When you are a music editor, the paycheck tends to pack about as much punch as a boxer fighting with a bag of feathers. It does have its perks, of course. There’s no shortage of music. Promos and streams fill my inbox daily—a sonic barrage clocking in at roughly 138bpm, sent from artists, managers, publicists, and labels. The VIP invitations follow suit. I’m invited to everything from Coachella to listening parties, all the way to the Grammys.
Selecting who to feature and where to go, when so much information pummels me against the ropes, must be tactical. It’s taken years of training to plan coverage that is unbeatable—or, in keeping with the metaphor, an uppercut above the rest. It is both bedlam and a blessing. But while the industry requires you to keep getting back on your feet, sometimes you need to find your sea legs instead.
Enter Groove Cruise: The Big Daddy Titan of rave cruises. It packs such a rumored punch that I decided to finally pack a bag myself.
Now in its 38th sailing, Groove Cruise has earned its reputation as a transformational experience rather than a traditional music festival. Known affectionately as the #GCFAM, the community that returns year after year is built around connection and a shared love of music. Was I skeptical? You bet I was. Here’s what happened.
Setting Sail For Groove Cruise
I arrived at the Miami Port roughly the same time as 7,000 other Groove Cruisers: different places, different ages, races, and sizes, all with one common interest. To escape the world for four days of bass-fueled, costume-crazed, somehow-organized-and-clean life at sea. This is Groove Cruise.
Its founder and Chief Excitement Officer, Jason Beukema Groove Cruise, meets us over a media lunch. His energy is nothing short of ecstatic; it’s contagious. Having long emphasized that Groove Cruise is about more than performances, he explains that over the past two decades, the cruise has hosted more than 100 weddings and proposals, with countless attendees describing it as a life-changing experience rather than just a vacation. This year even includes the first-ever gender reveal. I ask if Bar Mitzvahs are next, because of course I did.
What unfolds from there is nearly impossible to write with any real weight. I know this because I have been reading about Groove Cruise for years. Clichés be damned, you do have to experience it to understand. The fact that I am even attempting to review such a fine-tuned affair should be enough. But since I know it’s not, I must tell you: this is raving and cruising at its finest.
Everyone is nice. You see all your favorite DJs live but never get shoved or shouted at by bouncers. You will get a seat at the pool but end up dancing with strangers dressed like bedazzled cheetahs or in neon-clad tankinis. Likely, they all go to an office, do their taxes, and take their kids to school, but for these four days, they shed those usual costumes for the most unique ship experience ever to set sail.
How can I make such a claim? I’m glad you asked.
Once At Sea The Bass Goes Down, But You Will Stay Up
Having now interviewed DJ superstars and Groove Cruise headlining acts Markus Schulz, Joel Corry, Sarah De Warren, Blossom, Darude, and Jason Ross while aboard, I noticed a theme developing when they were asked to describe Groove Cruise. Answers ranged from “most amazing experience ever” to simply “wild, the best.”
If “wild” is the baseline, then our day stop in Nassau was the feral cherry on top. We docked and spilled out onto the sand, trading the ship’s decks for the Royal Caribbean Beach Club, where the only thing flowing faster than the tide was the tequila. I spent the afternoon hanging by the ocean, trying to remember what silence sounded like, before John Summit took over for an epic mainland set that likely registered on local seismographs.
But Groove Cruise doesn’t let you dry off for long. Back at sea, we got our toes wet with even more surprises—including a last-minute, heavy-hitting set from Gorgon City that filled the void left by a cancellation with absolute class. That’s the beauty of this floating beast: with artists playing multiple sets throughout the journey, the fear of missing out simply dissolves. You never miss a thing; you just find something else to obsess over.
What defines a great fighter is their ability to keep getting up. Number one hits come and go, as do festivals, but staying relevant? That’s a true knockout. With a bit of time, training, and perseverance, you might also sail one day. Groove Cruise will welcome you because that is what Groove Cruise does. As for my inbox, I must now go attack it—but as I promised Jason, I will do so while keeping The Groove. And yes, 2027, is already selling fast.