What Sixthman does

Sixthman Ltd. is an Atlanta-based cruise festival production company founded in 2001 that organizes and operates themed multi-day cruise experiences combining live entertainment with cruise travel. The company curates over 30 distinct festival cruise products across genres including rock, country, hip-hop, EDM, heavy metal, emo, comedy, Broadway theater, culinary, and reality television, with flagship franchises such as The Rock Boat (anchored by Sister Hazel), Keeping the Blues Alive at Sea (Joe Bonamassa, in its 12th edition), Cayamo (19th edition), Outlaw Country Cruise (11th voyage), and newer entries like Bananaland at Sea and Bachelor Nation Vacation at Sea. The core offering pairs ticketed cruise cabin packages aboard Norwegian Cruise Line ships (Norwegian Jewel and Norwegian Joy) with curated artist performances, Q&As, workshops, themed activities, and destination experiences across Caribbean, Mediterranean, Alaska, and Dominican Republic itineraries.

The company's underlying technology is a digital booking platform supporting account management, reservations, referral tracking, gift card issuance, and travel agent integration rather than a technology-first product. Sixthman generates revenue primarily through cabin package sales (transaction-fee model), with supplementary streams from digital gift cards ($20-$1,000 denominations, no fees, no expiry) and a 10% travel agent commission channel. Go-to-market is direct-to-consumer via sixthman.net, phone sales, email, SMS (keyword CRUISE to 60123), social channels (Facebook, Instagram, Spotify, YouTube), and registered travel agency partners. Customer segmentation is horizontal across fandom personas (music fans, theater fans, sports fans, comedy fans, culinary enthusiasts), and the company operates a multi-tier loyalty architecture (Cannonball Club, Latitudes Rewards, Referral Program offering $150 onboard credit for referrers).

Sixthman is a privately held subsidiary of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd., operating as part of a corporate family alongside Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises, and Regent Seven Seas Cruises. The company has completed over 242 festivals and hosted 544,278+ guests with a network of 3,645+ artists since inception. Headcount is 51-100 employees. The company celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2026, expanded into Europe in 2019, announced Greek Isles sailings in 2021, and continues to extend its portfolio with new verticals and geographies through 2027 sailings.

Name

Sixthman

Legal name

Sixthman Ltd.

Website

https://sixthman.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Sixthman is an Atlanta-based cruise festival production company that organizes over 30 themed music, comedy, theater, sports, and culinary cruise experiences aboard Norwegian Cruise Line ships, serving niche fandom communities as a subsidiary of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Festival Cruise Events

NAICS

Tour Operators (561520), Scenic and Sightseeing Transportation, Water (48721), All Other Amusement and Recreation Industries (71399)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Themed & Special-Interest Ocean Cruise Lines (THAEAAAG)

Keywords

• Themed cruise festivals
• Music festival cruises
• Festival event production
• Themed vacation experiences
• Entertainment cruise packages

Headquarters

HQ city

Atlanta

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Cruise Festival Ticket Sales: Revenue generated from selling cabin packages and tickets to themed cruise festivals featuring artists, comedians, athletes, and celebrities. Guests pay for cruise accommodations combined with event access.
2. Gift Cards: Digital gift cards sold in amounts from $20 to $1000, redeemable towards reservations or applied as onboard credit for onboard purchases during cruises.
3. Travel Agent Commissions: Sixthman pays 10% commission to travel agents on net cabin fares for bookings made by the agency, generating referral revenue.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Sixthman produces and sells themed festival cruise vacations, bundling cruise accommodations aboard Norwegian Cruise Line ships with ticketed live performances, artist Q&As, panels, workshops, and destination experiences. Each festival cruise is co-created with featured artists (e.g., Hallmark stars, Joe Bonamassa, Sister Hazel, A Day To Remember, Chris Jericho) across genres including rock, country, hip-hop, EDM, comedy, Broadway, heavy metal, and culinary themes.

Product overview

Sixthman is a festival cruise and event company that organizes and operates themed music and entertainment cruises. Their portfolio consists of over 30 distinct festival cruise products spanning multiple genres including rock, country, hip-hop, EDM, comedy, Broadway, heavy metal, and culinary themes. Each festival cruise is a standalone product branded with specific artist partnerships (e.g., Hallmark Christmas Cruise, 311 Caribbean Cruise, The Rock Boat, Keeping the Blues Alive at Sea). The company also offers digital gift cards and loyalty programs (Cannonball Club, Referral Program) as supplementary services. The core offering is the cruise event experience itself, combining ticketed cruise travel with live performances, artist interactions, themed activities, and destination experiences aboard Norwegian Cruise Line ships.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Cannonball Club: A loyalty program for guests who want to experience more than one Sixthman vacation per year, offering special stateroom pricing on upcoming cruises.
• Sixthman Sessions
• Latitudes Rewards

Products and services

• Hallmark Christmas Cruise A holiday-themed cruise featuring Hallmark stars with festive activities, Create & Learn workshops, exclusive star-led shows, and onboard screenings of new Hallmark movies, sailing from Miami to Great Stirrup Cay, Bahamas aboard Norwegian Joy.
• Flogging Molly Cruise (Salty Dog Cruise) A Celtic punk-themed cruise hosted by Flogging Molly featuring non-stop music, mayhem, and Caribbean destinations including Cozumel, Mexico and Great Stirrup Cay, Bahamas.
• Headbangers Boat A heavy metal music cruise featuring Lamb of God and metal legends with face-melting performances and exclusive events aboard Norwegian Jewel, sailing round-trip from Miami to Great Stirrup Cay, Bahamas.
• Rock The Bells Cruise A hip-hop themed cruise (fourth edition) featuring legendary hip-hop artists, MCs, DJs, producers, and comedians for an immersive festival experience at sea aboard Norwegian Joy.
• The Revivalists' Otherside of Paradise A music cruise hosted by The Revivalists featuring Caribbean sun, surf, and unforgettable live sets across multiple stages aboard Norwegian Jewel, sailing from Miami to Nassau, Bahamas.
• Chefs Making Waves A culinary-themed cruise featuring Food Network celebrity chefs with live demonstrations, panels, Q&As, and chef-curated dishes paired with an Unlimited Open Bar Package aboard Norwegian Joy.
• Chris Jericho Cruise A rock 'n' wrestling cruise hosted by Chris Jericho featuring wrestling personalities and rock music with non-stop high-octane entertainment.
• Moon River at Sea A four-day music celebration featuring Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors, and Ellie Holcomb with exclusive sets, intimate performances, and curated artist interactions.
• Sublime Reef Madness A reggae/ska cruise featuring Sublime with four days of music, beach activities at Great Stirrup Cay, and onboard entertainment aboard Norwegian Jewel.
• Bachelor Nation Vacation at Sea The first-ever Bachelor Nation-themed cruise featuring reality-dating-show alumni with themed events, episodes, and group activities aboard Norwegian Joy.
• Bert Kreischer Cruise (Fully Loaded at Sea) A comedy cruise hosted by Bert Kreischer featuring stand-up comedy, live podcasts, late-night music, karaoke, wild contests, and theme nights aboard Norwegian Jewel.
• E.N.D. Cruise (Emo's Not Dead) An emo/pop-punk cruise hosted by Matt Cutshall & Emo's Not Dead featuring performances, pit experiences, and community events celebrating emo culture.
• EDSea An EDM/electronic dance music cruise featuring EDC-themed immersive art, performers, themed stages, and non-stop music aboard Norwegian Joy.
• Lindsey Stirling's Master of Tides Cruise A violin/electronic music cruise featuring Lindsey Stirling with epic shows, Roundtable Rival Q&A, dance and guitar lessons, drum circles, and western-themed activities.
• The Rock Boat A multi-day rock music cruise anchored by Sister Hazel featuring multiple bands, artist encounters, and floating rock terminal experiences aboard Norwegian Jewel.
• Boots on the Water A country music cruise featuring honky tonk entertainment at sea with live shows, theme nights, and island experiences to Nassau, Bahamas.
• Sail Across the Sun Train-hosted cruise featuring stellar artist groups for a four-night celebration aboard Norwegian Jewel with destinations including Ocho Rios, Jamaica.
• Cayamo A roots, folk, and Americana music cruise entering its 19th edition featuring artists like The Jayhawks, Jeff Tweedy, Punch Brothers, and Molly Tuttle aboard Norwegian Jewel.

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.

• Tony Award-Winning Artists (Patti LuPone, Darren Criss, Norbert Leo Butz, Adrienne Warren)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 May 2026Sixthman partners with Tony Award-winners and nominees for The Broadway Cruise series, bringing Broadway performances and fan interactions to sea. The partnership creates 'Broadway without walls' experiences featuring intimate performances and theatrical events.
• Keeping the Blues Alive FoundationflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 February 2026Non-profit foundation benefiting from cruise proceeds. Has impacted over 136,000 music students and provided emergency relief to over 450 musicians. Annual partnership creates social impact alongside commercial events.
• Norwegian Cruise LinecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNorwegian Cruise Line operates the cruise ships used for Sixthman's festival cruises, including Norwegian Jewel and Norwegian Joy. Ships feature multiple venues for performances, dining, and activities. This is a foundational partnership enabling Sixthman's business model.
• Joe BonamassaflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerGuitar legend Joe Bonamassa partners with Sixthman for the annual Keeping the Blues Alive at Sea cruise. Proceeds benefit the Keeping the Blues Alive Foundation, which has impacted over 136,000 music students. This is a flagship recurring partnership for over 12 editions.
• Travel AgenciescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTravel agents and agencies can register with Sixthman to book clients on cruises and receive 10% commission on net cabin fares. This channel partnership extends distribution reach beyond direct consumer sales.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Intrepid Travel: Intrepid Travel is a global tour operator specializing in small-group, themed, and experiential travel packages — comparable to Sixthman as a packaged-tour operator that bundles transportation, lodging, and curated experiences for enthusiast audiences.
• Vibee: Vibee produces destination-based music festivals and experiences, including Phish's Riviera Maya events, directly competing with Sixthman in curated festival-cruise and resort-style music events targeting passionate fan communities.
• StarVista Music / StarVista LIVE: StarVista LIVE produces themed music cruises (e.g., Country Music Cruise, Flower Power Cruise, Soul Train Cruise), operating a near-identical model of full-ship charters featuring marquee artists and fan activities.
• CID Entertainment / CID Presents: CID Entertainment is a live music experience company that produces destination festivals and curated music events, often at sea or in resort settings, competing for the same artist relationships and fan-travel audiences as Sixthman.
• Adventures by Disney: Adventures by Disney organizes branded, themed group travel including cruise vacations with exclusive programming — directly comparable to Sixthman's model of packaging a charter cruise with curated fan/artist experiences and premium pricing.
• Trafalgar / Contiki (The Travel Corporation): Trafalgar and Contiki operate guided tour and cruise-tour packages globally with themed itineraries; comparable to Sixthman as a packaged-tour operator targeting enthusiast travelers with bundled experiences.

Broad incumbents

• Norwegian Cruise Line: Norwegian Cruise Line is Sixthman's parent brand and the operator of every ship Sixthman charters; it is a broad incumbent in mainstream ocean cruising that also offers entertainment programming, providing both supply and adjacent competition.
• Royal Caribbean Group: Royal Caribbean operates large ocean cruise fleets and runs its own themed entertainment sailings and private destinations, representing a broad incumbent that overlaps with Sixthman's themed-event cruise market from a fleet-owner perspective.
• Carnival Cruise Line: Carnival operates the world's largest cruise fleet and offers themed entertainment sailings; as a broad incumbent, it is comparable in product category but does not specialize in festival-at-sea programming like Sixthman.

Others

• Cruise Planners: Cruise Planners is a large travel-agency franchise network that books cruise vacations, including Sixthman sailings; comparable as a downstream distribution channel and ecosystem participant rather than a direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@SixthmanLLC
• Facebookfacebook.com/sixthman
• Instagraminstagram.com/sxmliveloud
• Xx.com/sxmliveloud

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Sixthman