The Weezer Cruise was a music cruise hosted by the American rock band Weezer that was held in 2012 and in 2014. The cruise was organized by the company SixthMan and took place aboard cruise ships operated by the Carnival Cruise Line. The 2012 cruise took place from January 19 to 23 and consisted of a round trip from Miami to Cozumel aboard the Carnival Destiny, while the 2014 edition took place from February 13 to 17 and consisted of a round trip from Jacksonville, Florida, to the Bahamas aboard the Carnival Fascination, with stops in Freeport and Nassau. For both cruises, Weezer was joined by numerous supporting acts, with Ozma being the only other band to participate in both events. The cruises received positive reviews from music publications.
On July 12, 2011, the American rock band Weezer announced plans for a music cruise that would take place in 2012.[1][2][3] The cruise, which was organized by the Atlanta-based company SixthMan,[4][5] would last from Thursday, January 19 to Monday, January 23.[1] It would take place aboard the Carnival Destinycruise ship, which is operated by the Carnival Cruise Line, and consist of a round trip from Miami in the United States to Cozumel in Mexico.[1] For the cruise, four stages were prepared on the ship,[2][3] including one that was erected on top of a swimming pool.[6]
At the time that they announced the cruise, Weezer was working on new material and was planning a concert tour with The Flaming Lips.[3][7] Both Billboard and NME, in their discussions of the cruise, noted that it was part of a trend for Weezer of performing in unconventional venues or touring styles.[8][9] Discussing this, drummer Patrick Wilson said, "We don't tour the way we used to. We used to go out for months at a time in a bus and kind of lose your mind. Nowadays, we've all got kids, and we just pick our spots. We much prefer it, actually."[8] A pre-sale event for the cruise tickets began on July 21, with regular sales beginning on August 3.[2] Prices started at $799 (equivalent to $1,117 in 2024) per person for a double cabin, or $599 ($837 in 2024) per person for group bookings of four people.[3][10]
On January 19,[23] the cruise departed from PortMiami with approximately 2,200 passengers.[6][24] At departure, Weezer performed on the top deck of the ship, opening with "Hash Pipe"[23] and continuing with some of their greatest hits,[4][5] as well as non-Weezer originals "Karma Police"[24] and "Paranoid Android".[5] During this performance, Cuomo stepped down from the stage and interacted with fans.[4][6] For their next performance, the band played the entirety of their 1994 album Weezer.[6][24] On Friday, the band put on two performances that included their album Pinkerton and several B-side songs.[25]Rivers Cuomo, the lead singer of Weezer, also read excerpts from The Pinkerton Diaries, which he recorded while making the album.[24] Other events that occurred on Friday included a Weezer-themed party for single people,[25] a Weezer-themed trivia contest with the bandmembers participating,[24] and a cannonball contest with the members of Sebadoh serving as judges.[4]
The ship docked at Cozumel on Saturday.[26] That night, the cruise featured a 1980s-themed prom event.[4] Other events that Weezer bandmembers participated in during the cruise included a midnight movie screening hosted by guitarist Brian Bell, a shuffleboard contest overseen by Wilson,[27] and bassist Scott Shriner presiding over wedding vow renewals.[10][28] In total, there were sixteen acts from all of the performers who were involved in the cruise.[6] Over the span of four days, Barlow performed seven shows between his solo acts and ensemble performances with Dinosaur Jr. and Sebadoh.[4][28] The ship returned to Miami on January 23.[23]
During the cruise, Weezer debuted the song "Back to the Shack",[35] which would later be featured on their 2014 album Everything Will Be Alright in the End.[36] According to Cuomo, the cruises were a major source of inspiration for the album, saying in an interview with the magazine Q, "One of the most inspiring moments for this record was when we did the Weezer Cruises and we were locked up with a bunch of our fans for five days. It was just such a feeling of love and support and passion for the most uniquely Weezer parts of what we do."[37]
Critical reception
In a 2012 article for The Guardian, Wendy Fonarow gave the cruise a positive review.[4] Positive reviews were also given by Danny Cox of Billboard and by NME,[5] with the latter calling it "one of the most surreal holidays in history".[23] Julia Wallace, in a blog for Alan Cross's A Journal of Musical Things, said that the cruise resembled what she imagined "Spring Break at Daytona Beach" would be like.[28] In an interview with Tone Deaf, Weezer highlighted the first cruise as among their top 20 career highlights.[30][34]
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