What is
Summer camp for nerds? The greatest vacation you’ll ever have? All the best parts of cons and music festivals—gaming, concerts, comedy, hanging out with your tribe—with absolute dominion over an entire cruise ship filled with free food, fruity drinks and swimming pools? Yes, yes, and yes.
Join our annual gathering of creative makers, artists and technorati, celebrating their favorite things and discovering new ones. All week long there are live performances large and small, parties and hangouts, writing and gaming events, and much, much more—all hosted by singer-songwriter and Internet-famous person Jonathan Coulton. (a.k.a. "JoCo.")
JoCo Cruise
Live Shows
A central feature of JoCo Cruise is daily live performances, both large-scale (in the ship's main theater) and smaller-scale (in the ship's various other lounges and public spaces). Every year we assemble an eclectic mix of entertainers, experts and personalities: musicians, comedians, authors, game designers, webcomics, and more.
JoCo Cruise has had all types of performers, including:
Musicians
- Jonathan Coulton
- John Flansburgh (from They Might Be Giants)
- Jean Grae
- Imogen Heap
- Zoë Keating
- Ted Leo
- Aimee Mann
- Paul and Storm
- Open Mike Eagle
- John Roderick
- Sara & Sean Watkins (from Nickel Creek)
Comedians/Performers
- Michael Ian Black
- Maria Bamford
- Rhea Butcher
- Cameron Esposito
- Hank Green
- John Hodgman
- Grant Imahara
- Hari Kondabolu
- Peter Sagal
- Wil Wheaton
Authors/Writers
- Allie Brosh (Hyperbole and a Half)
- Matt Inman (The Oatmeal)
- N.K. Jemison (The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms)
- Randall Munroe (xkcd)
- Patrick Rothfuss (The Kingkiller Chronicles series)
- John Scalzi (Old Man’s War; Redshirts)
- Matt Fraction (Hawkeye; Sex Criminals)
- Kelly Sue DeConnick (Bitch Planet; Captain Marvel)
Podcasts
- The Thrilling Adventure Hour
- SPONTANEANATION
- Roderick on the Line
- Feminist Frequency Radio
- Shmanners
- I Was There Too
- The JV Club
Many Hangouts
Featured Events
Beyond the daily main performances, there's LOTS more to occupy your time while you're on JoCo Cruise. Below is just a sampling of the many other exclusive events we offer our attendees:
Meetups and drinkups with JoCo Cruise performers, gaming battles (some featuring the game designers themselves!), and much, much more!
Join discussions with and by all manner of smart and interesting people, including bestselling authors, award-winning musicians and songwriters, professional comedians, actors, web creators, and other creative professionals.
Get up on stage and belt out your favorite songs.
Put on your dancing shoes (or flip-flops, or whatever your desired footwear for dance purposes) and spend the night grooving with your fellow Sea Monkeys. Featuring celebrity DJs!
Show off your own talents in front of the most supportive audience you’ll ever have: your fellow Sea Monkeys!
Mingle with the JoCo Cruise performers, meet up with old friends, make new friends, and get into the proper cruising spirit. Fez-optional.
Sit (or possibly hot tub) under the stars with your fellow Sea Monkeys and watch some of your favorite movies the way they were intended to be seen: on a giant screen, near a big pool, with drink service.
Gaming
JoCo Cruise 2019 will feature a vast array of tabletop, RPG and card gaming opportunities: in addition to a dedicated, 24-hour gaming area with an enormous library of games, there’s free play throughout the ship, plus tournaments, new game playtesting, Q&A sessions, and meetups with some of the top game creators currently working. (In previous years, attendees got early access to Exploding Kittens, Sentinels of the Multiverse and Phoenix: Dawn Command, to name a few.) You will be SO SICK OF GAMES by the time you are done with this cruise!
Game companies/folks who’ve sailed with us include:
- Steve Jackson Games
- Breaking Games
- Cards Against Humanity
- Cheapass Games
- Exploding Kittens
- Greater Than Games
- Green Ronin
- Lone Shark Games
- Looney Labs
- Twogether Studios
- Ultra PRO / Jolly Roger
- Wizards of the Coast
Writing Events
Meet and learn from the greats! Curated by New York Times bestselling authors John Scalzi and Patrick Rothfuss, JoCo Cruise’s Writing Track will feature panels, readings, and hangouts throughout the week with some of the most creative minds currently working in fiction, comics, webcomics, music, film and television, and more.
Writing Track event participants in the past have included:
- John Scalzi
- Pat Rothfuss
- Keith Baker
- Allie Brosh (Hyperbole and a Half)
- Jonathan Coulton
- Kelly Sue DeConnick
- Matt Fraction
- Matt Inman (The Oatmeal)
- Ted Leo
- N. K. Jemisin
- Aimee Mann
- Opus Moreschi
Our Amazing Community
"The Shadow Cruise"
JoCo Cruise attendees are an amazing and creative bunch of people. Just in case our official programming isn’t enough for you, many of our attendees organize and host their own own events, creating what we like to call the “Shadow Cruise.” You know that group of great friends you met at that one crazy ukulele jam party? That happened on the JoCo Cruise.
A sampling of past Shadow Cruise events:
- Jam sessions and song circles
- Music and comedy concerts
- Artemis starship bridge simulator
- Improv classes
- Cosplay (and non-cosplay) photo shoots
- Speed meeting
- Book clubs
- Song circles and jam sessions
- Group meditation, yoga, and tai chi
- Video shoots
- Puzzle hunts
- Culinary-interest events
- Crafting and knitting
- Podcasting
- Ballroom dance lessons
- Zumba classes
Photos and Videos
More Information and Links
Listen, we can’t possibly be lying about how much fun this thing is, because there’s no way we could plant this much stuff all over the internet. If you’re interested and want further details, here’s a few places to get them:
- The JoCo Cruise 2019 FAQ. Answers to questions that are asked frequently. Perhaps your questions.
- The JoCo Cruise 2019 Facebook group. Fan-run, active group where you can usually find veteran cruisers who are happy to let you know the skinny and talk all things JoCo Cruisical. (Closed group; you'll need to request membership to view content.)
- The Jonathan Coulton Forums. No account necessary to view, only to post. A great place to start and find like-minded individuals.
- Holland America’s comprehensive web page for Cruise Preparation, which covers a wide range of topics, including documentation, baggage policy information and packing advice, dress code, childcare and youth activities, and much more.
- The JoCo Cruise New Monkey Handbook. This is a handy guide for people new to the JoCo Cruise experience, to help you get an overall sense of the event and to find easy ways to dive in and “get into the swing of things,” so to speak.
Seriously, this is the most fun thing we do all year, and we’re professional entertainers. We really hope you’ll join us.