Kima Craft, a former HBCU student who studied architectural engineering at Tennessee State University (TSU), saw the commotion the cruise was causing on social media and knew immediately she wouldn’t be attending. 

While Craft doesn’t think students will be held hostage or even sold off, her own experiences at TSU dictate what she believes will happen on the cruise. 

“The same way I see people conducting themselves at HBCU parties is exactly what I imagine for the trip. With that being said, I fear that this whole thing can become a safety hazard or simply a hot mess”, Craft expressed.

Craft admits she didn’t do a lot of research about the cruise outside of the videos she had seen, but still wants the best for attendees.

“I hope to see people having a good time and acting like students who attend illustrious HBCUs and not getting out of hand,” said Craft.

Some students were able to be swayed despite social media naysayers.

Kai Dudley, a junior health management major at Howard University, wasn’t so sure about the trip when she saw some viral videos about it. However, after doing some research and seeing it was in collaboration with Carnival, she put her deposit down soon after. 

“I was hesitant at first, but I like the idea of being on an HBCU cruise and being around people with the same skin color as me. I wasn’t just going to have fun on this cruise, but I also hope to be inspired and just make new friends,” Dudley shared. 

The cruise was planned by Nasir Jones, the founder of HBCU Tour, and celebrity host and Warner Music Group marketing rep, CDK on the Mic. Both men graduated from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University (NCAT), and have always aimed to give back to the HBCU community through event planning.

The duo said the idea for the cruise came during the Covid-19 pandemic in March 2020. Since their peers’ spring break was taken away, the pair wanted to create an event where they could bring the community together when being around one another was safe again. With extensive planning, combined with the established HBCU Tour platform and the support and guidance of Carnival Cruise Lines, they have extreme faith that the cruise will be bigger and better than people think.

Jones believes that the negative and comedic discourse surrounding the cruise is because a trip that is marketed toward a Black college student audience has never been done before.

“People aren’t used to these types of events on a mass scale…when you think of our culture on a boat, it can scare you sometimes, which we understand”, Jones stated.

CDK admits to laughing at all the jokes and skits he’s seen about the cruise, but remains unphased by the not-so-positive feedback they’ve received. “There’s a group of people posting for engagement, and there’s a group of people who want to know what’s going on,” the host said.

CDK also believes that a lot of the confusion is because people simply aren’t reading the details, which are provided on the event website and social media pages. 

Those interested in attending were notified that the registration and deposit process was completed through Eventbrite, an event management and ticketing website, rather than through the official website or Carnival Cruise Lines itself. The host made sure to mention that all answers and details concerning the registration format and security for the trip are included on the cruise’s website, as well as the HBCU Tour Instagram page.

Despite all the backlash, Jones and CDK report that 85% of the spots for the cruise have filled up already. 

Jones and CDK reiterated how they understand the confusion around the cruise and are dedicated to communicating with attendees and those interested so everyone can remain informed and reassured. 

Despite being under the age of 25, the pair have thrown a multitude of large and successful concerts, parties, and events together. One of these events includes a music festival with the artists City Girls, Young Nudy, and G Herbo, so they aren’t worried about those who doubt the cruise will turn out well. 

“For example, we did the North Carolina Greek Picnic…there were so many things people were saying but after it’s done people were like ‘How did I miss this?’ Well, cause you were on TikTok,” Jones added.

While the official itinerary and special guests haven’t been released to the public yet, CDK is confident that the cruise will replicate the excellence and rich culture of his and Jones’ college experience. 

“As event curators, our job is to make sure we can provide a legendary experience that last and we want you to think about this cruise and envision that. I can’t even name every event we’ll do but man, this is a time to be alive,” said CDK.

For more information about the cruise, email cdk@hbcutour.com or check out the cruise details on Eventbrite.