5.28.26 - It's Never Too Early to Start Planning
The Jazz Cruise '27 sails on January 17, 2027
(only 234 days from now!)
Signature Cruise Experiences is busy planning the sailing of The Jazz Cruise ’27. While we are working on programming, events and parties, we urge you to begin considering various aspects of your cruise experience as well.
Over the next few months, we will be sharing some ideas and undertakings for you to consider in the course of your personal planning. SCE’s first recommendation is arriving in Tampa the day BEFORE embarkation to alleviate stress from any potential travel delays or issues. The next items to consider are whether you will need hotel accommodations on the night before embarkation and whether you wish to use SCE’s coach transportation from the Pre-Cruise Hotel to the pier.
Pre-Cruise and Hotel Recommendations
Signature Cruise Experiences is happy to recommend hotels and ground transportation for guests arriving in the Tampa area for The Jazz Cruise ’27. With the prices for hotels varying so much from property to property, we are reluctant to select one hotel to be the headquarters for our guests. Invariably, we will have some guests wanting a more luxurious hotel and others who are content paying less for a simple room. We have adopted the policy of listing our recommendations which cover an array of price points.
We will continue to secure rooms at one hotel which will serve as the takeoff point for our day of cruise ground transportation to the cruise terminal. For The Jazz Cruise ’27, The Westshore Grand, A Tribute Portfolio Hotel will be that hotel. To learn more about the property, pricing and to reserve your room, CLICK HERE.
If you wish to pursue other hotel options at various locations and price points, SCE has compiled a list of potential hotels along with a direct link to each reservation procedure for your review. Going to the reservation link is the only way to determine both price and availability for each hotel. Please contact the hotel regarding airport / cruise port shuttle service.
GROUND TRANSPORTATION TO PIER ON EMBARKATION DAY
Regardless of where you stay the night before embarkation, you may elect to purchase Signature Cruise Experiences exclusive coach transportation to the pier on Embarkation Day. The coaches will leave from The Westshore Grand beginning at 10:30 AM with the goal of having guests arrive at the pier no later than 1:00 PM. Your luggage will be loaded onto the motorcoach by our team, and you will be assisted at the pier by the cruise line porters. No tips or lifting necessary!
Coach transportation from The Westshore Grand to the pier costs $35/person, with advanced reservation required by Tuesday, December 1, 2026. Guests may register for this service now by completing the transportation form. Once your form is submitted and reviewed by the SCE team, the Hotel to Pier Ground Transportation service will be added to your reservation and $35 per person will be charged to the card on file unless otherwise specified. Once complete, a reservation confirmation will be sent to you by email. Further instructions regarding this transfer will be emailed to each guest approximately 15 days prior to the cruise.
Please Note: SCE’s ground transportation is offered on Embarkation Day ONLY and is subject to availability. If you would like to purchase ground transportation on Disembarkation Day from the port to the airport or round-trip transportation, Celebrity Cruises offers shuttle services that you may purchase once reservation numbers are distributed in the coming months.
The secured block of rooms at The Westshore Grand offers limited availability. If our block of rooms is fully reserved at the time of your booking, you are welcome to reserve a room outside of SCE’s block and still take advantage of our Pre-Cruise Hotel to Pier transportation service.
REGISTER FOR COACH TRANSPORTATION
There's Still Time to Add a Week (or Two) to The Jazz Cruise '27
There is still time to join David Foster: The Hitman Cruise Encore which sails on Celebrity Summit the week prior to The Jazz Cruise ’27 or sailing the week after join us for Journey of Jazz '27. If you have never sailed back-to-back weeks, it's a lot of fun, easy to do and gives you two (or three) weeks of amazing music. If you act now, you may be able to have the same stateroom for all of the cruises. If not, the staff of Celebrity Cruises does all the work. The last day of David Foster: The Hitman Cruise Encore is the first day of The Jazz Cruise ’27 and the last day of The Jazz Cruise ’27 is the first day of Journey of Jazz ‘27. Once the guests disembark, your stateroom steward will simply move your items to your new stateroom for that cruise. You are free to disembark, spend some time in port (Tampa) or just stay on the ship and chill.
David Foster: The Hitman Cruise Encore was a runaway hit program. From the first note to the last song, the brilliance of David Foster was evident in every show and event. The lineup for David Foster: The Hitman Cruise Encore includes Michael McDonald, Dianne Reeves, Leslie Odom Jr., Katharine McPhee, Erich Bergen and more. The Jazz Cruise host Emmet Cohen will also be onboard.
Journey of Jazz ’27 will be an amazing cruise program featuring hosts Marcus Miller and Gregory Porter, a full lineup of great musicians and vocalists, a special two days in New Orleans which features Wynton Marsalis and a group of his hand-picked musicians.
In its second season, Journey of Jazz proudly combines the very best music with opportunities to live the jazz life and learn more about the history of jazz. As an example, Journey of Jazz ’27 will present Ledisi as a main show performer on the ship. In keeping with the theme of the cruise, Ledisi will perform her universally beloved Tribute to Dinah (Washington) program.
Contact us for the details and special pricing for adding David Foster: The Hitman Cruise Encore or Journey of Jazz ’27 to your reservation for The Jazz Cruise ’27.
STAY TUNED
As mentioned, we will continue to provide you with more information to help you prepare for The Jazz Cruise ‘27 in the coming months. This will include everything from how you board the ship, pre-cruise purchases, dining options onboard, Theme Nights, showtimes and much more. In the meantime, we highly suggest reviewing our Booked Guest portal on the website.