The Daily Telegraph - Saturday - Travel
Inside the weird and wonderful world of the themed voyage
From Disney sailings and motorbike rallies at sea to cruises themed around knitting, corgis and cats, there is a holiday afloat to match your obsession, as Nicole Carmichael reveals
Ever found yourself in a lift with four Freddie Mercury lookalikes in full I Want to Break Free garb – pleather miniskirts, fishnets, sleeveless pink polo necks, moustaches and inflatable hoovers? This was just one of the many (oh, so many) surreal, weird and totally wonderful encounters I experienced on an Eighties Throwback cruise a few years ago.
We are talking full-on Day-glo costumes, enormous wigs, shoulder pads the size of lilos and legions of die-hard Eighties music fans lining up for selfies with the likes of Tony Hadley from Spandau Ballet, DJ Pat Sharp, former members of Bucks Fizz and comedian Bobby Davro. it was a long weekend of tribute bands, Eighties stars, smiles and hangovers all round.
Themed cruises are about living your passion and meeting hundreds of people with shared interests for immersive fandom sailings. Think dawn-to-dusk appreciation societies at sea, loud, proud and in your face. It is all about as subtle as a drag queen’s lipstick and as different from “regular” cruises as you could imagine – no making small talk with that polite couple from Droitwich, or serenely watching the changing landscape in the piano lounge before a game of shuffleboard on the top deck.
Yes, there are cultured theme cruises, if that’s your bag, from Cunard’s Literature Festival at Sea to Dance the Atlantic, London Theatre at Sea and Oceania’s Culinary Luminaries Cruise for serious foodies, plus numerous wine appreciation, yoga, wellbeing, classical music and themed lecture options. There are also an increasing number of sailings that take in top sporting events, including river cruises to major golf tournaments, as well as the Monaco Grand Prix (organised by both Windstar and Emerald Cruises). However, when you want to throw caution to the wind and give yourself a break from the more serious side of life, very few things can beat the total escapism of a themed cruise.
Take Disney Cruise Line, for example, which is a whole theme park at sea. You can enjoy a Frozen deck party or a magical tea party with Disney princesses, shop in the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique and watch brand new Marvel movies before getting your beauty sleep in the Briar Rose Royal Suite. It is unapologetically, wall-to-wall Walt.
Themed cruises began as a clutch of like-minded souls holidaying together, spreading the word (long before the internet) and meeting annually to share their adoration of all things Elvis, plus card games, magic, quilting and other wholesome pursuits. Some of the smaller themed cruises still operate in this way, such as the Meaow Meaow cat lovers’ cruise which began in 2015, inviting fans of felines to journey together minus their moggies. The group has recently joined forces with the Corgi Cruise to further the furry four legged fanbase.
Rather than taking over the entire ship and the cruise being entirely focused on one theme, the experience is more like a convention at sea. The genre may not instantly appeal to the conservative traveller, but taken with a pinch of salt and a good sense of humour, it is an absolute blast. Heaven forbid, you can actually be quite “normal” and enjoy a themed cruise.
Last year’s Golden Girls cruise invited superfans of the camp US sitcom to come together to celebrate Miami’s fab four with a caftan and cheesecake welcoming party, bingo, bar crawls and
It is all about as subtle as a drag queen’s lipstick and as different from ‘regular’ cruises as you could imagine
stage shows featuring drag act The Golden Gays. If that doesn’t float your boat, how about the Rock ’N’ Wrestling cruise, the High Seas Motorcycle Rally, a Baltic Knitting Cruise or even a naturist voyage? If you are serious about your hobby and love travelling, why not combine the two?
It is fair to say that there are more themed cruises Stateside than in Europe, with cruise company Carnival often chartered to provide the accommodation on routes varying from quick jaunts to longer itineraries in Mexico, Florida and the Caribbean. For example, not affiliated with Ms Swift, but celebrating all things Taylor, two “Bestie Cruises” in April and July will be taking place on Royal Caribbean’s Navigator of the Seas and will include dance parties and friendship-bracelet making.
This is in addition to the fan-led cruise for Swifties which is taking place onboard Royal Caribbean’s Allure of the Seas in October and also includes theme nights, friendship bracelet swapping and other Swiftie celebrations. To join in the fun, you need to book through a bespoke website (travefy.com) rather than the Royal Caribbean website.
Backstreet Boys and New Kids on the Block superfan Sarah Ellis, 43, from Norwich, went on two cruises themed around her heroes: a Caribbean voyage in 2012 and a rain-soaked Mediterranean trip in 2016. “Both times involved a lot of women of a certain age hanging out and having a lot of fun, and any straight single men on board living their best lives because of the ratio of women to men,” she remembers.
“There were nightly themed gatherings that entailed lots of fancy dress – leather and lace, movie nights, etcetera, and competitions such as a prize for the best-decorated cabin door, plus a guaranteed photo op with the band. The noise level was generally quite high throughout both cruises, but that’s OK, I think – at sea, nobody can hear you scream…”
Tempted? You don’t have to be a superfan (or a sandwich short of a picnic) to enjoy the total escapism of a themed cruise – as the sailings below, in all their tongue-in-cheek, extravagant glory, surely prove. And after all, you only live once.
The Love Boat
Themed cruises don’t get any more iconic than one inspired by The Love Boat, the US romcom series that ran from 1977 to 1987. From the original pilot onwards, the show was filmed aboard several Princess Line ships in romantic locations around the world and, in 2022, the inaugural Love Boat cruise set sail.
A second themed cruise has been unveiled that will reunite cast members from the original show including Jill Whelan (aka Vicki Stubing), Bernie Kopell (Doc) Fred Grandy (Gopher) and Ted Lange (Issac). There will be screenings of episodes, cast Q&As and meet and greets, vow renewals (with commemorative certificates) plus all manner of Love Boat-inspired opportunities for holiday romance.
Princess Cruises (0344 338 8670; princesscruises.com) offers the sevennight Love Boat cruise aboard Enchanted Princess from £649pp including accommodation, dining and entertainment, round trip from New York and visiting Rhode Island, Boston, Maine, Saint John, Canada ( for Bay of Fundy) and Halifax (Canada). Departs New York on Aug 31 2024.
Electric Sunsets 80s vs 90s cruise
Dig out your shell suits (what do you mean, you haven’t got one?), rediscover the rara and puffball skirt, and dive headlong into a throwback cruise that promises the ultimate musical showdown. With a line-up that includes the Vengaboys, Go West, A1, Phats & Small and Sonia, and offered on an all-inclusive basis, this adults-only cruise is certainly not for the faint hearted.
Marella Cruises (020 3451 2688 tui.co. uk) offers the four-night mini-cruise aboard Marella Voyager from £669pp including flights, round trip from Palma Majorca and visiting Barcelona and Alicante. Departs May 1 2024.
Super Bowl at Sea
“Dammit Ref, you suck!” – “What kind of tackle was that?” – “Touchdown!” – “Is that Taylor Swift?” These are just a few of the useful phrases you might need in your armoury for the next Super Bowl at Sea, the world’s largest Super Bowl bash. Private cocktail parties, quizzes, dice games and betting are part of the line-up, along with the televised match itself aboard all Carnival sailings that coincide with the annual Super Bowl – which, in 2025, falls on February 9.
Carnival Cruises (0800 764-7419 carnival.com) offers an eight-day Mexican Riviera cruise aboard Carnival Panorama from $609 (£479), round-trip from Los Angeles via Cabo San Lucas, La Paz, Mazatlán and Puerto Vallarta. Departs Feb 8 2025.
Halloween on the High Seas
Disney goes completely Halloween crazy on four of its ships from mid-September to October. Onboard Disney Magic, Disney Dream, Disney Fantasy and Disney Wish, you can enjoy Halloween parties, themed food, creepy crafts, eerie arts and spooky decor. All of this is Disney-themed of course, so not too terrifying for the young ones. Special Halloween itineraries sail to destinations in the eastern and western Caribbean, plus the Bahamas.
The Walt Disney Travel Company (0800 171 2317; disneycruise.disney.go.com) offers a Halloween on the High Seas three-night Bahamian cruise from
Port Canaveral, from £1,730 for two guests aboard Disney Wish, sailing to Nassau in the Bahamas and Disney’s private island Castaway Cay. Departs Sept 13 2024.
D-Day Anniversary Voyages
Commemorating the 80th anniversary of D-Day, two themed cruises will sail in tandem to Normandy. They will both anchor off the coast to allow guests to remember the 130,000-plus Allied troops who were deployed to free France from German occupation during the Second World War. Among the themed activities are guest speakers, remembrance services and a Great British Deck Party.
Ambassador (0808 303 2911 ambassadorcruiseline.com) offers a six-day sailing around Britain’s south coast and France from £649pp based on two people sharing a premium twin inner room. Departs Bristol Royal Portbury onboard Ambassador ship Ambition on June 2 2024.
Sporting Legends
Just before the 2024 Olympics kicks off, former rower Sir Steve Redgrave and ex-track athlete Daley Thompson will
be the guests of honour at a Sporting Legends northern France river cruise on the Seine. Five-times gold medallist Sir Steve and gold-medal winning decathlete Daley will join the roundtrip cruise from Paris, mingling with passengers to give immersive Q&A sessions, sharing signed keepsakes and posing for obligatory selfies.
Scenic (0161 516 1947; scenic.co.uk) offers the eight-day one-time-only itinerary, Sporting Legends Cruise: Paris & Seine Edition, from £4,395pp including private transfers, personalised butler service and return business class flights. Departs July 8 2024.
Eurovision cruises
Celebrating its new role as the Official Partner of the Eurovision Song Contest in 2024 and 2025, cruise line Royal Caribbean has four European sailings that take in the grand final – which, this year, takes place on May 11 in the Swedish city of Malmo.
The World’s Largest Music Event will be beamed to the ships’ incredible entertainment venues, which include such facilities as onboard ice rinks as well as the live music theatres. There will also be exclusive Eurovision experiences and one-of-a-kind surprises – so expect some serious costuming and caterwauling karaoke.
Royal Caribbean (0344 493 4005 royalcaribbean.com) offers a seven-night Western Mediterranean Cruise from £1,279pp aboard Oasis of the Seas, round trip from Barcelona and calling at Palma de Mallorca, Marseilles, La Spezia, Civitavecchia and Naples. Departs May 5 2024.