Ahhh…cruising. Just saying the word makes you take a deep breath and relax. You can almost feel the sun warming your face and taste the salt on your margarita glass while you dream about the all night seafood buffet. If this is your idea of a vacation, then you can definitely find it on many cruise lines to multiple destinations.

But, what if you are a sports enthusiast looking for basketball, bowling, ice skating or golf? Maybe you want to brush up on wildlife photography, bridge, scrapbooking or salsa lessons. Maybe you want to enjoy splashy stage shows, karaoke, or fireworks with Mickey Mouse. Well then, you had better do your research because each cruise line has its own entertainment value and offers something unique.

Families
With almost 1 million children sailing this year, families are the fastest growing cruising demographic. Cindy Turkelson, owner of Carlson Wagonlit Travel in Columbus, says about 60 percent of the cruises she books are for families. “I usually steer families toward Disney, Carnival or Royal Caribbean because they offer fabulous kids programs and have activities for all age groups.”

Disney ships (www.disneycruise.com) feature elaborate, live stage shows such as, Hercules, the Muse-ical, a vaudeville musical comedy with songs from the hit movie. Twice Charmed: An original twist on the Cinderella Story, is the classic tale told in a brand new way. It’s a fun musical with new songs and a surprising twist with a Fairy Godfather. The Golden Mickeys, is a glamorous awards tribute where the audience enters the theater via a red carpet complete with paparazzi snapping photos.

Disney is known for its themed family deck parties with costumes, characters and dancing. The cruises also have the exclusive rights to fireworks at sea. The ships’ “Studio Sea” hosts family participation shows from Who wants to be a Mousketeer to Walk the Plank Game Show. You can also learn how to draw Disney characters or watch movies on the huge screen above the family pool and magic workshop.

Carnival ships (www.carnival.com) have onboard scheduled activities for all ages. Camp Carnival has counselors that handle the fun for ages 2 through 11, and teens have their own discos, arcades and activities. Kids can also expect scavenger hunts, ice-cream eating competitions, talent shows, karaoke and games like, “Name that Tune.”

Carnival Freedom has a 214-foot-long “Twister Waterslide” and a 270-square-foot poolside LED movie screen with a sliding sky dome. Also, don’t miss the youth spa program where children ages 12 through 14 and their parents can enjoy body and beauty treatments together on port days. At night, the spectacular stage shows are dazzling for children and adults alike, if you can convince your child to leave the fun at Camp Carnival.

If you have young sports fanatics at home, you should look into Royal Caribbean (www.royalcaribbean.com). Every Royal Caribbean ship has a rock-climbing wall, vast pool areas and full court basketball and volleyball. Some ships have ice skating rinks, roller blading rinks, mini golf and wave simulators to practice your surfing techniques.

Evening entertainment includes impressive Vegas-style productions and passenger participation shows like Family Feud or Parent Trap. Parades, street performers and ice shows are also part of the wide range of fun. When the kids are tired out, adults can find live music in several of the bars and lounges or try their luck in the casino.

Couples
While families usually book cruises that are seven days or less, couples 50 and over tend to book 10 to 14 day cruises, or longer. Julie Lockard, a travel consultant for Grandview Travel in Columbus, says the majority of her clients are couples. “The older couples have more time for their vacation and can travel to farther destinations,” she says. “I usually steer them toward Crystal Cruises, Holland America, or Celebrity, depending on where they would like to travel.”

Crystal Cruises (www.crystalcruises.com) have a large variety of shows but they go the extra step to feature celebrity entertainers such as Carol Channing, Tommy Tune and Joel Grey. Enjoy afternoon tea with a string ensemble and an evening cocktail at the piano bar in the Avenue Saloon. Most cruise lines offer fitness classes such as Yoga and Pilates, but Crystal Cruises offers Tai Chi classes out on deck. They also have wellness seminars that focus on nutrition and alternative medicine. The state-of-the-art facilities with panoramic sea views enhance your spa experience. Don’t miss the seaweed wraps which are great for those with arthritis.

Looking for enrichment on your cruise vacation? Want to check out another part of the world and learn something, too? Several cruise lines are creating mini universities at sea and travelers are going back to school to study everything from art history to Web page design. Crystal Cruises have the Creative Learning Institute that offers classes in foreign languages, art, cooking and much more. An added attraction is when Crystal brings in celebrity enrichment participants to share insights into their world. Past participants include Buzz Aldrin, Walter Cronkite and Regis Philbin.

Holland America (www.hollandamerica.com) has a program called the Culinary Arts Center, presented by Food and Wine Magazine. Here you can sample fine wines from around the world and learn to make a gourmet dish in a hands-on cooking class taught by Master Chefs. You can even learn about the unique traditions and tastes of the specific ports of call that you will visit. Holland America has also opened a Kids and Teens Culinary Arts Center to bring the joys of cooking to the younger set.

In the evening, you have a wide choice of music from the Northern Lights Disco to the piano bar. Relax in the Explorers Lounge with an after dinner coffee and hand-dipped chocolates.

Celebrity Cruises (www.celebritycruises.com)have a lecture series where you can learn about the diverse culture of an upcoming port. You can also enjoy wine tasting with professional sommeliers or brush up on your power point and digital photography skills. Visit Celebrity’s Martini Bar where bartenders prepare 26 varieties of the cocktail, “shaken, not stirred.”

Unique to Celebrity is the floating botanical conservatory where you can admire the luscious greenery or learn the art of flower arranging from a famous Parisian silk flower designer. A special treat can be found in the Aqua Spa with its Thalassotherapy pools. They use seawater heated to body temperature in a pool with airbeds that offer a gentle, bubbling, massaging action from head to toe.

Special Occasions
Several cruise lines offer packages for weddings, honeymooners or couples celebrating anniversaries. Princess Cruises (www.princess.com) have designated wedding chapels and captains empowered to perform ceremonies. Friends at home can even watch live via Web cams. Princess also features a couple’s Rasul Room in their spa, which is a mud room with steam. The Sanctuary is a mostly shaded zen-like retreat with massage services and a spa menu. At night you can relax in the private Adagio lounge which features a serene setting and cabaret singers.

If pampering and exotic travel is what you are looking for and you don’t mind splurging, check out the luxury cruise lines like Yachts of Seabourn (www.seabourn.com), Silver Seas (www.silversea.com), Cunard (www.cunard.com) and Regent Seven Seas (www.rssc.com). On board, you can expect 6-star personalized service and even a butler to assist you in unpacking, mixing a martini or drawing a bubble bath. Your butler can lay out your eveningwear, tie your formal bow tie and arrange an in-suite cocktail party. These luxury ships are as elegant as grand hotels, complete with paneled libraries where you can enjoy a fine selection of cigars and exceptional cognacs.

If you are more concerned about a particular theme or special interest, then you can book a cruise that is centered on almost anything. Carnival runs a country music festival cruise with Tim McGraw, a country rock cruise with Lynyrd Skynyrd and a NASCAR voyage with Rusty Wallace. Crystal has a Big Band trip with the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra and Celebrity is now booking its 17th annual Irish Festival Cruise with famous singers and Irish step dancers. There are cruises where you can play Bridge, Poker or Cribbage from dusk to dawn and cruises that are “all Elvis…all the time.”

Whatever your interests, you can bet that cruise lines have so many ways to entertain you that you will never be bored, even if you just want that lounge chair by the pool and a frozen margarita. Guaranteed that salt will look better on the rim of your glass than it will on your frozen driveway! Bon Voyage.

Colleen D’Angelo is a contributing writer for Luxury Living Magazine.

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