Is a Theme Cruise Vacation Right for You?

You've doubtlessly heard of cruises before, but you might not have heard about theme cruise vacations.

If you're looking for cruise vacation ideas, a theme trip may be just what you are looking for. If you're a fan of something, there's nothing better than combining your interest with an exotic vacation.

A theme cruise is something a cruise line puts together on board one of its ships, an event or series of linked events that often go on for the whole week (or however long the cruise is). All the passengers are encouraged to participate.

Themed cruises first came about when ships spent long days at sea for ocean crossings and didn't stop at all the ports of call they frequently do today. Also, there weren't quite so many passengers on board and cruises were less mainstream than today; these days, it can be tough to find something with broad enough appeal that 2,000 or more people will book for a special themed cruise, so they have tapered off in popularity.

Still, you can find theme and special interest cruises on a variety of topics. Examples include annual shindigs such as Carnival's NASCAR voyage, Regent Seven Seas' annual Chocolate Cruise and Holland America's jazz festival. Since these sorts of events have a broad appeal, they do well as themed cruises, where just about everyone on board is interested in partaking in the activities.

It is also possible to find smaller cruise ships running theme vacations, such as old-fashioned "murder" mysteries. Many boutique ships go to such interesting, off-the-beaten-path kind of places, that just the trip itself can have a definite adventure theme. Lectures and classes on the area really immerse you in the subject.

If you're interested in themes in narrow niches, you can still find great cruise events. Check into special interest cruises.

These are sometimes called theme cruises too, but really it's where a special interest group books a number of cabins on a mainstream cruise ship, and then sets up an itinerary and books guest speakers. The arrangers of the special interest cruise will then market their package to folks who would enjoy the events.

Examples of special interest cruises you can find include everything from scrap-booking to digital photography to baseball. If you're a fan of something, chances are you can find a special interest cruise (yes, there are even Stark Trek cruises).

These smaller niche groups won't affect the general populace of the cruise ship (although you might get a few odd looks if you're running around in Klingon garb), though the planners may arrange for some public spaces to be reserved for the group's use.

In addition to theme cruises and special interest cruises, you can find organizations that will charter a whole ship for their use. For example, Atlantis Events organizes gay and lesbian cruises, and there is a poker organization that charters ships for an annual gaming tournament.

If you're interested in theme cruises, you can find them taking place all year around, but the hot time seems to be in December and January during low-demand (pre- and post-holiday) weeks.

If you're wondering how much theme cruises cost, it really depends on the event. If a famous rock and roll group is going to be on board and performing every night, you might pay more than usual, but there are other themed cruises where prices are comparable to vacations that go the same places without the theme.