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"You're just angry that I have found something that you really love and that you think is great and someone doesn't like it." Even as I laughed at his monologue describing the tyranny of Windjammer, I was like, yeah I could see how this would maybe make someone who has made it a part of their identity to love Royal Caribbean feel a certain type of way. Aside from his many detractors, though, there are plenty of people eating up his content. Many commenters thank him for his honest reviews and eagerly await his next post. While around 700 of the passengers currently on board will be staying for the duration of the cruise, some are only joining the ship for shorter segments, which is what Marc Sebastian did. His sponsors shelled out $8,500 (USD) for the influencer to join the cruise for the South American and Antarctic segment.
TikToker boards 9-month cruise to film the drama onboard: ‘I will cause chaos’
After his pitch went viral on TikTok in December 2023, Sebastian was contacted by the publishing company Atria Books, a division of Simon & Schuster, which offered to send him on the cruise for 18 nights. Within days, Atria Books, a publishing imprint under Simon & Schuster, suggested a partnership. Sebastian pitched his marketing scheme to the Atria team on Christmas Eve, and the publisher pulled all hands on deck to get Sebastian an 18-day ticket on the cruise for the ship’s Antarctic portion of the voyage. For example, he says, the company invited a group of influencers to the Chef’s Table, which was supposed to be seen as a thank you, but Sebastian says they all had to agree to post a video about the meal, which defeats the purpose of a free meal. “You’re not giving them a ‘Thank You,’ you’re giving them work to do,” he says.
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Sebastian announced that he would be boarding the cruise in Antarctica in partnership with Atria Books, a division of Simon & Schuster. Sebastian admitted that his cruise friend Nadine had to whisper and tell him not to talk about the Titanic. It seems Sebastian has plenty of time to get acquainted with his fellow passengers as the #RoyalCaribbeanUltimateWorldCruise is sailing until Sept. 10, 2024. After getting out of bed and meeting up with other passengers for an excursion, Sebastian filmed himself stating that he and two others had come together to form an alliance on the ship. No can do babe,” Sebastian captioned a TikTok of himself giving a room tour last week.
Editing Reality (
Sebastian initially did not identify the sponsor, but he did describe it as an "unexpected and big" brand. "I'm not sure how you would fit nine months of clothes in here," he remarked. He shot the video while sailing through the Drake Passage, which is between South America and Antarctica. "This is the view when you first walk in," Marc said before panning round to an amazing ocean view through his window.
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Several influencers told NPR they think Sebastian's novel partnership with Atria Books could help usher in a change with how brand partnerships work. She said the TikTokers on board have gotten together several times — including once at a private dining experience at Royal Caribbean's invitation — to make videos, bond about their love of travel and sometimes vent about the negative comments. Sebastian told NPR towards the end of his time on board that while he arrived ready to play the part of a villain — including packing an "evil"-looking long red coat — he wasn't serious about causing drama. That's something most of the nine-month cruisers are acutely aware of and trying to avoid, several passengers told NPR. Nine months on a cruise ship is just the kind of "social incubator" that's so central to reality TV, said Jamie Cohen, a media studies professor at Queens College who began his career as a reality television producer. Onlookers wondered about the practicalities of life on board the cruise, which was first announced in late 2021 and starts around $59,999.
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TikTok Turned a 9-Month World Cruise Into a Reality Show - Rolling Stone
TikTok Turned a 9-Month World Cruise Into a Reality Show.
Posted: Fri, 26 Jan 2024 08:00:00 GMT [source]
I didn’t,” Sebastian said in the viral TikTok, which now has 4 million views. TikToker Marc Sebastian has been sharing his experience on Royal Caribbean’s nine-month Ultimate World Cruise and took to the platform to share a list of things he learned about cruising during his 18 nights onboard. Marc has been documenting his experiences on the cruise on TikTok and offered a glimpse inside his room, from the views to the features - and it seems he's not been left overly impressed. As soon as he disembarks from Serenade of the Seas, Sebastian will be in search of the next moment to craft his very specific narrative web around. Among the offers for partnerships and projects flooding his inbox, he's already gotten offers from two other cruises, both of which he's turned down. "My responsibility is to tell the story about how I feel about what it's like to be on the nine-month cruise. And if you're thinking that I'm putting on misinformation, that's bullshit," Sebastian said.
He acknowledges that cameras and vlogs are ubiquitous today, at least among Gen Z. And he hopes those who may be tempted to cause a scene for views or stir the pot in the comments section will remember that "these are all humans; we could be the other person." "I hope that this takes off and allows other people to see you don't need to have this toxic positivity when it comes to influencing, and that you can express how you actually feel about something," he added. He told LiSTNR's "The Briefing Podcast" that he took $20,000 out of his mortgage to pay for a balcony room for 16 days. "So it's been exciting being like, 'Okay, what happened today?' And I'll deep dive and try to bring the info to the people." "Everyone has paid a lot of money and given up a lot in some way or another to be here, whether it be their families, their homes, their pets," added Honeycutt.
How a world cruise became a 'TikTok reality show' — and what happened next - VPM News
How a world cruise became a 'TikTok reality show' — and what happened next.
Posted: Thu, 08 Feb 2024 08:00:00 GMT [source]
Discovering the truth behind the reality show
While the Ultimate World Cruise as a whole has become a social media sensation, one TikToker has ridden the viral wave more than most. Whether or not TikTok users previously recognized the imprint's name, Atria has been a dominant presence on the bestseller lists thanks in no small part to the platform. In 2023, books published by Atria accounted for a fifth of the year's 25 overall bestselling books. Among that number were three books by Colleen Hoover, whose It Ends with Us and It Starts with Us were the top two books in the country last year, selling a combined 2,537,204 print copies. Cohen says social media audiences have a lot more power than they realize to "bend and mold the way that these things go," and urges them to use it responsibly.
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She says that while she began making the videos because she needed a replacement for her favorite reality show, she’s more than aware that these are people — not characters. In fact, most of the drama that TikTok so desires seems to primarily stem from the app’s intrusion into the ship in the first place. Little Rat Brain (LRB), who has asked to only be identified by her handle, grew her TikTok following by documenting the trip, which she is on with her mother.
His critiques of the ship, such as complaining about the music and food at the ship’s Windjammer cafe, have made him an Everyman to TikTok audiences around the globe. Unlike some other cruise and travel influencers onboard, he has no allegiance to the cruise line, allowing him to speak freely and humorously about his experiences. He says if he monetized his content, he could’ve made around $15,000 to $20,000 based on the views his videos have now received. “That’s a lot of money, but that was a short-term goal, and I had a long-term vision,” he says. The only thing he made was incredible content and some friends along the way, he adds, half in jest.
His videos have racked up an impressive amount of views, with his experience of the Drake Passage -- the body of water between South America and Antarctica -- being seen over 9 million times. "A lot of people use their retirement money. A lot of people had parents or grandparents pass away, and they're using their life insurance policy to make sure that they can travel the world," Sebastian told Thrillist. The TikToker also discovered the phenomenon of cruising ducks, which is a scavenger hunt many passengers and crew members play where rubber ducks are hidden around the cruise ship for others to find and keep, or to find and re-hide. Prior to embarking on The Ultimate World Cruise, Marc Sebastian wasn’t an avid cruise influencer on social media. Most of his videos consist of product reviews and funny videos related to current trends and pop culture.
In the absence of camera crews, viewers have turned to TikTokkers to follow along for the journey. "Yesterday I arrived to an empty mini-fridge, not a bottle of water in sight, babe," he said. "Call me crazy, but I do believe that for the price of a room guests should be able to stay hydrated at their own convenience." He said he'd already made some friends, including a couple who invited him to sit with them at breakfast because he was eating alone. But it's common practice for cruises to use seawater as a source of potable water.
According to his TikTok videos, his last day on board was Tuesday, Jan. 23. It's too early to tell if and how Atria’s investment—around $7,000 for the 18-day trip—has paid off financially. At outlets that report to Circana BookScan, book sales for The Last One saw only a small bump following the announcement that Sebastian would be reading it on the cruise.
One of those TikTok users was Marc Sebastian, a model and influencer with 1.6 million followers. For Sebastian, the 18 days on the Royal Caribbean cruise have opened his eyes to the blurry lines of promotion and entertainment. As one of several creators posting about the ship, whether the videos are positive or negative, he’s giving Royal Caribbean free promotion.
He promised to update his followers with the "tea" she had revealed to him in the next video, including details about how much the most expensive suite costs. Sebastian said people on the ship were giving him "dirty looks" because he had his phone out a lot. "Marc brought so many interactive and engaging ideas about how to incorporate our books into his travels. And, of course, what better companion for a long journey than a good book." A representative for Atria Books told Business Insider that when Sebastian put out the call for a brand to partner with, "we jumped at the chance to be a part of this viral moment." That brand was the publishing company Atria Books, a division of Simon & Schuster. The fad became so popular that there are now entire Facebook groups dedicated to sharing photos of rubber ducks discovered on cruises and their hiding places.
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