Duck Dynasty endured a major controversy in the winter and Season Five is off to a slow start in the ratings compared to previous seasons. But none of that will stop the Robertson clan from looking forward to five days of fun in the Caribbean sun with 2,700 of their closest friends this summer when the Duck Dynasty cruise sets sail from Miami.
Yes, you read that right. Duck Dynasty has its own Caribbean cruise. Technically, the cruise is dubbed the Duck Commander Cruise , presumably because the Duck Dynasty name is trademarked by the A&E Network, whereas the Roberstons themselves can license the name of their own company.
Though the Duck Dynasty cruise — we’ll call it that because it just sounds better — takes place on a Carnival Cruise lines ship, the cruise is actually a private charter, operated by a company called Premier Christian Cruises.
A Carnival spokesperson told the news site Talking Points Memo that he wasn’t even aware that there was such a thing as a Duck Dynasty cruise.
The shores of Cozumel are a far cry from the marshes of Louisiana. But that Caribbean island off the east coast of Mexico will be the main port of call on the Duck Dynasty cruise, which sails from Miami on July 17. And the Robertsons themselves will host the cruise. Cozumel is also an excellent loaction for scuba diving and snorkeling.
For duck hunting, not so much.
The Carnival Victory, the 893-foot ship that has been booked for the Duck Dynasty cruise, can handle 2,758 passengers and includes the usual cruise ship amenities, such as a spa, fitness center, “5 Star” dining, live entertainment an casino gambling — though the latter seems not entirely compatible with the “Christian Cruise” theme.
The ship’s casinos, however, are operated by outside vendors and will remain open during the Duck Dynasty cruise.
The Duck Dynasty cruise also includes morning devotions and of course, autograph sessions as well as question and answer periods with the Robertson bunch. The cruise also features plenty of activities for teenagers. While Duck Dynasty patriarch Phil Robertson is on record as saying that grown men should ideally seek to marry 15-year-old girls , there was no word as to whether on-board weddings would be performed.
An all-inclusive double occupancy standby ticket for the Duck Dynasty cruise starts at $2,798 and tops out at $3,718.
Given Phil Robertson’s expressed distaste for gay people as well as his belief that African Americans were better off in the days before the civil rights movement, it is natural to wonder what the crowd of passengers will look like.
“We obviously don’t ask people their sexual orientation or race or anything like that when they book a cruise, but I imagine that we’ll have all kinds of people,” said Premier spokesperson Tiffany Brown of the upcoming Duck Dynasty cruise.