Author: savannahanaston

By: Savannah Anaston

Cruises are vacations of relaxation and parties, and I’ve had my fair share of that over the course of my life. Although all cruise ships are not the same, they all share the same common features, no matter the cruise line. Don’t get me wrong, they do vary between the details, but many of the activities are similar. I have been on all of the main cruise lines, such as: Royal Caribbean, Carnival, Norwegian, and Disney (only once, though, since it’s extremely expensive). More recently, it has been Carnival and Royal Caribbean, so I’ll be talking and sharing my experiences about those certain cruise lines the most.

Clubs

Commonly found in many cruise ships, there are clubs catering to different age groups. Since many activities on the ships are more for 18-21+, they have made accommodations for the younger groups aboard. One example is the “O₂” club found on all of Carnival ships, for ages 15-17-year olds.

Of course, there are clubs for other various age groups as well, but I mostly have all my fresh memories from the teen clubs that were 13 and up, on various ships and cruise lines. These clubs would host games that would involve the entire ship, such as scavenger race games and man vs man team games. They would also hold “Battle of the Sexes” games, karaoke, Just Dance^TM, and parties until the early hours of the morning. I have made many friends in the short time spent there, a couple of which I’m still in contact with today.

On Royal Caribbean cruise lines, their older teen club is called “Fuel Teen Center“. Different activities are split up between ages 12-14 and 15-17. However, at the end of the night and into early morning hours, it was blended through a party. We did scavenger hunts, team competition games, and had a huge party every night- especially since a quinceanera was being held, with five-hundred girls attending on one of the cruises I had been on.

Other clubs catered to people of 18 and up include bars, spas, and clubs. One of a couple that I have been in (snuck in by my cousins during a family reunion) was the Piano Bar, a bar that would have a single host sing and play piano. Said host would also interact with the crowd as well with jokes.

It was one of my favorite places to be at night, requesting songs and just having a good laugh with the hostess. My cousins would often join me, staying for a couple hours at a time.

The Theater

The Carnival ship “Valor” has a theater called the “Ivanhoe Theater”, and does various shows, such as the “Playlist Productions”, which are musicals done by entertainment staff with different styles. I have seen the “America Rocks” show, which is a myriad of rock songs from over the decades performed with dances. Also, I participated in a Harry Potter themed trivia game, alongside two friends I had made on said Carnival ship. Also, on another Carnival ship, “Vista”, my parents and I attended the “Clue” themed show, which had performers dressed as the characters from the murder mystery game. It was an interactive show, having the audience figure out who the murder was through clues hidden throughout the week.

The Lido Deck

On every cruise ship, there is what is known as the “Lido Deck”. It is usually on the upper floors of the ships, having the pools, slides, and various places to eat. This is usually where I spent most of my time, besides the clubs for my age group. The most recent cruise I had for my family’s reunion, Carnival Vista, had a Guy Fieri Burger Joint, a Mexican food bar named the BlueIguana Cantina, and the Lido Marketplace, which is a buffet, and had shows and competitions held by some of the main staff. My cousins forced me to go on a ropes course (which was awful, by the way), and the Skyride. At night, movies would be played on the big screen TV, but I never found myself watching them.

One of my most memorable nights on the Lido Deck, though, was the New Year’s Party this past January. My family had a huge family reunion on a cruise for the first time, as stated above, taking place during New Year’s. It was a huge party with loud music, and all my cousins and I danced for a long time before they snuck me into the 18+ afterparty in one of the club rooms. My cousins could probably tell you that the drinks were pretty good, too, if you were wondering.

Excursions

Other than the activities on deck, cruises are also very well known for their excursions. On all of the ones that I have been on, we usually visit the Bahamas and Cozumel, but this last time we visited Jamaica and Yucatán as well.

Most memorable was Jamaica, and while we were there, we visited Stingray City, a patch of shallow water where many stingrays inhabit. My parents and I took a boat there, driven by a guide, and took turns being able to hold and feed the stingrays. We were told to be cautious, though, as they still had their stingers, and had to wait for a guide to catch one before we were allowed to approach it.

Overall, cruises are a good time for relaxation, and the entertainers sure come to impress. The excursions to different islands and countries are also a very fun experience, and I always look forward to them. I am lucky to have gotten to become so familiar with cruises, as they’re always a good time, and a good escape.