Sixthman's First 15 Years of Theme Cruises and the Future

Jason Leppert
by Jason Leppert
Last updated: 4:00 PM ET, Mon July 11, 2016

Now celebrating 15 years in operation, Sixthman continues to host theme cruises from KISS music festivals to Walker Stalker Con featuring "The Walking Dead" hit television show at sea. The company has led the charge for a vast selection of niche cruises across the industry, but Sixthman's specialty is musical artists.

Sixthman was founded by Andy Levine and is operated in-house and funded by Norwegian Cruise Line, hence the sailings on vessels such as the theme-cruise favorite Norwegian Pearl. The unique atmosphere is one full of intimate interactions between the bands and their biggest fans. Train's Pat Monahan has said, it's "all about spending time with friends, new and old."

It all started in 2001 with The Rock Boat - its 17th edition scheduled to sail on Feb. 10-15, 2017 - and has since gone on to delight over 200,000 guests across 835,000 days of travel fun to more than 20 international destinations.

[READMORE] READ MORE: 'The Walking Dead' Hits the High Seas on Second Walker Stalker Cruise [/READMORE]

Among the musical artists featured onboard over the organization's first years are Kid Rock, John Mayer, Zac Brown Band, Train, Pitbull, Paramore, Florida Georgia Line, Diplo, Joe Bonamassa, Lynyrd Skynyrd, 311, John Prine, Lyle Lovett, Chris Stapleton, Barenaked Ladies and Sister Hazel. Plus, partnerships have extended to Sirius XM Outlaw Country, Tru TV, Turner Broadcasting and, of course, Walker Stalker Con.

"Thanks to our guest and artist communities, we feel blessed to have the best jobs on the planet," said Anthony Diaz, CEO of Sixthman. "We're excited to share this 15-year milestone together with those who've made it possible."

Besides live performances and artist collaborations staged across the ship, past experiences have included karaoke singing, guitar pick throwing contests, theme night parties, pool deck sail-a-way shows, private island concerts, belly flop contests and exclusive question and answer sessions.

[READMORE] READ MORE: Sixthman Announces KISS Kruise Returning in November [/READMORE]

Sixthman cruises are the ultimate traveling fan communities that also annually give back to visited ports and charities. For instance, Sixthman spring 2016 festival guests alone donated over 1,000 pounds of school and medical supplies to kids via Pack For a Purpose and raised close to $20,000 for foundations like Soldier's Angels and Music Makes Life Better.

For the anniversary, Sixthman invites festival veterans to share their experiences on social media with the hashtag #SXMGreatestHits while newcomers can also enjoy the conversation leading up to Sixthman Day on Aug. 30, 2016. On the occasion - fifteen years to the day that Sixthman first set sail - the company will live stream Sixthman Sessions musical performances and give away grand prizes like the chance to win a 2017 cruise.

For more information, visit Sixthman's 15-year anniversary web page at Sixthman.net/greatesthits. Upcoming sailings to look forward to include the following:

Nov. 4-9, 2016: KISS Kruise VI

Feb. 3-6, 2017: 2nd Annual Walker Stalker Cruise

Feb. 6-10, 2017: Keeping the Blues Alive at Sea III

Feb. 10-15, 2017: The Rock Boat XVII

Feb. 15-19, 2017: 4th Annual Sail Across The Sun

Feb. 19-26, 2017: 10th Edition Cayamo

Feb. 26-Mar. 2, 2017: 2nd Annual Outlaw Country Cruise

Mar. 2-6, 2017: 311 Carribean Cruise | 5th Voyage

Mar. 10-13, 2017: Pitbull After Dark Party

Apr. 4-9, 2017: Kid Rock's 8th Chillin' the Most Cruise

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Jason Leppert

Jason Leppert

Jason Leppert - Senior Writer, Cruises and Cruise Travel - is a San Diego-based cruising expert with more than 100 sailings...

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