Luthiers' Cruises

Settle in, explore the ship a bit, then go eat a dinner fit for royalty! Depart Seattle – bon voyage!

8:30pm to 9:30pm

Come to the Luthiers’ cocktail reception! Meet Michael Gurian, Michael Millard, Thomas Humphrey, and all the guitar groupies on their way to Alaska with us! Figure out who brought what guitars onboard, and start planting the seeds for that swap you’d like to make!

1:30pm to 3:00pm

As the Celebrity “Infinity” sweeps around the Queen Charlotte Islands toward Sitka, hear an historic panel discussion featuring our guest luthiers! They’ll tell tales of building some of the world’s finest guitars (often using Sitka spruce!), answer your questions, and provide invaluable insights into how to shop for, care for, and really enjoy one of the most beloved musical instruments on “Earth, third planet from the Sun.” (A little inside humor there!)

After an afternoon enjoying the amenities of the “Infinity” and the splendor of the Alaskan coast (not to mention another dinner fit for royalty), amble down to where Messrs. Humphrey and Millard – both of whom still make astounding guitars for high-profile musicians – will demonstrate a few of the finer points of making an incredible stringed instrument. We know already that Michael Millard plans to craft a guitar neck right then and there, and that Thomas Humphrey will bring a disassembled guitar to show how and why he does what he does – and how he achieves the sound he does from a finished instrument!

8:00pm to ?

You’ve spent the better part of the day exploring picturesque Sitka, Alaska. How do guitar people celebrate amazing days? Well, by pulling out the guitar you’ve brought with you and showing some of your fellow passengers the kind of music you enjoy, that’s how! We’ll have a private lounge for your jam session, so play like you mean it! (An entertainment hint – coax some of our featured luthiers into playing each others’ instruments!)

11:00am to 12:00pm

Today is Hubbard Glacier day, so there’s a lot to see outside! We’ve timed things so that you’ll still have this time slot to hear Thomas Humphrey and Michael Gurian – both of whom have spent a good deal of time focusing on the specific needs of classical guitars and the people who play them – talk specifically about how to compare, select, care for, and even design a classical guitar worth dreaming about! Spend the rest of the day using up your remaining “oohs” and “aaahs” for the uniquely Alaskan scenery and all the great food on board!

9:00pm to ?

Juneau is a spectacularly unusual Alaskan city, accessible only by boat and air. What if all state capitals were so isolated?? After exploring this fabled city during the day, you’ll once again feel the need to express your emotions in music. We have a lounge set up for your impromptu picking session … enjoy!

TBA

Today you’ll be in another absolutely Alaskan town – Ketchikan! And we want you to take full advantage of seeing it. So we’re going to work around that event to nail down a good time for Michael Gurian and Michael Millard to take an hour or so to talk about how to compare, select, care for, and design a steel string guitar worth a lifetime of love!

TBA

One thing we encourage all guests to do is to bring aboard at least one intriguing guitar. It doesn’t have to be a Gurian, Froggy Bottom or Humphrey, but of course it might attract some attention if it is! You decide what “intriguing” means. Maybe it’s your all-time favorite guitar, and you either want to show it off, or else can’t stand leaving it behind for a week. But maybe it’s a great guitar, just not the optimum guitar for you. Perhaps you’d entertain selling it, or swapping it for someone else’s guitar? Maybe you have a koa, and want a maple. Maybe your fellow traveler has a maple and wants a koa. See the possibilities? No telling what may happen, but we’re having a swap session at some point today, and we’ll be giving you those details before you know it!

By this point you’ve seen some of the most amazing coastline Alaska has to offer, plus a sampling of fascinating US cities that most Americans will never see! You also either have, or know where to get, the guitar of your dreams. So today, enjoy the thoroughly wonderful (and more than a bit British!) city of Victoria, British Columbia, while you reflect on a week of guitar heaven!

We’re back at Seattle!  Most cruises end with the feel of an ending party. But with your new guitar-playing friends, the information you’ve learned about guitars, and the plans you’ve formed for acquiring your own “dream guitar” (or playing the one you got on the cruise), it’ll feel a lot more like the party is just beginning!