Whether you want to boogie on a blues cruise or brush up on your shutterbug skills, themed cruises have always had a great following.
While cruise lines wait for the green light in Australia and New Zealand, there are lots of themed cruises planned, whether it’s art, music, cooking or comedy that catches your fancy.
If you love to laugh, P&O’s Comedy Cruises feature some of the country’s funniest comedians who are sure to hit your funny bone and raise a chuckle.
As well as lots of comedy gigs, there are workshops where wannabe comedians can hone their skits and polish up their one-liners. You can even make your debut at a Comedy Gong Show, where celebrity comedians judge your performance. Comedy cruises are scheduled from Brisbane on March 5-8, 2022.
The Big Laugh Comedy Festival gives you two chances to catch your favourite comedians. You can depart Sydney for three nights of laughter on June 11 or September 23, 2022.
P&O also plans a Sapphire Coast Food Festival Cruise – Sydney return from March 25-28 next year. Passengers can indulge their tastebuds with the finest cuisine the Sapphire Coast has to offer, including seafood and artisan dairy produce.
Aussie music legends, a larger-than-life actor and sporting personalities will star in a Holidays Sailcation Adventure 10-night South Pacific cruise on P&O’s shiny new Pacific Adventure.
Aussie music legends Daryl Braithwaite and Kate Ceberano will get crowds singing and dancing and actor Shane Jacobson of Kenny and Charlie & Boots fame will also be on board for an entertaining chat session sure to keep everyone chuckling.
Sports lovers will be catered for with a happy hour with a star-studded sporting panel including NRL legend Billy Moore, AFL great Simon Black, and Olympic skating gold medallist Steven Bradbury.
Destinations include Mystery Island, Port Vila, Lifou and Isle of Pines – the cruise departs Sydney on July 25, 2022.
Further afield, Beach Boys fans can relive their hits on NCL’s Beach Boys Good Vibrations cruise from Miami to Nassau on Norwegian Pearl from March 25-28, 2022.
Jazz and blues lovers will be toe tapping and finger snapping on an NCL Blues cruise in the Mediterranean from August 23-28, 2022, from Athens to Mykonos on Norwegian Jade.
And for vino lovers and wannabee sommeliers, Avalon Waterways has wine-appreciation cruises including the Rhine & Moselle: Canals, Vineyards and Castles trip on October 15, 2022.
The eight-day cruise from Amsterdam through Holland, Germany and Luxembourg includes wine-tastings, lectures and food-and-wine pairings.
Beer lovers aren’t forgotten with a new Avalon Waterways cruise Bites, Brews & Views of Belgium and Canals of Holland on August 8, which includes visits to some of Europe’s great beer halls. Passengers can learn about the history and traditions of the world-famous brews.
If you are an aspiring shutterbug and always wanted to improve your photographic skills, Avalon’s Danube Dreams Photography cruise with world-class photographer Brenda Tharp will sharpen your skills. Pick up tips on lighting, subject and camera skills – the cruise leaves August 12.
Opera lovers are well catered for on La Bella Vita, European Waterways’ luxury hotel barge. Opera cruises will be held in July and August next year. Guests will have front-row seats at performances of some of the world’s best-known operas at the Arena di Verona open-air Amphitheatre, famous for its large-scale productions. Guests have a choice of Carmen, Nabucco, Aida, Turandot and La Traviata performances, based on departure dates.
Food and wine lovers are in for a tastebud treat with Cunard’s inaugural Great Australian Culinary Voyage aboard the luxurious Queen Elizabeth. The five-day cruise departs Sydney on January 28, 2023.
Some of Australia’s most coveted chefs, wine makers and food critics will share secrets about the country’s culinary uniqueness and diversity.
Get set for dinners, dining events demonstrations and visiting Australia’s culinary hotspots.
New Zealand country music fans will be shouting ‘yeeha’ and packing their cowboy hats and boots for the P&O Country Music Cruise. There’s sure to be lots of line dancing aboard the Auckland departure on November 11, 2022.
An Eighties-themed cruise departs on November 24, 2022, complete with shimmering disco balls, so pack your neons.
And if you have always pined for a real “White Christmas” cruise, you are guaranteed a winter wonderland on Aurora Expeditions’ Across the Antarctic Circle cruise from 16-28 December 2022, from Ushuaia, Argentina, return on the Greg Mortimer. The South Georgia & Antarctic Odyssey from 19 December, 2022 to 8 January, 2023 on the new Sylvia Earl also combines Christmas cheer with the trip of a lifetime.
