​We at Blue World Travel created Festival at Sea in 1992. Our concept is simply taking the joy of cruising, infusing it with our culture and doing it our way with a Twist. We curate the daily itinerary by the hour with events designed around our music, entertainment and the kind of fun we want from our cruise. 

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Festival At Sea is a celebration of the variety of beauty within Black culture including family, music, dance, religion, comedy, business, our individual and wonderful differences, our community and so much more. As the second largest minority group, African-Americans are traveling and exploring the world and at Blue World Travel we love to organize experiences to help us do that.

 

Festival at Sea has cruised for over Thirty-Three years. Many of our guests have traveled with us numerous times. We are blessed to have generations of cruisers – grandmothers, moms, dads and children passing down this tradition within their families. This cruise comes with a different mindset. We are family, and when cruisers join us for the first time they are usually amazed at the experience that has been created and how they never heard of us! For many we are their “best kept secret” and that’s another reason why we say “once you go, then you know!”

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What is a charter?

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Blue World Travel is the travel and booking agency. Festival at Sea is the charter cruise program. Both are founded and owned by Patricia Nicholson Yarbrough. 

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What is a charter? Think of the cruise ship as a hotel. We essentially buy out the rooms in advance and offer them to our passengers. The hotel staff (cruise staff) such as housekeeping, maintenance, security, front and back office teams, the captain and his crew, remain in place as usual. We may be entitled to some liberties here and there, however much of the standard operations stay the same. 

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So, what makes this different from another cruise?

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Festival at Sea comes alive in the programming. You will feel it as soon as you get onboard. The music in the hallways and the elevators. The passengers are thriving off of the energy and greeting everyone they see. The Sailaway Party starts before you unpack your luggage. You go up to the pool deck and you immediately notice the vibe. And if for some reason you don’t notice it, the mountain of speakers on the deck will be sure you FEEL it. The bass will be booming and before we pull away from the pier the ship will be rocking! And as we sail through the Caribbean from island to island we keep the itinerary curated from top to bottom. Deck parties, theme nights, games and activities, all tailored to celebrate our joy and love for everything Black culture. Thanks to our amazing passengers and loyal cruisers we have been doing this for over 33 sailings. Here is a video from 2017 of how our Sailaway parties tend to go: http://bit.ly/2vOVQm1

 

Music

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Where there is a celebration of Black culture, there is music. The beats, rhythms, and movements are part of us. When you cruise with Festival At Sea, you will hear the music you love. The musical selection is designed with you in mind. As mentioned, you will have familiar classics playing through the speakers of restaurants, elevators and casinos. The DJs will be playing day and night to keep you dancing and grooving on every deck. Some nights will have curated sets to kick the party off highlighting our various tastes: R&B Night, DMV Love, Chicago House, Battles of the Generations, a Reggae Pool Party and more. We even have our own Rock the Boat DJ Battle that has been running for over 7 years, where we fly in six DJs from around the country for a chance to compete for bragging rights and a cash prize!

 

Entertainment

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And not to be forgotten, we make sure to bring along quality entertainment and performers to put on a show for you all. And you do not have to worry about tickets or space, everyone (over 18) is invited. Some of our past acts have been Charlie Wilson, Boyz II Men, Gladys Knight, Dru Hill, Doug E. Fresh, SWV, Patti LaBelle, Kirk Franklin, Bell Biv Devoe, Tamia, Faith Evans, Babyface and our signature White Night parties have featured legendary DJs and MCs such as The Magnificent DJ Jazzy Jeff, Doug E. Fresh, Kid Capri, Grandmaster Flash and more.

 

Activities/Games

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When we take over the ship, we take over the games and activities too. I’ll run through a list: Dominoes and Bid Whist tournament, King of the Court and 2v2 Basketball, Ballroom and salsa dancing lessons, UNCF Bachelor Auction. Start your mornings with aerobics, water zumba, yoga, or bible study. Join our FAS Celebration Gospel Choir or watch them lift their voices at church and our Gospel Brunch. Bring out your colors and represent your Fraternity or Sororities at our annual Stomp the Deck Step Show. You do not have to do it all but if you try to we have a saying for you: “Pace yourself!”

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Comedy

We are a naturally funny people so you can be sure that while you are onboard you will be smiling and laughing at some point. But just to be sure, we bring some professionals along as well. Past comedians like Cedric the Entertainer, Bruce Bruce, Sherri Shepherd, Gary Owen, DL Hughley, Sinbad, Rickey Smiley and many others. Also, do you know Damon Williams? We sure do as he has been traveling and hosting Festival at Sea for over 15 years! And if you want to see some rising stars, be sure to check out our Last Comic Sailing comedy contest where we bring six comedians from around the world to compete for the laughs of our passengers and a cash prize. Past winners include Lance Woods and Tacarra Williams!

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Designed For You. By Us.

There is one other brand that was founded around the same time as Festival at Sea that is a perfect moniker for what this cruise is: For Us. By Us. Festival at Sea is not only Black woman-owned, it is a Black family company that remains powered by the influence of the owner Patricia Nicholson Yarbrough. We’ve already told and shown you a lot but truthfully there’s still only one thing we can say: “Once you go, then you know!”