Watching a favorite star perform live is a familiar thrill. But have you ever spent three days traveling alongside one?
The Royal Caribbean, the organisers of the JoJo Siwa Cruise has made the arrangements for the viral cruise show. Sailing from Port Canaveral (Florida) on June 12 with Siwa and fans, the ship made its first stop at CocoCay – which is the organiser’s private island.
Siwa first appeared in the reality show – The Dance Moms, alongside her mother, and is now a singer and social media personality. She initially gained popularity for her large hair bows and children’s music. Now transitioned into singing adult-oriented music and participated in various reality shows. Her fanbase has a range of fans – some younger and some goes up to 50.
The cruise was organized to provide an opportunity for everyone to enjoy the experience. A kind of experience that allows fans to connect with JoJo Siwa.
Not Just a Concert Ticket But a Full Itinerary
A backstage photo used to be the highlight of meeting a favorite star. This cruise offered a lot more. Guests decorated rhinestone versions of Siwa’s new Joelle bows. They took a dance class taught by Siwa herself. She hosted nightly parties for them. They also spent an afternoon in private cabanas on CocoCay’s beach. The trip closed with a concert at sea, for which, fans told – the concert featured new choreography created specifically for the cruise.
A group of fans who post together on Instagram as “The Divas” says their crew ranged from age 9 to 49 – proof, they said, of how wide Siwa’s audience has become. Most in the group became fans after watching her on Celebrity Big Brother, and they jumped at the cruise once she promoted it on social media. Of everything on the schedule, the group singled out a paid add-on, a hibachi dinner, as the trip’s best moment, saying the small setting let Siwa speak with each of them individually.
A 32-year-old fan who runs the Joelle Fans UK account, had followed Siwa from a distance for years before getting pulled deeper into the fandom over the past twelve months. She said the concert was made for the moment, not recycled from Siwa’s regular tour. But the real highlight for her was the community. Fans from different countries took less than a day to make friends.
Not every guest planned to be there. Kelly Anne, 28, won a contest for a trip to Los Angeles. But scheduling issues came up. Organizers gave her a cabin on the cruise instead. Her favorite part was the CocoCay stop. Siwa dropped by her beach cabana to say hello. Kelly called it one of her most memorable moments.
The Price Tag Fans Didn’t Expect
Fares for the cruise started at $1,300 per person excluding some activities which cost extra. A private dinner with Siwa cost $150. A movie-and-pizza night in her suite cost $1,250. Even the farewell swag bag had its own price tag: $52.75.
Merchandise sold separately drew its own round of online scrutiny. A limited-edition bow retailed for $22, a hoodie for $52 and a tank top for $42 – reasonable enough by concert-merch standards, except that commenters flooded the posts arguing the artwork looked machine-generated rather than hand-designed. Whether or not that criticism holds up, it became one of the loudest conversations trailing the cruise online, alongside jokes about the add-on prices themselves.
Fans who attended didn’t seem to mind the cost. Though, Kelly said the experience mattered more than the price. Likewise, the other fan was happy that she made new friends during the cruise. She admired Siwa for building a space where fans of all ages feel comfortable being themselves.
A Shift in Star-Fan Interactions
The JoJo Siwa Cruise reflects a bigger shift in how artists connect with fans. A concert ticket used to be the top tier of access. Now, some fans get days at sea instead of minutes at a meet-and-greet.
Whether other artists follow this model remains to be seen. But for fans aboard Utopia of the Seas this June, it delivered what it promised. And one of the attendees said – leaving was the hardest part of the weekend, called it a once-in-a-lifetime experience and mentioned that she made friendships she does expect to keep for years.
