What Is Book Club at Sea?
Inside Our Latest Cruise with Sadie Kincaid & Luna Mason
What happens when you combine a cruise vacation, your favorite authors, and a whole group of people who love books just as much as you do?
You get Book Club at Sea.
Our latest Book Club at Sea sailed aboard Royal Caribbean’s Utopia of the Seas with authors Sadie Kincaid and Luna Mason, and somehow, each one of these trips just keeps getting better.
Yes, there are book signings. Yes, there are author events. And yes, there are plenty of opportunities to talk about books.
But Book Club at Sea has become so much more than that.
It’s meeting someone in person after talking to them for months in our private Facebook group. It’s finding your new cruise buddy at the pool. It’s running into Sadie or Luna around the ship. It’s drinks, inside jokes, matching shirts, late-night conversations, new friendships, and a few days where you get to just relax and be around people who get it.
As one of our attendees put it:
“It’s like a week of summer camp for book girlies!” — Lisa Palmer
And honestly? That may be one of the best descriptions we’ve heard yet.
Starting the Cruise with New Friends—and Familiar Faces
We kicked off Book Club at Sea with a casual welcome meet-and-greet shortly after everyone boarded Utopia of the Seas.
Readers could stop in, meet Sadie and Luna, say hello to the Wishful Wanderings crew, pick up their Book Club at Sea swag bags, and start putting faces to some of the names they had already been seeing online.
Each attendee received a Book Club at Sea bag, water bottle, and a few other goodies to start the trip. But some of our favorite swag actually came from the readers themselves! Without any official planning from us, attendees showed up with their own bookish goodies to share and trade. There were handmade bracelets, stickers, bookmarks, 3D-printed book swag, and all kinds of little surprises being passed around the room. People simply decided to bring things to hand out to their fellow readers, and it turned our welcome event into an unofficial bookish gift swap.
We intentionally made the welcome event drop-in style. Some people stayed and hung out, while others stopped by and then headed back out to explore the ship, unpack, grab a drink, or get settled into vacation mode.
That balance is something we really love about Book Club at Sea.
There are plenty of opportunities to participate, but this is still your cruise vacation.
A Day in Nassau + An Afternoon of Books
Our first port was Nassau, Bahamas, and the day was left open for everyone to enjoy however they wanted.
Some of our readers booked excursions. Others spent the day at Royal Beach Club. Some explored Nassau on their own. And others stayed on ship and found a nice place to read and relax.
Then, as everyone started making their way back to the ship, we opened our Book Club at Sea book signing from 3–8 p.m (drop in style again).
And when we say book signing, we mean bring the books.
Readers were welcome to bring as many as they wanted for Sadie and Luna to sign. Because we had several hours set aside, the experience never had to feel like a rushed assembly line of sign, picture, next person.
There was time to talk.
There was time to laugh.
There was time for pictures.
And that personal access to our authors is one of the things that makes Book Club at Sea so different from many traditional reader events.
“It’s more than a quick signing, take pictures, and be on your way. The authors are able to take the time with everyone when chatting… It seems like a relaxed and chill moment where everyone can enjoy it more fully.” — Tammy James
Sadie and Luna aren’t simply arriving for one scheduled appearance and disappearing again. They participate in all of our Book Club at Sea events, which gives readers multiple opportunities throughout the cruise to actually spend time with them.
Perfect Day at CocoCay Was Exactly That—a Vacation Day
The following day brought us to Royal Caribbean’s Perfect Day at CocoCay.
And our Book Club at Sea schedule?
Nothing.
We wanted everyone to have the entire day to enjoy the island.
Some attendees rented cabanas together. Others spent time at the beach or pool. Groups that had gotten to know one another before and during the cruise naturally started making plans together.
That’s something we’ve loved watching happen with Book Club at Sea.
Our private Facebook group gives readers a chance to connect before sailing, but once everyone is onboard, those online connections start turning into real friendships.
We’d walk around the ship and see groups from BCAS together at a bar, by the pool or grabbing something to eat. People who hadn’t necessarily known one another before the trip were suddenly planning activities together.
“Bookish friends tend to get me on a different level than some of my closest friends do… I’ve come away from both trips with more self-confidence and definitely more friends.” — Anna Reynolds
Another attendee summed it up even more simply:
“I loved making my online friends IRL friends! Everyone was so welcoming too!” — Jenna Fletcher
And for some attendees, those friendships have continued long after everyone gets off the ship.
One reader came to our very first Book Club at Sea nervous because she had never even met an author before. She left the trip not only with an amazing experience, but with a new friend she still talks to regularly, visits, and reads books with.
We love the books.
We love the authors.
But watching this community grow has become one of our favorite parts.
Q&A, Trivia and All the Questions We Wanted to Ask
Our final full day was a sea day, which meant it was time to bring everyone back together.
We started the morning with a Q&A with Sadie and Luna, followed by trivia.
The Q&A gave readers a chance to hear more about the stories they love, the authors’ backgrounds, their writing, and some of the behind-the-scenes details you don’t necessarily get just from reading the books.
Then it was time to test everyone’s knowledge.
We played trivia featuring Sadie and Luna’s books along with general reader and bookish trivia. There were plenty of laughs, a little friendly competition, and, of course, prizes.
We also had a scavenger hunt happening throughout the sailing, with final prizes awarded during our farewell event later that evening.
Bound by Darkness & Drenched in Glitter
And then came one of our favorite Book Club at Sea traditions: the farewell party.
Our theme this year was Bound by Darkness & Drenched in Glitter, and our readers absolutely understood the assignment.
Everyone had the chance to dress up, grab a drink, take more pictures with Sadie and Luna, dance, sing, celebrate our scavenger hunt winners, and spend one last evening together before it was time to head home.
Tammy, who has joined us for multiple Book Club at Sea sailings, told us the farewell party is always her favorite event—even though it means the trip is almost over.
We understand why.
There is something really fun about seeing everyone come together at the end of the cruise after spending the past several days making memories all over the ship.
The Best Part? You Can Make Book Club at Sea Whatever You Want It to Be
There isn’t one “right” way to do Book Club at Sea.
Want to come to every event? We would love to have you.
Want to spend the morning relaxing by yourself and meet everyone later? Do it.
Want to make plans with people from the Facebook group? Go for it.
Want to show up with your best friend or spouse and mostly do your own thing outside of our events? That’s perfectly fine too.
One of our attendees described her trip as five days of:
“‘No thoughts, just vibes’ and zero pressure from others… no commitments, just options.” — Sheila Palmer
And that’s exactly the atmosphere we want.
A reader event shouldn’t mean giving up your vacation.
We plan Book Club at Sea so you have dedicated experiences with the authors and our group and plenty of time to enjoy the ship, the destinations, and whatever kind of vacation you want to have.
Next Stop: Alaska!
If a few days in the Bahamas were fun, imagine what we’re going to do with seven days in Alaska.
Book Club at Sea is heading north in 2027, and Sadie Kincaid and Luna Mason will be joining us again along with JL Madore (Auburn Tempest)!
Alaska gives us even more time together, while also giving our readers the opportunity to experience one of the most incredible cruise destinations.
Think glaciers, wildlife, beautiful scenery, amazing ports—and, of course, plenty of bookish fun mixed in along the way.
And based on the number of past attendees who are already talking about joining us again, we have a feeling there will be quite a few Book Club at Sea reunions happening onboard.
Want more details about joining us in Alaska? Click Here
Ready to join? Sign up!
And About 2028…
We may have let one more little secret slip during our latest sailing.
Book Club at Sea is going to the Mediterranean in 2028!
Even better?
Both Sadie Kincaid and Luna Mason are coming with us.
We don’t have the ship, sailing dates, or full itinerary to share just yet, so you’re going to have to hang onto that TBR and stay tuned.
But just imagine Book Club at Sea… in the Mediterranean.
Yeah.
We’re excited too.
Come Sail With Us
Book Club at Sea started as a fun idea: put readers and authors together on a cruise and see what happens.
What we’ve watched grow from it has been even better.
We’ve seen readers meet authors they’ve loved for years. We’ve watched online friendships turn into real-life ones. We’ve seen people arrive nervous and leave already making plans for the next sailing.
We’ve laughed, danced, dressed up, signed a lot of books, explored new places, made inside jokes we’re probably never going to explain, and created a community that we can’t wait to bring together again.
So whether you’re coming for the authors, the books, the cruise, the friendships—or a little bit of all of it—we’d love to have you join us.
