Star Trek the Cruise an Away Mission And General Cruising Tips
By Bryan and Teresa Hoag (USS Ticonderoga)
The first time we went on a cruise in 2013, we had no idea that it would become one of our favorite forms of vacation. Then when we found out that there were themed cruises, specifically a Star Trek themed cruise it took our love of cruising to new heights. Research was done and there are practically no limit to the themes that are there. For example, there is an 80’s and a 70’s cruise that are produced by the same company that does the Star Trek cruises. During research we found that there are Golden Girl themed cruises. There seems to be a cruise for any one’s favorite activities.
Then there are the destinations. The first cruise that we went on we sailed to Haiti, Jamaica, Grand Cayman, and Mexico. These destinations were the most exotic we had ever been to. When we decided to go on our first Star Trek cruise, the destinations were Nassau, St. Thomas, St. Martin. The second cruise went to Cabo, Mazatlán, and Puerto Vallara. These destinations added exoticness and adventure to a vacation that was already a thrill to be on with the crew that was going to be on each. The Star Trek cruises sail on Royal Caribbean cruise line. Here is the link to the website for Star Trek the Cruise if you’re interested: Star Trek: The Cruise 2026 – Star Trek: The Cruise 2026. Don’t worry that it is for the current sailing, the website is updated after every cruise for the next year. The price of the cruise can range from two thousand seven hundred dollars to thirteen thousand dollars, depending on the cabin you reserve. To bring the value of the cruise to light, besides getting to travel to three different ports, without having to change hotels, you also have your meals included onboard. The producers of the crew give you swag every night of the cruise and you have unprecedented access to the different casts of the shows. It is also worth noting that it is very easy to meet new friends while on the cruise. Since there is already a common thread that binds the guest together, it is easy to strike up conversations and develop friendships over the course of the cruise.
The Star Trek cruises featured several of the actors from the different series that made the cruise even more enjoyable. It was like a floating Star Trek convention that was both huge and intimate at the same time. The ship is decorated from stem to stern in Star Trek style decor. The elevators have LCARS panels that are put on the glass. The normal venues onboard the ship were renamed, such as the casino being renamed in honor of Quark. On the second cruise, there was a small portion of the original series command area of the bridge set up complete with Kirk’s chair. The huge part of it was that there were so many of the actors proportionate to the number of guests on the cruise. The intimate part was that there was only just over three thousand guests onboard and that since you were on a ship, there was a huge chance that you would get to see one of the actors during the routine day to day interactions onboard the ship and not just during one of the events or shows that the actors put on.
Every cruise has one of the captains from the series or films. Our first cruise it was George Takei and on the second cruise it was William Shatner. Then EPC, the company that produces the cruises, gathers as many cast members as possible from one of the series that has an anniversary or something special. For example, on our second cruise, they had gotten a huge number of cast members from DS Nine. There are also several members of the cast that are regulars on these cruises. John De Lancie, Chase Masterson, Denise Crosby, Max Grodénchik, Nana Visitor, Garrett Wang and Robert Picardo are but a few of the regulars on the cruises. On the first cruise, Walter Koenig was there alongside George made that cruise special due to the age of both extraordinary actors.
There is a send off party on the pool deck just as the ship starts to leave port. At this party, the actors on the crew are introduced to the guests and talk about the cruise ahead. After that there is some down time for most of the crew members but there are some activities right off the bat where several of the cast members put on different meets and greets as well as shows for the guests. The first night also features a major show in the main theater that is run twice to get everyone that wants to see it a chance and the one that you went to was dependent on your stateroom card that was color coded to the dinner option that you chose when you booked your cruise, either a six pm or eight pm dinner. Obviously, if you had chosen the eight pm dining time, you went to the six pm showing and eight for the later show. The days were also filled with the usual photo ops, autograph sessions, and panels for the guests to enjoy. Each one feeling more intimate than at a normal convention due to the limited number of guests on the cruise.
Then there were exclusive shore excursions that you could go on that were hosted by one of the crew members. For example, Marina Sirtis hosted a wine tasting at one of the ports on the second cruise that we went on, as did Terry Farrell. There was also an opportunity that you might just end up meeting one of the crew members out and about. We heard several stories that crew members would just end up hanging with some of the guests for a little bit. This was also unique to the type of convention this was because the crew members often had their family members onboard as well. Max brought his wife and children, and George brought his husband Brad and the guest would get to interact with the family as well. Brad is just a sweetheart and funny man in his own right, just saying.
One of the highlights of the cruise is an original play that John De Lancie writes for the cruise. He gets several members of the crew to fill the parts, though he leaves a certain amount for characters for guests, who then get to work with Jon and the other crew members to put on this play on one of the nights. Another is a comedy show that Garrett puts on. When you picture Ensign Kim, you don’t think of a stand-up comedian. But Garrett is just that and has a bright and fun personality to him that really shows when he is on stage. And he does imitations as well. Other shows include game shows on the style of Hollywood Squares, and the contestants were guests that were selected randomly from the audience. George Takei was on the game show on the first cruise we went on and the contestant that selected him mispronounced his name and he proceeded to educate the contestant on the proper way to pronounce his name and why it was important to pronounce his name correctly, due to one way being his name and the other way being the way to say expensive in Japanese and that George would show them how
expensive he could be.
There are also charity events that also happen on the cruise. We went to a special breakfast with Chase Masterson that supported her charity Be Kind. It was limited in size so that it was an intimate and personable time plus you got a special photo opportunity with Chase plus she mingled with the guest that came and made it very enjoyable for everyone. The price was rather expensive, but with the cause that the charity supports and the interaction with Chase, the price was worth it. Other events took place for other equally worthy causes during the cruises and helped bring a sense that not only were you enjoying the time with these wonderful actors, but you were also helping others that needed help in one form or another.
On an interesting note, Nana Visitor is a tremendous dancer and an incredibly energetic person. She also is extremely funny. She did a smaller show called, “Ask Mama Nana” and guests could submit questions for her to answer on anything and then right in the middle of answering questions, usually when you least expected it, she would get up and start dancing just to keep the energy up. She could almost literally be called energy trapped in human form because she had to be moving and doing something all the time. She also said that her kids got to see Major Kira in their lives more than they cared to, usually when they had misbehaved.
There was often make up demonstrations, scientific discussions and production type panels from the scientific advisers, show production members and make up artist that had worked on the show and had been invited to come on the cruise so that you could learn about what went on behind the scenes with the show and where the scientific theories and premises for the show came from and why it made sense as well as how much time and effort it took to get the aliens that we knew and loved brought to life. On one of the cruises, the makeup artist showed how much makeup and prosthetics it took to make Max become Rom. On the other cruise, the makeup artists brought Gowron to life for Robert O’Reilly and turn Max into another Klingon as well.
There are also several theme nights while onboard the ship. One that is held every year is the Captains Gala. This is the theme night where you get to break out your formal attire or your dress uniform and go and party with the guests and crew. Another annual theme night is Q’s costume Party. This one also you to play Halloween at seas. Then they have a holodeck night that is themed differently each year. 2026’s cruise is going to be 1966 themed. One of the ones that we were on was the roaring twenties. Then they usually have one centered around Risa and then a random voted on by the guests themed night. These are held each night of the cruise and allow you to get your cosplay on.
While onboard the cruise, you can book for next year’s cruise for a discount, ranging anywhere from two hundred dollars off for the cheapest cabin to a couple of thousand off for the Royal suite. However, you can also get the past guest discount if you have ever been on a EPC cruise and it doesn’t have to have been past Star Trek the Cruise that you went on. It could have been the eighties cruise, the seventies cruise or the comic con cruise. All of these cruises would qualify you for the past cruisers’ discount. Also ECP offered an additional discount if you paid for your next cruise in full while you were booking it. The price is still on the steep side but not as much as a first time attendee and with all the perks and swag and considering that for the most part it is all inclusive and you aren’t just at one place and never have to change hotels, this makes it a good value
We would be remiss if we didn’t mention some general cruising tips as well here.
- The first tip would be that if you are even suspicious that you are prone to getting seasick, check with your doctor and get some medication to help because it is worth going on a cruise.
- Go on a regular cruise first. The reason behind this tip is that the themed cruises are so fun and have so much that is different than a regular cruise that it would ruin your experience on a regular cruise.
- Bring a piece of luggage for souvenirs, you’re going to see things that you want in every port, which will be extremely hard to get anywhere else and would cost more buying over the internet and you will run out of room quickly. And this is double on a themed cruise since you get swag each night.
- Take time to explore the ship right away. This will help you navigate it more easily during the cruise.
- Plan to arrive at the embarkation/debarkation port at least a day before you are scheduled to set sail. This is to account for travel delays and allows you to relax a bit before you get onboard the ship. We tend to get there a few days early and do something in the city to extend the vacation.
- Make sure you take shore excursions, but it is best to book them directly from the cruise line. You can usually book them in the port but if you book them from the cruise line, then they guarantee that the ship will not leave you behind if there is a delay. There is no such guarantee if you book it from the vendor of the shore excursion when you get to port. Also, there are usually advance booking sales offered before you sail that the cruise line offers.
- Royal Caribbean has a shore excursion if you are sailing to and from Orlando that not only takes you to NASA’s Cape Canaveral but also is a shuttle to the airport after. You have to have a later flight, after 5 pm Orlando time, but it gives you a fun tour and you don’t have to worry about your transportation from the port to the airport.
- Take chances to make friends. Cruising is different from all other vacations for several reasons already but because of the limited amount of space available and the relatively small amount of people, it is easier to make friends and for the most part, you already have something that binds you together and that is your on the same vacation and in the case of a themed cruise the love of what the theme is also binds you on another level.
- This tip is specifically for the cruises that offer photo opportunities and autographs, such as Star Trek the Cruise. Make sure that you print out the tickets for the ops because the internet is spotty at best and if you can’t bring up the ticket you will miss your opportunity.
Editors Note: This article was written before the 2026 cruise, but the information and links are still valid for future cruises as well.
Here are some photos from the 2023 Star Trek cruise taken by the Bryan and Teresa.
