Hot trend: music cruises are on the rise. Here's why

American soul-rocker Michael Franti admits it's "exhausting" headlining a music-wellness cruise. "You're pulling long hours - you get up early in the morning to do yoga and then we're working all through the day until late into the night," he says. Following 2021's Soulshine cruise, he and wife Sara flopped in a Miami hotel room for 24 hours to recover. Yet come November 4, they're doing it all over again as Soulshine at Sea heads from Miami to Mexico and back over four days.

Such a prolonged up-close experience with fans isn't every artist's cup of peppermint tea but Franti embraces it. "I love our fan base - they're people who share similar values about music and people and the planet," he says. "They're all kind people and I enjoy our time together."

Australian musician John Butler is among artists joining him at sea. "We've been friends for 20 years - I love his music and his energy," says Franti, who will also put on his hotelier cap (the Frantis own Soulshine Bali) to conduct Balinese cooking classes.

Read more on Explore:

This personable approach is something passengers experience with artists aboard Australian music cruises. Choose Your Cruise has run what joint CEO, Marius Els, calls "music festivals at sea" on chartered cruise ships since 2010. Performing on these cruises wasn't considered cool at first but a turning point came in 2016 when John Farnham headlined a cruise. "With John being such a favoured artist in Australia, that was certainly a coup for us," says Els, who's since booked big-name acts including Foreigner, Status Quo and Jose Carreras.

This year, Els has programmed cruises - variously featuring Elvis impersonators, rock acts and country music - that will shuttle between Sydney and New Caledonia over November and December.

My most vivid memory from one of these cruises was watching Tania Kernaghan lead a conga line through the ship's atrium as supergroup The Wheel cranked to a crescendo. In among the laughs there's also high emotion, especially as fans interacted with artists at meet-and-greet sessions, asking them to sign everything from T-shirts still on their body to a hat or guitar.

Many artists collaborate, resulting in jam sessions. "The experience isn't what you'd see in a normal environment," says Els. "It's a bit of fantasyland because you're out there with some of the biggest stars you've grown up with. There's pretty much just happiness all over the ship." Cue extra happiness next year when the cruises move onto Carnival Luminosa, where headliners can rock out on the pool deck instead of in seated theatres, allowing fans to dance their hearts out.

1. In 2024, Choose Your Cruise is offering the Bravo Cruise of Performing Arts (October 16-23), Rock the Boat (October 23-30) and the Flashback party cruise (October 30-November 7). chooseyourcruise.com.au

2. Michael Franti and Spearhead headline Soulshine at Sea from November 4-8. soulshineatsea.com

3. Pack your cowboy boots and hat for Pacific Explorer's three-night round-trip country music cruise from Auckland (November 17-20) or Pacific Encounter's hoedown (December 2-5) from Brisbane. pocruises.com.au