Biggest Samba Meeting at Sea 2027: Lineup and Prices

The Biggest Samba Meeting at Sea is a themed cruise aboard the MSC Divina, from January 11 to 14, 2027, with embarkation and disembarkation at the port of Santos. Zeca Pagodinho, Alcione and Jorge Aragão are confirmed, alongside Xande de Pilares, Belo, Seu Jorge and Péricles. PromoAção charges a port fee of R$ 1,350 per person (Oct 2026) on top of the cabin.

It’s 3 nights on board, with shows on the pool decks. If you can’t get a cabin or want to spend less, there are regular ships sailing from Santos the same week, such as the MSC Virtuosa departing 01/09/2027 on Logitravel, from R$ 4,994 per person (Oct 2026), without the shows.

🚢 This article is part of the 2026/2027 Cruise Guide: every ship, port and price of the season.

When is the Biggest Samba Meeting at Sea, and is disembarkation in Santos or Rio?

The samba ship leaves Santos on Monday, 01/11/2027, and returns to the same port of Santos on Thursday, 01/14/2027: that’s 4 days and 3 nights. Embarkation runs from 12 pm to 4 pm and disembarkation starts at 8 am on the last day, according to the official website’s FAQ.

Some media outlets reported in May 2026 that disembarkation would be in Rio de Janeiro. The event’s official website, checked on 10/10/2026, says otherwise: embarkation and disembarkation take place at the port of Santos. What counts is the official website and your e-ticket; if you booked counting on Rio, confirm with PromoAção at (11) 3624-9007 before booking your return trip.

The port calls aren’t set either. The organizers define the itinerary close to the date, because the shows happen on the pool deck and depend on the weather. On a themed cruise, calm seas matter more than the stop: the ship may swap a port call for a stretch of sailing to guarantee the open-air show.

The ship closes out PromoAção’s charter week on the MSC Divina: it starts the same day the Navio Daniel ends (01/08 to 01/11) and right before the Navio do Gigante (01/14 to 01/17), according to the organizer’s calendar. Since embarkation is on a Monday, driving down from São Paulo via the Imigrantes tends to be calmer than on a January weekend, but the embarkation window is still short.

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Who’s performing at the Biggest Samba Meeting at Sea?

Zeca Pagodinho, Alcione and Jorge Aragão are the hosts, and Jorge Aragão is confirmed on the event’s official website, which lists the full lineup. Xande de Pilares, Belo, Seu Jorge, Péricles, Arlindinho, Turma do Pagode and Pretinho da Serrinha also take the stage: that’s 10 acts in 72 hours.

The cruise is the high-seas version of the tour that brings the three together in stadiums. If you’d rather see the show on land, you’ll find the full service in the guide to O Maior Encontro do Samba em São Paulo, with sections, prices and how to get to the arena.

The order of the shows and the set times hadn’t been announced as of 10/10/2026. What the organizers have said: performances take place on the pool decks, outdoors, and rain or strong wind can change the time. All shows are included in the fare, in any cabin. Dinner with an artist, backstage access, standalone drink packages and Wi-Fi are not sold by PromoAção: anyone offering these on the side is running a scam, and the official website asks that it be reported to the team at (11) 3624-9007.

How much does the samba ship cost and what’s included in the price?

The cabin price isn’t published: the official website sends passengers to checkout to see the fare, which changes without notice. What is confirmed is the port fee of R$ 1,350 per person (Oct 2026), paid together with the cabin and available in installments. The fare is per passenger, with fees not included.

For reference, the Navio Roberto Carlos, on the same MSC Divina and with the same organizer, had interior cabins from R$ 7,158 per person including the fee (fare published in May 2026). That’s not the price of the samba ship: it’s just to calibrate expectations before you open checkout.

Included: cabin, all shows, full board (breakfast, lunch, afternoon coffee, dinner and late-night buffet) and 24-hour service. Not included: drinks (except in the Experience and Yacht Club categories), specialty restaurants, shore excursions, medical care, medication, internet, laundry, photos, salon and massage. Bringing your own alcohol on board is prohibited at embarkation, and alcohol consumption on board is only allowed from age 21, according to the organizers.

What cabin types are there and which is worth it?

The samba ship sells nine categories: interior, superior interior, ocean view, balcony, superior balcony, Experience balcony, Experience ocean-view suite, Experience balcony suite and MSC Yacht Club. If you’ll spend the day on the show deck, interior does the job; Experience is worth it if you drink, since it already includes the drink package.

All cabins have a bathroom with shower, air conditioning, TV, safe and minibar; twin beds convert to a double upon request. In Experience, the drink package covers items up to US$ 10 each: cocktails, spirits, liqueurs, wine by the glass, draft beer, soda, water and coffees (rule checked in Oct 2026). Minors under 18 pay a promotional fare as 3rd and 4th guests in the lower categories, and the organizer’s “Cabin Match” helps solo travelers share a cabin.

A simple calculation helps you decide between standard and Experience: over 3 nights of samba, if you have four or five beers or drinks a day, you’ll spend more at the bar than the difference usually costs, and you also get priority embarkation and a cabin near the stage. If you drink little, book interior and buy at the bar; the ship offers combos during the trip, according to the organizers.

Can you sail on the MSC Divina or another ship without the show?

Yes. The charter from January 11 to 14 is sold only by PromoAção, but Logitravel sells regular sailings from Santos the same week and the MSC Divina itself on other dates, from R$ 2,084 per person (Oct 2026). The 01/11 ship isn’t sold on Logitravel, because it’s chartered.

Prices are per person, in a double cabin, with MSC’s service fee included, checked on Logitravel on 10/10/2026. The MSC Virtuosa on 01/09 is the regular sailing closest to the charter and spends a week in the Northeast; the 01/16 one departs two days after the samba ship disembarks. The MSC Divina on 01/29 is the same ship and the same length as the charter, just without the shows.

The price difference pays for the programming: on the charter, samba is the reason for the trip; on a regular ship, the entertainment is the onboard theater, with MSC’s own productions. The MSC Divina has the Pantheon Theater, the Venetian Casino, The Garden Pool, bowling and the Virtual World for teens, according to the event’s official website. More ship details are in the MSC Divina guide, and the season’s other charters are in the themed cruise calendar.

Which port does the cruise leave from and how do you get to embarkation in Santos?

The Biggest Samba Meeting at Sea leaves from the port of Santos, via Concais, the passenger terminal at Avenida Cândido Gaffrée, s/n, Armazém 25 Interno. The terminal and embarkation gate are on your e-ticket; the route, parking and pier rules are in the Santos cruise port guide.

From São Paulo, the drive down via the Imigrantes or Anchieta takes about 1h30 without traffic. If you’re flying in, you land at Congonhas or Guarulhos and continue by car or bus to Santos; during the embarkation window, from 12 pm to 4 pm on 01/11, it’s worth arriving early, because the line at the terminal grows in the mid-afternoon. If you live far away, sleeping in Santos on the night of 01/10 removes the risk of missing the ship: hotels in Santos for the night of 01/10 to 01/11 on Booking are in Gonzaga and Ponta da Praia, along the waterfront, or in the Centro, closer to the pier.

Since disembarkation is also in Santos, at 8 am on 01/14, anyone living in Rio or another state needs to add the trip back from Santos to the airport or bus station. If you have the morning free in Santos before embarkation, the Coffee Museum and the historic center tram are just minutes from the pier. Other departures from the same port are in the cruise guide sailing from Santos.

What documents do I need to bring to board?

To board the samba ship, each adult presents an original, valid, good-condition photo ID: RG, CNH or RNE, according to the organizers. The itinerary is within Brazil only, so a passport isn’t required.

Minors under 18 traveling without their parents or guardians need a two-copy authorization with notarized signature; children under 12 can board with a birth certificate. Babies can board from 6 months old. Pregnant travelers can sail up to 23 weeks, with an original medical certificate presented at embarkation; at 24 weeks or more, boarding is prohibited. At the terminal’s X-ray, drinks, irons, hair dryers, flat irons and curling wands are held, along with sharp objects. The organizers also ask passengers to check Anvisa’s health guidance for cruises before the trip.

Onboard medical care and medication are paid separately, and the public health system doesn’t work on the ship. On a short trip, the biggest risk is missing embarkation due to an unforeseen event and losing the fare, which is high on a charter.

Is the samba ship worth it? Who it’s for and who it isn’t

It’s worth it for samba and pagode fans who want to see Zeca Pagodinho, Alcione and Jorge Aragão up close, with ten acts over three nights and cabin and food sorted out. It’s not worth it for those who want to explore the coastline: the itinerary is still uncertain, the port calls are short and the ship gets crowded, with the same crowd as the shows.

What nobody tells you: the R$ 1,350 per person fee (Oct 2026) doesn’t show up in the cabin price and gets added to the total; disembarkation is in Santos, not Rio, according to the official website; the itinerary can change due to weather with no refund for the port call; onboard internet is paid; and “backstage package” or “dinner with Zeca” sales don’t exist in the official contract. Book through the ship’s official website, by phone with PromoAção or through an accredited agency. To better understand onboard costs, see the guide to how much a cruise costs.

Conclusion

If the goal is to see Zeca Pagodinho, Alcione and Jorge Aragão in the same samba circle, with Xande de Pilares, Belo, Seu Jorge and Péricles as guests, the samba ship is the only way: book on the official website, add the R$ 1,350 per person fee (Oct 2026) and choose Experience if you drink. If the show isn’t the centerpiece of the trip, the MSC Virtuosa on 01/09 or the MSC Divina on 01/29 deliver a coastal cruise for far less.

Frequently asked questions

What is the cancellation and refund policy for the samba ship?

The official Biggest Samba Meeting at Sea website doesn’t publish the penalty table; cancellation and refund rules are in the PromoAção contract, shown at purchase. Read it before paying and, if you want protection, take out insurance with cancellation coverage.

Are there restrictions for children, seniors or pregnant travelers?

At the Biggest Samba Meeting at Sea, babies can board from 6 months old. Pregnant travelers can sail up to 23 weeks with an original medical certificate; at 24 weeks or more, they cannot board. There’s no age restriction for seniors, but onboard medical care is paid.

Where can I buy a cabin on the samba ship?

On the official Biggest Samba Meeting at Sea website, by phone at PromoAção’s (11) 3624-9007 or through accredited agencies. Credit cards offer up to 12 interest-free installments, and paying in full gives 5% off the fare.

Are drinks included on the samba ship?

Only in the Experience and Yacht Club categories of the Biggest Samba Meeting at Sea. In other cabins, drinks are purchased on board; bringing your own alcohol is prohibited, and alcohol is only sold from age 21.

Is disembarkation from the samba ship in Santos or Rio?

According to the official website, checked on 10/10/2026, the Biggest Samba Meeting at Sea embarks and disembarks at the port of Santos: embarkation on 01/11/2027, from 12 pm to 4 pm, and disembarkation from 8 am on 01/14/2027.