Meeting the Artists a Highlight of the Last Day of the Outlaw Country Cruise

by Kevin Wierzbicki

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Over the course of the five days of this year's Outlaw Country Cruise, which was the 10th anniversary sailing of the music festival at sea, fans certainly had lots of opportunities to get to know the artists on board through their music; most acts performed multiple times. But on the final day of the cruise fans had a chance to experience something very special: To get up close and personal with the performers at an autograph session.

The Outlaw Country Cruise, presented by music cruise specialists Sixthman, took place March 20-25, 2026 aboard the Norwegian Cruise Line ship Pearl as she made her way from Miami to Harvest Caye in Belize and Roatan in Honduras. Fans witnessed shows by a stellar cast of performers including Steve Earle, Margo Price, Lucinda Williams, Southern Culture on the Skids, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Jim Lauderdale, Asleep at the Wheel, the Beat Farmers, Swamp Dogg and many others. On the last full day of the cruise fans piled into the Pearl's Summer Palace dining room which had been set up to accommodate tables where many of the festival's performers awaited to sign vinyl, CDs, shirts, posters and basically whatever was put before them. They posed for pictures too, with some artists being particularly animated about it; Jim Lauderdale for example stood up and gave hugs while photos were taken. More than a dozen acts appeared including Asleep at the Wheel, Reckless Kelly, the Beat Farmers, NOCONA, Roland Dixon, Dash Rip Rock, the HawtThorns and Summer Dean. Another group of performers had already done their signing session earlier in the cruise.

Another really cool thing that happened on the last day of the cruise was a Sirius XM session hosted by Elizabeth Cook who had as her guests Southern Culture on the Skids. Cook asked the trio about how they got together and got some amusing stories out of them. For example, the band played their song "My House Has Wheels" and guitar player Rick Miller explained how the song was inspired by a job he once had working in a mobile home factory where he installed aluminum siding and one time messed it up pretty good. Miller got lots of laughs from the audience when he told how he installed the siding backwards on a mobile home and that it all peeled off when the home was motoring down the highway.

The Cook/Southern Culture on the Skids session was followed by a similar session where Steve Earle hosted the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. And of course the last day didn't skimp on concerts as Shinyribs, Joshua Ray Walker, Margo Price, Roland Dixon and Sarah Borges & Eric Ambel were among the day's performers.

There was also a "guitar pull" with multiple artists, an Ask Sixthman session and a Texas Hold'em Tournament that was hosted by Ray Benson of Asleep at the Wheel. Many talented cruisers held a Picking Parlor session too where they played mostly acoustic guitars and sang songs familiar to all. Every day of the cruise was similarly packed with activities and the fun went on from midday until after midnight. There were lots of special shows, like a tribute to Steve Earle performed by various artists and a Nitty Gritty Dirt Band show where they brought on lots of guest players.

And of course there was all the fun to be had with the amenities the Pearl always offers like the pool and hot tub, the spa and the very popular casino. There was food galore to be had too, ranging from fine dining for those maybe craving a steak and lobster tail, to the huge lavish buffet which had a different theme every day. The buffet always had an enticing selection of desserts available including specially decorated Outlaw Country Cruise sheet cakes.

Not everyone stopped by for a piece of cake but for sure every single cruiser enjoyed lots of tasty musical treats, with many looking forward to doing it all again next year. The 2027 sailing of the Outlaw Country Cruise will take place aboard the Norwegian Cruise Line ship Jewel March 5-10 as she makes her way from Miami to Key West, Florida and Ocho Rios in Jamaica. Cabins are on presale now here.

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