November 2013 Newsletter
Country Music Cruise Connection - November 2013
In less than 60 days, The Country Music Cruise will set sail with a fantastic lineup of authentic country music stars 
and an amazing array of performances and artist-based events, all aboard the Holland America luxury ship, the m/s Eurodam. We are all looking forward to seeing incredible shows when Vince Gill (special appearance Jan. 22), Kenny Rogers (special appearance Jan. 23), Ronnie Milsap, Larry Gatlin, Patty Loveless, Jo Dee Messina, Restless Heart and so many more take The Country Music Cruise stage. But that’s not all.
We are putting the finishing touches on our program, and in addition to the amazing live performances by these legends of country music, we will have more than 20 special interactive celebrity events. Trust us, you won’t want to miss this cruise. But you’d better hurry if you want to get onboard; the cruise is 90 percent sold and cabin sales continue to be brisk!
Plus, in this edition of The Country Music Cruise Connection, we’ll get to know another one of our favorite country music stars. Can you guess which artist was on a talent show in 1958 and won first place, with the legendary Roy Orbison coming in second?
HURRY! The Cruise is 90% Sold
The cruise is already 90 percent sold, but there are still great cabins available and still time to take advantage of convenient payment options. Don’t miss your chance to sail with stars and connect with the best country music ever performed! Book your cabin online or call 855.332.6868.
Cabin Rate Update and Special Offer for Florida Residents
Fan Favorite Pricing:
The CMC Fan Favorite Pricing, starting at just $1,925 for the Deluxe Inside Cabin, is still in effect for as long as these cabins last.
Sail Now / Pay Later Payment Plans:
With the cruise just 60 days away, there is still time to S-T-R-E-T-C-H your payments out with our Sail Now / Pay Later Program. We want everyone who wants to join us for The Country Music Cruise '14 to be able to do so! Our telephones are ringing off the hook with lovely folks who want to sail, but with the holidays coming up, need just a little more time to make the payments.
One of the key elements of country music is making it work for everyone, so we have come up with a very special payment plan, which even includes a Sail Now / Pay Later feature. If you book before Nov. 30, we can offer the following schedule:
40% initial payment
40% due Jan. 5, 2014
20% due Feb. 15, 2014
Special Offer for Florida Residents:
If you reside in Central or Southern Florida, we will pick you up, take you right to the pier for The Country Music Cruise and take you home when the cruise is over…for FREE! The Country Music Cruise motor coaches will pick up guests at four Florida locations: Sarasota, Tampa / St. Petersburg, Daytona and Jupiter. The precise locations will be identified shortly. If you are interested in riding with us, contact the office at 888.852.9987 or email us at reservations@ecpcruises.com.
SHARE THE MUSIC – The Group Leader Program
Already booked? The only thing better than enjoying seven days of real country music on the high seas is sharing the experience with your loved ones. And what’s even better than sharing the music? Getting credit for doing so!
Take a minute to check out our Group Leader Program, which allows you to earn credit or cash against the price of your cabin by building the number of booked passengers in your group.
Updates on Programming
In addition to the amazing music by the legends of country music, we can now share with you some of the special events that have come together since our last newsletter.
We have a very special tribute to country legend George Jones.Lorianne Crook will be hosting this event. Larry Stewart, Bryan White, Wade Hayes, the Warren Brothers and others will do their favorite George Jones songs, backed by Ronnie Milsap’s band. George’s widow, Nancy Jones, will be joining us as our honored guest.
Our Gospel Hour is coming together, as Larry Gatlin and The Gatlin Brothers will be performing. Also appearing will be bluegrass artistsThe Roys and more!
The week will also include a listening party with Jo Dee Messina, featuring her brand-new CD; a preview airing of Bryan White and his wife Erika’s upcoming TV show; a cooking exhibition featuringPatty Loveless and Lorianne Crook; plus some very special Grand Ole Opry presentations, songwriter workshops, guitar seminars and plenty of fun-filled activities and behind-the-scenes interviews with our stellar group of artists. And, of course, every football game on big-screen TVs!
Country Superstar
Imagine having the chance to open the last night’s show on the cruise before our concert on the Mainstage. Well, NOW is your chance! Our brand-new program on The Country Music Cruise is Country Superstar, where as our guest, you perform in our talent show and the final round is judged by the very Guests you have been sailing with for the week. The WINNER will perform on the last night of the cruise on the Mainstage and perform twice for the 2,000 Guests onboard. Nowhere else in the world do you have the opportunity to perform and open for a show of country music stars and for 2,000 fans of country music. This really could be your chance to break into the industry and make a name for yourself.
An Interview with Larry Gatlin
This month the Country Music Cruise Connection sat down with Larry Gatlin.
You’re hosting the Gospel Hour onboard the cruise. Gospel music is where you came in, correct?
I know Jesus, and he knows me. I tell people I’m an old gospel singer who got a big break singing country music. Me and my brothers had a little trio before our sister was born. We did our first radio show out in West Texas when we were 2, 4 and 6 years old. I’m 65 years old now, so we’re coming up on our 60th year of singing together! Best of all, we still love singing together.
You wrote one of the all-time great gospel songs, “Help Me.” Can fans expect to hear it?
Oh, yeah! We do it every show. We don’t preach on our shows. We’re not ashamed of our Christian beliefs, but we don’t preach and we don’t take up collections, but we always do some gospel songs, and we always do “Help Me.” You can count on it!
Not many people know this, but you started out around the same time as Roy Orbison.
We were on a talent show together back in 1958! The Gatlin Brothers won first place and Roy came in second. He’s still one of my very top favorites. He’s in some rarefied company, I tell you. And I’ll tell you who else is up there as a singer, and that’s Vince Gill. Vince is a pretty good singer!
We’re doing a special tribute to George Jones, who died earlier this year. Do you have any memories you’d like to share of George?
Mr. Jones was always real nice to me. A gentleman. He never recorded any of my songs, but toward the end of his life, some friends of mine approached him about doing a movie of his life, and he was all for it. I wrote a song called “It Was the Best I Could Do at the Time,” and he was going to sing it for the movie. He was making plans to record that song and another of mine right before he died, so I’m gonna sing them at the George Jones tribute concert at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville on Nov. 22. If you’re there, you’ll hear some great stories and see some big smiles and some big tears. We’ll try to do the same onboard the cruise. We’ll do Mr. Jones proud.
Have you worked with any of the Artists onboard the cruise before?
Oh, man, yeah. Kenny Rogers, Ronnie Milsap, Vince Gill, all of them. Vince and I have probably played more golf together than we’ve done shows together, but he and I are good buddies. He’s got the biggest heart out there. Kenny and I did a big tour together back in ’82.
Can fans expect any new music from Larry Gatlin and The Gatlin Brothers in the near future?
We have a gospel CD for Curb Records that has been in the works for a while now. Mostly, I’m writing with a bunch of new guys. John Rich of Big & Rich and the guys from Little Big Town came up to me, told me they’d grown up on my music and they wanted to write with me. I tell people I wore out four sets of kneecaps kicking down doors in Nashville. I don’t do that no more. I wait for them to open … and they’re opening! This is an exciting time.
Have you ever been on a cruise before?
Many of them. Love ’em. I’m looking forward to meeting the other Artists, and I’m looking forward to spending a little time away from everything, reading and praying.
Make JTV.com Your First Port of Call for Style Savvy & Cruise-Perfect Jewelry
The Country Music Cruise is also hosting some of the design stars of JTV.com. Learn from the Artists during onboard jewelry-making classes.
Join Candie Cooper for a fun, relaxing introduction to jewelry making. These earrings are quick to put together using special findings from Beadalon with sparkling Swarovksi crystal accents. Techniques include opening/closing jump rings, securing pinch bails and using a hammer to create texture. Everyone will complete a pair of earrings in the class!
Wrap bracelets are hot! Learn to make your own in this introductory workshop with Katie Hacker. Choose black or ivory faux pearls or a combination of the two to make your own stylish accessory. If you've never tried wire wrapping before, this is the class for you! By the end of the class, you'll be wire wrapping like a pro.
Make a beautiful jewelry set with Christiane Ross while you learn a variety of essential jewelry-making techniques. The lariat style necklace and dangly earrings use Beadalon chain and findings with cubic zirconia stars to make designs that are sure to become favorites! When's the last time you made a set of jewelry in an hour?
Explore the basics of bead stringing in this team-taught class from our Jewel School experts. We'll help you make a beaded charm bracelet from start to finish with lots of tips along the way! The bracelet features stone and glass beads with a cute little boot charm. From how to plan a beaded design to how to attach the clasp, we'll take the mystery out of making fashionable jewelry.