A Taylor Swift-themed cruise will set sail in 2024 … without the singer

A travel agency in the United States is hoping to be the latest business to capitalise on “Taylormania” and is selling tickets for a Taylor Swift-themed cruise.

Called the In My Era Cruise, the Royal Caribbean trip is scheduled to embark from Miami, Florida on Oct 21, 2024, a date that was intended to line up with the end of Swift’s three-night stint at the city’s Hard Rock Stadium during her Eras Tour. It will take passengers on several stops across the Bahamas over four nights.

Tickets run from around US$1,500 (RM7,061) to nearly US$2,000 (RM9,415), according to the cruise’s website.

The cruise will feature all the makings of a Swiftie event, such as dressing up in Eras Tour outfits and trading friendship bracelets, as well as karaoke, Swift trivia and dance parties. Just don’t expect Swift, or anyone close to her (yes, including boyfriend Travis Kelce), to show up.

The travel agency behind the trip made clear it is “not endorsed or affiliated with TASRM or Taylor Swift”, referring to the singer’s management brand. The agents announced themselves as best friends and Swifties, describing the cruise as “fan-led”. The cruise has drawn fans from across the US – Ohio to Texas to Hawaii, according to a Facebook page set up by the agency for fans hoping to hop on board.

And recently, Marvelous Mouse Travels said there are still rooms available but they’re selling out fast as the agents begin pulling from a waitlist.

“We still have staterooms to book, so if you haven’t heard back from us yet – don’t panic!” the agency wrote in a Facebook post. “We just don’t want to set unrealistic expectations for anyone as they find us in the coming days and want in.”

Marvelous Mouse is the latest company aiming to cash in on the economic tidal waves that have followed Swift in each stop of her record-breaking Eras tour, which launched in March this year. On top of ticket sales, her tour has provided a major boost in revenue to local economies, from hotels to small businesses such as street vendors.

Circle Line Cruise, a popular Manhattan-based ferry known for bringing tourists throughout the Hudson River in New York, offered a Taylor Swift Dance Cruise in May ahead of her show at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. The tourism company also had a similar dance cruise coinciding with Beyoncé’s Renaissance tour.

One study from online company QuestionPro estimated the Eras Tour generated US$5bil (RM23.54bil) for local economies. A California Center for Jobs and the Economy report estimated Swift’s six-show stay at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, would bring US$320mil (RM1.506bil) to the county’s economy, including US$160mil (RM1.22bil) in wages paid for new jobs generated by the week-long event.

And Swift remains perhaps the biggest winner. Swifties have been willing to put down serious cash to see her perform, which experts credit to the pandemic, which starved fans of live music for several years. According to a Bloomberg News analysis, thanks to sales from the Eras Tour (and Swift’s box-office-winning concert film), the Grammy winner entered her billionaire era in November. Her reported net worth: US$1.1bil (RM5.18bil). – Los Angeles Times/Tribune News Service