CeltCruise 2019
CeltCruise 2019
Sail away with us on this very special Celtic travel event. This year’s destination, Alaska. Tour through the scenic Inside Passage and discover some of the most beautiful wilderness in the world. Along the way you will enjoy live Celtic entertainment at special private events. Attend our nightly ceilidhs with impromptu music sessions, open to all musicians who wish to participate. Bring your instruments!
Join us at our private formal dinner a la Robert Burns, complete with Burns readings and songs, and the address to a haggis as only champion piper, Patrick Regan can do. Plus, meet and make good friends all along the way! Enjoy all of the ship’s extensive amenities with additional packages for sale, including unlimited bar, spa packages and shore excursions. Free nights are scheduled during the trip so that you may take advanatage of some of the on-board entertainment or exclusive dining options.
Tentative Cruise Schedule
| Date | Port | CeltCruise Activities |
|---|---|---|
| Friday, September 6th | Seattle | Meet & Greet |
| Saturday, September 7th | At Sea | Music Session |
| Sunday, September 8th | Juneau | Free Night |
| Monday, September 9th | Skagway | Free Night |
| Tuesday, September 10th | Endicott Arm | Robert Burns Dinner |
| Wednesday, September 11th | At Sea | Music Session |
| Thursday, September 12th | Victoria B.C. | Music Session |
| Friday, September 13th | Seattle | Return to port at 6am |
*Tentative schedule, subject to change at any time
Entertainment
Live Celtic Music
Fantastic Celtic musicians will be on board performing at nightly events.
Red McWilliams, America’s Celt, has been a performing musician all over the country for the past 30 years. Armed with his guitar and his powerful voice, Red is true entertainer, winning hearts wherever he goes. Red’s singular folk style is a little bit traditional, a little bit classic rock, a little bit country, and totally enjoyable.
For over forty years, Patrick Regan the Bagpiper has performed, competed and instructed in the ways of the Great Highland Bagpipe. He first set foot on the stage at age three, but it took another eight years to convince the bagpipe to join him. He won his first professional competition at the age of 15 and has continued to entertain audiences and annoy judges to the present day.
As a performer, Patrick takes the stage, street, or classroom with an exuberance matched only by the instrument he brandishes. Audiences expecting only a few stanzas of “Amazing Grace” are in for a delightful ear-opener. His mastery of British accents (legitimately passed down from his parents) mixed in with an occasional Texas twang, illuminate stories guaranteed to bring a smile to the face of even the most serious Scotsman.In addition to performing locally and abroad, Patrick has taught hundreds of students and dozens of teachers over the years.
Linda Relph has been in the Texas Irish music scene since relocating from California to Texas in the early 90s. Her background includes Texas-style contest fiddling (she was the California State Ladies Champion four times), Celtic Rock (she was a founding member of Dallas based Celtic rock band The Killdares), and, with her former Sacramento CA band Nine-8ths Irish, was a forerunner of the popular “Green-Grass” movement (bluegrass + Irish). Her solo CD, released in March 2014, includes a bit of everything: trad Irish and American tunes, original tunes, and even a classical piece.
Linda has hosted Irish style sessions in both Texas and California, performed on stages from California to Florida, has been composing her own tunes for years, and is equally at home with electric guitars, bass and drums as with whistles and bodhrans at the local pub. Linda calls herself a “Mercenary Fiddler,” as she is regularly invited to perform with numerous Dallas/Fort Worth bands. To that end, Linda can be seen around the DFW area performing with STRING THEORY IRISH, STRAIT SHOT (a George Strait Tribute band), JIGGERNAUT (Celtic Rock band), and is a regular member of the Traditional Irish Music Education Society (TIMES), whose members perform most Sunday afternoons at local DFW pubs.
A bit of the Emerald Isles from the Hawai’ian Isles! The Kilt Lifters brings a contemporary Celtic rock sound to original and traditional music.
TheKiltLifters.com Facebook YouTube
From the Familiar Roads of his hometown of Clydebank, Scotland to the sun kissed beaches of California Peter Daldry brings his talent and unique voice. Peter is becoming the vocalist of choice at Scottish and Irish events in Northern California and beyond, he now resides in Mountain View, CA. Blessed with a strong smooth tenor voice Peter sings the only way he knows how, with power and passion and depth of feeling.
Bagpipes
We are honored to have champion bagpiper, Patrick Regan, on board for CeltCruise 2019. Patrick has dedicated his career to music, studied Bagpipe at Durham University in England and has been honored as a top piper in the United States.
Irish Dance
We are thrilled to welcome members of Hawaii Irish Dance to CeltCruise 2019. Hawaii Irish Dance will be holding Irish dance classes designed for beginners of all skill levels throughout CeltCruise 2019. They will also be leading dance at the nightly ceilidhs, which will feature traditional Irish folk dance, similar to American square dancing. This is good fun for all ages. In Celtic culture everyone, old and young would participate in social dancing. This is the perfect opportunity to keep this tradition alive and try something new! No dance experience is necessary, ceilidh dancing is meant for everyone!
Hawaii Irish Dance will teach the simple dance steps that anyone can easily learn and we will direct the steps throughout the dance. Participants will learn some traditional Irish set dances such as Walls of Limerick, Siege of Ennis, and Haymaker’s Jig, as well as a few dances created especially for the cruise. Hawaii Irish dancers will be dancing alongside you and having fun with you. They will also be talent spotting for hidden ceilidh stars, and will choose their partner to come dance with them!
Complete your dance classes with Hawaii Irish Dance and you will receive a Ceilidh Dance Certificate and have your photo taken with the Hawaii Irish Dancers. We can’t wait to see you all on the ship!
Social Events
Formal Celtic Dinner
Join us at our private formal dinner a la Robert Burns, complete with Burns readings and songs. This is a perfect opportunity to don your formal Celtic attire. There will be music, entertainment and an address to a haggis as only champion piper, Patrick Regan can do.
Highlights
- Celtic Musicians
- Burns Dinner
- Irish Dance
- Bagpipes
- Celtic Socials
Meet Ups & Socials
CeltCruise 2019 will have daily social events and meetups. Some of these will be more structured events, like our nightly ceilidh and music sessions. Other events will be more informal meet ups at ship locations for socializing. One of the very best parts of CeltCruise is the wonderful community of people that participate. The on board socials are a great way to meet new and old friends.