Carnival in Rio Cruise: Samba Parade

In this eighth post of a multi-part series, Bethany explores the highlight on her Carnival in Rio cruise on Azamara: the Carnival Samba Parade at the Sambódromo in Rio de Janeiro.

Back for my second cruise on Azamara…this time I am exploring South America. The 15-night Carnival in Rio cruise is round-trip from Buenos Aires, going up to Rio de Janeiro and back. Join me as I explore the many wonderful ports in Argentina, Uruguay, and Brazil along the way!

Carnival in Rio Full Itinerary

Below is the full itinerary for the trip. This post includes details about a highlight on Cruise Day 9: Rio de Janeiro. The rest of my time in Rio is covered in a separate post. Looking for info on earlier stops? Check out the ‘Links’ section at the end of this post!

• Pre-Cruise – February 9 & 10: Buenos Aires, Argentina (embarkation)
• Cruise Day 1 & 2 – February 11 & 12: Montevideo, Uruguay
• Cruise Day 3 & 4 – February 13 & 14: At Sea
• Cruise Day 5 – February 15: Santos, Brazil
• Cruise Day 6 – February 16: Ilhabela, Brazil
• Cruise Day 7 – February 17: Parati, Brazil
• Cruise Day 8 – February 18: Buzios, Brazil
• Cruise Day 9-11 – February 19-21: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
• Cruise Day 12 & 13 – February 22 & 23: At Sea
• Cruise Day 14 – February 24: Punta del Este, Uruguay
• Post-Cruise Day 1 – February 25: Buenos Aires (disembarkation)
• Post-Cruise Day 2 – February 26: Iguazu Falls, Brazil
• Post-Cruise Day 3 – February 27: Iguazu Falls, Argentina

Cruise Day 9

Cruise Day 9 kicked off on Sunday, February 19th with our arrival into Rio. The details of the three days I spent in Rio will be covered in a different post. This post focuses solely on the highlight of the cruise: the fantastic Rio Carnival Samba Parade at the Sambódromo. The parade actually occurs over four different days: the Access Group performs on Friday and Saturday, and the Special Group performs on Sunday and Monday. The Champions Parade takes place the following Saturday.

We were lucky to attend the first night of the Special Group, which features the best and most creative Samba dances, musicians, choreography, costumes, and floats. The parade each night is a series of six different groups, called Samba Schools, performing. Each school’s performance lasts at least one hour as they make their way down the half-mile long parade route in the Sambódromo, which is a stadium that was specifically built to host the annual Samba School parade. The original Sambódromo was built in 1984 and had seating for around 70,000 spectators. It was redesigned and enlarged to support the 2016 Summer Olympics, and it currently holds around 90,000 spectators!

Arriving at the Sambódromo

The parade kicked off at 10:00PM, but our group from the ship arrived pretty early to try to beat the crowds. So, I had plenty of time to take in the initial sights of the Sambódromo. Our seats were in Sector 9, which is about half-way down the parade route. The seats themselves are simple concrete benches, but Azamara provided a comfy and festive seat cushion as part of the excursion package. We also got a carnival mask, a colorful flower lei, and some ear plugs (the music does get pretty loud!). I had found a fabulous hair piece at the port earlier in the day, so I was all decked out in my finery and anxiously awaited the start of the parade.

Each school follows the same general format: a fireworks show indicates the start of the school’s parade, which presents a theme portrayed by a huge team of musicians, Samba dancers, and massive floats. Each school’s parade lasts at least an hour, and then there is a 20- to 30-minute break between the schools.

I found this website to be particularly good at explaining more about the parade itself and all of the different pieces and parts that make up each school’s performance: About the Rio Samba Parade

Samba School #1: Império Serrano

The first school stepped off at 10:00PM. The fireworks show lit up the night sky, and then the mesmerizing procession of color, music, and movement followed. Click through the two slideshows below to see photos of the first school:

A few video clips from the first school:

Samba School #2: Grande Rio

After the first school wrapped up, there was an approximately 20 minute break to rest and recharge. But before long, the second school kicked off with their fireworks and parade. Click through the two slideshows below to see some highlights of the second school:

A few video clips from the second school:

Samba School #3: Mocidade

After another well-deserved but quick break between schools, the third school kicked off around 1:00AM. Our group excursion from the ship offered shuttle buses back to the ship starting after the second school, and many in our group chose to call it a night at that point. I was having a great time and did not have anything scheduled for the next day, so I decided to stay for some more fun. Click through the two slideshows below for pics of the third school:

A few video clips from the third school:

Samba School #4: Unidos da Tijuca

The fourth school kicked off at a little after 2:00AM. It was yet another fantastic presentation of song, dance, and color throughout the parade. Pictures are available in the two slideshows below:

One final video clip…my phone’s battery was definitely running low by this point in the long evening, so this was the only video I took of the fourth school!

Wrapping Up

After the fourth school wrapped up at around 3:15AM, I decided to call it quits and catch the shuttle bus back to the ship. A part of me wanted to power through and see the last two schools, but I just wasn’t sure I could make it through to the 6:00AM end time! So, I bid a fond farewell to Sector 9 and met up with the others in my group who were heading back home to the ship. As we made our way out to the bus, I could see some piles of discarded costumes along the way. Once back at the ship, I was delighted to find a delicious late-night (early-morning!) snack in my stateroom. I enjoyed a sandwich and some fruit and relived the wonderful evening I had just experienced.

Conclusion

I had read some articles online and had seen some pictures and videos of past Rio Carnival Samba Parades before taking this cruise, but absolutely nothing could have prepared me for how exhilarating it would be to actually experience it in person! The colorful costumes are simply mesmerizing. The throbbing drum beat that continues throughout each parade is something you feel in your heart (and soul!). The nonstop movement of the dancers and performers is amazing. But perhaps my favorite part of the entire evening was being surrounded by the exuberant Cariocas (local people from Rio and/or Brazil) singing, dancing, and cheering on their favorite schools. Their energy and passion are truly amazing!

Links

Click the button below to read the next post in the series:

Click the buttons below for earlier parts of the series:

Click the buttons below for more information about Azamara, and to read about my first cruise on Azamara in June 2022:

Note: I fully funded this trip on my own and received no compensation or any other benefits from any service providers I used along the way. The opinions expressed here are my own and I am not being compensated by any service providers.