What if I told you there was a magical place? A place with pizza and ice cream all day. Where live music plays from noon til dawn, which you can enjoy from a theater, jazz club, or jacuzzi.
There are tropical islands and drinks with Bananas, Baileys, & Coconut. It’s like Halloween and New Year’s at the same time, with costumes and champagne.
It’s a place where old friends are reunited, and new friends are made. Where you can eat a full Italian dinner at midnight, sweat in a disco until 5 AM, then play kickball at sunrise.
Never had to think twice, always knew my home was in paradise. And that paradise was found on Jam Cruise.
Here’s a little recap of our experience on Jam Cruise, plus some tips and advice for those hoping to make it on the boat. This is a travel blog, after all.
Our History with Jam Cruise
I first heard about this mythical “Jam Cruise” at the Phish 2003 New Year’s Eve run in Miami. The boat was leaving on January 2nd, and everyone was talking about it – at least, the cool kids were.
As for me, I was an 18-year-old newb at my first Phish NYE run, staying with dudes I met on the internet and hanging out on the lot because I couldn’t get into bars yet.
My little high school brain couldn’t believe that people were doing a 4-night Phish run and then going on a cruise to see Umphrey’s McGee, the Disco Biscuits, and a bunch of other bands.
“I want to be like them when I grow up,” I thought.
Jam Cruise continued year after year. Phish went on hiatus. I went to college and started seeing a bunch of Umphrey’s and eventually the Biscuits, in places like Amsterdam and a greasy swinger’s resort in Jamaica.
I never made it on Jam Cruise in those years, mostly because I always got really seasick when I was younger and hated it.
Then I went and moved to China and eventually brought Rachel. We spent seven years there, during which time I got over my seasickness. Year after year, we saw the Jam Cruise lineups, saw the photos, and heard tales from friends who made it on the boat.
And yet, it continued to elude us. “Maybe someday,” we always thought.
Fast forward to 2025, and the Jam Cruise lineup comes out with our favorites, the Disco Biscuits headlining – their first time on the boat in 17 years. Since we met because of this band and Rachel’s 40th was happening a few weeks after the cruise, we decided to go for it.
We knew we were going to have a good time and see some friends on the boat. What we didn’t realize is that we would have the best time and see all the friends, plus make a ton of new ones.
After 21 years of missing the boat, we finally got on it.
I’m On a Boat!
I should mention that neither of us had ever been on a cruise, other than maybe a booze cruise for a couple of hours. To be honest, we both kind of hate the idea of cruise ships in general.
We’re a couple of backpacking wooks. We prefer rambling around Southeast Asia on a scooter, staying in hostels, and eating street food to hanging out on some stuffy cruise ship, hitting the buffet, and waiting for the Michael Jackson impersonator to start.
This Jam Cruise is not your average cruise, though, folks. Everyone (with the exception of maybe one boring GQ writer) is there for the same reason – to party on a boat with their friends and see live music all night long, while exploring the Caribbean and its beautiful scenery.
Now that I think about it, the people we knew who went on Jam Cruise year after year are some of the freaking coolest cats out there. The friends we’ve seen epic sunrises with at festivals and on Phish runs. A bunch that always has (biodegradable) glitter, silly stickers to hand out, and a well-worn pair of dancing shoes.
Over the years, we heard a common refrain from these fine folks…
”You’ve never been on Jam Cruise?! How have you two of all people never been on Jam Cruise?!”
Eventually, we started asking ourselves the same question, so when the stars finally aligned, it was an easy choice.
Before we continue, let me just say that we would absolutely go on Jam Cruise again. No questions asked. We also think cruise ships are still generally terrible, and after seeing what a “normal” one looks like in port at Grand Turk, we will continue to avoid those like the plague.
Plus, who could even go on a normal cruise after experiencing a dance party in an elevator at 4 am with a bunch of costumed weirdos? Not us.
Travel Logistics for Jam Cruise
We’re not going to try to recount all the sets we saw and do a full recap of Jam Cruise. Several people have already done that.
Instead, we’re going to share some practical info on how we finally pulled it off and give you some tips if you’re hoping to jump on board Jam Cruise.
And if you’re a wily vet from the Jam Cruisers Facebook group, you might still learn something here as well! (But feel free to skip ahead if you want the highlights of this year)…
Let’s start with the cost. Jam Cruise is not a cheap vacation, and there’s no avoiding that unless you are on the lineup or you’re working. Shout out to our friends running lights, managing bands, and pouring the craft beers. You are the true rock stars!
The interior cabins were around $2,000 per person for a double, while the balcony rooms were closer to $3,000 to start. We started saving for it and planned to get the cheapest room possible, but then a legend in the Jam Cruisers Facebook group came along and offered up a balcony room for a steep discount, also offering to pay the name change fees.
She is our Jam Cruise angel for sure! People back out every year, and there are always last-minute deals, but obviously that’s not for everyone. You need to plan ahead and take time off, book flights, find a sitter, and all that.
If you’ve got a crew and you don’t mind close quarters, you can actually cram four wooks into a cabin and knock a few hundred off everyone’s room. Either way, plan on dropping at least $2,000 for your room and board.
We were able to pull Jam Cruise off thanks in large part to travel hacking. I had a stash of Southwest points, which got us from Puerto Vallarta to Ft. Lauderdale (after paying around $110 each in airport fees and taxes).
Then there was the issue of accommodation pre and post-cruise. We knew from our veteran friends to stay a night in town on the way in and another on the way out – more if possible. Plus, the Biscuits were playing the pre-party in Miami.
I got a ton of Chase points last year, thanks to a great sign-up bonus, and ended up transferring most of them to Hyatt. We booked the Hyatt Regency in downtown Miami for 15,000 points a night – two before Jam Cruise and one after. Best of all, we paid zero dollars in taxes or fees. Just a free hotel room that goes for $500-$700 most nights for some reason.
It also helped to have lounge access at a few of the airports we passed through. When two people get a meal, a couple of drinks, and some snacks for the flight, it saves at least $100 every time.
We have both grown accustomed to the carry-on-only lifestyle, so we only had to pay for our bags on our budget Mexican airline flight on the way back. This also meant we didn’t have to hand our bags over to porters and feel obligated to tip on the way on and off the boat. It saved money and time. We know this isn’t possible for everyone, though.
Our Experience on Jam Cruise
After a fun night at the North Miami Beach Band Shell with the Biscuits and friends, we woke up like kids on Christmas. It was finally time to get on Jam Cruise.
But first, I decided to go buy some sunscreen and White Claws. We were warned about the potential for a very high bar tab, and Rachel was concerned there wouldn’t be Claws. And there weren’t.
After coffee, breakfast, and Claws at the Hyatt, we got a cab to the port. Seeing the massive floating cities up close was wild. We see them in Puerto Vallarta all the time, but usually just one and from a distance.
As we just carried our bags on, all we had to do was wait in the security line. While there, we even got our picture snapped by the legend Dave Vann!
It took half an hour or so to move through security. Obvious Jam Cruise veterans ahead of us came prepared with a stash of seltzers to slam right before passing through security. Duly noted for next year.
From there, we had another short line to get our credentials, and we headed to our cabin. We were immediately thrilled to have a balcony room, swinging the door open to enjoy the Miami skyline and the ocean breeze.
I had a running note on my phone with the cabin numbers of friends, as we didn’t shell out the $100 extra PER DEVICE for the WiFi. We live on the internet. It was nice to actually disconnect for once.
After hitting the buffet and the welcome toast, it was off to the races. Jam Cruise is a sprinting marathon. The music goes from the sail away cruise on night one until 5 AM on the sixth morning. It’s not for the faint of heart.
There are two stops on the cruise, and on the port days, you usually pull in around 8-9 AM and stay until 5. You can get off the boat and do your own thing or sign up for excursions. Alternatively, you can sleep in, enjoy an empty cruise ship, pillage the buffet, and chill until the music starts.
Since we are always on the road traveling and we’ve seen plenty of beaches, we skipped the first stop in Grand Turk. The closest thing I could see to the port on Google Maps was a Margaritaville, and we didn’t feel like dealing with tours or transport.
The second stop was Ocean Cay, a small island in the Bahamas that MSC literally built. You don’t need to show your passport or anything to get off the boat, and you can even pay for drinks with the tickets from the boat.
I’m not counting the Bahamas in my countries visited list just because I got off the boat, had a margarita, and sat on a beach. Rachel went there in college and actually stayed for a few nights, so it’s on her list!
As far as life on the boat went, we had a blast. The food was surprisingly good, even at random hours at the buffet, and the Chefs at Sea meals were all fantastic. Loading up on a plate of Italian, Cuban, and East Asian food at midnight was one of the highlights of the trip.
It takes a bit to get your bearings and sea legs on the boat. I’m not sure we ever really got them, to be honest. There’s a lot going on. There are several stages, and they’re pretty spread out.
We just surrendered to the flow and bounced around, making detours to hang out with friends or when we heard some music that pulled us in. Either way, you’re going to have fun and see some incredible musicians jam together.
One thing I wish we had done was make some silly stickers, magnets, or something random to hand out to people. It’s clearly such a big part of the Jam Cruise vibe, and it’s fun to see the creativity and goofiness that results.
Lots of people also bring whiteboards to hang outside their room with markers or other silly things like pin the cherry on the virgin (we saw that one). Now we know for next year and will be better prepared.
We are already night owls, and we go to a lot of shows and festivals that involve a ton of walking and dancing. If you’re not, you had better train for Jam Cruise! For the most part, we saw music all night until the disco shut down at 5 AM and managed to get around 4-5 hours of solid sleep.
Staying up until sunrise partying with friends meant we skipped out on the first stop, and we didn’t make it to any of the morning sessions, like yoga or some of the workshops.
There are plenty of people who call it an early night, though, and get up to seize the day. Either way, you’ll make friends who are in the same boat as you (bad pun intended).
Highlights of Jam Cruise
Where do we begin here? The whole freaking thing is a highlight reel! I now understand why my Jam Cruise veteran friends say the lineup doesn’t matter, because it really doesn’t.
Now I’ll admit that the Biscuits being a headliner reeled us in, and Medeski Martin & Wood is what sold me, but I wouldn’t hesitate to book a blind faith cabin for next year if I thought we could swing it.
While they didn’t play their best sets (a discussion for another day), seeing the Biscuits on the pool deck with a bunch of friends was a highlight. Bands break up, and there’s backstage drama, but the good times we share with friends continue either way!
Medeski Martin & Wood were unbelievable, and it was so great to see them again after two decades. Same for Jazz Mandolin Project with John Fishman. It seems like just yesterday I met him at Summer Camp while we were evacuating for a tornado warning.
We had a blast dancing on the pool deck with Lotus on the last night. That was one of the top sets of the cruise for sure. Kanika Moore was amazing, sitting in with them and so many other acts on the boat.
The New Mastersounds are taking a hiatus, so it was great to get to catch them in such a special setting.
Our Midwest homies in Dizgo absolutely ripped it up at both of their sets and gained a bunch of new fans. That’s what it’s all about!
Speaking of new fans, we loved Diggin’ Dirt and will definitely check them out again.
Watching BALTHVS and Eggy play some epic sets from the jacuzzi was easily a highlight of Jam Cruise.
The disco was a sweaty mess of a good time every night thanks to Flying Mojito Bros, DJ Airwolf, and Luke the Knife.
Most of all, seeing all of the collaborations over the five days is what we’ll remember most. There are so many world-class musicians on Jam Cruise, and everyone is out and about, ready to play.
You never know who is going to sit in with whom or when a random jam session might happen in an elevator or a hallway. That, my friends, is the magic of Jam Cruise!
Beyond the music, we loved the Brews at Sea beer tastings and just their vibe overall. Thanks for keeping the party flowing with some of our favorite craft beers from back home in Asheville!
As I mentioned, the Chefs at Sea churned out some incredible meals. Fueling up on a massive plate at midnight was the secret to making it all night on the dance floor. Shout to our homies Mike and AJ and everyone else working to keep us tipsy and full.
One of the best parts about Jam Cruise was being disconnected and just going with the flow. We had the schedule saved on our phones, but we mostly bounced around and followed friends when we found them.
Of course, we had certain sets we wanted to see, but it was nice just letting the vibe dictate where we ended up. We lost each other here and there, including one early morning after the music wound down.
Rachel ended up coming back to the room around 8 AM to find me having a dance party with a group of friends. She fully expected to find me passed out in bed. It’s those little moments that will make Jam Cruise go down in our wook history, and we have a pretty illustrious one already!
Final Thoughts on Jam Cruise
Was Jam Cruise super expensive and tough to pull off? Absolutely.
Do we still think cruise ships suck in general? You bet.
Would we go on Jam Cruise again? 100%.
Thanks to all the friends, old and new, all the bands, the crew, Cloud 9, MSC, the staff on the Divina, and everyone who made that the trip of a lifetime. We’ll never forget it, and these Gnomads will always be Grateful for the time we shared above the waves.
