Seven Things You Didn’t Know About Cruising

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Cruise ships keep getting bigger and designers keep dreaming up new and amazing things to do at sea. From staying in virtual reality rooms to wandering amidst real gardens, here are seven things you probably didn’t know you could do or see on a cruise ship.

 

Whizbang thrills

From skydiving to rock-climbing, ice-skating, surfing and bumper cars, Royal Caribbean is the great innovator when it comes to onboard fun things to do. Carnival Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Lines (NCL) and MSC Cruises have hair-raising water slides, P&O Cruises Australia can take you segwaying, zip-lining and funnel climbing, while NCL and MSC feature bowling alleys. The family-oriented ships have the cool big-kid things.

 

Cartoon characters

A handful of ships let kids mix with their favourite characters. Naturally Disney Cruise Line has photos ops and meals with the likes of Mickey Mouse and Snow White; Royal Caribbean’s big ships feature parades with Shrek and Princess Fiona, while Carnival Cruise Lines’ ship Carnival Legend has a fun Dr Seuss Breakfast complete with green eggs and ham.

 

Wedding chapels

Princess Cruises launched the first wedding chapel in 1998 and now about 10 ships in its 18-ship fleet have them. Holland America Line also have them as do the two Australian-based Carnival ships, Carnival Spirit and Carnival Legend. Getting married on the high seas isn’t easy for Australian citizens, although couples can be married on a ship in Australia by a celebrant before the ship leaves port. Captains of ships that are registered in Bermuda are allowed to marry passengers although Australians should check if that marriage would be deemed official at home.

 

Chef’s Table

Many ships have celebrity chef restaurants – think Marco Pierre White on P&O UK, Luke Mangan on P&O Australia and Jamie Oliver on the huge Royal Caribbean ships. But for a real treat, there’s the intimate Chef’s Table experience, where around 12 diners are taken on a private galley tour and then enjoy a five-to-six-course degustation with matching wines in a cosy private room (sometimes in the kitchen). The cost is around $120 a head, which is very reasonable.

 

Hot tub heaven

Hot tubs or Jacuzzis aren’t new to cruise ships but there are some very special ones on the high seas. Diamond Princess has the only authentic dedicated Japanese bathhouse, Izumi. It’s huge and there’s an option to go without one’s swimsuit. Seabourn ships have an amazing hot tub at the very bow of their ships, perfect for stargazing, and many of the top suites on most cruise lines have a hot tub on the balcony.

 

Child-free escapes and pools

P&O Cruises has the Oasis, Carnival Cruises has Serenity, Royal Caribbean and Celebrity have the Solarium and NCL’s new child-free area is called Spice H2O. They are adults-only areas away from the kids. Most are free, although Princess Cruises’ Sanctuary charges a fee that includes an MP3 player loaded with relaxing tunes, spa cuisine, drinks and a sun bed. Private cabanas are available for rent on Holland America Line ships.

 

Green green grass of home

Trust Royal Caribbean to be the first line to come up with a park at sea complete with grass, trees and gardeners to maintain it. The Central Park outdoor space, through which one can stroll before encountering a funfair complete with carousel, is aboard the line’s huge ships Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas. Sister line Celebrity Cruises has the elegant Lawn Club – real grass growing on the top deck of its three Solstice class ships – ideal for picnics and lawn bowls, while Crystal Cruises’ two ships have vertical gardens, which grow herbs that the chefs use in their dishes.

 

Indoor-outdoor cabins

One upon a time there were only interior, ocean-view, balcony cabins and ultra-expensive suites. Nowadays there’s more choice. Holland American Line has the terrific ‘lanai’ stateroom, a cabin that opens directly onto the Lower Promenade deck and the big wide world. It’s a little akin to having a balcony but without the privacy. It saves going out into the corridor and up onto deck. Of course Royal Caribbean has dreamt up amazing cabin concepts. Its Virtual Balcony cabins are actually interior cabins with big high-definition screens on the walls. The screens show real-time footage of what’s going on outside, complete with the noises of the ocean and the ports. Flanked by curtains, the floor-to-ceiling screens look like big windows onto the world. Royal Caribbean also has cabins with balconies that look into the interior spaces of the ship – the huge atriums. They can be found on Oasis and Allure. Some cabins overlook the leafy Central Park and others look down on the funfair-themed space called the Boardwalk.

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