Five Faves: Theme Cruises

Porthole’s Five Faves

Five Favorite Theme Cruises

Whether you’re into progressive rock or proper punctuation, there’s bound to be an upcoming cruise that’ll float your boat

Cruisers love company. One of the best experiences on any ship is getting to know someone new, whether it’s that globe-trotting elderly couple in the buffet line, or the young hottie making eyes at you just down the cocktail bar. And if it turns out they’re into the same things that make your eyes light up – from Viking raiders to hedge-fund hints – well, that’s all the better. That’s the idea behind sailing on a theme cruise. Get enough aficionados on the same cruise, and you can make memories – and friendships – to last a lifetime.

Here are five upcoming theme cruises that might not have a super wide appeal, but will definitely go deep into some cruisers’ hearts and minds.

 

1. CRUISE TO THE EDGE (Norwegian Pearl, November 15-19, 2015; Miami, Key West, Great Stirrup Cay)

Progressive rock legends YES and Marillion are the headliners, but this full charter boasts an impressive lineup of 25 bands. There are concerts, “storyteller” events, Q&A sessions, and more. You’ll also be cruising for a cause — the cruise will support The Bob Moog Foundation. For details visit cruisetotheedge.com.

 

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2. MONEYWEEK CRUISE FOR INVESTORS (Crystal Serenity, October 2-11, 2015; Rome (Civitavecchia), Sorrento, Catania, Santorini, Rhodes, Kusadasi, Mykonos, Athens (Piraeus))

Organizers bill this as “a perfect blend of luxury cruising and profitable investment insights,” and with advice from experts such as Bill Bonner, Merryn Somerset Webb, John Stepek, and David Thornton, you might just come out ahead … or at least with a few delightful memories of the ancient cities of the Mediterranean, and a few good pieces of wealth-building advice. For details, visit here.

 

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3. DUCK COMMANDER CRUISE (Carnival Victory, October 22-26, 2015; Miami, Nassau, Freeport)

Pack your bandanas and beard brushes to join the Robertson family on their second cruise, with stories from Jep, Martin, Godwin, and, yes, Si, who’ll reveal what it’s like to work together. Patriarch Phil will share his faith in morning preaching, and the ladies of Duck Commander will share stories with children and lead Southern cooking classes. Musical guests include Lee Greenwood and Ricky Skaggs. There’ll also be a Redneck Door Decorating Contest, a Crazy Camo Contest, daily scavenger adventures, and more.

For details, visit duckcommandercruise.com.

 

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4. LYNNE TRUSS SPECIALITY CRUISE (Queen Elizabeth, August 9-23, 2015; Southampton, Hamburg, Copenhagen, Stockholm, Tallinn, St. Petersburg, Kiel, Bruges)

Does fear of misusing a semi-colon keep you up at night? (It does us, too.) The journalist and grammarian best known for her best-selling book on periods, dashes, and how to place those dratted commas, Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation, will guide Cunard Line guests on the importance of grammar in the English language. For details, visit here.

 

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5. ALONG THE VIKING TRAIL (National Geographic Explorer, July 19-30, 2015, Iceland and Greenland)

Guest speaker Dennis Dimick, executive environment editor at National Geographic magazine, and a team of naturalists, historians, and photographers lead guests in the footsteps of the Vikings. You’ll see important 10th-century Viking sites, and meet the Greenlanders who live and thrive today in the land of ice and snow. Along the way, you’ll encounter seals, puffins, and, if you’re lucky, rare arctic foxes, while learning how the earliest explorers made their way through this region in the years before Columbus sailed. For details, visit here.

 

 

— Grant Balfour

 

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^{Photos: Cruise to the Edge, Crystal Cruises, Duck Commander Cruise, Cunard Line, National Geographic Expeditions.}