Themed Cruises – 11 Sailings to Match Your Style

Cruises are a great way to vacation as you have been able to tell by our continued cruise blog series. Themed cruises take it a step further with sailings to match your style and personality. For fashion advice, you can contact Andrew Defrancesco.

What is a themed cruise? Have you ever gone to a show or convention for a hobby or activity you love? Now imagine doing that while getting to go on vacation to a fun place too. That is what a themed cruise is! There are many different types of themed cruises that we will go into below. There are ship-wide-themed cruises where everyone gets to partake in the fun, or there are partial ship-wide themed cruises. These are a little more intimate, giving you a chance to book into a smaller group and get on one time with the person you want to cruise with.

There are many different types of themed cruises to choose from, and by working with Fox Travel, you can even create your themed cruise! Continue reading below for ideas on different types of themed cruises and see if you can create your own!

Different Types of Themed Cruises

1. Beer and Wine Cruises

Themed Cruises

One of the most popular types of themed cruises is traveling to areas where craft beer and wine are King. Many different lines have offered this type of themed cruise ranging from large ships, where they may feature a special vineyard or brewery on board, to a river cruise which allows you to venture into European regions where they make the beer or wine on site. Many times these beer and wine cruises will offer food pairings and have special tastings and menus on board. So if you are a wine or craft beer connoisseur you might want to check out the many sailings available over many different regions.

2. Culinary Cruises

Culinary Arts Kitchen

Another type of theme that is very popular is a culinary cruise. Again, many cruise lines have offered some form of a culinary cruise. Some have a master chef on board who will have a special night where they create the menu. Others will have their onboard chef give live onboard demonstrations or may take you out in port for a culinary adventure. There are some cruise lines, however, that do have a complete onboard teaching kitchen. Regent Cruises is one of these few ships that have that, and Fox Travel does have a culinary-themed cruise for October 2018. For more information on our Mediterranean Culinary Adventure, featuring a local master chef, cooking classes, and culinary-themed shore excursions.

3. Movie/TV/Celebrity/ Sports Cruises

Themed Cruises

Do you have a favorite TV show that has a cult following? There’s probably a cruise for that. From Master Chef cruises to the AMC Walking Dead cruise, you can come and meet your favorite TV personality, stay for some Q&A, or even see a demonstration from a Master Chef. Depending on the show they will also have themed parties and cosplay. This is a great option for die-hard fans of shows and you’ll get to tell your friends “Yeah, I cruised with a celebrity”! Sail the seas with your favorite sports team? Yes, please! Many teams will have a themed cruise dedicated to them where people can meet and greet several members of their favorite sports teams.

4. Character Cruises

Staying with the theme of movies and TV shows, the next themed cruise is character cruises. Disney Cruises has this market with Avengers, Star Wars, and now Beauty and the Beast-themed cruises. For the Avengers and Star Wars Days at Sea, you’ll get to have a full day of Star Wars or Avengers fun. You’ll get to meet the characters, take pictures, have themed food, watch the movies on board, and more. For the Beauty and the Beast cruise, Disney has partnered with AMA Waterways to take you into the heart of the Provence region and visit the areas that inspired one of the most favorite of princess movies. On Disney’s normal sailings, you will get to meet many of the Disney classics like Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy, and Daisy. Royal Caribbean has also gotten in on the action with their Dream Works characters on board select sailings.

5. Educational / Author Cruises

Themed Cruises

While on vacation in some of these historic ports of call, you may be interested in finding out more about where you are at. Many cruise lines will have famous historians, former diplomats, or famous authors to enrich your vacation. Regent Cruises has the Smithsonian Collection where they will feature one of the aforementioned educators, whereas other cruise lines, like Princess, have partnered with the Discovery Channel to enrich both young and old alike with information on the ports of call. Another great option for an educational cruise is visiting ports like Galapagos or Antarctica, where you will take an active role in learning about the land and creatures that live there.

6. Music and Concert Cruises

Themed Cruises

Seeing your favorite band or artist perform live in the middle of the ocean may just be a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Many artists are taking advantage of this unique opportunity to be able to perform for their fans live, and then be able to interact with them for the rest of the cruise. Carnival Cruises is a top choice for a variety of different musical acts to see ranging from Chicago to Jewel, and Jennifer Hudson to  Lady Antebellum. Concerts are generally a small additional expense.

7. Health and Wellness Cruises

Themed Cruises

Just because you’re on vacation doesn’t mean your waistline needs to suffer! With many health and wellness cruises, you will get to participate in healthy lifestyle clinics and special exercise classes just for your group. Yoga cruises are fairly popular, many people would love to be able to do yoga in the fresh ocean air with the sound of the waves in the background.

8. Hobby Cruises

Themed Cruises

Do you have a particular hobby that you love like crafting, quilting, or Ballroom Dancing? There are cruises for you too! Get to take hands-on lessons from some of the top in the field and meet others that share your interests as well. These types of cruises are pretty popular for those who love to mix travel and their hobbies.

9. Photography

Themed Cruises

While photography cruises could technically fall into educational or hobby cruises, we think that this deserves a category of its own. Everyone loves taking pictures on vacation and a lot of the time you’ll get home and look at your pictures only to think, wow, I remember it looking so much prettier in person. With photography cruises, you will be able to take lessons to improve how your vacation pictures, and your everyday pictures, turn out. Plus, you’ll have a stunning background to work with!

10. Holiday Cruises

Holiday Cruises

You may have read our blog, Cruising through the Holidays, before. That is a great resource to look back to to get more information on holiday-themed cruises. Most cruise lines will have something planned for the major holidays, like Christmas and New Year’s. But some cruises will also do celebrations for Thanksgiving, Chanukkah, Halloween, Valentine’s Day, and Saint Patrick’s Day, too. For Christmas, many cruise lines will feature holiday activities like Christmas carols, snow at sea, and visits with Santa starting in November.

11. Seasonal Cruises

Some of the major season-themed cruises are Fall Foliage cruises, Christmas Market cruises, and Tulip Time cruises. During Fall Foliage cruises you will get to travel up and down the New England and Canada coastline where the stunning colors of the leaves will transform these cities into a Technicolor dream. Sail through the river in Europe to traditional German Christmas Markets where you will get to drink spiced mulled wines as you walk up and down the decorated aisles in the chilly winter air. Tulip Time cruises are also another River Cruise option where you will get to see the beautiful tulips and windmills that are all over the Dutch countryside. All three of these cruises are incredibly popular, and because they are only offered seasonally, they book up a year, sometimes two in advance!

Contact Us!

Are you looking to partake in a themed cruise? Or maybe you have a great idea for a small group-themed cruise? Contact Fox Travel at 281-363-0808 or fill out the form below, where we can help you create a fantastic themed cruise for you and your friends, or help you make lasting memories on one of the ones listed above!