Clay Walker, LOCASH, Whey Jennings and many more also will be on board for Country Cruising 2025
Ahoy, folks! The 2025 edition of the Country Cruising Cruise is about to cast off with a shipshape cast of country music entertainers.
“Yeah,” says country music superstar Trace Adkins, “we’re going do a show. And there’s going to be a whole lot of my friends there too. A lot of country artists are going to be on that cruise. And we’re looking forward to it. So pack your bags ”
Operated by Flying Dutchmen Travel, the Country Cruising Cruise will sail October 27 through November 1, launching from Fort Lauderdale with ports of call in Key West and Nassau, Bahamas. The music festival at sea will include performances by Adkins, Clay Walker, LOCASH, Jerrod Nieman, Flat River Band, William Michael Morgan, Canaan Smith, Craig Campbell, Maggie Baugh, Whey Jennings, Boomtown Saints, and many others.
Also on the bill: Singer-songwriters Leslie Satcher, Terri Jo Box, Olivia Rudeen, and Zoe Cummins from Song Suffragettes, the all-female Nashville country music showcase.
“Like back when we had Blake Shelton and Kelsey Ballerini — they were virtually nobodies at that point. And they blew people away during the cruise. And within less than a year, they were both stars — and still are to this day.”
Established stars also enjoy setting sail with the show.
“We love being on cruises,” says Preston Brust of LOCASH. “In fact, when we started doing cruises back in the early days, we had a blast. We got to know everybody on the ship. The shows were excellent.
“To put on the shows are great,” he added. “And the food is always great on cruises, so the boys in the band always love that. So it's always an exciting time for us to jump on board and rock out.”
“This actually will be my first country music cruise,” says Clay Walker, “and I’m very excited about it. I think we were offered this a few years back, but I had a conflict of schedules. But just everybody that I have talked to who has done it has loved it.
“And visiting Key West is great incentive, too. I’ve spent some time there — which I loved because I’m a big Ernest Hemingway fan. So there’s a lot of history there.”
Campell is pleased to point out that many passengers aboard the Country Cruising Cruises are repeat customers.
“And I think that’s due in large part to the energy that guests don’t expect. People keep coming back because that energy is so different than what you feel when you go in to see one of these artists playing at some big stadium or some land festival. You only see them way up on the stage. Or even if you’re close to the stage, there’s no ability to really interact or with them.
“That’s what always surprises me, seeing the faces of the guests. And we’ve had artists that will get that off the stage, and walk into the crowd in the theater, and really get everyone energized and pumped up. Again, you can only see that in a smaller venue environment.”
Radio and television personality Storme Warren, billed as host and “heartbeat” of the Country Music Cruise, agrees that getting up-close and personal is the key to the Flying Dutchman excursions.
“I think the genius of Country Cruising Cruises,” Warren told C&I, “is bringing a community of country music fans together, and putting them together with country artists who really love to be with a fan base that travels along and follows country music.
“I’ve hosted 12 cruises of my own, and I know that this is a family. And when you get country music artists and their fans together — really, it doesn’t work in almost any other music genre like this does, because the access is there. The people are just all integrated in one big thing, and nobody feels like an outsider. Everybody feels like they’re just part of this group. And it’s really fun.”
Adding to the fun on the Country Cruising Cruise: Whiskey tastings, karaoke, celebrity poker, line-dancing lessons, acoustic sessions, artist meet-and-greets, a Key West pub crawl — and for those diehard sports fans who never want to miss a game, a Monday Night Football Watch party.
The only catch, if you want to call it that: The Country Cruising Cruise is a cruise, not a single, star-driven concert.
“Please understand, I’m not making fun of anyone,” Campbell said, “but some people don’t understand. I’ve had questions from people that are interested, and they ask, ‘Can I just buy a ticket just to come see Trace Atkins?’ And I have to tell them no, he’s part of the cruise, the whole experience. He’s actually going to be performing onboard the ship. Same with Clay Walker performing onboard the ship. And all the other artists.
“Again, it’s that very intimate experience that we want to be able to offer.”
Reservations for the October 27 through November 1 Country Cruising Cruise can be made here.
