride simulator at the Galaxy Pavilion. Doesn’t that sound epic? If that wasn’t enough the ship also hosts an aqua park with 2 multi-story waterslides that extend over the edges of the ship, 8 hot tubs and pools, high-tech Pulse fitness center with workout classes, Encore casino, and more. Ready for the time of your life??
Get ready to relax because the Encore also offers a slew of health and wellness amenities including a state-of-the-art spa with 50 specialty treatments, Vitality Pool, thermal suite, and a salt room which features a dramatic grotto surrounded with layers of body-cleansing salt crystals.
While there’s tons of fun involved, you can also check out some of the other amenities! There are tons of food and beverage options including 40 bards and restaurants onboard. There are 6 restaurants included with your cruise, so indulge away! There are 12 other specialty restaurants on board including Onda by Scarpetta, Q-Texas Smokehouse and dinner show, Teppanyaki, Food Republic, Los Lobos and more. For your favorite libations, attendees can check out A-List Bar, District Brew House, Sugarcane Mojito Bar, Maltings Whiskey Bar, Vine Beach Club and a spectacular Observation Lounge in the front of the ship with 180 degree views. The Groove Cruise Captains will have everything they could possibly want aboard the Encore.
Marking another new offering for 2024, the Norwegian Encore will offer 80 studios rooms with a private lounge for singles that might prefer their own room. That’s a treat! Additionally, the Encore features the Haven luxury suite complex with its own pool, dining room and butler service for Haven guests.
Groove Cruise Miami will sail to the breathtaking location of Great Stirrup Cay in the Bahamas, an exclusive private island only accessible to Norwegian Cruise Line guests. You won’t get to go there any other way! The tropical climate and white sand beaches will deliver the perfect party getaway for Groove Cruise attendees, who can revel in the Groove Cruise-curated island party and partake in various expedition offerings.
When the Groove Cruise Captains step onto the private island, they will be transported into a music lovers’ tropical paradise featuring performances from the world’s most sought-after electronic music acts. It’s a dream come true with picture perfect views! In addition to the Groove Cruise curated event, Captains will be able to splurge on a gorgeous cabana at Silver Cove beach with protected coves for swimming and snorkeling for the ultimate getaway experience. Go big or go home, am I right? The island’s rental and expedition offerings include snorkeling the gorgeous underwater reefs, riding wave runners or paddleboards, drifting away on floating mats, and more. Attendees can also choose from 22 shore excursions including a zip-line adventure at one of the island’s two courses, parasailing above the island’s shores, spa treatments at Mandara Spa at Silver Cove, swimming with pigs at Treasure Island, and more. It’s truly paradise!
Outside of organizing unforgettable parties, Groove Cruise also runs its own 501c3 organization, the Whet Foundation. Started by Whet Travel’s founder Jason Beukema, Whet Foundation seeks to impact the communities visited by Whet Travel cruises, inviting cruise attendees to donate and volunteer at their events. This is perfect because the foundation gives back to local communities via clothing, food, school supply donations, beach and community cleanups, painting and art programs, and providing facility repair and improvement costs.
The Whet Foundation launched its biggest initiative on the most recent Groove Cruise Cabo sailing, visiting Casa Hogar in Cabo San Lucas (made famous by the Netflix movie Blue Miracle) as well as Solmar Foundation and Heart4Cabo. Nearly 100 volunteers interacted with the children through live art, games, music, and costumes.
Groove Cruise’s 2024 20th anniversary announcement comes at the heels of Groove Cruise Miami 2023 selling out. Marking the 35th overall sailing, Groove Cruise ‘23 will sail from Miami to the private paradise of Labadee, Haiti aboard the state-of-the-art Celebrity Summit from Thursday, January 19 – Monday, January 23, 2023.
The cruise consists of 96 hours of non-stop music from more than 70+ artists from around the world. Headliners include Swiss-South African deep house connoisseur Nora En Pure, German trance music legend Markus Schulz, the mysterious Claptone, and Bite This label head Jauz who will be performing a special ‘Off The Deep End’ set.
Groove Cruise Miami 2023 is now completely sold out, but fans can plan to grab tickets for Groove Cruise Miami 2024. After a slew of loyalty ticketing tiers, tickets will go on sale to the public on Wednesday, December 7 at 3PM EST.
Due to inflation, the travel industry has seen prices skyrocket a staggering 25-30% this year alone. For Groove Cruise Miami 2024, the general pricing for inside rooms will only increase $50 per person per day and the rest of the pricing for oceanviews, balconies and suites will remain comparable to the prices of the sold-out 2023 sailing.