The Traditions We Keep
A Few Notes
As kids, Fridays had a special meaning in our family. My brother Scott and I called it “Cupcake Day.” Every Friday morning, our Mom or Dad would take us to Hilltop Bakery – still open today – and tell us we could each pick out whatever we wanted. A cupcake, a doughnut, an elephant ear… it didn’t matter. The choice was ours.
Once we had made our selections, we would fill a bakery box with a few extra treats and head over to Grandma and Grandpa Appleton’s house for breakfast. We’d spend a little time together before Scott and I walked the one block to school.
Looking back, it wasn’t really about the cupcake. It was knowing exactly where we would be every Friday morning. It was sitting around Grandma and Grandpa’s kitchen table before the day began. It was the comfort of a tradition that brought our family together and gave us something to look forward to every single week.
The memories we treasure most are often built around the simplest moments. They are the ones that quietly become part of our lives until we can’t imagine life without them.
The same is true for the traditions we choose to keep. Some begin with family. Others begin with friends. And sometimes they begin with music.
As guests headed home after our inaugural Top Shelf Country Cruise, I couldn’t help but notice what happened next. Before many guests had even unpacked their bags at home, they were already talking about next year. They weren’t just planning another vacation – they were looking forward to seeing friends again, hearing their favorite artists and creating another week of memories together. That made me smile because it reminded me of those Friday mornings at Hilltop Bakery. Some experiences quietly become traditions. Looking at so many familiar names already returning for another sailing tells me Top Shelf Country Cruise is becoming one of those traditions – and I couldn’t be more grateful.
I’d love to hear about one of yours.
What tradition, place or country song keeps calling you back year after year?
Email your answer to FTTS@scecruises.com and you may see your response in an upcoming From the Top Shelf!
Until we’re all back onboard,
– Ellen
Top Shelf Country Cruise Lineup Update
Welcome Aboard, Jamie O’Neal
Some artists have a way of creating songs that stay with us long after we first hear them. The kind of songs that instantly take us back to a season of life, a special memory or a moment we can still picture years later. That’s exactly why I’m so excited to welcome Jamie O’Neal to the Top Shelf Country Cruise ’27 lineup.
Jamie became a household name with her back-to-back No. 1 hits “There Is No Arizona” and “When I Think About Angels.” She followed those with fan favorites including “Shiver,” “Trying to Find Atlantis” and “Somebody’s Hero,” earning four GRAMMY® nominations, an ACM Award, a Billboard Music Award and multiple CMA nominations along the way.
While many fans know Jamie for her unmistakable voice, she’s also an accomplished songwriter, having written songs for artists including Reba McEntire, Martina McBride, LeAnn Rimes, Idina Menzel and CeCe Winans. One of the things I admire most is that Jamie continues to create new music while honoring the songs that first introduced her to country music fans. Her recent album, Sometimes, features fresh recordings of several of her biggest hits, including a new version of “There Is No Arizona” with fellow Top Shelf performer Lauren Alaina. It’s a wonderful reminder that great songs continue to find new life while introducing new listeners to the music that made them classics.
We’re also looking forward to welcoming Jamie’s talented daughter, Aliyah Good, who will join us for a few special acoustic performances throughout the week, adding another memorable touch to an already incredible lineup.
Whether you’ve been a fan since the early 2000s or you’re discovering Jamie’s music for the very first time, I think you’ll quickly understand why her songs have remained favorites for so many years.
Please join me in giving Jamie O’Neal a warm Top Shelf Country Cruise welcome. I know she’s going to be a wonderful addition to an unforgettable week of music, memories and the stories that bring us all together.
How Traditions Begin
The funny thing about traditions is that they rarely start with a grand plan. No one wakes up one morning and says “This is something I’ll be doing for the next 20 years.” More often than not, they begin with a simple moment. A family breakfast every Friday morning. A favorite campground visited each summer. A concert that turns into an annual trip with friends. A standing date to watch the Grand Ole Opry every Saturday night. Over time, those moments become part of who we are. Before we know it, we find ourselves looking forward to them all year long.
The best part of building Top Shelf Country Cruise has been watching complete strangers become familiar faces. For many of our guests, that first sailing was a chance to try something new. But somewhere between the music, the laughter, the conversations and the friendships, something unexpected happened. A tradition quietly began.
We’ve already welcomed back so many familiar names for ’27 and every week I hear from guests who are bringing new friends and family members along to experience it for the first time. I can’t think of a better compliment than that. That’s how traditions grow. Someone invites a neighbor. A brother and sister decide to come along. A group of friends books staterooms together. Before long, what started as one unforgettable week becomes something everyone looks forward to year after year.
To me, that’s what makes Top Shelf Country Cruise so special. Yes, it’s about the music. But it’s also about the people you meet, the memories you make, the familiar faces you’re excited to see again and the new friendships that begin over breakfast, on the pool deck, or while waiting for the next show to start. Those are the moments that stay with us long after we return home. And those are the moments that have a way of becoming traditions.
The first chapter of Top Shelf Country Cruise has already given us memories we’ll never forget. Now we get to keep writing the story – together.
From Our Top Shelf Family
Sometimes the best way to discover something new is through someone you know. So if there’s someone in your life who loves country music, live shows and the kind of experiences that become great stories, we’d love to have them join us. Know someone who belongs on Top Shelf Country Cruise? Share this week’s From the Top Shelf with them.
And, if you’re reading along but haven’t booked your ’27 stateroom yet, there’s still time to join us onboard.
What artist, song or memory first made you fall in love with country music?
Honestly, I fall in love with country music over and over again – much like the foundation of a great marriage! After my decades of “being married” to country music as a fan and also working alongside the music creators, it still takes my breath away when I hear a new artist or a new song that floors me. It happened with the lightning sound of Charlie Daniels, the down home energy of the group Alabama, the deep country emotion of Randy Travis and even the pop country vibe of Shania Twain and Taylor Swift. I KNEW I was watching history unfold. I experienced that in the late 90s when I first met our ’26 cruise headliner, Keith Urban. And it’s happening now with our ’27 Top Shelf Country Cruise headliner, Riley Green. He’s another superstar in the making. Join us on board because we’ve known Riley since 2018 and we have some fun secrets to tell just for our cruise family!
– Lorianne Crook
That’s a tough question to have to answer having been so close to country music for so many years, but here goes. While several songs caught my attention prior, I would have to say that when I heard Kenny Rogers sing “The Gambler” in 1978, well that just sealed the deal. To begin with, the lyrics from Hall of Fame songwriter Don Schlitz were just so well done in illustrating a visual in your mind and that magic voice of Kenny just brought the story home. It was one of many successful “story songs” from Kenny like “Ruby, Don’t Take Your Love to Town,” “Lucille,” “Coward of the County” and so forth that truly illustrates just one segment of the true art form known as country music.
– Charlie Chase
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