On Thursday afternoon, Star Trek: The Cruise VII departed Port Canaveral in Florida for a weeklong tour of the Carribean, with a themed ship full of Trekkies and celebrities.
The first day of any cruise is very light on scheduled activities with the focus on boarding, getting settled and important safety briefings… like finding out where you muster for your escape pod lifeboat. After departure, new cruisers may find themselves wandering the ship, getting acquainted with its layout and amenities, while experienced cruisers take this time to schedule ship services, book shore excursions, and the like. But Star Trek: The Cruise has a great way of taking embarkation day and wrapping even that whole process in Star Trek fun.
Launch party kicks off
As the ship pulled away from Port Canaveral, Cruise Director JT Watters opened a huge party on a stage set over the pool deck. Under a mild breeze and warm Florida sun, JT welcomed all Trekkie passengers (newbies and veterans alike) and introduced the trip’s Star Trek celebrity guests one by one. Each took just a few words to say how thankful they were to be on the trip, and most gave them a little preview of activities they’d be hosting in the upcoming week. For example, Picard star Todd Stashwick is looking forward to hosting many games of Dungeons and Dragons. Discovery’s Mary Cheiffo is eager to give a glimpse of an upcoming movie she both wrote and produced, Operation Othello. And season 5 Discovery baddie Eve Harlow simply wants to get to know the fans.
The introductions and the party itself concluded with the ship’s residing Star Trek captain, Sonequa Martin-Green, officially commencing the fun and festivities. Wearing a shirt reading “Je t’aime” (French translation, “I love you”), Martin-Green made it clear there was no place she’d rather be. In her words:
“I want to personally and collectively, from all of us and from me, thank each and every one of you for being here, and I mean that. Thank you!”
Gorn warp party gets wild
Taking inspiration from one of Star Trek’s most ruthless enemies, Star Trek: The Cruise VII made the Gorn the theme for the first night. Passengers threw on their Gorn shirts, hats, and occasionally full Gorn costume replicas to sit down in the main dining hall for the first big dinner of the voyage. Gorn’s Tiki Bar, a regular fixture on the Promenade deck, features a long list of thematic cocktails with names like “The Gorn Supremacy,” “Gorn to be Wild,” and “Gorn with the Wind.”
Here is the dancing Gorn in action…
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Following the feast, not one, but three parties break out: dance parties hosted by DJ Lira and Band 47 and a karaoke event hosted by Chase Masterson.
More day 1 photos
Looking ahead to Cruise VII… and VIII
TrekMovie will be providing updates on Star Trek: The Cruise VII over the next week here along with posts on Twitter and Threads.
And as is tradition for the first day, they also announced the first celebrity guests signed up for 2025’s Star Trek: The Cruise VIII. In addition to many of the cruise regulars, next year will include Jeri Ryan, Mary Wiseman, and Kate Mulgrew. As of this writing, STTC VIII cabins are only available for purchase on the ship by current passengers. Booking will open to the general public on March 25 on the Star Trek: The Cruise official website.
ALL ABOARD!
So, do we have any past Trek Cruise participants here? Does anybody PREFER the cruise to the cons? Any memories that you wish to share?
I’m not generally a fan of cruising, though I’m an avid traveler. Still, I might make an exception for this one, if it had an interesting itinerary.
This isn’t a normal cruise. You have so much entertainment on the ship. It’s not a cruise where you go and sit at the pool. It’s more of a convention. On a ship.
I was on last year’s and I love it. On the ship, you have easy access to everything. Food, panel venues, and your room are all minute from each other. The cast all seem more like themselves, and you get a lot of entertainment that you wouldn’t at a con.
Don’t go for where the ship is going. Your enjoyment is going to come from everything else happening on the ship. And don’t worry about who the cast is for the most part. There will be so much interaction going on, you won’t realize who your missing and wishing was there. Or that it’s someone you have seen before. If you can go, go and just have a good time.
I don’t like boats, but maybe someday…
I wish I could be there….what a great way to celebrate Star Trek! Sigh!
Are the Star Trek stars sequestered in a special section when not performing? Or do they mix with the passengers?
The have their own private area on the ship. However they are also around the ship mixing with passengers. I ran into numberous cast at meals or in the elevator, or random spots around the ship. They will also just be at the parties dancing with the crowd.
Glad to See Sonequa is a part of this.She seems like somebody that it would be fun to spend time with.
I have just watched Trekkies for the first time in years and will be watching Trekkies 2 tonight, I honestly dont know what to make of these Trek cruises. If this had been on the go in 1998 I think it would have been seen as an oddity – maybe it is?
Looking at about $2000 for a week of Trek on the high seas in the most basic cabin, it does seem value for money all in all or at least is what you would expect to pay for a weeks cruise. Are there any other life long fans on here who think they just couldnt face a convention or cruise? Maybe it is just nerves or I dont know what I am missing
I go to one con vacation a year. Looking at hotel costs and tickets and food and whatever…. it’s close to $2000 when its all added up. The cruise looks like good value when I look at it that way.
On thing to remember is that the cost is per person, and most rooms are based on double occupancy. If you go solo, the cost is a lot higher.
There are rooms for single occupancy as well. But very few.
Ha! The world needs more dancing Gorn.