Did you know that the Annual Gothic Cruise and Masquerade Ball is a real thing that you can experience? Here’s the scoop!
The first ever Gothic cruise started under the company Travelwaves Intl LLC in 1989, but is now known as All Genre Travel. This cruise originally set sail on Big Red Boat I of the Premier Cruise Lines fleet.
The Gothic Cruise sailed with just five couples on its first voyage, but by 1994, they saw a 10x increase in their average attendance per cruise. This allowed All Genre Travel to slowly start adding to Gothic Cruise’s offerings, improving the experience every year.
Due to scheduling issues and Hurricane Katrina, the cruise did not happen between 2004 and 2006.
2007 was the first year that the Gothic Cruise sailed with a live band, VNV Nation, on the Carnival Glory out of Port Canaveral, Florida. This was the first time the Gothic cruise was considered a pre-existing group on Carnival Cruise Line (previously considered a larger group/incentive).
Since 2007, the Gothic cruise has been held 9 times on Carnival Cruise Line. Other cruise lines that the Gothic cruise has been held on include (as mentioned above) Premier Cruise Lines, Royal Caribbean, MSC Cruises, and most recently, Norwegian Cruise Line.
The upcoming Gothic Cruise sets sail on February 16th, 2025 out of New Orleans, Louisiana on the Norwegian Getaway. This cruise will be doing a 7-night Western Caribbean itinerary, making stops in Mexico, Belize, and Honduras before returning to New Orleans on February 23rd.
Norwegian Cruise Line’s ship Norwegian Getaway was built in 2014, sitting at 145,650 gross tons. It has a maximum guest capacity of 3,903 and space for 1,600 crew.
The theme for this upcoming cruise is Theatre des Vampires, featuring a Victorian-style masquerade ball. Special guests include the bands Assemblage 23, Helix, and Stoneburner.
All live concerts from these bands will only be accessible to Gothic Cruise attendees, making it an extremely intimate musical experience.
Additionally, there will be game night opportunities, autograph sessions with special guests, dance nights, shore excursions, a private bar, a separate dining area, pre & post cruise hotel parties, as well as meet and greet events, including one held pre-cruise to meet and connect with fellow attendees.
So, how does it work exactly?
The Gothic Cruise does not take up the entire cruise ship, and while they have not updated their numbers on their website in quite some time, groups have been reported as small as 68 people and as big as 265 people. There will be no lack of fellow attendees!
Due to existing contractual agreements made by the Gothic Cruise organizers with the cruise lines, ensure that you do not book directly through the cruise line. If you do book directly through the cruise line or other travel agencies, you will not have any access to Gothic Cruise events.
Truly, the Gothic Cruise gives you special access to exclusive event events, and a chance to connect with other music lovers and the Gothic community at larger.
You Can Even Have a Gothic Wedding!
That’s right, just like how you can get married at the Taco Bell Cantina in Las Vegas, you can also get married on a Gothic Cruise. It is a shockingly good deal as well, so if you are looking for a budget-friendly wedding, this might be a fantastic option for you.
Currently, there are multiple wedding packages offered, starting at $900 and going up to $2,600. For some, this might seem pricey but the average cost of a wedding in 2024 being $33,000 (based of US data only).
The cheapest package is the Ceremony Only which is $900. This is a simple wedding package with only the essentials, including things such as the officiant, cake, Gothic-themed music, and as an added bonus, 2 engraved champagne flutes to keep.
The next package up is Just the Basics, priced at $1,380. This package builds on the Ceremony Only one, and additionally adds the bride’s bouquet as well as the groom’s matching boutonniere, a reception party with a DJ, and “Just Married” stateroom door decorations.
The third package available is the Standard Package, sitting at $2,000. Building on the Just the Basic package, the standard package offers one dozen red roses and vanilla cupcakes, a bottle of Domaine Chandon Champagne, breakfast in bed during one morning of the cruise, a silver framed 8 x 10 keeps a portrait, among other small additions.
Finally, there is the Wedding and Honeymoon Ultimate package costing $2,600. This package includes everything listed in all other packages plus some amazing additions such as two spa appointments, two terry robes to keep, a bottle of Dom Perignon Champagne, a romantic dinner for two in a specialty restaurant with a complimentary bottle of wine, and a flash drive with wedding pictures with an additional credit at the photo shop on board.
The Goth Cruise also does all of the above packages for wedding vow renewals, which are $400 cheaper than wedding packages.
All wedding packages require a $500 non-refundable deposit, and if you’re on a tight budget, you can work directly with the cruise organizer to minimize costs.
For all legal ceremonies, couples will need to arrive at least three business days prior to the cruise to get their marriage license. The Officiant will file the marriage certificate after the cruise.
As is, the Gothic Cruise is actually extremely affordable. Prices for the upcoming cruise on February 16th, 2025 have rooms for as low as $1,634.
Read Also: Can You Actually Get Married on a Cruise Ship?
All cabin prices include an unlimited open bar package ($750 value), all food, snacks, and meals on board, access to all Gothic Cruise private events, and all taxes, and in 2025, Wi-Fi is fully included.
Hypothetically, if you were a couple planning to get married on this cruise, the most affordable room to stay in would be a Balcony Cabin, which would cost $1,830 per person (with a $300 deposit per person). That comes to a total of $3,660 for a 7-night cruise!
If you were to add wedding packages to that, the cost would range between $4,560 and $6,260. Even at the more expensive end, this is 80% cheaper than the average cost of a wedding. Plus, free drinks all week! Talk about an all-around win.
