Regular cruises are boring: laying in the sun on deck, listening to the same comedian every night, seeing the same ol’ boring shows, eating the same dull food. OK, that all sounds delightful, but we understand some of you need something different, something a little off the wall. Why not a themed cruise? Here you will be among your kind, geeking out over the same things, far away from the rest of the weirdos who don’t like what you like. You’re at sea; no one can judge you out there.
Themed cruises are commonly broken down into three categories:
Full-ship: This theme engulfs the entire ship. Everything from the activities, entertainment, pool decks, and even the dining room are in use. You may even be offered a themed menu!
Partial-ship: These are usually activity-based cruises, for example, scrapbooking. These cruisers have little to no impact on the rest of the people onboard and will occasionally use some of the public spaces.
Theme-inspired: This is a regular cruise but with extra special-interest activities or a guest speaker offering lectures.
For example, if you’re into the Walking Dead, there’s a cruise for you. Imagine spending four days on a ship taken over not by zombies, but by 2,500 super-fans just like you. You’ll rub elbows with stars from the show such as Norman Reedus, creator Robert Kirkman, and Jeffrey Dean Morgan. There’s even a Zombie Gras party, Fright Night party where you dress as the undead, and a Night of the Living party where no zombies are allowed but costumes are still encouraged.
If you eat, sleep, and breathe Zumba then there’s a Zumba cruise for you! You’ll spend your vacation working out and listening to people talk about Zumba. But we can’t imagine spending our vacation exercising constantly … ew.
There’s also Comic-Con cruises, a Star Trek cruise, running-themed cruises, golf cruises, Backstreet Boys cruise, an 80s cruise, and the list goes on. If you’re interested in something, then there is probably a cruise out there for you. But we know you want something even weirder, so we went looking for the weirdest of the weird, and this is what we found.
Weirdest Themed Cruises
Conspira-Sea Cruise: You guessed it, this is a conspiracy-themed cruise. During the duration of the cruise the organizers promise to do their best to uncover the truth behind such conspiracies as JFK, Area 51, Monsanto, and vaccinations.
“This cruise will not only uncover the lies. It will show us the truth. As we dispel the darkness, and shine the light of wisdom, we enter the true light of consciousness,” the website says.
divinetravels.com/conspiraseacruise
Meow Meow Cruise: This is a cruise for people who love cats. You can participate in such activities as the Meow Meow Meet & Greet, Meow Meow Mixer, and the Meow Meow Scavenger Hunt. And the best part, you get a T-shirt, so everyone onboard can identify you (and probably avoid you.)
meowmeowcruise.com
Ghost Hunter Cruise: Ready to find some ghosts? This cruise launches out of the decidedly haunted city of New Orleans with the stars of Ghost Hunters educating you as you sail. Once on shore in Mexico or Central America, this cruise offers ghost-hunting excursions.
ghosthuntercruise.com
Nude cruises: Surprisingly, there are a few of these out there. And yes, you can play games nude, watch shows nude, go to themed nights like Undressed to Kill, and even eat dinner in the buff. We are appropriately creeped out and recommend staying far away from one of these. Unless you’re into that kind of thing ….
Photos by Will Byington.
For more on cruises, check out how to pack for one, and five unusual destinations.
