Cruisin' Country
Choose Your Cruise
Look, I’ll be the first to admit that Honey doesn’t really dig country music, or maybe I should say, didn’t. Images of Billy Ray Cyrus and his ‘achy, breaky, heart’ flashed through my mind as I received the invite to join Cruisin’ Country for a seven night cruise aboard Radiance of the Seas.
But despite my initial misconceived ideas, spending a week surrounded by melodic twangs, passionate song writers and salt-of-the-earth people, I can now say that I’m a country music convert.
Before I launch into my list of reasons to book a music cruise, here’s a bit of background info:
- Choose Your Cruise charter three music cruises a year: Cruisin’ Country, Rock The Boat and Bravo
- Charter means that every passenger aboard has booked the cruise to be a part of the experience. So be prepared to be surrounded by music lovers
- Choose Your Cruise is a family owned and operated festival cruise company . They’ve been running these cruises since its 2009
- The cruises are extremely popular and usually book out months in advance Details on how to book on their website
- CruiseCo coordinate all the bookings.
The Music
Imagine being at the best music festival of your life. Except it lasts a week and you have all your meals and accommodation taken care of. There are bars everywhere and multiple artists to watch throughout the day. Plus, every night, twice a night, there’s a big name headliner concert.
And the sea views, oh the views!
Yes, there were lots of songs about RM William boots, the bush, 4WD utes, the Southern Cross - and of course lost love - but it IS country music and it’s meant to tug at the heart strings.
There are multiple venues around the ship, so at any given time, there are up to seven artists or bands performing, from very early in the morning to very early the next morning.
Choose from attending an intimate acoustic gig or watching a full band, the choice is yours. And you can go from one venue to another if you wish. The hardest decision is planning out who you’ll miss out on.
The Artists
These have to be the most down to Earth famous people I have ever met. I mean, if I was a famous musician and was surrounded by 2500 fans, with no-where to escape, I can guarantee you that I’d be a tad precious and more than a little anxious.
But not these guys and gals.
On more than one occasion, I sat down at a shared table to eat a meal and chin wag with an artist, had a funny convo with one of the big names at a port stop and danced my toosh off on the open deck with musicians. There were no fake smiles or trying to be incognito, all the artists mingled with the passengers and supported each other during their gigs. Without sounding cheesy, it was just like being a part of one big family. Love, laughs and lots of great memories made.
The Activities
As well as the music performances, there’s a whole truck-full of activities to get involved in. From line-dancing (yes, I even had a go), square dancing and clogging lessons, song-writing workshops, bush poetry (do not miss this!), open mics, and meet and greet/signings.
There were two port stops as well, Noumea and Lifou. So you not only get an incredible on-board experience, but you get to visit two gorgeous ports in the South Pacific.
The Ease
The guys at Choose Your Cruise are the ultimate professionals. Everything has been organised to the highest level. Passengers don’t have to worry about missing out or organising their dinner and show times, it has all been taken care of.
Every show runs like clockwork and the free app is the best I have used. You can check out the daily set lists and plan out your day easily. The crew are also very friendly, so if there is an issue, they’re happy to help sort it out.
Every show runs like clockwork and the free app is the best I have used. You can check out the daily set lists and plan out your day easily. The crew are also very friendly, so if there is an issue, they’re happy to help sort it out.
There are two dinner seatings in the main dining room, and passengers are allocated which seating they’re booked into (depending on the colour of your sail and sign card). This also tell you if you’re booked into the early or late evening show i.e Early show, late dinner and vice versa. For breakfast and lunch, passengers can choose any time/restaurant.
The Venues
What I loved about the Radiance of the Seas was the numerous venues to watch the artists. All had great sound and lots of seating. You did have to get in early if you wanted a seat in the Centum (the central atrium), but the beauty of that venue was that the music travelled up to the higher decks so you could still see/hear on Decks 5, 6, 7 and 8.
There are seven different venues: Centrum, Schooner bar, Colony Club, Quill and Compass Pool deck, Viking Crown and Aurora Theatre. Here’s a tip, try to get to the theatre at least 15 to 30 minutes before the night shows, it gets packed and no reserving of seats is allowed.
The Passengers
I was gob smacked by how far some people had travelled to join Cruisin’ Country. As I usually cruise from Sydney, most of my fellow passengers are from Sydney and NSW. But not on this cruise! There were people from all over Australia who were truly passionate about their music. I met people who had been on this cruise every year for 10 years, loyal to the artists they love. And everyone was super friendly, happy to have a chat and a drink.
Would I do another music cruise in? Absolutely! Yes, the price is at a premium, BUT if you were to add up what you’d spend watching a concert or attending a festival plus accommodation, shore stops and food, then this ends up being excellent value for money.
The vibe of the entire week was one of joy and friendship, with a few emotional (good) tears sprinkled throughout the voyage.
Disclaimer: I was invited as a guest of Choose Your Cruise.
