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Salaam Cruise: The Muslim Vacation Getaway

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This past December, my wife and I were fortunate enough to partake in the Salaam Cruise experience.  My wife and I were both extremely excited about our halal vacation getaway. What made the getaway even more appealing was the fact that two prominent American da’ee were also joining the vacation.  Shaykh Yasir Qadhi and Hafidh Wisam Sharieff both joined approximately 150 Muslim brothers and sisters for Salaam Cruise 2012.  Salaam Cruise was a 4-day, 3-night cruise on Royal Caribbean International departing from Port Canaveral, Florida and visiting the Bahamas.  Our cruise ship was a beautiful ship named the “Monarch of the Seas.”

We were initially hoping that Salaam Cruise would overtake the entire ship, but unfortunately the lack of response by the Muslim community forced us to share the ship with others. With that being said, alcohol and gambling were present on our ship and we weren’t in a 100% halal environment.  Moreover, not all food available on the ship was indeed zabihah halal.  However, just the fact that we were all traveling as a group everywhere we went made for an amazing show of dawah to our fellow neighbors on the ship.  One of the highlights of the adventure was when one of our fellow travelers decided to take his shahada (testimony of faith) on the ship one day.  Throughout the course of the cruise, Shaykh Yasir Qadhi and Hafidh Wisam Sharieff would share Islamic gems and reminders to keep our morale and emaan high.

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Salaam Cruise definitely had its share of its halal fun, halal food, and some beautiful brotherhood/sisterhood.  In addition to daily Islamic lectures by the shaykhs, there was also plenty of time to enjoy the scene.  The Salaam Cruise team organized for our group to go to an island in the Bahamas known as the Blue Lagoon in the city of Nassau.  At Blue Lagoon, we were able to have a separate area of swimming for our sisters.  Sorry, no pictures from there!

Halal food was arranged and served, including BBQ Chicken and Burgers!

Shaykh Yasir Qadhi and Hafidh Wisam Sharieff definitely seemed to have enjoyed their cruise.  On Day 2 in the Bahamas, our ship stopped at Coco Bay, an island owned by Royal Caribbean International.  While there, both Shaykh Yasir and Hafidh Wisam took to the waters for some fun!

Brother Wisam eventually tired himself out and needed to get some rest!

One of the highlights of the cruise was being able to interact with the shaykhs on a more personal level, and seeing them in their everyday lives, interacting with everyone else as regular people.  Dinner together every night in a formal setting was phenomenal, where we would be served a proper four-course meal.  We would be seated with the same people at our table every night.  By the end of the cruise, our table felt very close with each other.  Another wonderful advantage of traveling with Salaam Cruise was the opportunity to partake in congregational prayers regularly.  The Salaam Cruise team had a room reserved for us where we would meet and pray (though the direction of our prayers did keep changing while on the seas!).  Nadoona Fitness held classes in the mornings for sisters who wanted to get into shape, while Sameer’s Eats would host breakfast for those who preferred to indulge themselves!  One of my personal favorite aspects of the cruise was the beautiful scenery on-board the ship.  It was breath-taking.  You could see stars upon stars at night as there were no city lights to obstruct your view.  My wife and I even identified Jupiter with our binoculars!  We were especially impressed with the Salaam Cruise team.  Their hard-work and effort was evident with how much they would go out of their way to help each and everyone of us.  Alhamdulillah for an amazing experience with Salaam Cruise!  Where are we going in 2013?

 

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12 Comments

12 Comments

  1. Yasmin

    January 21, 2013 at 1:40 AM

    Jazakallah Khair for sharing this very interesting experience with us!

  2. Nuraini

    January 21, 2013 at 6:19 AM

    WOW!!! thanks for sharing.

  3. hala

    January 21, 2013 at 2:36 PM

    is this done once at the same time each year? and how do we know the price?

    • Salaam Cruise

      January 21, 2013 at 3:02 PM

      Salaam! Next Salaam Cruise is planned for late spring/early summer 2013. Visit SalaamCruise.com to sign up for more information.

  4. rula

    January 23, 2013 at 7:16 AM

    it is a goood news that is an int’l CRUISE where muslims can have fun and joy and keep unforgettable moments

  5. Sa'eed Lawal

    March 18, 2013 at 9:09 AM

    Please when exactly is the next cruise. I am planing to join u guys in April ending. Is there any trip planned for that time?

  6. yasmn

    June 19, 2013 at 7:59 PM

    Please when exactly is the next cruise. I am planing to join u guys in April ending. Is there any trip planned

  7. Justin Woods

    November 13, 2013 at 5:22 AM

    Thanks for the post dear. I do appreciate the post that you have made in here.

  8. The Wandering Musulman

    April 24, 2014 at 8:08 PM

    For all those that love to travel and enjoy being inspired through good writing and original photography, please try my developing blog http://www.thewanderingmusulman.wordpress where as a freelance travel writer and photographer I explore places around the globe through the eyes of a Muslim, this often means I am writing about the Islamic connection to a place, be it historical or modern.

    I think with an increasing number of us wanting to travel these days, it will certainly be of interest for many readers here.

  9. looksofislam

    September 6, 2014 at 2:45 AM

    Masha’Allah I didn’t know this existed! Cruising is such a lovely experience minus the sickness that some people do go through (which can be prevented with patches and medicines- but that’s beside the point of course!)

    It really is nice to see people get to interact with some great speakers that our generation admires. All while exploring nature!

    Anyway, I think I would want to try this with the family the next time. I hope it continues! insha’Allah.

  10. Bilqees Zaman

    December 14, 2021 at 1:13 PM

    Aslaam alaikum. Is this still continuing. Me and my sister would love to go ❤️

  11. Waqar Khan

    June 27, 2022 at 8:52 AM

    I all-wise wanted to go on a cruise but I don’t have enough money

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