CrimeCruise 2023: Itinerary, Speakers, Prices and More

Thanks to the pandemic, CrimeCruise, which is the best of CrimeCon but on the water, took a bit of a vacation. But CrimeCruise will sail again in 2023. Specifically, April 30 through May 4 on Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas. Presale tickets went on sale July 18 for crimeHQ members. They go on sale for the general public on July 20.

Let’s take a look at everything from the itinerary to the guest speakers and the price tag. (Which, let’s face it, it’s a CrimeCon plus a cruise so it’s a bit of an investment.)

CrimeCruise 2023 Itinerary

The cruise embarks from Miami, Florida, on April 30. It’s a short cruise, only four nights, with two days at sea and one port of call in Cozumel, Mexico.

There will be three days worth of programming, but also plenty of time to mix, mingle, explore the ship or go sightseeing for a bit in Cozumel.

CrimeCruise 2023 Speakers

Here are the speakers and their bios as posted on the CrimeCruise website:

Cece More

Throughout the last decade, CeCe has been considered an innovator and pioneer in the use of autosomal DNA to resolve unknown parentage and family mysteries, frequently consulted by DNA testing companies, genealogists, adoptees, law enforcement and the press. In recognition of her contributions to the field, CeCe has been appointed a 2019 – 2021 Non-Resident Fellow of the Du Bois Research Institute at Harvard’s Hutchins Center.

She is the Chief Genetic Genealogist for Parabon Nanolabs, heading their Genetic Genealogy Services for law enforcement unit, boasting the unparalleled record of over 200 successful identifications of violent criminals in the two years since the unit’s launch. Her work has led to the first conviction, the first conviction through jury verdict, and the first exoneration in criminal cases where the suspect was identified through investigative genetic genealogy.

ABC’s documentary series, The Genetic Detective follows CeCe as she uses her unique research skills to assist law enforcement in the pursuit of justice.

Paul Holes

Paul Holes retired as a cold case investigator after spending over 27 years working for the Sheriff and District Attorney’s Offices during his tenure in Contra Costa County located in the Bay Area, California.

Having experience in both forensic and investigative assignments, Paul throughout his career specialized in cold case and serial predator crimes, developing and applying investigative, behavioral, and forensic expertise in notable cases such as the Golden State Killer and Jaycee Dugard.

Paul is frequently sought out by investigators to consult on the most complex and high-profile cases and has played a part in putting several serial predators on Death Row such as Darryl Kemp, Joseph Naso, and Joseph Cordova Jr. As an FBI Task Force Officer while employed with the DA’s Office, Paul teamed with FBI and Sacramento DA personnel to apply innovative technology that identified Joseph DeAngelo as the Golden State Killer.

Since the arrest of DeAngelo, Paul has been very involved on the media side, continuing to assist law enforcement and victims’ families with their unsolved cases, through the television shows The DNA of Murder with Paul Holes and America’s Most Wanted. Paul is the New York Times Bestselling Author of Unmasked: My Life Solving America’s Cold Cases.

Alina Burroughs

Over the span of her decades-long career in forensic science and law enforcement, Alina Burroughs has investigated some of the country’s most shocking crimes. Among the many headline-making cases she has worked on, Alina served as a CSI for the Orange County (FL) Sheriff’s Office on the investigation into the tragic 2008 death of toddler Caylee Anthony and was part of an emergency community response to identify the victims of the 2016 Pulse nightclub tragedy.

In ID’s new series Crime Scene Confidential, Alina revisits astonishing and heartbreaking cases that made news across the country. Using her scientific expertise to take a fresh look at the forensic evidence that was crucial to the prosecution, Alina speaks with central figures in the case, including law enforcement, family members and friends of the victims, suspects, or even the convicted perpetrators themselves. By re-examining these cases, Alina strives to bring more answers to those who feel the immeasurable loss of these horrific crimes.

Presently, Alina resides in Florida where, outside of her job in business development, she is a forensic consultant for private investigators and families, reviewing cold cases and active investigations through the examination of evidence and crime scene documents. All episodes of Crime Scene Confidential are available to stream now on discovery+.

Sheryl McCollum

Sheryl “Mac” McCollum’s law-enforcement career began in 1982 at the Rape Crisis Center at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia. From there, she was director of the Metro Atlanta Cold Case Crime Analysis Squad. During the 1996 Olympic Games, she was the coordinator for the Crisis Response Team that planned and trained for four years and responded to the Centennial Olympic Park bombing, providing victim services.

McCollum in 2004 founded Cold Case Investigative Research Institute (CCIRI), which unites researchers, practitioners, students and the criminal justice community to work collectively to advance research, training and techniques in solving cold cases. CCIRI has since worked with over 27 colleges and universities, more than 8,000 students and 600 experts, have volunteered their time and talents to solve cold cases. CCIRI is a nationwide volunteer network that assist victims’ families and law enforcement by working on unsolved homicides, missing persons and kidnapping cases.

Sheryl “Mac” McCollum has worked with criminals like famed Mafia hit man Frank Cullotta, the ex-Imperial Wizard of the KKK, the Flint River Killer, Alcatraz Inmate #1355 Robert Schibline, and Jimmy Hoffa’s driver, The Weasel, to gain intel on how to solve certain cold cases. She has also worked side by side with notable family members such as Lana Wood, Beth Holloway, Donna Norris, Sue Savio, Lois Duncan, Donna Pettis and Susan Levy. She not only admires them but considers them friends. She has genuinely befriended them all. For almost forty years, Sheryl has used her training and experience in criminal justice to solve some of the country’s most difficult cases.

Sheryl “Mac” McCollum is an Emmy Award-winning CSI from CBS46’s CSI Atlanta, Director of the Cold Case Investigative Research Institute (CCIRI), a writer for CrimeOnLine, Forensic and Crime Scene Expert for Crime Stories with Nancy Grace, and a CSI for a metro Atlanta Police Department. Sheryl has reviewed, consulted and worked on thousands of criminal cases across the USA as a Crime Scene Investigator and Director of the CCIRI. Sheryl holds a master’s degree in Criminal Justice with an emphasis on Policing. She is the co-author of the textbook, Cold Case: Pathways to Justice. She is a contributing writer for CRIME online, a crime-fighting website founded by Nancy Grace, television personality and former.

CrimeCruise 2023 Prices

The cost of your CrimeCruise depends on a few factors, including which “badge” you purchase, which stateroom you pick, and how much your flight to Miami costs, if applicable.

Badges are essentially your CrimeCruise/con ticket. They’re not what you need to board the boat, but they are what you need in order to attend CrimeCruise activities while aboard the boat. They offer two types of badges, Standard ($279) and VIP ($499).

It’s important to note the badge prices are the Early Bird rates. They will increase periodically, or until there are no tickets left, whichever comes first. (And they do warn to buy early because in years past, these cruises have been popular and have sold out months in advance.)

Staterooms range from $599 for an interior room to $1,804 for a Grand Suite, with a range of other prices and rooms in between, including ocean view and balcony rooms of several varieties as well as a Junior Suite. (Royal Caribbean’s Oasis class of ships offers boardwalk and park view balcony options in addition to the traditional sea view balconies.)

But another thing to note about the room prices is that it does include all port taxes, fees and pre-paid gratuities, all meals in the ship’s main dining venues, and ship entertainment and activities. But it says the rate is also based on double occupancy, so prepare to pay more (ie. double) if you’re a solo traveler.

Because this experience is a bit of a pricy venture, CrimeCruise is offering a couple of payment plans if you can’t pay in full right away.

For More Info

Visit https://www.crimecruise.com.

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Have you ever been to either Miami or Cozumel?