Marcus Miller + Gregory Porter + Wynton Marsalis…Special Port-of-Call:  New Orleans  Many believe that last September’s sailing of Journey of Jazz ’25 was one of the very best programs produced by Signature Cruise Experiences (SCE) in its 26 year/100+ cruise history. That program combined SCE’s trademark onboard music programs with an exciting itinerary filled with […]

Although he’s lived many more years away from New Orleans than he’s lived there, Wynton Marsalis will always be associated with that storied and very musical city. Partially because his father, Ellis Marsalis, was a lifelong patriarch for jazz in the area, both as a pianist and educator. Partially because he received his first trumpet […]

Having attended a few jazz programs in the past weeks and on the heels of weeks at sea with jazz fans, I have come to realize that while I love the music, I am equally drawn — perhaps even more so — into the music by the folks who perform and the folks who listen. This awakening reminds […]

Chris Botti at Sea III: Great Talent + Great Travel  Last September’s sailing of Journey of Jazz ’25 was one of the very best programs produced by Signature Cruise Experiences (SCE) in its 26 year/100+ cruise history. This fall, SCE has two sailings that call on the same ports, offer similarly curated land-based programs and, […]

Everyone should have a musical guilty pleasure. Mine is Charlie Puth. On the surface, you could say that he is a pop singer and songwriter who rose to prominence by writing “cute” songs like “See You Again,” “One Call Away” and “Marvin Gaye,” as well as featuring other musicians like Wiz Khalifa and Meghan Trainor. I have […]

We are Back! It has been a while since the last edition of Jazz Notes! Our excuse is quite simple. We have been sailing and presenting music from January 12 – February 17, 2026, and then from February 27 – March 6, 2026, a total of 40 days at sea. During that time, we produced […]

I am home today, in St. Louis, having spent last week on the inaugural sailing of Top Shelf Country Cruise, our first country music cruise in over 10 years The headliner was Keith Urban and featured Lee Brice, Scotty McCreery, Parmalee, LeAnn Rimes and so many others keeping our guests moving their boots from morning to late into the […]

When we talk about four-letter words, we are usually talking about profanity. Eliminating four-letter words from your vocabulary is often a New Year’s resolution or even a suggestion by others. Of course, not all four-letter words are bad. No one is campaigning to ban “jazz,” “wine” or “food.” There is an argument to be made for getting […]

The Signature Cruise Experiences team members are at their various homes today, with many having completed over 30 days at sea (and some nearly 40!). If our experience were like an F1 or NASCAR race, this weekend is more like a pit stop for fuel and new tires as many will be boarding Celebrity Reflection […]

It is Day 31 at sea for the Signature Cruise Experiences production team. On Tuesday, The Smooth Jazz Cruise ’26.2 returns to port and the team will head home for a brief respite before returning to Ft. Lauderdale for the launch of the inaugural sailing of Top Shelf Country Cruise ’26. This is currently our 34th […]