Upcoming cruise parties

Nov 20-23: It's The Ship

What: It's The Ship was the first music festival at sea to be launched in Asia last year.

Now in its second year, the four-day event will feature some of the top DJs in the world, including American house DJ Kaskade (above), Dutch trance DJ Ferry Corsten, Bristol-based tech-house duo My Nu Leng and American house DJ Doorly.

The Royal Caribbean International cruise liner will set sail from Singapore's Marina Bay Cruise Centre on Nov 20, head down the Straits of Malacca to Langkawi for a beach party, before returning here on Nov 23.

The 15-deck Mariner of The Seas cruise liner features a casino, a rock-climbing wall that overlooks the sea, a full-sized basketball court, an ice-skating rink, a mini golf course, a duty-free shopping promenade and 17 bars, clubs and lounges. This year, about 3,800 guests are expected.

Where: Ship departs from Marina Bay Cruise Centre on Nov 20 at 5pm, travelling to Langkawi beach and returning to harbour on Nov 23, 8am.

Admission: Limited cabins available from US$588 (S$797) to US$1,588 a person from the website (www.itstheship.com). Taxes, port fees and ticketing fees cost an additional US$148 a person. Payment instalment plans are available.

Jan 2-6: Shipsomnia

What: Shipsomnia is a new themed dance music festival vacation cruise that sets sail in January next year. Organisers say there will be about 30 DJs, including a few prominent names in the global house and techno scene.

The five-day, four-night event will have a "high seas mythical adventure" theme with a steampunk twist.

The cruise ship will set sail from Singapore on Jan 2 to Phuket for a beach party, then proceed to Langkawi before making its way back here on Jan 6.

Partying aside, there will be a host of activities festivalgoers can sign up for, including DJ masterclasses, theatre shows and dodgeball tournaments. There will be opportunities to play beer pong and foosball with the DJs.

While the full artist line-up has yet to be announced, organisers say festivalgoers can expect "great producers, technical DJs, instrumentalists and singers".

Ms Alessandra Maderni, 31, co-founder of Shipsomnia, says: "If the number of top 100 DJs is important to you, then this may not be the cruise for you. But if you want to discover real electronic music at its finest, with some great DJs in their respective genres and other musical maestros, then hop onboard and get ready to be blown away."

Where: Ship departs from Singapore Cruise Centre on Jan 2 at 10pm, travelling to Phuket and Langkawi before returning to Singapore on Jan 6 at 2pm.

Admission: Cabins cost from US$699 (S$948) to S$1,199 a person from the website (www.shipsomnia.com). Prices are based on a minimum of two persons a cabin. All passengers have to pay an additional US$149 fee each for taxes and port fees. Payment plans are available.

March 5-8: Sea 'N Beats

What: Sea 'N Beats is Australia's first electronic music festival at sea, boasting seven floating stages on-board the 2,000-capacity cruise liner.

The four-day event will see the ship cruising the waters of the Coral Sea, taking festivalgoers to a mystery island off the Queensland coast for a full-day festival, and then back to Brisbane.

The full line-up has not yet been announced, but the current artist roster includes some of Australia's best electronic music talent, including Hayden James, Alison Wonderland, Jawz and Mickey Kojak.

The ship is offering an "adventure park at sea", where guests can zip-line across the pool deck, rock climb or manoeuvre a course riding a Segway electric scooter.

Where: The ship sets sail from Brisbane Cruise Terminal on March 5, taking festivalgoers to a mystery island off the Queensland coast, and back to Brisbane on March 8.

Admission: Prices start from A$957 (S$996) for a quad-share cabin to A$2,995 for a twin-share suite from the website (www.seanbeats.com.au). Ticket buyers need to pay a deposit of A$250 a person. If you are booking a quad-share cabin, you will need to pay the A$1,000 deposit on one credit card.

This article was first published on June 4, 2015.
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