Cruising: So What Do You Do On a Cruise?
Hello friend! Welcome back! I’m happy you’re here! Today we are continuing our cruise series by going over what there is to do on a cruise. Lots of people don’t really know what they would do for several days on a boat and it makes them reluctant to seek out cruising when in fact there is quite a lot available to do on cruises. So let’s get started!
Shore Excursions
You’ve likely chosen your cruise based on what ports it makes stops in. Naturally, the ship will have pre-planned excursions for you to do that are in partnership with local vendors. The major pro to this is that the vendor is contractually obligated to the cruise ship to get you back before boarding time and in one piece save for any insane unforeseen circumstances. The con to a ship-organized excursion is that you’ll probably pay a little bit more than you would if you found a vendor on the dock or further out. Essentially you’re paying extra for the guarantee that the ship will not leave you behind if your excursion runs late. Personally, I love shore excursions. I think that they are an excellent way to get a quick taste of the location within a limited time frame. They’re informative, and often they make sure lunch is included. However, if you’re an old veteran of the port, then branching out on your own is also a very rewarding experience, especially if you’ve already seen the major destinations that most people want to catch on their first visit. You might be able to find a vendor with a unique experience, or catch a cab and have the driver show you around town to their favorite places. You also have the freedom to try more local restaurants that you would find near the port and usually for a much lower price. Tourist prices are always inflated dramatically so branching out is the way to go if you’re looking for a deal. But always remember, keep yourself safe and DON’T MISS THE BOAT.
Live Entertainment
Not every day of your cruise will be a port day. You will also have days where the ship is only out at sea, moving (slowly) to its next destination. Cruise ships are like floating Las Vegas hotels on a small scale. So there is going to be lots of live entertainment throughout the ship. Some examples include dance halls with live music, Live music on the pool deck, costume parades through the main promenade, club dancing at an on board disco, dinner theater, ice theaters, aqua theaters and large scale musical productions. Many of these things often happen simultaneously since the entire guest manifest can’t all fit inside of a single theater in one show. There are multiple opportunities to see the large scale productions during the cruise. Brands like Disney will have musicals that promote their own well known and loved characters whereas Royal Caribbean ships have Broadway and West End musicals like CATS, Hairspray!, and We Will Rock You! On board their ships. Other ships like MSC have Cirque du Soleil shows to offer on board their ships. Each brand is unique in their large productions.
Digital Entertainment
Ships also offer multiple showings of the latest films usually in their main venue or on the large pool deck screen. If you are in the mood for a more intimate movie experience, each stateroom also has the option to watch movies (Usually for a fee unless you’ve paid for the fancy expensive suite or entertainment package in advance) Some ships may boast of their own movie theater, but it isn’t the most common thing I’ve seen on ships. Some ships also have a video game arcade on board with racing games, shooting games, and fighting games. Sometimes a fee is required but I have also seen some ships disabling the pay function and making them available to play for free.
Games and Trivia
The person responsible for guest entertainment is the Cruise Director. The Cruise Director has a team of staff who are dedicated solely to planning and running lots of fun activities, games, and trivia events available for guests to enjoy. Each cruise staff and Cruise Director is different and the types of games is often a reflection of the personality of that CD and their staff. You may get someone who is a huge fan of Queen and will host a trivia game all about Queen and their music, you may get a CD who loves BIG games and will have a huge 21+ game event in one of the large venues and essentially boils down to adult-themed scavenger hunts. (Which btw that game was obscenely popular on Oasis of the Seas and I was stuck cleaning up all kinds of bizarre things off the floor after that game.) Each day offers different activities for the CD’s team so always check the daily cruise schedule regularly. The schedule is printed daily and delivered to your stateroom usually in time for the turn-down service.
Casino
It is a floating Las Vegas-style hotel after all. Of course, there is a casino. The casino is only allowed to operate in international waters. The ports don’t like having to compete with the ship for revenue so casinos don’t open their slot machines or game tables until at least 30 minutes after they’ve left port. The casino area is also the only place on board where smoking indoors is permitted. However, I have seen some European ships with a specific smoking room. All other onboard smoking is only permitted in labeled smoking sections outdoors. Usually, a section of the pool deck and a section of the outer deck that is around mid-level. If the ship is fueling up, there is no smoking permitted outdoors at all while it is fueling. I personally don’t participate in the ship’s casinos, especially if I’m working on board. It is hard enough earning the money, I don’t exactly want to end up gambling away my entire paycheck, nor do I smoke, so if I’m in the casino, I’m usually cutting across to a different part of the ship.
Health and Wellness
There is a spa. It is usually near the gym on the same deck. Both places are fully equipped. The gym is usually pretty standard with exercise equipment and machines. Some have little stretching areas with additional unweighted equipment available. There are also fitness instructors who work in the gym and will lead exercise classes throughout the day. A running track is also on every ship, however, there are often other guests just walking or taking photos or milling about which usually make it too difficult to run on the track effectively without crashing. The Spa is also fully equipped from hair salons to filler injections. I only took advantage of the massage package while on board, but many of the services available were very tempting.
That’s it for now. We have only just scratched the surface of all of the things available to do on a cruise and this post is already getting pretty long. If you’re still scratching your head wondering where to start with cruises, check out this post!
Additional things to do on a cruise that we will cover next time will be: The Pool deck, Specialty Dining, Shopping, Kid's Zones, Specialty Acts, Ship Tours, and Theme Nights.
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