Star Trek: The Cruise VII is still a week away, but ocean-bound Trek fans are already making their final preparations for the journey. Leaving out of Port Canaveral in Florida on Thursday, February 22, the Mariner of the Seas will be taking over 2,000 Star Trek fans to Aruba and Curacao, joined by Trek celebs from across the franchise. We have a preview of the cruise before we head out to the high seas.
Star Trek “crew” headed to the Caribbean for Cruise VII
Star Trek: The Cruise has a big lineup of celebrity crew members this year including TOS star Walter Koenig; TNG stars Brent Spiner, John de Lancie, LeVar Burton, Gates McFadden, Denise Crosby, and Wil Wheaton; DS9 stars Nana Visitor, Armin Shimerman, Max Grodénchik, and Chase Masterson, Voyager stars Robert Picardo and Garrett Wang, Enterprise stars John Billingsley, Connor Trinneer, Anthony Montgomery, and Dominic Keating; Discovery stars Sonequa Martin-Green, Doug Jones, Anthony Rapp, Mary Chieffo, and Eve Harlow (season 5), Picard stars Michelle Hurd, Ed Speleers, Todd Stashwick, and Peyton List; and Lower Decks stars Tawny Newsome, Eugene Cordero, and Gabrielle Ruiz. The cruise also features several guest speakers who have worked on Star Trek TV, films, and the extended universe.
Star Trek: The Cruise VII crew
Once the mission is underway, the celebration will be kicked off by the official cruise “captain,” Sonequa Martin-Green, at an opening ceremony on the Lido deck. On a day expected to be sunny and warm, Sonequa will introduce the Star Trek guests and fans will grab their first cocktails and get a glimpse of the activities for the upcoming week. Green also opened Cruise V, and expressed to the event planners how much fun they managed to pack into each trip:
“I think I was surprised at how much there is to do! No way can anyone be bored! The opening ceremony is at the tippity top.”
Sonequa Martin-Green opening Star Trek: The Cruise V in 2022 (Photo: Star Trek: The Cruise)
Star Trek: The Cruise is more than just a floating Trek convention with events and activities planned for each day. Passengers eager to cosplay can look forward to a theme night each evening, starting with “Gorn’s Warp Party” on the first night. After a long day of travel and boarding protocols, it’ll be time to wear your wildest getup and party your scales off. The second night will be “Salute to Sci-Fi,” giving creative fans a chance to celebrate any of their favorite science fiction universes. The real glamour will come out on the third night, the “Star Trek Masquerade Formal,” reserved for the fanciest and most extra of cosplays. Night four is the tropical-themed “Return to Risa,” in which the horga’hn statue is featured prominently at every event, and often as an accessory to an outfit. “Mutiny on the Holodeck” the following evening will give cruisers the chance to paint their favorite characters in a more lawless tone, while “Q’s Costume Party” will wrap up the final night as John de Lancie himself hosts the contest for the best costume.
Gorn’s Warp Party will be the first theme night
The daytime hours will be packed with science panels by resident Federation Advisors Dr. Erin Macdonald and Dr. Mohamed Noor. Individually, they will tackle topics such as “Spacetime and Star Trek” and “Why Are There So Many Humanoid Aliens in Star Trek?” while together, they have a comparative chat called “Physics Vs. Biology” scheduled. Actor-led shore excursions will also be held, giving fans the opportunity to explore the beaches and shores of Aruba and Curaçao with their favorite Star Trek celebrities. Fans will also have the opportunity to attend aerobic workouts, drink tastings, and literary readings with Star Trek talent.
This video shows off some of the highlights from last year:
With the fate of the “Mission: Star Trek” conventions unclear, Star Trek: The Cruise is the only officially licensed Star Trek event of the year. They take full advantage of the license as the ship itself is transformed for Star Trek: The Cruise, with themed elements decorating the interior along with several displays to be explored. You can see examples of this from last year’s cruise below.
-
- From Star Trek: The Cruise VI
-
- From Star Trek: The Cruise VI
-
- From Star Trek: The Cruise VI
-
- From Star Trek: The Cruise VI
On top of all the Star Trek-themed amenities that are exclusive to this event, guests will also have access to all the normal hospitality services of a Royal Caribbean vessel, including a full spa, salon, fitness studio, and multiple pools, restaurants, and bars.
On a cruise ship, deck numbers start at the bottom and go upward. Trekkies take note.
Limited number of cabins still available
Star Trek: The Cruise departs Port Canaveral, Florida on Thursday, February 22nd. Cabin prices start around $2,300 per guest for the week (with a discount for returning guests). Most of the ship is sold out but as of this writing, a very limited number of cabins are still available. There is also a waitlist for other sold-out cabins. Reservations can be booked on the Star Trek: The Cruise website.
TrekMovie will be embarking on Star Trek: The Cruise VII so keep an eye out for reports from the ship here on the site and via our social media channels.
Keep up with all the convention news and reports at TrekMovie.com.
$2,300 isn’t impossible for me, but I’d have to sacrifice a lot. Looks fun though. Maybe I’ll try it in my 50s.
Creation still does their annual convention in Vegas. Can they just get the license back so they’re “official” again? Would they have to stop having guests from other properties (Orville, etc.)
I’m also wondering if there’s any kind of penalty for the Mission people to have the license but not hold conventions.
One would hope CBS or whomever is negotiating the contract would write something in there about (X) number of events. A penalty would have to be outlined in the contract as well I am sure. Since they are willing to do nothing, I assume either there is no penalty or the penalty is not as bad as what they anticipate would be negative revenue on actually holding the events. Star Trek: The Business.
They my lose the license after a specified time if they do not actually hold conventions.
I can’t believe this is the only officially licensed Star Trek event. With a $2,300 entry point, it sends the signal that participating in Star Trek fandom is a luxury for the elite. At least, there are unofficial events that are still available to those that cannot afford a cruise. Don’t get me wrong, the cruise looks great, I just think they need to diversify events to make it more financially accessible for others who genuinely love the shows.
We’ll be on the cruise this year. A first for us. 🖖
This looks so much fun but I can never afford it with my teachers salary unfortunately. So have fun to all the people attending the event and have some raktajinos for me as well. Also as a suggestion maybe for one of the next cruises they could think about turning the ship into a starship with changing the name or the layout of the decks, maybe even having like a bigger captains chair or something.
As much of a pain as Creation can be sometimes, Vegas is much, much less expensive with just as much variety when it comes to guests.
I still sort of giggle when I remember how Viacom was talking up how great it was going to be when ReedPop took over the “official” conventions.
They held two.
They were both terrible, Reed made no money, then they ran away from the property.
Star Trek Mission Chicago was still during COVID and while a good time was not well attended.
Mission: Chicago was also very poorly designed and managed, with, for instance, the vendor section being in a massive arena, yet compressed into a single, hard to navigate corner of it.
Add to that Reed still having issues with seating for panels, it was not well staged or managed.
Creation isn’t perfect, but they know how to manage a Star Trek convention.
That Reed botched their attempts and yet seem to run SW conventions smoothly is a mystery.
My wife and I did our first cruise on the second of the #2 cruise. We did not make 3 or 4 as things happen as we all know but we made it back on #5, 6 & 7. Already booked #8 and it is very different from Las Vegas, which love just as much. Cruise & Vegas are just different in surroundings but the Trek vibe is there for both. You will have more interaction with stars on cruise, hallways, turbolifts, bars, excursions etc. Vegas has the intensity of a jammed pack 4 or 5 days event and you may see actors at the restaurants at the Rio, we always do, Both are worth it, if you can afford it.
The price seems steep, but when I went to STLV, between flights, hotel, meals and the con itself, I probably spent more for less facetime/interaction with the celeb guests.
Going to a dance party and having Nana Visitor or Nicole deBoer dance with you and for friends for a bit more than makes up for it in my mind. (disclosure: 2024 will be my 3rd trek cruise)