What to Do on Cruise Sea Days
Cruise ship passengers don’t often look forward to sea days. They are more interested in enjoying their destination and spending time off of the ship. Cruise lines know this and strive to make days at sea very pleasant for its passengers. This is what you can expect when you spend a day at sea on a cruise ship.
Lots of Onboard Activities
The casino, shops, spa and pool area are open all day, but on days at sea you can expect extra activities happening all over the ship. This may include a variety of trivia contests, activities at the pool or additional shows at the theater. You may also notice a few special classes as well. Cruise ships have activity coordinators that work hard to plan programming to make sure that cruise ship passengers aren’t bored during days at sea. Many ships offer anything from cooking demonstrations & cupcake decorating to learning how to paint, line dance or jewelry making. There are also plenty of fitness options on a cruise ship.
If you are on a newer ship you make want to ice skate, zip line, ride bumper cars, play basketball, ice skate, bowl, play mini golf, laser tag or engage in other outdoor activities.
Different Dining Options
You can always find a lot of food on board a cruise ship, but even more so during days at sea. In additional to expansive buffets, some menus may extend their operating hours. They may also offer special meals that aren’t available when the ship is docked at a port. Maybe try a specialty restaurant for lunch vs dinner where it costs less. It’s important to keep in mind that normal meal times may vary so check beforehand to make sure that the eatery you are interested in will be open when you expect it to be.
More Time To Relax
Let’s face it, no matter what your cruise ship offers when you get to your destination you will probably be more than ready to disembark from your cruise ship and explore the area. This is why you should use those sea days to relax just a bit. Take a nap in the middle of the afternoon or enjoy some pampering at the spa. Watch the sunrise or sunset from your balcony cabin. This will allow you to feel more well rested and able to conquer everything there is to do back on land. Perhaps rent a private cabana for the day or for the entire week. Ships that offer cabanas are Holland America Cruises Nieuw Statendam cruise ship, Eurodam cruise ship and Nieuw Amsterdam cruise ship; Princess Cruises Regal Princess cruise ship and Sky Princess cruise ship offer adult only areas with cabanas; the Celebrity Reflection cruise ship and Celebrity Silhouette offer the Alcoves on the Lawn Club that fit up to 8 people and the new Celebrity Edge cruise ship will offer even more cabana options; Royal Caribbean cruises offers private cabanas to suite guests on Deck 17th of the Allure of the Seas cruise ship & the Oasis of the seas cruise ships and Norwegian Cruise Line Norwegian Breakaway cruise ship, Norwegian Getaway cruise ship, Norwegian Bliss cruise ship offer Vibe Beach Club pods. Guests of the NCL Haven get access to the private Haven pool with loungers.
If you are the type of traveler that just doesn’t like sea days, you can certainly choose a cruise with less of them. It’s also a good idea to break it up a bit. Choose a cruise where there aren’t multiple sea days back to back so that you won’t be stuck on the ship for several days in a row.
