Melissa Etheridge [ tickets ] will take to the high seas in March, performing the first night of a week-long Caribbean cruise put together by lesbian lifestyle company Olivia.

The "Caribbean Escape" on Holland America departs March 26 from Ft. Lauderdale, FL. The ship's more than 1,800 passengers will visit Key West; San Juan, Puerto Rico; and St Thomas/St. John, US Virgin Islands.

Other artists scheduled to appear on the cruise include Suede [ tickets ], Julie Goldman, Rene Hicks, Amy Boyd, Dana Adkins and Doria Roberts.

Etheridge's performance will be her second aboard an Olivia cruise.

"Melissa is an inspiration on so many levels, not only to the lesbian community but to women everywhere, not to mention an electric performer," Olivia founder/president Judy Dlugacz said in a statement. "To see her in an intimate setting in community, aboard a world-class cruise ship sailing in the Caribbean, promises to be an unforgettable experience."

The Grammy winner and breast-cancer survivor, who is a new mother of twins with partner Tammy Etheridge, has no tour dates on the books at the moment, according to her website. Her latest album, released in October 2005, is "Greatest Hits: The Road Less Traveled," a 2-disc anthology that also comes in a CD/DVD deluxe version.

Etheridge is currently up for another Grammy Award for her song "I Need To Wake Up," written for "An Inconvenient Truth," Al Gore's documentary about global warming. The song is streaming at Etheridge's MySpace page.