Years ago, we produced a jazz tour of New York. It was a glorious few days. We visited the Apollo Theater, Birdland, Blue Note, Dizzy’s Club and more. Marcus Miller was our host and we held private shows for our guests.
John Pizzarelli was an afternoon show. Lunch with Piz! As only John could do, he set the mood for the performance by walking onto the bandstand and uttering these fabulous words: ”I am going to say something that no jazz musician has ever said from the stage…good afternoon!”
That wonderful line is the basis for this edition of Our Take. Why? Because I am going to “say” something that I have never said in any edition of The Weekender: ”It is July 26 and in 48 days, we will be sailing on Journey of Jazz ’25 from Vancouver to Los Angeles with stops in Victoria and San Francisco.”
The cruise has been fully reserved for quite some time and our planning has been as comprehensive as ever. Not only will we be presenting our full schedule of on ship music, events and shows, but we, meaning Signature Cruise Experiences, are presenting a series of wonderful excursions and on-land shows, something that we have dabbled in before, but this time it is a full-on series of events.
If you follow the details of upcoming cruise programs, you will see that we are reprising this itinerary exactly for The Smooth Jazz Cruise ’26.3 and sailing it in reverse (Los Angeles to Vancouver) for Botti at Sea III (’26). I would not call the Journey of Jazz ’25 program an experiment, but it is something of a scouting mission for future programs.
’26 seems to be the year that we try a bunch of new ideas.
We start with David Foster: The Hitman Cruise (1.15.26 – 1.20.26). For years, we were reluctant to produce a cruise that was fewer than seven days. Last year’s experience with the Michael McDonald/Patti LaBelle Cruise has changed our view. People loved a shorter cruise. Not everyone can or wants to be “at sea” for a full week. Stars like David Foster, Michael McDonald, Babyface and Katharine McPhee relish the intensity and rush of a shorter cruise.
One of the most accomplished jazz musicians and personalities in the genre comes next. Christian McBride’s World at Sea is the ultimate jazz lover’s program with Christian showing off his amazing lineup of ensembles and treating us to a lineup of the very best vocalists you will ever see in one place.
Three new programs in a row. Journey of Jazz in ’25. Foster and McBride in ’26.
From there we return to the (very) familiar year 26 of The Jazz Cruise and the 34th and 35th sailing of The Smooth Jazz Cruise.
After that, we have another candidate as a one-liner from Pizzarelli: ”Signature Cruise Experiences presents Top Shelf Country Cruise featuring Keith Urban.” Never thought you would hear those words. Yet our team is loving this program and working with iHeart Media has been a hoot!
This week we attended a Lee Brice and a Scotty McCreery concert in St. Louis. Both performers are on the Top Shelf Country Cruise. Both shows were fabulous. The McCreery show was outdoors. July in St. Louis, particularly this year, is very hot. The fans did not seem to be deterred.
The year ends, as stated above, with our return to the West Coast for the 3rd sailing of The Smooth Jazz Cruise and Botti at Sea III, which boast more star power than almost any program we have ever produced.
Yes, Journey of Jazz ’25 sails soon, but, as I said earlier the “inn is full.” The others sail in not fewer than 200 days from now and some as many as 400 days from now. Why are we talking about them now?
In part, because we are proud of the programs, but there is a Public Service Announcement aspect of this story. If you want to sail on these programs, now is the time to complete your reservations while staterooms remain available. Acting now makes it easier to fund your trip as the monthly payment will be lower.
By Michael Lazaroff, Executive Director of The Jazz Cruise, The Smooth Jazz Cruise, Chris Botti at Sea, Christian McBride’s World at Sea, Journey of Jazz, David Foster: The Hitman Cruise and Top Shelf Country Cruise. Feel free to express your views or pose questions to him at michael@scecruises.com.
David Foster: The Hitman Cruise: A Tale of Two Stars
Father Time is undefeated. Got it. All of us grow old. Some do so gracefully and live out their later years in the pursuit of hobbies and more tranquil endeavors. Others choose to put the pedal to the metal and continue to go for it.
Whether they are trying to defy time or they just do not know any better, they move forward. I am 75+ and I have elected to continue to work as I have for the past 25 years. Not out of any noble cause or sense of invincibility. I simply do not know what else to do.
David Foster is 75 and Michael McDonald is 73. David is touring the world performing with his wife, Katharine McPhee, and an amazing band of musicians. Michael has interrupted his solo career to reprise his association with The Doobie Brothers.
David’s show is a tour de force where his overwhelming catalogue of music is presented at an amazing clip. I have been to shows where the performer presents hit after hit. In this case, it is mega-hit after generation changing hit.
I grew up listening to The Doobie Brothers, both before and after Michael joined them. One aspect of growing up in St. Louis is that you can name every successful person who is from here. Michael is at the top of that food chain.
Hats off to both David Foster and Michael McDonald! Their talents endure, even grow. Each is a consummate entertainer. Together, they are off the charts. I cannot wait to see them perform on David Foster: The Hitman Cruise.
– Michael Lazaroff
Join Chris Botti on 8.6.25 as He Reveals
Full Lineup & Details of Botti at Sea III
(9.18.26 – 9.25.26)
Los Angeles – San Francisco – Victoria BC – Vancouver BC
Though the headliners for Chris Botti at Sea III have been announced for months, we have not shared the names of the Featured Performers and the very special Land Excursions available for our time in San Francisco and Victoria.
Chris Botti was thrilled to announce that he would be joined on the cruise by five superstars of contemporary music, Elvis Costello, Boz Scaggs, Melody Gardot, Peabo Bryson & Regina Belle. We have finalized the balance of the lineup of performers.
Chris Botti at Sea III’s itinerary is very special. First, we will be sailing near where Chris grew up. A homecoming of sorts. Second, we will be docking in San Francisco (overnight) and Victoria (full day), two cities with an abundance of fabulous places to visit and things to do. We have curated several unique first-class options for excursions, including exclusive dining, trips to Napa and Sonoma and special sightseeing adventures.
Though Chris Botti at Sea III does not sail for over 400 days, many guests have completed their reservations for the cruise. Others are waiting for the Final Lineup and Excursion Information. Wait no longer! On Wednesday, August 6, 2025, we will have the Chris Botti at Sea III Reveal!
Now, for the fun part. Chris Botti insists upon leading off the Reveal with his thoughts about both the Final Lineup and the Excursion Information. To sign up for the webinar (no cost or obligation), click the icon below and follow the prompts.
Forget the Calendar: It is Christmas in July!
Christian McBride has a Gift for You!
Christian McBride loves Christmas. He loves giving gifts and making people happy. So, when he learned that some folks who want to sail on Christian McBride’s World at Sea might need a little wiggle in the Cruise Price, he was determined to devise an offer that would please all.
So, with a Ho! Ho! Ho! and a twinkle in his eye, Christian has declared the first ever Christmas in July Cruise Offer. Savings of around $1,300 per person ($2,600 per couple) are available.
Christian McBride’s World at Sea Christmas in July
(Per Person Prices and Savings)
| CURRENT CRUISE PRICE | XMAS IN JULY PRICE | SAVINGS/PERSON | |
| All Remaining Veranda Staterooms | $4,375 | $3,100 | $1,275 |
| All Remaining Ocean View Staterooms | $3,325 | $1,995 | $1,330 |
| All Remaining Inside Staterooms | $2,975 | $1,785 | $1,190 |
Cruise Prices and Savings are per person, based upon double occupancy and do not include Pass-Through Charges. This offer may not be applied to any other offer and is available for new reservations only.
You can call the office or book online. This offer is for new reservations only and may not be used with any other offer or promotion. Be sure to use the Promo Code: XMAS.
Joe Farnsworth’s The Big Room
Drummer Joe Farnsworth, who will be making debut as an All-Star on The Jazz Cruise ’26, has just released The Big Room, an album featuring a stellar lineup of modern masters and rising stars: trumpeter Jeremy Pelt, saxophonist Sarah Hanahan, vibraphonist Joel Ross, pianist Emmet Cohen and bassist Yasushi Nakamura. The album’s title references a concept that Farnsworth heard about for years from some of the legendary masters that he has counted as mentors and collaborators – artists like Max Roach, Jackie McLean and Ron Carter.
“The Big Room isn’t a place,” Joe explained, “but a spiritual dimension, a vast, wide-open terrain that only the most gifted of artists could reach. It’s a place where all of the discipline, rules and language that a musician spends a lifetime mastering suddenly fade, and pure, transcendent creation can occur.”
Jimmy Greene’s As We Are Now
Jimmy Greene has sailed with us in the past as an All-Star on The Jazz Cruise and he will be performing with the Ron Carter Quartet during Journey of Jazz. The saxophonist has a new album out called As We Are Now that addresses his well-being more than 12 years after his daughter Ana’s life was violently taken at Sandy Hook School in Newtown, Connecticut.
“My emotional path over the past 12 years has not been linear – in my experience, there isn’t a straight line from tragedy to triumph,” Jimmy said. “Instead, I have consistently experienced a range of emotions, over time, that occupy the spectrum between great joy and deep sorrow. I tried to reflect that spectrum of emotion in the composition of the various songs that comprise the suite.” The album features Aaron Goldberg (piano), Mike Moreno (guitar), Dezron Douglas (bass) and Jonathan Barber (drums).
Stateroom Availability
Cruise Programs – 2025
| Journey of Jazz | Fully-Reserved. Cancellations filled from Waitlist |
Cruise Programs – 2026
| David Foster: The Hitman Cruise | Open Booking Now |
| Christian McBride’s World at Sea | Open Booking Now; Christmas in July Prices for Ocean View and Inside Staterooms. Promo Code: XMAS |
| The Jazz Cruise ’26 | Over 80% Reserved – Open Booking Now |
| The Smooth Jazz Cruise ‘26.1 | Fully reserved; Join Waitlist |
| The Smooth Jazz Cruise ‘26.2 | Fully reserved; Join Waitlist |
| Top Shelf Country Cruise | Over 75% Reserved; Open Booking Now |
| The Smooth Jazz Cruise ‘26.3 | Over 85% Reserved; Open Booking Now |
| Botti at Sea ’26 | Open Booking Now; Final Lineup Announcement Soon! |