Princess Cruises Teams Up to Showcase Rising Country Music Stars

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Everything is bigger in Texas, including the country music scene. And starting in February, one vessel sailing from Galveston, Texas, will feature a host of musical performances to bring a splash of country tunes to the Caribbean.

Taking place on Princess Cruisesโ€™ 3,560-passenger Regal Princess, which recently completed emergency repairs that forced several cancellations at the end of 2024, the special series is offered in collaboration with the Academy of Country Music (ACM).

โ€œACM Live from the Red Barrel Loungeโ€ will be featured on six Caribbean voyages departing from the Gulf of Mexico port between February 9 and March 17, 2025, and will bring some of countryโ€™s music brightest emerging stars to the high seas.

The artists will offer two 45-minute shows in the intimate setting of the state-of-the-art Princess Theater, located on the vesselโ€™s Fiesta Deck and accommodating just under 1,000 guests.

Each artist will also participate in Meet & Greet sessions, offering passengers closer connection to the music they love.

โ€œWeโ€™re thrilled to partner with the Academy of Country Music to showcase the incredible talent of these rising stars,โ€ said Princess Cruisesโ€™ Head of Global Entertainment Becky Thomson Foley.

โ€œMany of our guests are passionate about country music, and this unique experience featuring intimate performances and meet-and-greet opportunities, promises to make their cruise vacation unforgettable,โ€ she said.

Country Roots at Sea

The Red Barrel Lounge is a nod to the historic Red Barrel Niteclub, where the first So-Cal Country Music Awards Banquet, the precursor to the Academy of Country Musicโ€™s Awards, was hosted in 1963.

Today, the ACM is headquartered in Nashville and still features the Red Barrel Lounge as a platform for established and emerging artists.

The concert series aboard the 142,229-gross-ton Regal Princess โ€“ the largest Princess Cruisesโ€™ vessel to sail from Galveston โ€“ will honor the legacy of ACM by providing passengers with unique personal interactions and live entertainment. 

Performances will take place on two roundtrip itinerary options.

The longest, an 8-night Western Caribbean sailing, stops in Belize City, Belize; Roatan, Honduras; and Mexicoโ€™s Costa Maya and Cozumel, interspersed with three days at sea. The shorter voyage, at 6 nights in length, calls in Costa Maya, Cozumel, and Roatan.

Kicking off the series, Drew Baldridge, known for his viral hit โ€œSheโ€™s Somebodyโ€™s Daughter,โ€ will take the stage from February 9 to 17, 2025.

Princess Cruises Country Music
Princess Cruises and Academy of Country Music Show

Following Baldridge, the trio Chapel Hart, who made their mark on Americaโ€™s Got Talent, will bring their blend of Mississippi roots and Louisiana spunk to Regal Princess

Read Also: Who Owns Princess Cruises? Behind the Company

Performances by the group consisting of Danica and Devynn Hart alongside Trea Swindle will include the bandโ€™s hit โ€œYou Can Have Him Jolene,โ€ and will be the feature of the vesselโ€™s February 17 through 23 voyage.

Kentucky-native, Hannah Ellis, recognized by Rolling Stone Country as an โ€œArtist to Watch,โ€ will join the shipโ€™s February 23 to March 3 journey, where passengers will get to hear hits from her acclaimed debut album, โ€œThat Girl.โ€

The ACM New Vocal Duo or Group of the Year sister duo, Tigirlily Gold, hailing from North Dakota and known for โ€œI Tried a Ring On,โ€ will perform during the subsequent March 3 to 9 cruise. 

They will be followed by Kentuckyโ€™s own Kelsey Hart, who will bring gospel-inspired tunes to the March 9 to 17 sailing.

The concert series will close on the March 9 to 17 adventure, with Kameron Marlowe performing his soulful tunes, including the gold certified โ€œGiving You Up.โ€ 

GigSky Cruise SIM

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Lissa Poirot
Lissa Poirot
Lissa Poirot has been covering travel for more than a decade, including sites such as TripAdvisor, CruiseCritic, The Points Guy, Family Vacation Critic, and Family Traveller. Her love of travel has led Lissa to visit more than 43 countries and has her on a mission to see every state in the U.S. (only 4 states to go!). When she's not traveling, she's exploring new attractions and events on the weekends, be it in New York City or Philadelphia, as Lissa lives between both fabulous cities.

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