Groove Cruise Miami eluded me for over a decade, and after setting sail with them this year, I regret not hopping on board sooner.
Music festivals can feel like a dime a dozen in this otherwise saturated scene, but there’s something special about Groove Cruise. This party on the high seas from Whet Travel started small with dozens of attendees but has since become a behemoth over the past decade, with thousands flocking to attend.
I sat on the sidelines for much of Groove Cruise’s growth. I knew plenty of people who championed GCFAM and saw plenty of sailings embark from both coasts and even their land-based island edition, which took place without a hitch. Yet, for some reason, I never made the jump to attend until the most recent edition of Groove Cruise Miami.
Now that I’ve finally arrived home from my first-ever Groove Cruise Miami experience, I can only think about how dumb I was not to sail with them sooner.
Groove Cruise Miami is the largest floating music festival in the world, and it’s overwhelming, but in the best way possible.
Royal Caribbean’s Allure of the Seas is the second largest cruiseliner on the high seas and was perfect for Groove Cruise Miami. From the ship’s 13 stages, some of which were hosted in converted venues onboard, to the vast food options and other activities, there was no chance of boredom.
Let’s start with the stages. Groove Cruise Miami proudly presents that there are 96 hours of non-stop music, and they make good on that promise. You could vibe out to house, techno, trance, or even some bass practically anywhere you went while onboard the ship. And hypnotic beats were ever-present unless you actively tried to avoid hearing any in your cabin or elsewhere.
Venues ranged from major stages that could hold hundreds to intimate spaces for dozens. The AquaTheater and Amber Theater stood tall, while the Main Pool Deck and Promenade Deck hosted standout performances. Yet my favorite area had to be the stages in Deck 4 – Blaze, Comedy Live, and Studio B – all of which, with the Amber Theater also right there, made it easy to hop between sets.
Speaking of hopping between sets, since most artists performed multiple times throughout the sailing, you didn’t have to fret about missing out. This led to a fairly stress-free environment and the chance to let the music take control, which most other festivals are missing. If I was enjoying a set, I could sit and chill; if I wanted some new sounds, I could be at another stage in seconds. It was perfect.
The plethora of activities on Groove Cruise Miami enhanced the overwhelming nature of non-stop music.
Having recently set sail on EDSea just a few months ago, I felt a bit of whiplash regarding activities available on board Groove Cruise Miami. Beyond the standard offerings on Allure of the Seas – which included spa treatments, shopping, and trying more food than you could imagine – there were dozens of daily activities, many of which featured artists as hosts.
You could play a round of Pickleball with it’s murph, have dinner with artists like MitiS or Ranger Trucco, release your inner child during Duck Duck Goose with ALLEYCVT, find your inner peace during Yoga with Casmalia, or rock climb with Daxson. That’s just a taste of what was possible, as dozens more took place over the weekend.
As a new member of the GCFAM on their virgin sailing and someone who locked that in late, many of the activity options were already booked or limited. So the pro tip is that if you plan to do any of them, lock in your cabin early and ensure you’re ready to sign up the moment they drop.
Labadee allowed us to have some fun in the sun and was the perfect break from the rolling ocean waves.
The sole stop for Groove Cruise Miami this year was the Haitian island Labadee, and after stepping foot in the sand there, I could tell it was special. Two stages on opposite sides of the island played competing genres with no sound bleed. There were additional activities to check out if you wanted to be more adventurous, but it seemed like most everyone either relaxed in chairs or flocked to the stages to dance.
As a bonus, if you purchased the drink package, all your beverages were taken care of as Royal Caribbean operates the island. That said, it was a bit of a downer that no food was available, as a snack would’ve been great during our short window there.
Back onboard the Allure of the Seas, you couldn’t help but find a place to grab a bite or get a drink.
There were loads of different food options throughout the ship. The free dining called my name, as I ate the most at the buffet throughout the weekend due to my hectic schedule. The options there were all right. Perhaps they weren’t as tasty or plentiful as I experienced on other cruise lines, but I could always find something that hit the spot.
The pizza place near the Promenade stage was clutch, especially since it was the only food option super late at night that wasn’t room service. I also enjoyed the hot dog stand near the Aquatheater. I also tried the main dining room for dinner on one of the nights, and the multi-course meal hit the spot.
As for the drinks, I didn’t purchase the drink package, and I never regretted that either. Sure, I had to purchase whatever I wanted beverage-wise other than water, but the hard liquor and beer prices were low, and I don’t regularly drink soda or coffee anyway. I also had friends, or struck up friendships, with many GCFAM during the trip who had the drink package and were always willing to slide me a drink if need be.
The music was plentiful, and there never seemed to be a bad set throughout the sailing.
So many artists played at different times throughout Groove Cruise Miami that it feels impossible to recall every performance I caught. Everything blended into each other, not to mention the surprises that took place that were seemingly spur of the moment. That said, there were some sets I thoroughly enjoyed that showed off the range of what Groove Cruise offers sonically.
Cristoph and Eric Prydz helped kick everything off at the Aquatheater, fighting off the abnormally chill temperatures for Miami by dropping pure progressive magic. Bunt. was a welcome surprise as I had never caught him before but was blown away by his beachside set. Getting some drum and bass from Deeper Purpose in on the first night of the sailing was a treat.
Anabel Englund threw down two of the hottest sets of the weekend on Labadee, and in Studio B. Nicole Moudaber and Layton Giordani delivered multiple sets filled with techno heaters that hit me right in the chest. Ranger Trucco going back-to-back with Joshwa for a seemingly endless amount of time at that same stage was a true treat. Their synergy behind the decks was insane to witness. I also loved catching the latter half of Gem & Tauri’s final performance as a duo.
Two trance-fueled sets stuck out. The first was Markus Schulz dominating the decks at the Amber Theater for an open-to-close experience. The second was when Dave Dresden of Gabriel & Dresden surprised everyone with a performance at the Promenade stage filled with classics.
Additionally, shoutouts need to be made for artists like James Hype, Meduza, Tita Lau, Seven Lions, Trivecta, Yotto, Odd Mob, AIMMIA, Casmalia, Nicolette, Pretty Pink, VAVO, Gudfella, Kream, Matt Sassari, Maddix, it’s murph, Max Low, DEEPFAKE, and Adam Scott. Those are just a handful of the other artists I caught throughout the sailing at various stages who impressed me and helped positively add to my GCMIA soundtrack.
If there was one thing that overshadowed the music on Groove Cruise, it was the community.
I’ve firmly believed for over a decade that what makes a festival magical isn’t the music. That might draw people from all over the country together, but the community is what makes it special. That was fully displayed on Groove Cruise.
The demographic for Groove Cruise is admittedly older than most festivals I’ve attended. The lineup is a bit more dialed in for those who have been in the scene for a while, and it’s not a cheap festival to experience either. Those two aspects alone condense much of the scene down to its most dedicated members, and the result is one of the most PLUR crowds I’ve been a part of.
There was never a moment where I felt out of place on Groove Cruise. It was easy to strike up conversations with people all over the ship, trinkets and kandi were being traded all around, and positive vibes and beaming smiles were bountiful. Not to mention that the older crowd also spent less time with their phones in the air and more time dancing away at whatever stage they were at.
Jason Beukema and others from Groove Cruise have always spoken of how special the GCFAM is. I’ll admit that I was a bit skeptical of the community for years, but after seeing it firsthand, I can honestly say that it’s real. As long as you open yourself up to them, they’ll welcome you as one of their own.
The culture behind Groove Cruise doesn’t happen overnight; it takes time to get there.
Groove Cruise has operated in some way, shape, or form for over two decades. Dozens of editions have taken place during this time, and a level of trust and commitment is built with that to foster a thriving community. Not to mention the trust that Whet Travel has developed with megacorporations like Royal Caribbean to allow ravers to take over one of their prized cruiseliners.
GCFAM flocks to this festival because of the experience, artists have played Groove Cruise multiple times because they’ve fallen in love with the intimacy, and Whet Travel pushes forward with its new ideas and concepts. It’s a circle that feeds itself yet ensures everyone is full.
That feels rare in the modern era of the scene, where experiences are seemingly maximized for profits, and the attendee’s experience plays second fiddle. Perhaps it’s because Whet Travel’s sole focus is Groove Cruise, or perhaps it’s them being more in tune with their community, but either way, it’s refreshing.
If you were considering Groove Cruise Miami for their 2026 sailing, just do it.
Don’t be like me – someone who sat on the sidelines and watched from a distance left wondering whether or not Groove Cruise was worth the cost for years. This is an experience that I should’ve taken a leap of faith for sooner. Now, having finished my virgin cruise, I’m already planning a return trip in 2026, and I hope to see you on board!
Whether you’re looking for a refreshing community filled with love, an escape from run-of-the-mill festival experiences, to catch your favorite artists in intimate stages, or anything else your heart might desire – Groove Cruise has it for you.
