David Foster’s The Hitman Cruise is nearly halfway through and none of us want it to end. Talk about talent. If you enjoy vocals, then this cruise is perfect for you. So many great singers and, with David Foster producing, everyone is presented beautifully. Would you expect anything less?
The opening show, hosted by David, was a showbiz extravaganza called “Broadway Nights.” David insights into the music are second to none. Masterful is the only way to describe how he utilized the talents of Peter Cincotti, Pia Toscano, Shelea, Jessica Vosk, Erich Bergen and Morgan James. On a personal note, I could have sat there forever listening to the music. I promise I’m not using hyperbole, as I must admit to seeing virtually all of both shows. I know. You are not supposed to do that, but I could not help myself.
Late on the first night included Peter doing his own show and a set by one of our all-time favorite cruise groups, Take 6. More on them later, but, for my taste, as I have shared repeatedly, they fit on every cruise we have ever done or will do. Remember my comment about hyperbole? That lasted about two sentences, nearly double the lifespan of my New Year’s resolutions.*
Waking up on the first morning in Key West is a reminder of just how good life can be. Key West is so laid back that there are no speed limits. “Move Faster Please” signs should be established, but none of those are evident yet. Peter and Pia performed for those attending the first Main Show last night and Michael McDonald was our second Main Show guest. Tonight, they switch that up so that everyone can enjoy every main show.
Talking about a Michael McDonald show is easy. If you have ever seen him live, you know that you are going to enjoy 75 minutes or so of hit after hit after hit, performed by one of the most unique and powerful voices in the world. And, if you think that the level of performance will be less, in any way, than what you saw before, you will be wrong. Michael defies nature, disobeys Father Time and refuses to phone it in. Part of the reason that he performs his shows over two nights is his commitment to being 100% “on” every time he hits the stage. If you have not seen or heard him live, that is a glaring item on your bucket list. Describing his performances in words is a hollow and meaningless exercise.
We still have so much to look forward to after today. Tomorrow is Nassau, which means Babyface. Measuring musicians by the numbers is not very artful or illuminating unless your numbers read like Babyface’s: 13 GRAMMY® Awards, 125 Top 10 Hits produced and written, 45 #1 R&B hits and 16 #1 Pop hits. There is awesome and then there is awesome. Babyface is awesome and awesome!
Stay tuned to next week’s edition of The Weekender when we will discuss our time with Babyface. We will be sailing on Christian McBride’s World at Sea cruise and we will share the first few days of that cruise as well.
Today is Day 3 of 33 days of music at sea! Hard to call this a job!
*For those who remember what those were, “damn” you!
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 ’27
Encore! Encore!
We are proud to announce that planning for the encore sailing of David Foster: The Hitman Cruise has begun! From 1.12.27 to 1.17.27, we will sail round-trip from Tampa with port days in Cozumel and Costa Maya. The lineup is, again, in David Foster’s gifted hands. After the ’26 Sailing is completed, with a strong feel for the dynamics of curating and hosting a cruise, David will be announcing his star-studded ’27 lineup, which includes Katharine McPhee.
Guests on the ’26 sailing have the exclusive right to hold their current stateroom anytime between now and the announcement of the lineup (expected in February ’26).
Guests who are not sailing on David Foster: The Hitman Cruise ’26 may establish their priority for the ’27 Sailing by completing a Pre-Sail Reservation. Guests completing Pre-Sail Reservations will be invited to select a stateroom and complete a reservation upon notice, shortly after the ’27 Announcement.
The Jazz Cruise ’26 vs The Smooth Jazz Cruise ’26.3:
The Race to Fully Reserved is Over And the Winner Is….
Last week we issued a challenge to see whether The Jazz Cruise ’26 or The Smooth Jazz Cruise ’26.3 would be the first to hit the “fully reserved” mark. Believe it or not, on Wednesday morning, The Jazz Cruise ’26 was out of staterooms and just a few hours later the same was true of The Smooth Jazz Cruise ’26.3. As far as the contest goes, The Jazz Cruise ’26 was the winner, though, at the onset of the battle, The Jazz Cruise ’26 had only 14 staterooms available, where The Smooth Jazz Cruise ’26.3 had 24.
Regardless, the real winners are the amazing guests who will have the opportunity to enjoy these sailings which present programs that have long and storied histories and have produced memories for thousands and thousands of guests. Signature Cruise Experiences has proudly presented The Jazz Cruise since 2001 and over 35 sailings of The Smooth Jazz Cruise since 2004. We love the music, the musicians and, most of all, the guests.
Get Ready for The Smooth Jazz Cruise 27.3!
The Smooth Jazz Cruise ’26.1, ’26.2 & ’26.3 are fully reserved. Both The Smooth Jazz Cruise ’27.1 and ’27.2 are over 80% reserved. Now, it is time to announce The Smooth Jazz Cruise ’’27.3, a Quebec City to Boston journey sailing in Fall ’27.
The official launch date is Wednesday, January 21, 2026! At that time, we will share the lineup, sailing dates and ports-of-call. From the launch date until March 31, 2026 (’26.3 Guests’ Rebooking Period), Guests sailing on The Smooth Jazz Cruise ’26.3 (’26.3 Guests) will have the exclusive right to rebook their current stateroom for The Smooth Jazz Cruise ’27.3. For those who are not ’26.3 Guests but wish to sail on The Smooth Jazz Cruise ’27.3, may complete Pre-Sail Reservations and establish their priority for stateroom selection once the ’26.3 Guests’ Rebooking Period is over.
Signature Cruise Experiences is very excited to present one of its most popular programs with a brand new itinerary program.
Save the Date:
Step Aboard! A Live Look at Chris Botti at Sea 2026
Join us for a special live video experience as we take you inside Chris Botti at Sea 2026.
Get an up-close look at the cruise experience, explore the incredible shore excursions, and hear directly from Chris himself during a live drop-in you won’t want to miss.
If you’ve been curious about what makes this sailing so unforgettable, this is your chance to see it all come to life
Save the Date:
February 20, 2026
Registration Opens Soon!
Signature Cruise Experiences Upcoming Programs
The Jazz Cruise
’26 (1.27.26 – 2.3.26) ’27 (1.17.27 – 1.24.27)
Still the Greatest Jazz Festival at Sea
The Jazz Cruise is the first program that Signature Cruise Experiences ever produced. Since its first sailing in 2001, The Jazz Cruise has been the world leader in presenting “straight ahead” jazz at sea.
The Jazz Cruise ’26 is fully reserved. ’26 Guests are invited to rebook their current staterooms for The Jazz Cruise ’27. Others may establish their priority for the ’27 sailing by completing a Pre-Sail Reservation.
The Smooth Jazz Cruise
’26.1 (2.3.26 – 2.10.26) ’27.1 (1.31.27 – 2.7.27)
’26.2 (2.10.26 – 2.17.26) ’27.2 (2.7.27 – 2.14.27)
’26.3 (9.11.26 – 9.18.26) ’27.3 (10.13.27 – 10.20.27)
6 Sailings of “The Greatest Party at Sea”
Known as “The Greatest Party at Sea,” The Smooth Jazz Cruise has sailed over 30 times since 2004. Year after year, there is a waitlist for staterooms and the cruises hit “fully reserved” earlier and earlier.
The Smooth Jazz Cruise ’26.1, ‘26.2 & ’26.3 are fully reserved. The Rebooking and Pre-Sail Reservation procedures for The Smooth Jazz Cruise ‘27.1 and ‘27.2 have been completed and both sailings are in Open Booking and are more than 80% reserved.
As discussed above, guests sailing on The Smooth Jazz Cruise ’26.3 (’26 Guests) will have the exclusive opportunity to reserve their ’26 stateroom for The Smooth Jazz Cruise ’27.3, starting on 1.20.26. This sailing starts in Quebec City on 10.13.27 and sails through Canada terminating in Boston on 10.20.27. Fall colors and other special events will be featured. Those who are not ’26 Guests will be able to establish their priority for selecting a stateroom at that time by completing a Pre-Sail Reservation.
Botti at Sea III (’26)
9.18.26 – 9.25.26
Chris Botti hosts a West Coast Cruise with Amazing Talent
Botti at Sea III (’26) is in Open Booking. Anyone may select any available stateroom and complete a reservation.
The lineup has been set for a few months. Joining Chris will be Elvis Costello, Boz Scaggs, Melody Gardot, Peabo Bryson, Regina Belle, Emmet Cohen, Candy Dulfer, John Splithoff, Morgan James, Benny Benack III, Kandace Springs, Harold Lopez-Nussa Trio ft. Gregoire Maret and more. The cruise will sail from Los Angeles to Vancouver, with calls in San Francisco and Victoria.
Botti at Sea IV (’27)
10.6.27 – 10.13.27
Chris Botti Takes His Cruise from Boston to Quebec
A Canadian itinerary in the Fall is one of the most popular cruise itineraries in the industry. Fall colors, beautiful scenery, hands on adventures in famous ports-of-call. If nothing else was taking place on the ship, a cruise with these features would be in high demand. So, when Chris Botti decided to take his amazing cruise program from Boston to Quebec City, with a full complement of the entertainers and performers that you have grown to love and expect, not only was he gilding the lily, but he was creating one of the top music cruise experiences ever offered.
Stay tuned for more programming and reservation procedure details. As is always the case on a Signature Cruise Experiences program, guests on Botti at Sea III (’26) (’26 Guests) will be able to rebook their current staterooms and those who are not ’26 Guests will be eligible to submit a Pre-Sail Reservation which will establish their stateroom selection priority after the ’26 Guests complete their rebooking procedure.
Look for most of this to happen around 8.15.26!
Journey of Jazz ’27
1.24.27 – 1.31.27
Now in Open Booking
Journey of Jazz ’27 will be an amazing cruise program featuring hosts Marcus Miller and Gregory Porter, a full lineup of great musicians and vocalists, a special two days in New Orleans which features Wynton Marsalis and a group of his hand-picked musicians.
In its second season Journey of Jazz proudly combines the very best music with opportunities to live the jazz life and learn more about the history of jazz. As an example, Journey of Jazz ’27 will present Ledisi as a main show performer on the ship. In keeping with the theme of the cruise, Ledisi will perform her universally beloved Tribute to Dinah (Washington) program.
Journey of Jazz ’27 is in Open Booking