If the following increases your heartbeat or gets your palms sweaty in excitement, then Groove Cruise is an experience you need to dive into! The cruise liner; Norwegian Pearl will be making its first sail with Groove Cruise on the west coast for the 30th Groove Cruise sailing from October 10th-14th, with the following epic amenities: Thirteen Restaurants, sixteen bars/lounges, a lit casino, seven stages on board, with two stages at the destination of Cabo Mexico, all meanwhile house and trance music will be bumping for 96 hours straight. Not enough? For the first time ever on the west coast for Groove Cruise, they will be offering beverage packages along with “Haven Suites [Which] have their own ship within a ship. Fully-equipped with its own pool, gym, and butler service for all.” You combine this with the epic lineup that they finalized just recently with renowned & upcoming names such as; Benny Bennassi, Green Velvet, Shiba San, Cosmic Gate, Desert Hearts, Two Friends, Felix Cartal, Cazztek, Adam Stark, Duke Dumont (beach party w/ special guests) and so much more, to many to list, but can be seen in the graphic below. (Also we put together a playlist on Soundcloud with all of the artists going, which can be seen before the interview or at this link.)
Groove Cruise for many is more than just seeing the lineup of talented artists, it is the experience in and of itself. The vibes that go into this ship are top notch not only because of the heavenly music but because every…single…person there is ready to party and emit the best of vibes and have the time of their life. Being a 21+ party only with drinks 24/7, with different types of themed parties for the day and night, and various types of actives to do during dank music, this is the perfect party for any house, techno, and trance music lover. Built upon the desires to express the underground music scene and connect communities while partying on a cruise ship, Jason Beukema, has put together one of the most renowned music festival cruise liner experiences in the world. We are beyond excited and thankful to present to you an exclusive look into the world behind Groove Cruise with an interview with the founder, Jason. Read the full interview below and purchase tickets if you haven’t yet as they will sell out soon!
Groove Cruise San Diego to Cabo Ticket Link
Pictured Above – Jason Beukema and myself on board @ G.C’17 LA to MEX
Congratulations on the long yet groovy and undeniably successful Groove Cruise run so far! Groove Cruise is approaching its 30th voyage with the Cali to Cabo adventure planned in October. This is also the first time that Groove Cruise will be partying on the magnificent Norwegian Pearl on the Pacific Coast. What epic treats do you have in store for Groove Cruisers that you can share with us? (Besides the most epic phase one announcement!)
As it is the 30th sailing of Groove Cruise we will be sailing back to paradise Cabo San Lucas with beverage packages for the first time ever in the West Coast, one of the best lineups to date! Just wait til you see phase two, and a couple other surprises that will remain untold that will make this sailing special to all.
What inspired you to create Groove Cruise?
I cruised with my family several times and found cruising to be a bit boring. I wanted to have a fun experience with top music artists and like minded people. I started in 2004 with a group of 125 friends to achieve just that. Whet means to excite and it’s the core of everything we do and who we are. My mission was to excite lives by creating extraordinary experiences that connect communities to their passions.
Benny Benassi is one of the original artists who really got me into Electronic Dance Music and this lineup is full with some classic artists including Benny, how do you guys dictate what artist to book? Does the crowd feedback from Groove Cruisers have an impact on the decision of what artists to book?
At the conclusion of a charter, Groove Cruise sends a survey to all the GCFAM that sailed. This survey asks what was their favorite artist they heard on the cruise, what artist they would like returned, and what artist they would like to see in the future. We follow the guests suggestions always and try our best to get what they suggest.
The crowd feedback forum for Groove Cruisers to express their opinions on this production is an awesome concept and I believe is something more events should incorporate. What is one of the biggest and most incredible suggestions y’all have seen from someone’s feedback, if any?
Onboard activities were suggested to add more things to do and get to mingle with fellow cruisers. Such as Twister, Mini golf tournament, artist bar crawl are some that were suggested and we have incorporated in both charters. Another idea that came from a guest suggestion was to have a chill room to get away from the main production, but remain with friends. We created Whet Oasis. Here we have meditation, sound healing, and yoga classes to name a few events Whet Oasis holds.
How large is this Norwegian Pearl and what benefits does it have compared to the last ship used from LA to Ensenada?
First time the Norwegian Pearl will be sailing on the West Coast for Groove Cruise featuring 13 restaurants, 16 bars/lounges, spa, fitness center, casino, bowling alleys, and much more. The Haven Suite complex is also a new addition to the West Coast ship experience. When guests book the Haven Suites they have their own ship within a ship. Fully-equipped with its own pool, gym, and butler service for all. Beverage packages will be available for the first time on the West Coast too.
Cabo is one of those renowned hot spots in Mexico and y’all have hit there in previous years. Is there any juicy info you can share for people who haven’t been to Cabo yet?
Located in the heart of Cabo San Lucas, the ME Cabo allows you to enjoy the dramatic views of Land’s End and step out directly onto the 2,500 feet of pristine sand, to the swimmable beach of Playa El Medano with the world famous El Arco. Groove to the beats with top DJs performing and GCFAM wearing Neon colors for the theme of the day as they make memories to last a lifetime.
How long are y’all planning to post up in Cabo?
Day party from 10AM – 3:30PM in ME Cabo.
There are countless unforgettable moments that happen on Groove Cruise and I’m sure you have oh so many, but what are three of your favorite moments on Groove Cruise?
- Boarding the first full ship charter on 2011. This was my dream come true and seeing all the smiling faces had me on cloud 9.
- Seeing all the large groups of people become family, become the GCFAM.
- After all the planning, calls, meetings, and budgets it’s always euphoric to see the production come to life on the first day/night of sailing.
Your memories of your favorite acts from previous years?
Afterhours acts have always been my favorite. Intimate family vibe while grooving to amazing beats.
It is 2:30 in the morning on the boat in the middle of the ocean. What genre of music would you be groovin’ at right meow?
I would be grooving to our headlining act in the main stage inside the theater and then heading over to afterhours on the pool deck getting ready for the sun to rise.
^Main theater during Anjunabeats takeover last G.C.LA-MEX
What is your alcohol of choice, if any?
Johnny Walker Blue
What would you prefer, House music at sunset or sunrise?
Sunset
If you could give an upcoming creative/artistic person some advice, what one piece of advice would you give them?
Be true to who you are and what you believe in.
