cruise ship soft play

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Cruise Ship Casino Games Guide (Games Offered, Minimums, Payouts & More)

When night falls on a cruise ship, there’s arguably no more popular place to be than in the ship’s casino. The atmosphere is buzzing, people are shouting with every win (or groaning with every loss!), and the energy can be off the charts.

It’s the place to be in the evening, if you like to gamble. And if you’ve been to a casino before, then there’s a lot that’s going to be familiar. But if you’ve never been to a casino on a cruise ship, then there are some things that will definitely be a little different that you may not notice at first — especially when it comes to the games offered.

The traditional games are all there, including slot machines and blackjack. There are also some things that you wouldn’t expect in a casino, including games like the crane machine and coin pusher machines.

To help you get acquainted, let’s dive into the games you’ll find in a cruise ship casino, and what to know about them.

Slot Machines

If there is a most popular game in a cruise casino, it would be the slot machines, without a doubt. Any ship’s casino will be filled with rows of them and during the busy periods in the evenings, you’ll find most of them taken up by players.

The games offered are similar to what you’d find in a land-based casino. In fact, many of your favorites are likely to be onboard, including names like Lobstermania, Cleopatra, and Quick Hit. We will say that the large slot machines (e.g. those that are full experience like Wizard of Oz or Monopoly with rumble seats and more) usually aren’t found on cruises. We think that’s due to the size of the machine that may simply take up too much space on a cruise ship.

Denominations will vary, but penny machines seem to take up the lion’s share of what’s available. Often you can change the denomination right at the machine. Minimum bets tend to be around $0.40 – $0.50 cents per spin, with the ability to bet several dollars per turn.

Video Poker

Another machine that you’ll find in any cruise casino is video poker. That said, the number of machines and the poker games available are significantly fewer than you might be used to seeing.

In our experience, there is usually a bank or two of the machines, but not much more than that. Denominations are typically $0.25, but some machines may let you change that amount. Jacks or Better is always available, and often you can change the game at the machine. Even so, you may or may not find some of the variations such as Deuces Wild, Bonus Poker, multi-hand machines or machines that play with a multiplier. It will depend on the ship, but just know in general things are more limited.

As for payouts, video poker on a cruise will almost always offer lower pay tables than the optimum “9/6” machines. We find that they usually vary between 6/5 to 7/5, which increases the house’s take over the long term.

While machines take up the largest portion of the cruise ship casino floor, table games have a healthy showing. That includes roulette, which always seems to be a popular game on the ship.

Cruise ships offer double-zero roulette. There are all your traditional bets, including individual numbers, red/black, even/odd, as well as sections of the board. There is also usually a video board that offers up stats on recent rolls so you can get a feel for how the table has been running.

Minimum bets are usually $5 overall, but may be $10 in some cases.

Blackjack is another popular table game, and in the evenings you’ll see these tables plenty busy with players.

The rules are just like you find on land. Games are normally played with multiple decks (though we have seen single-deck games) and allow for doubling down. Traditionally dealers are required to hit on soft 17.

While blackjack payouts will vary based on table minimums, normally you’ll find 6:5. Higher limits will see the traditional 3:2 payouts for blackjack.

Minimums normally start at $5 (or $6 to make blackjack payouts easier) and go up from there. You likely won’t see minimums higher than $10-$25 on your cruise.

One more thing to note is that a number of the blackjack tables available also have side bet options available if you are so inclined.

Texas Hold ‘Em has boomed in popularity over the last decade or two, and that includes on cruise ships. Most cruise ships will have a poker table on the casino floor.

Unlike a typical casino, however, it’s not a situation where you can just walk in, sign up and start playing poker. Given the limited number of players on a cruise, games are normally announced ahead of time, not “sit and go.”

Keep an eye out on the daily planner for when a game is starting. Then just head down to the casino a little early for details on how to score a seat to play.

Like to throw dice? Cruise ship casinos all offer at least one craps table and sometimes two. We will say that the tables seem to be fairly slow during the day, but definitely see plenty of action in the evenings. So grab a drink, squeeze into an open spot and make some new friends at the table.

You’ll want to check out the table before you play as different ships will have different betting spots that pay differently. For instance, you’ll often find the “Big 6 | Big 8” bets. This large area pays you even money if there is a six or an eight rolled on the table. But if you simply “place” the same bet with a dealer, then you’d earn 7-to-6 ($7 on every $6 bet). Casinos place these “Big 6 | Big 8” in order to lure in bets with a higher house edge. Field bets often pay double for both 2 and 12, instead of paying triple for 12.

Odds bets can vary, with many ships allowing only 1X odds with others offering 3X-4X-5X. In general you will find $5 minimums, but don’t be surprised if that’s slightly higher at $10 as minimums do seem to be creeping up.

Scratch-Offs & Lotto

We’ve never been to a casino other than a cruise ship that offers its own scratch-off tickets. But sure enough, head to the cashier and you’ll see several options for these games to purchase.

Typically there are a handful of tickets available and they are cruise line branded. For instance, we played one game on Carnival that offered prizes of up to $30,000 and/or the chance to instantly win a cruise.

Just like on land, don’t expect great odds on these lottery tickets. Still, they are a fun way to play and come in affordable denominations. We bought one for $5.

In addition, many cruise casinos offer lotto-style drawings where you can buy a ticket and win if your numbers match. Look to your daily planner for the drawing times.

Other Games

As you can see, cruise casinos have plenty of well-known and favorite games. But there are some others that you should know about that you’ll see and typically don’t find in land-based casinos.

Crane Machines: Remember those arcade cranes you’d find and try your luck to grab a cute stuffed animal? You’ll often find those same machines in a casino, with the chance to grab stacks of cash. There are also other games like the “Keymaster” where you position a key in the hole to win the cash prize.

While these might look like games of skill, it’s well-publicized that they can be set to only win sometimes  by only allowing enough grip strength to occasionally pick up a bundle of cash. Keep this in mind when playing.

Coin Pushers: Remember the carnival (like the fair, not the cruise line!) that featured tokens you’d drop in to push even more over the edge? Well, they make an appearance on cruise ships only this time using quarters. Drop in a quarter and hopefully you can push more over the edge than you used… along with folded cash and other prizes stacked on top.

These games seem to be extremely popular on ships. One tip is to know that often the landing platforms for the coins have slots in the side of the wall. So not only can coins go over the edge and into your pocket, but they can be pushed to the side where they are no longer in play.

Other Table Games: We mentioned the most popular table games like roulette and blackjack. However, there are likely to be a number of different table games. What’s available will vary from ship to ship. We’ve seen Three Card Poker, Mississippi Stud, Baccarat, and others. The good thing is that cruise ships are great places to learn these sorts of games as minimums are typically low and there are few other players.

More on Cruise Ship Gaming:

• 12 Must-Have Cruise Casino Tips to Know Before You Play
• Cruise Ship Casino Gambling: Everything to Know Before You Bet

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3D SoftPlay figures for the cruise ship MSC Seascape

We collaborate with msc cruises to "enrich, delight and create unique and unforgettable emotions" for their passengers, in this case the youngest ones..

The cruise ship industry is no stranger to new trends in the rest of the leisure and tourism sectors . In the same way that hotels or resorts, shopping centres or campsites are incorporating new facilities designed to encourage longer and more frequent stays by guests and visitors, large cruise ships are also adding them to the traditional attractions they offer cruise passengers. This is the case of MSC Cruises , the third largest cruise company in the world. In fact, according to statements by the company, the design of its cruise ships responds to the objective of “enriching, delighting and creating unique and unforgettable emotions” for its passengers. Well, in what is a collaboration to achieve this goal, MSC Cruises has contracted Amusement Logic to provide some of its catalogue of SoftPlay themed soft figures .

Our SoftPlay collection is made up of very varied and imaginative 3D themed figures : animals, characters, decorative elements, vegetation, vehicles, etc. The design of the SoftPlay figures is adapted to each specific project , such as the one proposed by MSC Cruises for its ship MSC Seascape . At 339 metres, MSC Seascape is the longest cruise ship in its fleet and, in this one, the SoftPlay figures are the protagonists of the interior children’s dry play area . The main novelty that the SoftPlay figures bring to the market is their flexible and soft consistency when touched by children, their target audience. In addition to their flexibility and softness , they have an eye-catching appearance, bright colours and shine , and a design that is as realistic as it is imaginative.

The SoftPlay figures that will enliven MSC Seascape’s indoor children’s play area are as follows:

– Octopus Slide, consisting of a small slide and an octopus climbing onto one of its sides.

– Sea-Turtle , resting on a sandbank.

– Skull-Rock Island , a composition that refers to pirate treasures, with a chest from which coins spill out and a rock in the shape of a human skull.

– Dolphin and Parrot . As the name suggests, this SoftPlay depicts a sea scene, with a parrot perched on a rock, watching a dolphin emerge from the waves.

Treasure Chest : In this scene, also pirate-themed, a parrot watches over the chest of gold coins on which it perches.

– Palm Tree , or the figure of a palm tree that sets the scene and serves as a landscape reference in the SoftPlay space.

With all these characters and themed elements, MSC Seascape’s young cruiser ship guests will let their imaginations run wild, inventing and starring in their own South Seas pirate stories .

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How To Listen To Music On A Cruise Ship

Published: December 20, 2023

Modified: December 28, 2023

by Clary Schmucker

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Introduction

Listening to music is an enjoyable and integral part of many people’s lives, even when they’re on a cruise. Whether you’re a music aficionado looking to enhance your onboard experience or just want some tunes to relax with as you sail the open seas, there are various ways to listen to music on a cruise ship. From personal devices to onboard entertainment options, this article will guide you through the steps to make the most of your musical journey at sea.

Cruise ships are known for their luxurious amenities and diverse entertainment offerings. Fortunately, many modern cruise ships offer numerous ways to indulge in your favorite music genres, ensuring that you’ll have an unforgettable auditory experience during your voyage. However, it’s important to familiarize yourself with the cruise ship’s policies and any restrictions they may have in place regarding music. This will help you navigate the different options and make the most of the available resources.

In this comprehensive guide, we will walk you through a step-by-step process on how to listen to music on a cruise ship. Whether you prefer to bring your own device, take advantage of onboard entertainment, or explore music-themed activities and events, you’ll find plenty of options to enhance your musical journey at sea. So, let’s dive in and discover the various ways to enjoy your favorite tunes while cruising the ocean waves.

Step 1: Understand the cruise ship policies and restrictions on music

Before you embark on your cruise ship adventure, it’s essential to familiarize yourself with the specific policies and restrictions that the cruise line has in place regarding music. Different cruise lines may have varying rules regarding the use of personal devices, noise levels, and the types of music allowed in certain areas of the ship.

Start by checking the cruise line’s website or contacting their customer service to obtain information about their music policies. Some cruise lines may have guidelines on the type of music that is prohibited or restricted due to cultural, religious, or noise considerations. It’s important to respect these rules to ensure a harmonious atmosphere onboard.

Additionally, you should also inquire about any limitations on the use of portable music devices, such as the allowed hours or areas for personal listening. Some cruise ships may restrict the use of speakers or require the use of headphones or earphones in public spaces to maintain a peaceful environment for all guests.

Awareness of these policies will help you plan your music activities accordingly. It will also ensure that you do not disturb fellow passengers or violate any rules, allowing everyone to peacefully coexist and enjoy their cruise experience.

By understanding the cruise ship’s policies and restrictions on music, you can navigate your musical journey with confidence and make the most of the available options without causing any disruptions or inconveniences to others onboard. So, take a little time to familiarize yourself with these guidelines before you set sail.

Step 2: Bring your own portable music player or smartphone

One of the easiest and most convenient ways to listen to music on a cruise ship is by bringing your own portable music player or smartphone. These devices allow you to have full control over your music choices and enjoy your favorite songs whenever and wherever you want.

Prior to your cruise, make sure to pack your preferred music player or smartphone along with the necessary charging cables and accessories. You may also want to consider bringing a portable speaker if you plan on enjoying your music in your cabin or on the balcony.

When choosing a portable music player or smartphone, consider factors such as storage capacity, battery life, and sound quality. Opt for a device that can store a large number of songs to provide you with plenty of musical options throughout your cruise. If you choose to bring a smartphone, make sure to download your favorite music streaming apps or offline playlists before boarding the ship.

Additionally, it’s a good idea to bring a pair of comfortable headphones or earphones. These will allow you to enjoy your music without disturbing others around you. Opt for noise-canceling headphones if you want to immerse yourself fully in the music and block out any background noise.

Bringing your own portable music player or smartphone also allows you to personalize your music experience. You can create playlists tailored to different moods or activities, such as upbeat tunes for a workout in the onboard gym or calming melodies for relaxation by the pool.

Remember to check the cruise ship’s policies regarding the use of personal music devices. Some ships may have specific guidelines on when and where you can use speakers or require the use of headphones or earphones in public areas. Respecting these rules will ensure that you can enjoy your music while also being considerate of others.

By bringing your own portable music player or smartphone, you can have your favorite songs at your fingertips throughout your cruise. So don’t forget to pack your device and get ready to create a personalized soundtrack for your journey at sea.

Step 3: Load your device with your favorite music

Now that you have your portable music player or smartphone ready, it’s time to load it with your favorite music. Preparing your device in advance will ensure that you have a wide selection of songs to enjoy during your cruise.

If you have a personal music collection on your computer, you can transfer your favorite songs to your device by connecting it via USB or syncing it wirelessly. Most portable music players and smartphones have user-friendly interfaces that make the process simple and straightforward.

In addition to your existing music library, consider exploring new genres and artists to diversify your musical experience. Discovering fresh songs and expanding your music taste can enhance your enjoyment during the cruise.

If you have a streaming music subscription, such as Spotify, Apple Music, or Amazon Music, take advantage of offline mode or offline playlists. This feature allows you to download songs and playlists to your device before boarding the ship, ensuring that you can listen to your favorite tunes even without an internet connection.

Organize your music library by creating playlists based on different themes, moods, or activities, such as a workout playlist, a relaxing playlist, or a party playlist. This way, you’ll have music suitable for any occasion that may arise during your cruise.

Make sure to consider the duration of your cruise when selecting songs. If it’s a longer voyage, you may want to include a mix of upbeat and soothing tracks to cater to different moments throughout the trip.

Remember to leave some space on your device for new discoveries. There may be a chance to attend live music performances onboard or participate in music-themed activities, and you may want to download songs from these experiences to keep as mementos.

Lastly, don’t forget to check for any copyright restrictions if you plan on playing your music in public areas, such as the pool or deck. Some cruise ships have licensing agreements that prohibit the use of copyrighted music without proper authorization.

By loading your device with your favorite music and creating carefully curated playlists, you’ll have a personalized soundtrack that will add an extra layer of enjoyment to your cruise experience.

Step 4: Use headphones or earphones for personal listening

When listening to music on a cruise ship, it’s essential to be mindful of your fellow passengers. To ensure a considerate and enjoyable experience for everyone, make use of headphones or earphones for personal listening.

Using headphones or earphones allows you to enjoy your music without disturbing others or infringing on their personal space. It helps maintain a peaceful environment throughout the ship, particularly in enclosed spaces like cabins, lounges, and public areas.

Opt for a comfortable pair of headphones or earphones that provide good sound quality. Noise-canceling headphones are an excellent choice if you want to immerse yourself in your music and block out any background noise.

When using headphones or earphones, be mindful of the volume level. Avoid turning up the volume to a level where it may be heard by those around you. Keep the volume at a reasonable level that allows you to enjoy your music without disturbing others.

If you’re listening to music in a public area, such as the pool or deck, be aware of any specific guidelines set by the cruise ship. Some ships may request that you use headphones or earphones in these shared spaces to maintain a peaceful atmosphere.

It’s also important to consider comfort and hygiene when using headphones or earphones on a cruise ship. Clean your devices regularly to ensure optimal sound quality and prevent the buildup of bacteria. Make sure to pack appropriate cleaning wipes or solutions in your travel essentials.

Lastly, be courteous when using headphones or earphones. If you need to have a conversation or interact with others, lower the volume or remove your headphones temporarily. This way, you can engage with fellow passengers without isolating yourself completely from the ship’s social atmosphere.

By using headphones or earphones for personal listening, you can enjoy your music while respecting others’ space and creating a harmonious environment onboard. So, don’t forget to pack your favorite pair of headphones or earphones and immerse yourself in the melodies of your choice.

Step 5: Take advantage of the onboard entertainment options

One of the great advantages of cruising is the plethora of onboard entertainment options available to passengers. While you can bring your own music, it’s also worth exploring the wide range of musical experiences offered by the cruise ship itself.

Most modern cruise ships feature live music performances, with talented musicians and bands entertaining guests throughout the voyage. Check the ship’s daily itinerary or entertainment schedule to find out when and where these performances take place. Whether it’s a jazz quartet, a rock band, or a classical ensemble, these live performances offer a fantastic opportunity to immerse yourself in the music and enjoy a memorable experience.

In addition to live music, many cruise ships also have dedicated music venues, such as lounges or clubs, where you can dance the night away to different musical genres. These venues often have professional DJs or resident musicians who can cater to a wide range of musical tastes.

Furthermore, some cruise lines even host themed music events or festivals onboard. These may include special performances, dance parties, or even music-themed cruises that feature well-known artists or bands. Check if any of these events coincide with your cruise dates, as they can be a unique and exciting opportunity to enjoy music in a festive and lively atmosphere.

Beyond live music, many cruise ships have interactive music experiences and activities. These can include karaoke nights, open mic sessions, dance classes, or even music trivia contests. Participating in these events not only allows you to enjoy music but also presents an opportunity to socialize and connect with other music lovers onboard.

Don’t forget about the onboard music libraries or music channels available in your cabin. Some cruise lines provide a selection of CDs, or even streaming services, where you can discover and listen to different genres and artists. Take advantage of these resources to explore new sounds and expand your musical horizon.

By taking advantage of the onboard entertainment options, you can indulge in a variety of musical experiences that go beyond your personal playlist. Whether it’s live performances, themed events, or interactive activities, the cruise ship provides a diverse array of musical entertainment that caters to different tastes and preferences.

Step 6: Attend live music performances and concerts

One of the highlights of cruising is the opportunity to witness live music performances and concerts onboard. These events offer a unique and immersive musical experience that should not be missed.

Check the ship’s daily itinerary or entertainment schedule to find out when and where live music performances and concerts are taking place. Most cruise ships have dedicated venues, such as theaters or lounges, where these events are held. Take note of the different genres and styles of music being showcased, as it’s a chance to discover new artists or enjoy your favorite genres in a live setting.

Attending live music performances allows you to witness the talent and skill of professional musicians. From solo artists to bands and orchestras, these performers are often highly trained and experienced in their craft. Their performances can range from intimate acoustic sessions to full-scale productions with intricate lighting and stage designs.

Live music performances create a vibrant and energetic atmosphere onboard. Whether it’s a jazz quartet, a classical recital, or a high-energy rock concert, the passion and energy of the performers can be contagious, leaving you with lasting memories. It’s an opportunity to engage with the music on a deeper level and connect with fellow passengers who share your love for live performances.

During live concerts, you may even have the chance to interact with the musicians. Some artists may hold meet-and-greet sessions or autograph signings, allowing you to have a personal connection and create a memorable experience beyond the music itself.

Keep in mind that popular performers or concerts may require advance reservations or ticket purchases. Check with your cruise line to see if there are any special events or guest artists scheduled for your voyage. These exclusive performances can be a highlight of your cruise experience and are often in high demand.

Attending live music performances and concerts onboard is a fantastic way to immerse yourself in the sounds and energy of live music. So be sure to check the schedule, secure your seats, and prepare for an unforgettable musical experience during your cruise.

Step 7: Explore music-themed activities and events onboard

Aside from live music performances and concerts, many cruise ships offer a variety of music-themed activities and events that allow you to further engage with your passion for music. These activities provide unique opportunities to connect with fellow music enthusiasts and indulge in your musical interests.

Check the ship’s daily activity schedule or entertainment guide for any music-themed events happening during your cruise. These can include karaoke nights, music trivia contests, or even dance classes. Participating in these activities not only allows you to enjoy music but also provides a chance to socialize and have fun with other passengers who share your love for music.

Some cruise lines may also offer music-themed cruises or special events featuring renowned artists or bands. These cruises often have a specific focus on a particular genre or era of music, providing an immersive experience for fans looking to dive deeper into their favorite music styles. Check with your cruise line or travel agent to see if there are any specialty cruises available that align with your musical interests.

Take advantage of the onboard music libraries or streaming services available in your cabin. Explore different genres, discover new artists, and expand your musical horizons. Whether you prefer classical, jazz, pop, or rock, there’s likely something for everyone to enjoy.

Another way to explore music onboard is to attend lectures or workshops related to music. Some cruise lines invite guest speakers, musicians, or music historians who offer insights into the history, theory, or cultural significance of various musical genres. These educational and enriching sessions can deepen your appreciation for music and provide a new perspective on the art form.

If you’re musically inclined, consider participating in open mic nights or talent shows onboard. Show off your own musical skills or share your favorite songs with fellow passengers. It’s an excellent opportunity to showcase your talent, receive applause from a supportive audience, and potentially connect with other musicians aboard the ship.

Remember to take advantage of any onboard music facilities, such as practice rooms or keyboard lounges, if you want to indulge in some personal musical practice during your cruise. These dedicated spaces provide a quiet and comfortable environment for you to enjoy playing an instrument or honing your musical skills.

Exploring music-themed activities and events onboard allows you to fully immerse yourself in your passion for music. Whether it’s singing your heart out at karaoke, participating in music trivia, or attending specialty music cruises, these experiences offer a fantastic way to enhance your musical journey at sea.

Step 8: Utilize the ship’s audio systems in public areas

When it comes to enjoying music on a cruise ship, don’t forget to take advantage of the ship’s audio systems in public areas. These systems are often designed to create a pleasant ambiance and provide music throughout various parts of the ship.

As you explore different areas of the cruise ship, you’ll likely notice speakers strategically placed in places like the pool deck, lounges, restaurants, and even in outdoor spaces. These audio systems often play a curated selection of music to enhance the atmosphere and create a pleasant environment for guests.

Take a moment to pay attention to the music being played in different areas. Cruise ships typically choose music that complements the surroundings, whether it’s calm melodies by the pool, upbeat tunes in the lounges, or soothing sounds in a spa or relaxation area.

If you find a particular area or space on the ship where you enjoy the music being played, make it a point to spend some time there. Whether it’s lounging by the pool, dining in a restaurant, or sipping cocktails in a lounge, the ship’s audio system can enhance your experience and create a great atmosphere to enjoy your surroundings.

Additionally, some cruise ships offer dedicated music channels on the in-cabin televisions or entertainment systems. Browse through these channels to find different genres or themed music options. It’s a convenient way to relax and listen to music in the comfort of your own cabin.

While enjoying the ship’s audio systems, keep in mind that there may be specific guidelines or rules about playing music in public areas. Respect any volume restrictions and be mindful of not disturbing other passengers. Remember, it’s about creating a pleasant and enjoyable music experience for everyone on board.

Utilizing the ship’s audio systems in public areas allows you to immerse yourself in the atmosphere and enjoy curated music that adds to the overall ambiance of your cruise. So, as you explore the ship, listen out for the music being played and let it enhance your onboard experience.

Step 9: Enjoy music while relaxing on the deck or in your cabin

One of the most serene and peaceful ways to enjoy music on a cruise ship is by relaxing on the deck or in the comfort of your own cabin. Whether you prefer the sounds of nature and the ocean or want to create a private musical oasis, these spaces provide a tranquil setting for your music enjoyment.

When on the deck, find a comfortable spot, whether it’s a lounge chair, hammock, or a cozy corner with a view. With your headphones or earphones on, you can listen to your favorite tunes while basking in the sun, feeling the gentle breeze, and taking in the breathtaking sea views. The combination of music and the ship’s surroundings creates a serene and rejuvenating experience that can be unparalleled.

If you prefer a more intimate setting, retreat to your cabin and create your own personal musical sanctuary. Whether it’s a cozy inside cabin or a luxurious suite, you can transform your space into a private oasis of melody. Use your portable music player or smartphone to play soft and soothing tunes that provide a calm backdrop to your relaxation. Whether you’re winding down for the day or simply enjoying some quiet time, music can enhance the peaceful ambiance of your cabin.

Consider the mood and atmosphere you want to create. Soft instrumental music or calming nature sounds can create a soothing and stress-free environment. If you prefer a more lively atmosphere, choose upbeat tunes that uplift your spirits and bring a sense of energy and joy to the space.

Experiment with different genres and artists to create a playlist that speaks to your mood and preferences. Dim the lights, close your eyes, and let the music transport you to a place of serenity and tranquility.

Remember to be considerate of other passengers, particularly when in a shared space like the deck. Keep the volume at a reasonable level and use headphones or earphones to ensure a pleasant experience for both yourself and those around you.

Whether it’s enjoying music on the deck or creating your own musical haven in your cabin, these spaces provide the perfect setting for relaxation and reflection as you sail the open seas. So, take a moment to unwind and let the power of music transport you to a state of pure tranquility.

Listening to music on a cruise ship is a wonderful way to enhance your onboard experience and create lasting memories. In this comprehensive guide, we’ve explored various steps to help you make the most of your musical journey at sea.

Understanding the cruise ship’s policies and restrictions on music is crucial, as it sets the foundation for your music exploration. Bringing your own portable music player or smartphone ensures you have control over your music choices and allows for personalization.

Loading your device with your favorite music and creating carefully curated playlists allows you to enjoy a personalized soundtrack throughout your cruise. Utilizing headphones or earphones for personal listening ensures a considerate experience for both yourself and fellow passengers.

While your personal music library is important, don’t overlook the wealth of onboard entertainment options available. Attending live music performances and concerts provides a unique and immersive musical experience, while exploring music-themed activities and events allows you to engage with fellow music enthusiasts.

Don’t forget to take advantage of the ship’s audio systems in public areas and enjoy the carefully curated music that sets the ambiance across the ship. Lastly, finding moments of serenity and relaxation, whether on the deck or in your cabin, allows you to create a tranquil space for music appreciation.

As you embark on your next cruise adventure, remember to savor the melodies, rhythms, and lyrics that resonate with you. Whether it’s enjoying the live performances, immersing yourself in the onboard entertainment, or finding your own personal musical haven, let the power of music enrich your cruise experience and create cherished moments that will last a lifetime.

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Tips and information to help you get excited about your next cruise vacation

19 Fun Sports You Can Play on a Cruise Ship

Do you love sports and get a little antsy sitting down too long? Don’t worry, there are lots of sports you can play on a cruise ship.  In this article we’ll look at 19 sports and activities you can do on a cruise. Just note, not all cruise ships have the same amenities . 

So check that the ship has your favorite sports before booking your cruise.

(Or, try playing a different sport or join the other sports fans in the onboard sports bars. Either which way, I’m sure you’ll have fun.)

This article contains  affiliate links . If you click a link and make a purchase I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. For more information please see the  Disclosure page.

What sports can you play on a cruise ship? – 19 fun activities and sports to play on a cruise

When you think of sports on a cruise ship, what comes to mind first? Is it basketball?

Modern cruise ships with larger sports decks often have large basketball courts. These are great for just shooting hoops or playing pickup games, and some even have organized tournaments. 

Playing basketball at sea with the ocean as your backdrop is a memorable experience. 

Table Tennis

Who doesn’t love ping pong!

Table tennis, also known as ping pong or paddle tennis, is a fun and social sport you can enjoy on many cruise ships.  It is one of those activities I seem to only do when on a cruise ship.

It’s a game that’s easy to learn and perfect for players of all ages. In fact, the famous psychiatrist  Dr. Amen says  that table tennis is great for the brain.

Many cruisers love challenging their family and other passengers to friendly matches. It can be a great way to meet new friends onboard.

One good thing about table tennis on cruise ships is that the equipment is provided, so you don’t need to bring your own paddles and balls. 

However, keep in mind that these tables can get busy during peak hours, so consider playing during less crowded times if you want to have more space to enjoy your game.

Jogging and Running

For serious runners and for those who like to stay active while on a cruise, the jogging track is a fantastic amenity. 

It’s often located on the upper decks of the ship, offering a refreshing ocean breeze and panoramic views as you exercise. 

Jogging tracks vary in length, so consider checking the ship’s layout to see how many laps you’ll need to complete a mile or kilometer. 

For instance, the Oasis of the Seas ship has a really long running track. You only have to run 2.4 laps to equal one mile. ( Reference ) Whereas on the the Norwegian Cruise Line Breakaway ship, you’d have to run 8 laps on the shorter track to equal one mile.

The only drawback might be the occasional congestion on the track, especially during prime hours, so plan your workouts accordingly.

If you’re a fan of billiards, you can find pool tables onboard many cruise ships. 

Playing a game of pool with friends or fellow passengers can be a great way to unwind, meet some new friends and socialize. 

But these tables get crowded during peak hours especially during rainy or windy days at sea. 

Some cruise ships have pool tables outside in their sports square areas (like some Carnival cruise ships) while others have billiard tables in their pubs (like Playmakers Bar on Royal Caribbean’s Mariner of the Seas).

Pickleball Courts

Pickleball is becoming a super popular sport because it is easy for beginners to pick up yet takes practice to get good at. It is also one of the sports you can play on a cruise ship. 

Some cruise lines such as Celebrity cruises even offer dedicated pickleball courts where you can play and participate in organized tournaments. Others use their sports court (basketball court) for pickleball at select times.

Rock Climbing

For adventurous cruisers, rock climbing walls are available on some larger cruise ships. These walls offer varying levels of difficulty, making them suitable for both beginners and experienced climbers. Safety equipment and instruction are typically provided, so you can enjoy this thrilling activity even if you’re new to rock climbing.

Ice Skating

It may sound surreal – skating while in the middle of the ocean – but many Royal Caribbean cruise ships have real ice skating rinks.  

These same ice rinks host amazing shows on ice featuring professional skaters, and then turn into public skating venues during certain hours.

The good news is that this is a free activity and you do NOT have to bring your own skates.  Be sure to pack long pants and socks.

 Keep in mind that ice rinks are not be available on all cruise ships , just select Royal Caribbean cruise ships.

Most cruise ships have a swimming pool and many of the newer ships even have amazing water slides.

And no, you likely won’t be competitive swimming against other passengers,  but it is a great way to get some exercise and cool off.

But since they are one of the main attractions on warm weather cruises, they can get crowded on sea days and admittingly actual swimming can be tough.

Many cruise ships have an adult only pool area where the pool is often less crowded.  

Golf Simulators

For golf enthusiasts, some cruise ships offer golf simulators that allow you to practice your swing and play virtual rounds on famous courses. These simulators are usually equipped with clubs and provide a fun way to hone your golf skills while at sea.

The Disney Cruise Line has golf simulators on the Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy ships are on the “ Goofy’s Sports Deck “.  These golf simulations do cost money though and need to be reserved. You can book either a 30-minute session or 60-minute session.

Princess cruises is another cruise line that offers golf simulators on select ships.

Many cruise ships have mini golf courses or putting greens onboard.

It’s a family-friendly activity that provides tons of fun while working on your putting.

Carnival cruise line  has a free mini golf course on most ships as do other cruise lines.

Keep an eye on your cruise schedule for tournaments or hole-in-one competitions.

Shuffleboard Court

I really don’t know if this is classified as a sport or a physical activity, but regardless, shuffleboard is a  classic cruise ship activity  for passengers of all ages.

Cruise ships often have shuffleboard courts on their decks.

It can be a great way to meet new people or to hang out with your family. 

Body Board or Surf

Some Royal Caribbean cruise ships feature  FlowRider® surf simulators , which allow you to try bodyboarding and surfing right on the ship!

These are thrilling experiences, especially for those who love the water and adventure sports. And the best part – it’s free.

Royal Caribbean has set times for advanced standup surfing, mixed wave, and boogie boarding. Check your Cruise Compass (daily schedule) or the app for times.

Even if you don’t plan on participating in this free activity, it can be a lot of fun to watch.

Ropes course

Some ships have ropes courses.  Make sure to bring closed-toe shoes to participate in this activity.

If you love to bump, set, spike then you’ll be pleased to learn that many cruise ships offer volleyball.  Often the ship’s basketball court is converted to a volleyball court at select times. Check you daily cruise schedule.

Some cruises even organize onboard volleyball tournaments.

This is one sport I don’t see often on cruise ships, but a dodgeball tournament was scheduled twice on our Carnival Vista cruise.  You had to be 18+ to play in the dodgeball tournaments.  

Check the cruise line’s app or your printed daily schedule if dodgeball is of interest to you.  

This is another cruise sport that is played on the basketball court.  Both Carnival Cruises and Royal Caribbean call their basketball court, sports courts since so many other sports and games are played here.

Soccer tournament

This is another cruise sport that isn’t offered very often but was offered once on our Carnival Vista cruise so it’s worth keeping your eye out for.  

This is yet another sport that’s played on the sports court (basketball court). 

Select Royal Caribbean ships, including Mariner of the Seas offers archery at select times in their sports court.  This was one of the many free activities.

Bean bag toss

While you won’t likely work up a sweat playing bean bag toss (aka corn hole), it is a competitive activity.  Many cruise ships have these set out for open play and at times will host a bean bag toss tournament.

The Virgin Voyages adults-only cruise ships have a boxing ring on deck 16 in a section they call Training Camp.

I haven’t been on a Virgin cruise ship yet, so I don’t know how busy it is. If you’ve been on a Virgin Voyage cruise, I’d love to hear about your experience.

Interestingly, some Royal Caribbean ships like the Freedom of the Seas  used to have a boxing ring  too, but they have been removed. Many people said the rings were usually empty.

Other ways to stay active on a cruise

There are plenty of ways to stay active on a cruise ship. In addition to the above sports you can play on a cruise ship there are other fun ways to stay active.  Again, the activities and amenities vary cruise line to cruise line and even ship to ship, but here are some ways to keep moving.

• take the stairs instead of the elevator
• fitness classes (some are fee others are paid)
• fitness center
• yoga classes
• aqua fit classes
• dance classes
• laser tag – available on some cruise lines like select cruise ships.  While this seems like just a fun game, you can definitely work up a sweat.

Interesting Notes about Sports and Activities removed from Cruise ships

So far we’ve talked about sports and activities you can play on cruise ships. But what about sports you can’t play on cruises anymore?

Royal Caribbean’s Sky Pad

SkyPad was a trampoline experience on the top deck of four different Royal Caribbean ships where participants would be attached to a bungee cord system while jumping on small trampolines. And you could even wear virtual reality headsets while jumping to feel like you’re part of a video game.

Skypad was on the Mariner of the Seas, Odyssey of the Seas, Independence of the Seas, and Spectrum of the Seas.

But in March 2023 Royal Caribbean announced this activity would be discontinued and the space inside the large yellow and orange domes that housed this attraction would be used for something else.

Why was Sky Pad discontinued? They didn’t specifically state this as the reason, but this attraction resulted in a couple of  lawsuits being filed  against Royal Caribbean and passengers complained that it was often closed due to weather.

Remember that the amenities and activities vary cruise line to cruise line and even ship to ship and that while these sports and activities are available on many cruise ships, the specific offerings will vary. It’s a good idea to check with the cruise line or review the amenities of your chosen cruise to see which sports and activities are available during your voyage. Be sure to research your ship ahead of time.

Whether you’re a sports enthusiast or looking to try something new, cruise ships offer a wide range of options to stay active and have fun while at sea. Give these sports you can play on a cruise ship a try.

After an active afternoon playing sports on a cruise, consider a fun game. Here is a list of fun games to bring on a cruise .

If you are still trying to decide if a cruise vacation is right for you, check out the pros and cons of a cruise . Or wondering what are the best cruise lines for young adults ?

Other articles first-time cruisers might be interested in are extra costs on a cruise and first cruise tips . This list of the best cruise essentials is also a must read.

Crying Myself to Sleep on the Biggest Cruise Ship Ever

Seven agonizing nights aboard the Icon of the Seas

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Updated at 2:44 p.m. ET on April 6, 2024.

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MY FIRST GLIMPSE of Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the Seas, from the window of an approaching Miami cab, brings on a feeling of vertigo, nausea, amazement, and distress. I shut my eyes in defense, as my brain tells my optic nerve to try again.

The ship makes no sense, vertically or horizontally. It makes no sense on sea, or on land, or in outer space. It looks like a hodgepodge of domes and minarets, tubes and canopies, like Istanbul had it been designed by idiots. Vibrant, oversignifying colors are stacked upon other such colors, decks perched over still more decks; the only comfort is a row of lifeboats ringing its perimeter. There is no imposed order, no cogent thought, and, for those who do not harbor a totalitarian sense of gigantomania, no visual mercy. This is the biggest cruise ship ever built, and I have been tasked with witnessing its inaugural voyage.

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“Author embarks on their first cruise-ship voyage” has been a staple of American essay writing for almost three decades, beginning with David Foster Wallace’s “A Supposedly Fun Thing I’ll Never Do Again,” which was first published in 1996 under the title “Shipping Out.” Since then, many admirable writers have widened and diversified the genre. Usually the essayist commissioned to take to the sea is in their first or second flush of youth and is ready to sharpen their wit against the hull of the offending vessel. I am 51, old and tired, having seen much of the world as a former travel journalist, and mostly what I do in both life and prose is shrug while muttering to my imaginary dachshund, “This too shall pass.” But the Icon of the Seas will not countenance a shrug. The Icon of the Seas is the Linda Loman of cruise ships, exclaiming that attention must be paid. And here I am in late January with my one piece of luggage and useless gray winter jacket and passport, zipping through the Port of Miami en route to the gangway that will separate me from the bulk of North America for more than seven days, ready to pay it in full.

The aforementioned gangway opens up directly onto a thriving mall (I will soon learn it is imperiously called the “Royal Promenade”), presently filled with yapping passengers beneath a ceiling studded with balloons ready to drop. Crew members from every part of the global South, as well as a few Balkans, are shepherding us along while pressing flutes of champagne into our hands. By a humming Starbucks, I drink as many of these as I can and prepare to find my cabin. I show my blue Suite Sky SeaPass Card (more on this later, much more) to a smiling woman from the Philippines, and she tells me to go “aft.” Which is where, now? As someone who has rarely sailed on a vessel grander than the Staten Island Ferry, I am confused. It turns out that the aft is the stern of the ship, or, for those of us who don’t know what a stern or an aft are, its ass. The nose of the ship, responsible for separating the waves before it, is also called a bow, and is marked for passengers as the FWD , or forward. The part of the contemporary sailing vessel where the malls are clustered is called the midship. I trust that you have enjoyed this nautical lesson.

I ascend via elevator to my suite on Deck 11. This is where I encounter my first terrible surprise. My suite windows and balcony do not face the ocean. Instead, they look out onto another shopping mall. This mall is the one that’s called Central Park, perhaps in homage to the Olmsted-designed bit of greenery in the middle of my hometown. Although on land I would be delighted to own a suite with Central Park views, here I am deeply depressed. To sail on a ship and not wake up to a vast blue carpet of ocean? Unthinkable.

Allow me a brief preamble here. The story you are reading was commissioned at a moment when most staterooms on the Icon were sold out. In fact, so enthralled by the prospect of this voyage were hard-core mariners that the ship’s entire inventory of guest rooms (the Icon can accommodate up to 7,600 passengers, but its inaugural journey was reduced to 5,000 or so for a less crowded experience) was almost immediately sold out. Hence, this publication was faced with the shocking prospect of paying nearly $19,000 to procure for this solitary passenger an entire suite—not including drinking expenses—all for the privilege of bringing you this article. But the suite in question doesn’t even have a view of the ocean! I sit down hard on my soft bed. Nineteen thousand dollars for this .

The viewless suite does have its pluses. In addition to all the Malin+Goetz products in my dual bathrooms, I am granted use of a dedicated Suite Deck lounge; access to Coastal Kitchen, a superior restaurant for Suites passengers; complimentary VOOM SM Surf & Stream (“the fastest Internet at Sea”) “for one device per person for the whole cruise duration”; a pair of bathrobes (one of which comes prestained with what looks like a large expectoration by the greenest lizard on Earth); and use of the Grove Suite Sun, an area on Decks 18 and 19 with food and deck chairs reserved exclusively for Suite passengers. I also get reserved seating for a performance of The Wizard of Oz , an ice-skating tribute to the periodic table, and similar provocations. The very color of my Suite Sky SeaPass Card, an oceanic blue as opposed to the cloying royal purple of the standard non-Suite passenger, will soon provoke envy and admiration. But as high as my status may be, there are those on board who have much higher status still, and I will soon learn to bow before them.

In preparation for sailing, I have “priced in,” as they say on Wall Street, the possibility that I may come from a somewhat different monde than many of the other cruisers. Without falling into stereotypes or preconceptions, I prepare myself for a friendly outspokenness on the part of my fellow seafarers that may not comply with modern DEI standards. I believe in meeting people halfway, and so the day before flying down to Miami, I visited what remains of Little Italy to purchase a popular T-shirt that reads DADDY’S LITTLE MEATBALL across the breast in the colors of the Italian flag. My wife recommended that I bring one of my many T-shirts featuring Snoopy and the Peanuts gang, as all Americans love the beagle and his friends. But I naively thought that my meatball T-shirt would be more suitable for conversation-starting. “Oh, and who is your ‘daddy’?” some might ask upon seeing it. “And how long have you been his ‘little meatball’?” And so on.

I put on my meatball T-shirt and head for one of the dining rooms to get a late lunch. In the elevator, I stick out my chest for all to read the funny legend upon it, but soon I realize that despite its burnished tricolor letters, no one takes note. More to the point, no one takes note of me. Despite my attempts at bridge building, the very sight of me (small, ethnic, without a cap bearing the name of a football team) elicits no reaction from other passengers. Most often, they will small-talk over me as if I don’t exist. This brings to mind the travails of David Foster Wallace , who felt so ostracized by his fellow passengers that he retreated to his cabin for much of his voyage. And Wallace was raised primarily in the Midwest and was a much larger, more American-looking meatball than I am. If he couldn’t talk to these people, how will I? What if I leave this ship without making any friends at all, despite my T-shirt? I am a social creature, and the prospect of seven days alone and apart is saddening. Wallace’s stateroom, at least, had a view of the ocean, a kind of cheap eternity.

Worse awaits me in the dining room. This is a large, multichandeliered room where I attended my safety training (I was shown how to put on a flotation vest; it is a very simple procedure). But the maître d’ politely refuses me entry in an English that seems to verge on another language. “I’m sorry, this is only for pendejos ,” he seems to be saying. I push back politely and he repeats himself. Pendejos ? Piranhas? There’s some kind of P-word to which I am not attuned. Meanwhile elderly passengers stream right past, powered by their limbs, walkers, and electric wheelchairs. “It is only pendejo dining today, sir.” “But I have a suite!” I say, already starting to catch on to the ship’s class system. He examines my card again. “But you are not a pendejo ,” he confirms. I am wearing a DADDY’S LITTLE MEATBALL T-shirt, I want to say to him. I am the essence of pendejo .

Eventually, I give up and head to the plebeian buffet on Deck 15, which has an aquatic-styled name I have now forgotten. Before gaining entry to this endless cornucopia of reheated food, one passes a washing station of many sinks and soap dispensers, and perhaps the most intriguing character on the entire ship. He is Mr. Washy Washy—or, according to his name tag, Nielbert of the Philippines—and he is dressed as a taco (on other occasions, I’ll see him dressed as a burger). Mr. Washy Washy performs an eponymous song in spirited, indeed flamboyant English: “Washy, washy, wash your hands, WASHY WASHY!” The dangers of norovirus and COVID on a cruise ship this size (a giant fellow ship was stricken with the former right after my voyage) makes Mr. Washy Washy an essential member of the crew. The problem lies with the food at the end of Washy’s rainbow. The buffet is groaning with what sounds like sophisticated dishes—marinated octopus, boiled egg with anchovy, chorizo, lobster claws—but every animal tastes tragically the same, as if there was only one creature available at the market, a “cruisipus” bred specifically for Royal Caribbean dining. The “vegetables” are no better. I pick up a tomato slice and look right through it. It tastes like cellophane. I sit alone, apart from the couples and parents with gaggles of children, as “We Are Family” echoes across the buffet space.

I may have failed to mention that all this time, the Icon of the Seas has not left port. As the fiery mango of the subtropical setting sun makes Miami’s condo skyline even more apocalyptic, the ship shoves off beneath a perfunctory display of fireworks. After the sun sets, in the far, dark distance, another circus-lit cruise ship ruptures the waves before us. We glance at it with pity, because it is by definition a smaller ship than our own. I am on Deck 15, outside the buffet and overlooking a bunch of pools (the Icon has seven of them), drinking a frilly drink that I got from one of the bars (the Icon has 15 of them), still too shy to speak to anyone, despite Sister Sledge’s assertion that all on the ship are somehow related.

Kim Brooks: On failing the family vacation

The ship’s passage away from Ron DeSantis’s Florida provides no frisson, no sense of developing “sea legs,” as the ship is too large to register the presence of waves unless a mighty wind adds significant chop. It is time for me to register the presence of the 5,000 passengers around me, even if they refuse to register mine. My fellow travelers have prepared for this trip with personally decorated T-shirts celebrating the importance of this voyage. The simplest ones say ICON INAUGURAL ’24 on the back and the family name on the front. Others attest to an over-the-top love of cruise ships: WARNING! MAY START TALKING ABOUT CRUISING . Still others are artisanally designed and celebrate lifetimes spent married while cruising (on ships, of course). A couple possibly in their 90s are wearing shirts whose backs feature a drawing of a cruise liner, two flamingos with ostensibly male and female characteristics, and the legend “ HUSBAND AND WIFE Cruising Partners FOR LIFE WE MAY NOT HAVE IT All Together BUT TOGETHER WE HAVE IT ALL .” (The words not in all caps have been written in cursive.) A real journalist or a more intrepid conversationalist would have gone up to the couple and asked them to explain the longevity of their marriage vis-à-vis their love of cruising. But instead I head to my mall suite, take off my meatball T-shirt, and allow the first tears of the cruise to roll down my cheeks slowly enough that I briefly fall asleep amid the moisture and salt.

I WAKE UP with a hangover. Oh God. Right. I cannot believe all of that happened last night. A name floats into my cobwebbed, nauseated brain: “Ayn Rand.” Jesus Christ.

I breakfast alone at the Coastal Kitchen. The coffee tastes fine and the eggs came out of a bird. The ship rolls slightly this morning; I can feel it in my thighs and my schlong, the parts of me that are most receptive to danger.

I had a dangerous conversation last night. After the sun set and we were at least 50 miles from shore (most modern cruise ships sail at about 23 miles an hour), I lay in bed softly hiccupping, my arms stretched out exactly like Jesus on the cross, the sound of the distant waves missing from my mall-facing suite, replaced by the hum of air-conditioning and children shouting in Spanish through the vents of my two bathrooms. I decided this passivity was unacceptable. As an immigrant, I feel duty-bound to complete the tasks I am paid for, which means reaching out and trying to understand my fellow cruisers. So I put on a normal James Perse T-shirt and headed for one of the bars on the Royal Promenade—the Schooner Bar, it was called, if memory serves correctly.

I sat at the bar for a martini and two Negronis. An old man with thick, hairy forearms drank next to me, very silent and Hemingwaylike, while a dreadlocked piano player tinkled out a series of excellent Elton John covers. To my right, a young white couple—he in floral shorts, she in a light, summery miniskirt with a fearsome diamond ring, neither of them in football regalia—chatted with an elderly couple. Do it , I commanded myself. Open your mouth. Speak! Speak without being spoken to. Initiate. A sentence fragment caught my ear from the young woman, “Cherry Hill.” This is a suburb of Philadelphia in New Jersey, and I had once been there for a reading at a synagogue. “Excuse me,” I said gently to her. “Did you just mention Cherry Hill? It’s a lovely place.”

As it turned out, the couple now lived in Fort Lauderdale (the number of Floridians on the cruise surprised me, given that Southern Florida is itself a kind of cruise ship, albeit one slowly sinking), but soon they were talking with me exclusively—the man potbellied, with a chin like a hard-boiled egg; the woman as svelte as if she were one of the many Ukrainian members of the crew—the elderly couple next to them forgotten. This felt as groundbreaking as the first time I dared to address an American in his native tongue, as a child on a bus in Queens (“On my foot you are standing, Mister”).

“I don’t want to talk politics,” the man said. “But they’re going to eighty-six Biden and put Michelle in.”

I considered the contradictions of his opening conversational gambit, but decided to play along. “People like Michelle,” I said, testing the waters. The husband sneered, but the wife charitably put forward that the former first lady was “more personable” than Joe Biden. “They’re gonna eighty-six Biden,” the husband repeated. “He can’t put a sentence together.”

After I mentioned that I was a writer—though I presented myself as a writer of teleplays instead of novels and articles such as this one—the husband told me his favorite writer was Ayn Rand. “Ayn Rand, she came here with nothing,” the husband said. “I work with a lot of Cubans, so …” I wondered if I should mention what I usually do to ingratiate myself with Republicans or libertarians: the fact that my finances improved after pass-through corporations were taxed differently under Donald Trump. Instead, I ordered another drink and the couple did the same, and I told him that Rand and I were born in the same city, St. Petersburg/Leningrad, and that my family also came here with nothing. Now the bonding and drinking began in earnest, and several more rounds appeared. Until it all fell apart.

Read: Gary Shteyngart on watching Russian television for five days straight

My new friend, whom I will refer to as Ayn, called out to a buddy of his across the bar, and suddenly a young couple, both covered in tattoos, appeared next to us. “He fucking punked me,” Ayn’s frat-boy-like friend called out as he put his arm around Ayn, while his sizable partner sizzled up to Mrs. Rand. Both of them had a look I have never seen on land—their eyes projecting absence and enmity in equal measure. In the ’90s, I drank with Russian soldiers fresh from Chechnya and wandered the streets of wartime Zagreb, but I have never seen such undisguised hostility toward both me and perhaps the universe at large. I was briefly introduced to this psychopathic pair, but neither of them wanted to have anything to do with me, and the tattooed woman would not even reveal her Christian name to me (she pretended to have the same first name as Mrs. Rand). To impress his tattooed friends, Ayn made fun of the fact that as a television writer, I’d worked on the series Succession (which, it would turn out, practically nobody on the ship had watched), instead of the far more palatable, in his eyes, zombie drama of last year. And then my new friends drifted away from me into an angry private conversation—“He punked me!”—as I ordered another drink for myself, scared of the dead-eyed arrivals whose gaze never registered in the dim wattage of the Schooner Bar, whose terrifying voices and hollow laughs grated like unoiled gears against the crooning of “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.”

But today is a new day for me and my hangover. After breakfast, I explore the ship’s so-called neighborhoods . There’s the AquaDome, where one can find a food hall and an acrobatic sound-and-light aquatic show. Central Park has a premium steak house, a sushi joint, and a used Rolex that can be bought for $8,000 on land here proudly offered at $17,000. There’s the aforementioned Royal Promenade, where I had drunk with the Rands, and where a pair of dueling pianos duel well into the night. There’s Surfside, a kids’ neighborhood full of sugary garbage, which looks out onto the frothy trail that the behemoth leaves behind itself. Thrill Island refers to the collection of tubes that clutter the ass of the ship and offer passengers six waterslides and a surfing simulation. There’s the Hideaway, an adult zone that plays music from a vomit-slathered, Brit-filled Alicante nightclub circa 1996 and proves a big favorite with groups of young Latin American customers. And, most hurtfully, there’s the Suite Neighborhood.

I say hurtfully because as a Suite passenger I should be here, though my particular suite is far from the others. Whereas I am stuck amid the riffraff of Deck 11, this section is on the highborn Decks 16 and 17, and in passing, I peek into the spacious, tall-ceilinged staterooms from the hallway, dazzled by the glint of the waves and sun. For $75,000, one multifloor suite even comes with its own slide between floors, so that a family may enjoy this particular terror in private. There is a quiet splendor to the Suite Neighborhood. I see fewer stickers and signs and drawings than in my own neighborhood—for example, MIKE AND DIANA PROUDLY SERVED U.S. MARINE CORPS RETIRED . No one here needs to announce their branch of service or rank; they are simply Suites, and this is where they belong. Once again, despite my hard work and perseverance, I have been disallowed from the true American elite. Once again, I am “Not our class, dear.” I am reminded of watching The Love Boat on my grandmother’s Zenith, which either was given to her or we found in the trash (I get our many malfunctioning Zeniths confused) and whose tube got so hot, I would put little chunks of government cheese on a thin tissue atop it to give our welfare treat a pleasant, Reagan-era gooeyness. I could not understand English well enough then to catch the nuances of that seafaring program, but I knew that there were differences in the status of the passengers, and that sometimes those differences made them sad. Still, this ship, this plenty—every few steps, there are complimentary nachos or milkshakes or gyros on offer—was the fatty fuel of my childhood dreams. If only I had remained a child.

I walk around the outdoor decks looking for company. There is a middle-aged African American couple who always seem to be asleep in each other’s arms, probably exhausted from the late capitalism they regularly encounter on land. There is far more diversity on this ship than I expected. Many couples are a testament to Loving v. Virginia , and there is a large group of folks whose T-shirts read MELANIN AT SEA / IT’S THE MELANIN FOR ME . I smile when I see them, but then some young kids from the group makes Mr. Washy Washy do a cruel, caricatured “Burger Dance” (today he is in his burger getup), and I think, Well, so much for intersectionality .

At the infinity pool on Deck 17, I spot some elderly women who could be ethnic and from my part of the world, and so I jump in. I am proved correct! Many of them seem to be originally from Queens (“Corona was still great when it was all Italian”), though they are now spread across the tristate area. We bond over the way “Ron-kon-koma” sounds when announced in Penn Station.

“Everyone is here for a different reason,” one of them tells me. She and her ex-husband last sailed together four years ago to prove to themselves that their marriage was truly over. Her 15-year-old son lost his virginity to “an Irish young lady” while their ship was moored in Ravenna, Italy. The gaggle of old-timers competes to tell me their favorite cruising stories and tips. “A guy proposed in Central Park a couple of years ago”—many Royal Caribbean ships apparently have this ridiculous communal area—“and she ran away screaming!” “If you’re diamond-class, you get four drinks for free.” “A different kind of passenger sails out of Bayonne.” (This, perhaps, is racially coded.) “Sometimes, if you tip the bartender $5, your next drink will be free.”

“Everyone’s here for a different reason,” the woman whose marriage ended on a cruise tells me again. “Some people are here for bad reasons—the drinkers and the gamblers. Some people are here for medical reasons.” I have seen more than a few oxygen tanks and at least one woman clearly undergoing very serious chemo. Some T-shirts celebrate good news about a cancer diagnosis. This might be someone’s last cruise or week on Earth. For these women, who have spent months, if not years, at sea, cruising is a ritual as well as a life cycle: first love, last love, marriage, divorce, death.

Read: The last place on Earth any tourist should go

I have talked with these women for so long, tonight I promise myself that after a sad solitary dinner I will not try to seek out company at the bars in the mall or the adult-themed Hideaway. I have enough material to fulfill my duties to this publication. As I approach my orphaned suite, I run into the aggro young people who stole Mr. and Mrs. Rand away from me the night before. The tattooed apparitions pass me without a glance. She is singing something violent about “Stuttering Stanley” (a character in a popular horror movie, as I discover with my complimentary VOOM SM Surf & Stream Internet at Sea) and he’s loudly shouting about “all the money I’ve lost,” presumably at the casino in the bowels of the ship.

So these bent psychos out of a Cormac McCarthy novel are angrily inhabiting my deck. As I mewl myself to sleep, I envision a limited series for HBO or some other streamer, a kind of low-rent White Lotus , where several aggressive couples conspire to throw a shy intellectual interloper overboard. I type the scenario into my phone. As I fall asleep, I think of what the woman who recently divorced her husband and whose son became a man through the good offices of the Irish Republic told me while I was hoisting myself out of the infinity pool. “I’m here because I’m an explorer. I’m here because I’m trying something new.” What if I allowed myself to believe in her fantasy?

“YOU REALLY STARTED AT THE TOP,” they tell me. I’m at the Coastal Kitchen for my eggs and corned-beef hash, and the maître d’ has slotted me in between two couples. Fueled by coffee or perhaps intrigued by my relative youth, they strike up a conversation with me. As always, people are shocked that this is my first cruise. They contrast the Icon favorably with all the preceding liners in the Royal Caribbean fleet, usually commenting on the efficiency of the elevators that hurl us from deck to deck (as in many large corporate buildings, the elevators ask you to choose a floor and then direct you to one of many lifts). The couple to my right, from Palo Alto—he refers to his “porn mustache” and calls his wife “my cougar” because she is two years older—tell me they are “Pandemic Pinnacles.”

This is the day that my eyes will be opened. Pinnacles , it is explained to me over translucent cantaloupe, have sailed with Royal Caribbean for 700 ungodly nights. Pandemic Pinnacles took advantage of the two-for-one accrual rate of Pinnacle points during the pandemic, when sailing on a cruise ship was even more ill-advised, to catapult themselves into Pinnacle status.

Because of the importance of the inaugural voyage of the world’s largest cruise liner, more than 200 Pinnacles are on this ship, a startling number, it seems. Mrs. Palo Alto takes out a golden badge that I have seen affixed over many a breast, which reads CROWN AND ANCHOR SOCIETY along with her name. This is the coveted badge of the Pinnacle. “You should hear all the whining in Guest Services,” her husband tells me. Apparently, the Pinnacles who are not also Suites like us are all trying to use their status to get into Coastal Kitchen, our elite restaurant. Even a Pinnacle needs to be a Suite to access this level of corned-beef hash.

“We’re just baby Pinnacles,” Mrs. Palo Alto tells me, describing a kind of internal class struggle among the Pinnacle elite for ever higher status.

And now I understand what the maître d’ was saying to me on the first day of my cruise. He wasn’t saying “ pendejo .” He was saying “Pinnacle.” The dining room was for Pinnacles only, all those older people rolling in like the tide on their motorized scooters.

And now I understand something else: This whole thing is a cult. And like most cults, it can’t help but mirror the endless American fight for status. Like Keith Raniere’s NXIVM, where different-colored sashes were given out to connote rank among Raniere’s branded acolytes, this is an endless competition among Pinnacles, Suites, Diamond-Plusers, and facing-the-mall, no-balcony purple SeaPass Card peasants, not to mention the many distinctions within each category. The more you cruise, the higher your status. No wonder a section of the Royal Promenade is devoted to getting passengers to book their next cruise during the one they should be enjoying now. No wonder desperate Royal Caribbean offers (“FINAL HOURS”) crowded my email account weeks before I set sail. No wonder the ship’s jewelry store, the Royal Bling, is selling a $100,000 golden chalice that will entitle its owner to drink free on Royal Caribbean cruises for life. (One passenger was already gaming out whether her 28-year-old son was young enough to “just about earn out” on the chalice or if that ship had sailed.) No wonder this ship was sold out months before departure , and we had to pay $19,000 for a horrid suite away from the Suite Neighborhood. No wonder the most mythical hero of Royal Caribbean lore is someone named Super Mario, who has cruised so often, he now has his own working desk on many ships. This whole experience is part cult, part nautical pyramid scheme.

From the June 2014 issue: Ship of wonks

“The toilets are amazing,” the Palo Altos are telling me. “One flush and you’re done.” “They don’t understand how energy-efficient these ships are,” the husband of the other couple is telling me. “They got the LNG”—liquefied natural gas, which is supposed to make the Icon a boon to the environment (a concept widely disputed and sometimes ridiculed by environmentalists).

But I’m thinking along a different line of attack as I spear my last pallid slice of melon. For my streaming limited series, a Pinnacle would have to get killed by either an outright peasant or a Suite without an ocean view. I tell my breakfast companions my idea.

“Oh, for sure a Pinnacle would have to be killed,” Mr. Palo Alto, the Pandemic Pinnacle, says, touching his porn mustache thoughtfully as his wife nods.

“THAT’S RIGHT, IT’S your time, buddy!” Hubert, my fun-loving Panamanian cabin attendant, shouts as I step out of my suite in a robe. “Take it easy, buddy!”

I have come up with a new dressing strategy. Instead of trying to impress with my choice of T-shirts, I have decided to start wearing a robe, as one does at a resort property on land, with a proper spa and hammam. The response among my fellow cruisers has been ecstatic. “Look at you in the robe!” Mr. Rand cries out as we pass each other by the Thrill Island aqua park. “You’re living the cruise life! You know, you really drank me under the table that night.” I laugh as we part ways, but my soul cries out, Please spend more time with me, Mr. and Mrs. Rand; I so need the company .

In my white robe, I am a stately presence, a refugee from a better limited series, a one-man crossover episode. (Only Suites are granted these robes to begin with.) Today, I will try many of the activities these ships have on offer to provide their clientele with a sense of never-ceasing motion. Because I am already at Thrill Island, I decide to climb the staircase to what looks like a mast on an old-fashioned ship (terrified, because I am afraid of heights) to try a ride called “Storm Chasers,” which is part of the “Category 6” water park, named in honor of one of the storms that may someday do away with the Port of Miami entirely. Storm Chasers consists of falling from the “mast” down a long, twisting neon tube filled with water, like being the camera inside your own colonoscopy, as you hold on to the handles of a mat, hoping not to die. The tube then flops you down headfirst into a trough of water, a Royal Caribbean baptism. It both knocks my breath out and makes me sad.

In keeping with the aquatic theme, I attend a show at the AquaDome. To the sound of “Live and Let Die,” a man in a harness gyrates to and fro in the sultry air. I saw something very similar in the back rooms of the famed Berghain club in early-aughts Berlin. Soon another harnessed man is gyrating next to the first. Ja , I think to myself, I know how this ends. Now will come the fisting , natürlich . But the show soon devolves into the usual Marvel-film-grade nonsense, with too much light and sound signifying nichts . If any fisting is happening, it is probably in the Suite Neighborhood, inside a cabin marked with an upside-down pineapple, which I understand means a couple are ready to swing, and I will see none of it.

I go to the ice show, which is a kind of homage—if that’s possible—to the periodic table, done with the style and pomp and masterful precision that would please the likes of Kim Jong Un, if only he could afford Royal Caribbean talent. At one point, the dancers skate to the theme song of Succession . “See that!” I want to say to my fellow Suites—at “cultural” events, we have a special section reserved for us away from the commoners—“ Succession ! It’s even better than the zombie show! Open your minds!”

Finally, I visit a comedy revue in an enormous and too brightly lit version of an “intimate,” per Royal Caribbean literature, “Manhattan comedy club.” Many of the jokes are about the cruising life. “I’ve lived on ships for 20 years,” one of the middle-aged comedians says. “I can only see so many Filipino homosexuals dressed as a taco.” He pauses while the audience laughs. “I am so fired tonight,” he says. He segues into a Trump impression and then Biden falling asleep at the microphone, which gets the most laughs. “Anyone here from Fort Leonard Wood?” another comedian asks. Half the crowd seems to cheer. As I fall asleep that night, I realize another connection I have failed to make, and one that may explain some of the diversity on this vessel—many of its passengers have served in the military.

As a coddled passenger with a suite, I feel like I am starting to understand what it means to have a rank and be constantly reminded of it. There are many espresso makers , I think as I look across the expanse of my officer-grade quarters before closing my eyes, but this one is mine .

A shocking sight greets me beyond the pools of Deck 17 as I saunter over to the Coastal Kitchen for my morning intake of slightly sour Americanos. A tiny city beneath a series of perfectly pressed green mountains. Land! We have docked for a brief respite in Basseterre, the capital of St. Kitts and Nevis. I wolf down my egg scramble to be one of the first passengers off the ship. Once past the gangway, I barely refrain from kissing the ground. I rush into the sights and sounds of this scruffy island city, sampling incredible conch curry and buckets of non-Starbucks coffee. How wonderful it is to be where God intended humans to be: on land. After all, I am neither a fish nor a mall rat. This is my natural environment. Basseterre may not be Havana, but there are signs of human ingenuity and desire everywhere you look. The Black Table Grill Has been Relocated to Soho Village, Market Street, Directly Behind of, Gary’s Fruits and Flower Shop. Signed. THE PORK MAN reads a sign stuck to a wall. Now, that is how you write a sign. A real sign, not the come-ons for overpriced Rolexes that blink across the screens of the Royal Promenade.

“Hey, tie your shoestring!” a pair of laughing ladies shout to me across the street.

“Thank you!” I shout back. Shoestring! “Thank you very much.”

A man in Independence Square Park comes by and asks if I want to play with his monkey. I haven’t heard that pickup line since the Penn Station of the 1980s. But then he pulls a real monkey out of a bag. The monkey is wearing a diaper and looks insane. Wonderful , I think, just wonderful! There is so much life here. I email my editor asking if I can remain on St. Kitts and allow the Icon to sail off into the horizon without me. I have even priced a flight home at less than $300, and I have enough material from the first four days on the cruise to write the entire story. “It would be funny …” my editor replies. “Now get on the boat.”

As I slink back to the ship after my brief jailbreak, the locals stand under umbrellas to gaze at and photograph the boat that towers over their small capital city. The limousines of the prime minister and his lackeys are parked beside the gangway. St. Kitts, I’ve been told, is one of the few islands that would allow a ship of this size to dock.

“We hear about all the waterslides,” a sweet young server in one of the cafés told me. “We wish we could go on the ship, but we have to work.”

“I want to stay on your island,” I replied. “I love it here.”

But she didn’t understand how I could possibly mean that.

“WASHY, WASHY, so you don’t get stinky, stinky!” kids are singing outside the AquaDome, while their adult minders look on in disapproval, perhaps worried that Mr. Washy Washy is grooming them into a life of gayness. I heard a southern couple skip the buffet entirely out of fear of Mr. Washy Washy.

Meanwhile, I have found a new watering hole for myself, the Swim & Tonic, the biggest swim-up bar on any cruise ship in the world. Drinking next to full-size, nearly naked Americans takes away one’s own self-consciousness. The men have curvaceous mom bodies. The women are equally un-shy about their sprawling physiques.

Today I’ve befriended a bald man with many children who tells me that all of the little trinkets that Royal Caribbean has left us in our staterooms and suites are worth a fortune on eBay. “Eighty dollars for the water bottle, 60 for the lanyard,” the man says. “This is a cult.”

“Tell me about it,” I say. There is, however, a clientele for whom this cruise makes perfect sense. For a large middle-class family (he works in “supply chains”), seven days in a lower-tier cabin—which starts at $1,800 a person—allow the parents to drop off their children in Surfside, where I imagine many young Filipina crew members will take care of them, while the parents are free to get drunk at a swim-up bar and maybe even get intimate in their cabin. Cruise ships have become, for a certain kind of hardworking family, a form of subsidized child care.

There is another man I would like to befriend at the Swim & Tonic, a tall, bald fellow who is perpetually inebriated and who wears a necklace studded with little rubber duckies in sunglasses, which, I am told, is a sort of secret handshake for cruise aficionados. Tomorrow, I will spend more time with him, but first the ship docks at St. Thomas, in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Charlotte Amalie, the capital, is more charming in name than in presence, but I still all but jump off the ship to score a juicy oxtail and plantains at the well-known Petite Pump Room, overlooking the harbor. From one of the highest points in the small city, the Icon of the Seas appears bigger than the surrounding hills.

I usually tan very evenly, but something about the discombobulation of life at sea makes me forget the regular application of sunscreen. As I walk down the streets of Charlotte Amalie in my fluorescent Icon of the Seas cap, an old Rastafarian stares me down. “Redneck,” he hisses.

“No,” I want to tell him, as I bring a hand up to my red neck, “that’s not who I am at all. On my island, Mannahatta, as Whitman would have it, I am an interesting person living within an engaging artistic milieu. I do not wish to use the Caribbean as a dumping ground for the cruise-ship industry. I love the work of Derek Walcott. You don’t understand. I am not a redneck. And if I am, they did this to me.” They meaning Royal Caribbean? Its passengers? The Rands?

“They did this to me!”

Back on the Icon, some older matrons are muttering about a run-in with passengers from the Celebrity cruise ship docked next to us, the Celebrity Apex. Although Celebrity Cruises is also owned by Royal Caribbean, I am made to understand that there is a deep fratricidal beef between passengers of the two lines. “We met a woman from the Apex,” one matron says, “and she says it was a small ship and there was nothing to do. Her face was as tight as a 19-year-old’s, she had so much surgery.” With those words, and beneath a cloudy sky, humidity shrouding our weathered faces and red necks, we set sail once again, hopefully in the direction of home.

THERE ARE BARELY 48 HOURS LEFT to the cruise, and the Icon of the Seas’ passengers are salty. They know how to work the elevators. They know the Washy Washy song by heart. They understand that the chicken gyro at “Feta Mediterranean,” in the AquaDome Market, is the least problematic form of chicken on the ship.

The passengers have shed their INAUGURAL CRUISE T-shirts and are now starting to evince political opinions. There are caps pledging to make America great again and T-shirts that celebrate words sometimes attributed to Patrick Henry: “The Constitution is not an instrument for the government to restrain the people; it is an instrument for the people to restrain the government.” With their preponderance of FAMILY FLAG FAITH FRIENDS FIREARMS T-shirts, the tables by the crepe station sometimes resemble the Capitol Rotunda on January 6. The Real Anthony Fauci , by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., appears to be a popular form of literature, especially among young men with very complicated versions of the American flag on their T-shirts. Other opinions blend the personal and the political. “Someone needs to kill Washy guy, right?” a well-dressed man in the elevator tells me, his gray eyes radiating nothing. “Just beat him to death. Am I right?” I overhear the male member of a young couple whisper, “There goes that freak” as I saunter by in my white spa robe, and I decide to retire it for the rest of the cruise.

I visit the Royal Bling to see up close the $100,000 golden chalice that entitles you to free drinks on Royal Caribbean forever. The pleasant Serbian saleslady explains that the chalice is actually gold-plated and covered in white zirconia instead of diamonds, as it would otherwise cost $1 million. “If you already have everything,” she explains, “this is one more thing you can get.”

I believe that anyone who works for Royal Caribbean should be entitled to immediate American citizenship. They already speak English better than most of the passengers and, per the Serbian lady’s sales pitch above, better understand what America is as well. Crew members like my Panamanian cabin attendant seem to work 24 hours a day. A waiter from New Delhi tells me that his contract is six months and three weeks long. After a cruise ends, he says, “in a few hours, we start again for the next cruise.” At the end of the half a year at sea, he is allowed a two-to-three-month stay at home with his family. As of 2019, the median income for crew members was somewhere in the vicinity of $20,000, according to a major business publication. Royal Caribbean would not share the current median salary for its crew members, but I am certain that it amounts to a fraction of the cost of a Royal Bling gold-plated, zirconia-studded chalice.

And because most of the Icon’s hyper-sanitized spaces are just a frittata away from being a Delta lounge, one forgets that there are actual sailors on this ship, charged with the herculean task of docking it in port. “Having driven 100,000-ton aircraft carriers throughout my career,” retired Admiral James G. Stavridis, the former NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe, writes to me, “I’m not sure I would even know where to begin with trying to control a sea monster like this one nearly three times the size.” (I first met Stavridis while touring Army bases in Germany more than a decade ago.)

Today, I decide to head to the hot tub near Swim & Tonic, where some of the ship’s drunkest reprobates seem to gather (the other tubs are filled with families and couples). The talk here, like everywhere else on the ship, concerns football, a sport about which I know nothing. It is apparent that four teams have recently competed in some kind of finals for the year, and that two of them will now face off in the championship. Often when people on the Icon speak, I will try to repeat the last thing they said with a laugh or a nod of disbelief. “Yes, 20-yard line! Ha!” “Oh my God, of course, scrimmage.”

Soon we are joined in the hot tub by the late-middle-age drunk guy with the duck necklace. He is wearing a bucket hat with the legend HAWKEYES , which, I soon gather, is yet another football team. “All right, who turned me in?” Duck Necklace says as he plops into the tub beside us. “I get a call in the morning,” he says. “It’s security. Can you come down to the dining room by 10 a.m.? You need to stay away from the members of this religious family.” Apparently, the gregarious Duck Necklace had photobombed the wrong people. There are several families who present as evangelical Christians or practicing Muslims on the ship. One man, evidently, was not happy that Duck Necklace had made contact with his relatives. “It’s because of religious stuff; he was offended. I put my arm around 20 people a day.”

Everyone laughs. “They asked me three times if I needed medication,” he says of the security people who apparently interrogated him in full view of others having breakfast.

Another hot-tub denizen suggests that he should have asked for fentanyl. After a few more drinks, Duck Necklace begins to muse about what it would be like to fall off the ship. “I’m 62 and I’m ready to go,” he says. “I just don’t want a shark to eat me. I’m a huge God guy. I’m a Bible guy. There’s some Mayan theory squaring science stuff with religion. There is so much more to life on Earth.” We all nod into our Red Stripes.

“I never get off the ship when we dock,” he says. He tells us he lost $6,000 in the casino the other day. Later, I look him up, and it appears that on land, he’s a financial adviser in a crisp gray suit, probably a pillar of his North Chicago community.

THE OCEAN IS TEEMING with fascinating life, but on the surface it has little to teach us. The waves come and go. The horizon remains ever far away.

I am constantly told by my fellow passengers that “everybody here has a story.” Yes, I want to reply, but everybody everywhere has a story. You, the reader of this essay, have a story, and yet you’re not inclined to jump on a cruise ship and, like Duck Necklace, tell your story to others at great pitch and volume. Maybe what they’re saying is that everybody on this ship wants to have a bigger, more coherent, more interesting story than the one they’ve been given. Maybe that’s why there’s so much signage on the doors around me attesting to marriages spent on the sea. Maybe that’s why the Royal Caribbean newsletter slipped under my door tells me that “this isn’t a vacation day spent—it’s bragging rights earned.” Maybe that’s why I’m so lonely.

Today is a big day for Icon passengers. Today the ship docks at Royal Caribbean’s own Bahamian island, the Perfect Day at CocoCay. (This appears to be the actual name of the island.) A comedian at the nightclub opined on what his perfect day at CocoCay would look like—receiving oral sex while learning that his ex-wife had been killed in a car crash (big laughter). But the reality of the island is far less humorous than that.

One of the ethnic tristate ladies in the infinity pool told me that she loved CocoCay because it had exactly the same things that could be found on the ship itself. This proves to be correct. It is like the Icon, but with sand. The same tired burgers, the same colorful tubes conveying children and water from Point A to B. The same swim-up bar at its Hideaway ($140 for admittance, no children allowed; Royal Caribbean must be printing money off its clientele). “There was almost a fight at The Wizard of Oz ,” I overhear an elderly woman tell her companion on a chaise lounge. Apparently one of the passengers began recording Royal Caribbean’s intellectual property and “three guys came after him.”

I walk down a pathway to the center of the island, where a sign reads DO NOT ENTER: YOU HAVE REACHED THE BOUNDARY OF ADVENTURE . I hear an animal scampering in the bushes. A Royal Caribbean worker in an enormous golf cart soon chases me down and takes me back to the Hideaway, where I run into Mrs. Rand in a bikini. She becomes livid telling me about an altercation she had the other day with a woman over a towel and a deck chair. We Suites have special towel privileges; we do not have to hand over our SeaPass Card to score a towel. But the Rands are not Suites. “People are so entitled here,” Mrs. Rand says. “It’s like the airport with all its classes.” “You see,” I want to say, “this is where your husband’s love of Ayn Rand runs into the cruelties and arbitrary indignities of unbridled capitalism.” Instead we make plans to meet for a final drink in the Schooner Bar tonight (the Rands will stand me up).

Back on the ship, I try to do laps, but the pool (the largest on any cruise ship, naturally) is fully trashed with the detritus of American life: candy wrappers, a slowly dissolving tortilla chip, napkins. I take an extra-long shower in my suite, then walk around the perimeter of the ship on a kind of exercise track, past all the alluring lifeboats in their yellow-and-white livery. Maybe there is a dystopian angle to the HBO series that I will surely end up pitching, one with shades of WALL-E or Snowpiercer . In a collapsed world, a Royal Caribbean–like cruise liner sails from port to port, collecting new shipmates and supplies in exchange for the precious energy it has on board. (The actual Icon features a new technology that converts passengers’ poop into enough energy to power the waterslides . In the series, this shitty technology would be greatly expanded.) A very young woman (18? 19?), smart and lonely, who has only known life on the ship, walks along the same track as I do now, contemplating jumping off into the surf left by its wake. I picture reusing Duck Necklace’s words in the opening shot of the pilot. The girl is walking around the track, her eyes on the horizon; maybe she’s highborn—a Suite—and we hear the voice-over: “I’m 19 and I’m ready to go. I just don’t want a shark to eat me.”

Before the cruise is finished, I talk to Mr. Washy Washy, or Nielbert of the Philippines. He is a sweet, gentle man, and I thank him for the earworm of a song he has given me and for keeping us safe from the dreaded norovirus. “This is very important to me, getting people to wash their hands,” he tells me in his burger getup. He has dreams, as an artist and a performer, but they are limited in scope. One day he wants to dress up as a piece of bacon for the morning shift.

THE MAIDEN VOYAGE OF THE TITANIC (the Icon of the Seas is five times as large as that doomed vessel) at least offered its passengers an exciting ending to their cruise, but when I wake up on the eighth day, all I see are the gray ghosts that populate Miami’s condo skyline. Throughout my voyage, my writer friends wrote in to commiserate with me. Sloane Crosley, who once covered a three-day spa mini-cruise for Vogue , tells me she felt “so very alone … I found it very untethering.” Gideon Lewis-Kraus writes in an Instagram comment: “When Gary is done I think it’s time this genre was taken out back and shot.” And he is right. To badly paraphrase Adorno: After this, no more cruise stories. It is unfair to put a thinking person on a cruise ship. Writers typically have difficult childhoods, and it is cruel to remind them of the inherent loneliness that drove them to writing in the first place. It is also unseemly to write about the kind of people who go on cruises. Our country does not provide the education and upbringing that allow its citizens an interior life. For the creative class to point fingers at the large, breasty gentlemen adrift in tortilla-chip-laden pools of water is to gather a sour harvest of low-hanging fruit.

A day or two before I got off the ship, I decided to make use of my balcony, which I had avoided because I thought the view would only depress me further. What I found shocked me. My suite did not look out on Central Park after all. This entire time, I had been living in the ship’s Disneyland, Surfside, the neighborhood full of screaming toddlers consuming milkshakes and candy. And as I leaned out over my balcony, I beheld a slight vista of the sea and surf that I thought I had been missing. It had been there all along. The sea was frothy and infinite and blue-green beneath the span of a seagull’s wing. And though it had been trod hard by the world’s largest cruise ship, it remained.

This article appears in the May 2024 print edition with the headline “A Meatball at Sea.” When you buy a book using a link on this page, we receive a commission. Thank you for supporting The Atlantic.

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Relax with a solitaire classic card game that’s more interesting and challenging than Three Towers, Spider Solitaire, Pyramid and Tri Peaks Solitaire free. Its clean cards and polished design let you immerse yourself in this addictive tri peaks solitaire classic game full of fun, excitement and new experiences. Experience the thrill of a sea voyage: solve solitaire puzzle and discover colorful locations all over the world. Train your brain and logic with thousands of unique levels and enjoy your tri peaks solitaire journey on a first-class cruise liner. Say goodbye to boredom and misery with tri-peaks solitaire games. Want to enjoy a rich life and a world of entertainment from your mobile device playing solitaire free? Check out what Solitaire Cruise Game: Tripeaks Card Games has to offer: Classic solitaire game has a lot of fans today thanks to Solitaire Tri Peaks, Klondike Solitaire, Spider Solitaire, Solitaire Three Towers, Free Cell Solitaire and other variations. Your Solitaire Cruise: Tripeaks Cards Games is waiting for you, so come along and join in the solitaire tripeaks community today. Download this relaxing solitaire game now to embark upon your amazing personal adventure! You can play tripeaks solitaire card games free offline or online - no Wi-Fi and no internet connection required so you can enjoy classic solitaire tripeaks anytime, anywhere! Age doesn’t matter if you want to try a tripeaks solitaire game - the only thing that’s important is your desire to succeed and the lure of a better life. Still weighing up the options? Thousands of people around the world play tripeaks solitaire games! Solitaire Cruise Game: Tripeaks Card Games - a stylish free solitaire classic cards game, premium travel and extravagant leisure for true connoisseurs. Download Solitaire Cruise Game: Tripeaks Card Games and find out what the solitaire tripeaks is about!

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Hints, tips, and tricks for Kairosoft's World Cruise Story

Fishing for hints

Another Kairosoft release, another excuse to get down and dirty with the tips and tricks that lie hidden in its depths.

World Cruise Story is a lot more straightforward than your average Kairosoft management game, but that doesn't mean it's a walkover. If you want to boost that three-star cruise, you're going to need some help to understand the inner workings.

So Pocket Gamer has once again compiled all the help you'll need to make sure your cruises are the best in the world.

Sit back and relax - it's going to be smooth sailing from here on in.

Throughout the life of your seafaring vessel, you'll have numerous options to invest in businesses, destinations, and upgrades for your ship.

Investing is where most of your cash will go, and since time is precious you'll want to throw your funds into investments as soon as you can.

There's one exception to the rule, however. Whenever there's a new big investment, such as a ship expansion or a new passenger type, make sure you save up and put your money into these rather than splashing out on smaller tricks that aren't as important.

Also remember that you can put your money into three investments at a time, so if you have the cash make sure you're also putting it towards the development of the various countries via the Tourism and Industrial options.

The positioning of each of your cabins, facilities, and plants is incredibly important for increasing the attractiveness of your ship.

Putting cabins around the edges of the ship will give them a boost thanks to the window view. In fact, if you put cabins on the second floor against the walls they'll get an even greater boost thanks to the inclusion of a balcony.

Don't just stack all the cabins one by one next to each other, however - leave gaps in between each one, and put plants in there.

As you unlock new carpets, plants, and other such refinements, delete the old ones and replace them with the new ones to make sure rooms continue to receive the greatest attractiveness possible.

Later on you'll unlock bigger and better cabins. Don't worry too much about leaving space for those, as you'll also unlock the ability to move rooms around. In other words, you can shift everything around as the opportunities present themselves.

Don't forget to use the decks as much as possible, too, as the sea breeze brings in special bonuses. Deckchairs are all very well, but the majority of rooms and additional bits and pieces can also go outside.

When you've been operating from a particular country for a while, the king or queen of that country will ask to take a trip with your cruise liner.

If you can impress them enough during their visit, they'll put you in touch with the ruler of another country, allowing you to add new regions to your cruises.

This is the main method for moving the game forward, so this is of course a rather important aspect of the game.

Asking royalty to voyage with you is relatively cheap, so the best idea is to keep getting them onboard over and over again until they're impressed. The facilities they use are chosen at random, so you'll find that they may well be totally unimpressed the first time, and then suddenly over the moon the second.

Of course, it helps if you give them the best cabin in the house - find the highest quality cabin, but also consider whether it's in the vicinity of enough facilities for the royalty to get to quickly.

Every six months, you'll have the opportunity to change the start point and destinations of your cruise.

For your start point, you want to choose the place where you currently have the fewest fans.

That may sound counter-productive, but the idea is that you build up the fans there and bring in a whole new type of people onto your ship.

For the tour stops, you'll want to choose the places where you haven't yet reached 100 per cent tourism. If you've already managed to discover everything everywhere, choose the places where you have the highest attraction instead.

Of course, make sure you have the tour operator's room, or else people won't be able to go on coach trips and discover new items for you!

Buy all the facility upgrades available from the shop, and use them on your various shops and attractions regularly. When you go to use an item, it will tell you which shops it works best with - make sure to match the right ones up.

When the critics come to rate your ship, look over how many stars they've given you in the past. Choose the critic who has given you the fewest stars, as you'll probably get more this time around, and you'll earn extra money and bonuses for your total star count.

It sounds obvious, but it's incredibly important - always make sure you have enough cabins to house all your guests. If there aren't enough, people will wait outside your ship until it's ready to part, and if nothing becomes available in time you'll lose them.

And their little digital lives will be ruined.

No kidding: These 12 cruises are the perfect multigenerational family vacation option

T he launch of Disney Cruise Line in 1998 was a game changer for family cruises. Now in its third decade of operation, Disney Cruise Line consistently tops the list of best cruise lines for families. And its newest ship (for now), Disney Wish , is unquestionably one of the best cruise ships for kids ever made. But Disney isn't the only major player in the family cruising space. 

A host of other cruise lines, including Carnival Cruises , Princess , Norwegian , MSC , and Royal Caribbean , have helped usher in a new era of family vacations on cruise ships with amenities like kids clubs, water parks, stage shows, theatrical dining experiences, reduced fares for young children, and even kids sail free deals . And because the best cruise ships for kids are also great for grownups , you have plenty of options when it comes to the best family cruises. 

NO HIDDEN FEES: 7 best all-inclusive cruise lines in the world

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1. Disney Wish

Disney Cruise Line

The sheer volume of onboard entertainment options for families on Disney Cruise Line's newest ship, Disney Wish , takes things to a whole new level. From action-packed dinner-and-a-show experiences like Worlds of Marvel and Arendelle: A Frozen Dining Adventure to the Star Wars: Hyperspace Lounge , and Incredibles-themed inflatable obstacle course , you'll never run out of things to do. 

BIG SAVINGS: Kids sail free: 7 cruise lines with kids cruise free deals this year

Sailings on the Disney Wish also include a stop at Disney’s private island, Castaway Cay , which is always a highlight of any family cruise. Castaway Cay’s family beach is a great place for swimming, and you can rent bikes, kayaks, and snorkeling gear to see colorful tropical fish and perhaps even a sea turtle munching on seagrass.

2. Disney Magic

While every ship in the Disney Cruise Line fleet has a claim to be among the best family cruises, the original DCL family cruise ship deserves a special mention: Disney Magic is the ship that launched Disney Cruise Line in 1998, and with DCL's constant improvements and upkeep, the ship doesn’t feel outdated at all. Pirates, princesses, superheroes, and a thrilling water slide with a three-story drop are just a few of the fun features that make this a kid-favorite ship on one of the best cruise lines for families. In 2013, Disney added the AquaDunk high-speed thrill slide and Marvel Avengers Academy kids club. In 2018, a Tangled dinner theater restaurant made its debut. 

WATER WORLDS: 50 best cruise ship water parks for kids and tweens

As one of the smaller ships in the Disney Cruise Line fleet, Disney Magic can be a less overwhelming experience for younger kids and first-time cruisers, especially given the trend among family cruises to be bigger and louder with every new ship. (The fabulous Disney Wonder is similarly sized.) But there's more than one reason to consider a Disney Magic voyage in 2024. This year, the ship will be the first to sail to Disney Cruise Line’s newest private island destination, Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point , in the Bahamas.

3. Disney Treasure

Making its debut in December 2024, Disney Cruise Line's sixth ship will be called Disney Treasure and it will be the ship for fans of the Disney theme parks. Venues inspired by classic attractions such as the Haunted Mansion, Jungle Cruise, and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea are among the highlights to look forward to when the ship sets sail. The sister ship of Disney Wish will also have a high-tech Worlds of Marvel dinner show and a theater-in-the-round dining experience, this time themed to Pixar’s Coco. 

CAPTAIN MICKEY: 7 best Disney cruises for families in 2024  

Disney Treasure will also feature a brand-new original Broadway-style production called "Disney The Tale of Moana" in the Walt Disney Theatre. Other shows performed on board will include "Beauty and the Beast" and "Disney Seas the Adventure." Best of all, Disney Treasure will sail seven-night itineraries to both the Eastern Caribbean and Western Caribbean. That means you can enjoy two distinct dinner shows in the Worlds of Marvel and Plaza de Coco restaurants, and all of the Broadway-style shows on stage during one family cruise. 

4. Icon of the Seas

Royal Caribbean

A brand-new class of ship is heading to North America in 2024, and it starts with Royal Caribbean's Icon of the Seas in January. Among the many firsts for Icon of the Seas is the AquaDome, the largest glass and steel structure on any cruise ship, seven pools, six record-breaking waterslides, eight separate neighborhoods, 40 ways to drink and dine, four stages, and a three-level ultimate family townhouse. The innovative AquaDome is a peaceful oasis during the day and a vibrant hotspot at night with a 55-foot-tall water curtain and AquaTheater that debuts performances with divers, skateboarders, and robots. 

FAMILY CRUISES: 5 best cruise ships to entertain your teen  

Thrill-seekers will love Category 6, the largest waterpark at sea with six waterslides. There's also the Crown’s Edge, which is part skywalk, part ropes course, and 100 percent thrill ride where you can dangle 154 feet above the ocean. And, of course, you'll also find the Royal Caribbean staple FlowRider surf simulator and the Lost Dunes mini golf course. Those looking to take it easy should head to Chill Island, which features four pools spread over three decks with sweeping ocean views.

Fans of Royal Caribbean will enjoy the Royal Promenade with 15 restaurants, bars, and lounges; Central Park's open-air neighborhood filled with live plants and trees; and Surfside, the first neighborhood designed specifically for young families. The ship's seven-night Eastern and Western Caribbean family cruises all stop at Perfect Day at CocoCay , the line’s award-winning private island. Families will find an array of activities on Perfect Day at CocoCay, such as its beaches and freshwater pool (included) and an expansive water park and zip line (available for an extra charge).

5. Wonder of the Seas

Royal Caribbean's Oasis-class ships debuted in early 2022 and instantly ignited buzz that they might be the most kid-friendly cruise ships in the entire world. At 1,188 feet long and 18 decks tall, there's plenty of room for families to spread out and find entertainment onboard the Wonder of the Seas . Two dedicated private teen spaces onboard make vacationing with teenagers a little easier. In fact, teens aged 16 and up can even enjoy a massive teens-only hot tub that literally protrudes over the edge of the ship on Wonder of the Seas' deck 15. 

SCENIC VOYAGES: Everything you need to know about river cruises in the USA

Grade school kids and even the littlest ones have it pretty great, too. For big kids, there’s an enormous multiple-deck play area called Wonder Playscape . For the youngest passengers, there's the Adventure Ocean play area full of soft toys and games for toddlers. And a playground with climbing equipment gives them a space to work off their energy. Wonder of the Seas also has the most amazing family suites around. They come complete with two levels of space, an in-suite slide, table tennis, and plenty of room for the whole family.

6. Oasis of the Seas

When it launched in 2009, Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas was the largest ship in the world, accommodating more than 5,500 passengers per voyage and cementing the line's place among the best cruise lines for families. After a reimagining 10 years later, Oasis of the Seas is still a popular option for family cruises in 2024 with its Caribbean-inspired pool deck, rock climbing walls, and Perfect Storm trio of multistory waterslides. Among the many reasons that make Royal Caribbean one of the best cruise lines for families is that its Symphony of the Seas builds upon the strengths of the line’s other Oasis Class ships. 

7. Norwegian Viva

Norwegian Cruise Line

What makes Norwegian one of the best cruise lines for families? For one thing, you’ll never hear "I’m bored" from kids. And with its three-story race track, two escape rooms, The Rush and The Drop dry slides, The Wave waterslide, immersive virtual reality games, Topgolf simulator, mini golf, waterpark, splash ground, and kids’ clubs, your family’s biggest problem on the Norwegian Viva might just be deciding how to balance all the activities with quiet relaxation. 

GO ALL IN: These 6 cruise lines offer the best themed cruises

The Norwegian Viva arrived in North America in December 2023 and offers Caribbean cruises from San Juan, Puerto Rico, in early 2024 before heading to Europe through November. The ship's Observation Lounge has panoramic 180-degree views to soak in the scenery or take Insta-worthy photos on Oceanwalk’s glass walkway. After playing the day away in port or on the ship, your family can enjoy dinner followed by a live performance of Beetlejuice: The Musical, based on the cult-classic Tim Burton film.

8. Carnival Panorama

Carnival Cruise Line

One of Carnival Cruise Line ’s newer ships, the Carnival Panorama 's many kid-friendly features have already made it one of the best cruises for families. The Panorama has supervised kids programs in three different age categories, a massive aqua park, the popular SkyRide aerial attraction, SkyCourse ropes course, and the first SkyZone trampoline park at sea. 

DON'T OVERPAY: How to save money on a Carnival Cruise (with or without kids)

In addition, Carnival's exclusive partnership with Dr. Seuss Enterprises provides "Seuss at Sea" experiences on family cruise vacations, such as Dr. Seuss Bookville, Green Eggs and Ham Breakfast, and the Seuss-a-palooza Parade. Based in Los Angeles, Carnival Panorama sails week-long round-trip cruises to the Mexican Riviera in 2024.

9. Caribbean Princess

Princess Cruises

Made famous by the classic '80s TV series "The Love Boat," Princess Cruises now hosts more than two million passengers each year. Kid-friendly Caribbean Princess underwent an extensive renovation in 2017 that boosted its family offerings to include Camp Discovery Youth and Teen Center, HD Movies Under the Stars, and the Reef Family Splash Zone (the line's first splash zone at sea). 

MOVIES UNDER THE STARS: 11 best outdoor movie screens for your backyard staycation

Caribbean Princess will be 20 years old in 2024, but another extensive drydock refurbishment in 2022 has kept the ship from feeling dated. Other features that earn the Caribbean Princess a spot on my list of best family cruises include its partnership with Discovery Inc. for "Discovery at SEA" activities, which feature Animal Planet and Discovery Channel programming, the Stanley the Bear experience, and JrChef@Sea cooking classes. In summer 2024, Caribbean Princess heads to Southampton for a series of European cruises before heading back to Florida.

10. MSC Meraviglia

Unless you're a hardcore cruise family, MSC Cruises might be the largest cruise line you’ve never heard of. One of the leading cruise lines in Europe, South America, and other parts of the world, MSC is working hard to get a foothold in North America by offering great deals on family cruises. These include kids ages 18 and under sailing free on select departures , and young children ages two and under always sailing free. 

FIRST-TIMERS: 19 things to know before your first cruise with kids  

Family-friendly MSC Meraviglia launched in 2017 and it features seven different kids’ clubs for children from babies to age 17. Teens have their own space with a cinema, game room, and live stage. And Meraviglia’s Polar Aquapark has three different waterslides, including a high-speed “champagne flute,” that easily make it one of the best cruises for families. Families can play together in the vast entertainment area that includes an MSC Formula One Racing Simulator, a full-sized bowling alley with two lanes, an interactive XD cinema, a flight simulator, and a video games arcade. There’s also a Sportsplex facility for basketball, tennis, squash, volleyball, pickleball, mini golf, and five-a-side soccer.

11. MSC Seascape

MSC Cruises

The U.S. flagship of the MSC Cruises brand, MSC Seascape was designed with families in mind and offers plenty of options for onboard entertainment. The cruise line's partnership with LEGO includes a DUPLO room for children ages three to six and a second LEGO room for kids ages seven to 11 with the opportunity to earn a LEGO Master Builder certificate. Teens have three different themed areas to engage with their peers. 

BRING THE LITTLE ONES: 10 toddler-friendly vacations that are just as much fun for parents  

You have to check out Robotron on these family cruises. Robotron is a robotic arm ride that sends you 173 feet above the sea, giving you a unique 360-degree view as you're moved in different directions and flipped upside down. At night, Robotron offers a personalized DJ experience where you can curate your musical journey with colors and music preferences. 

MSC Seascape sails from Miami on the Bahamas and Caribbean family cruises, including a visit to MSC Cruises' private Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve. Ocean Cay features two miles of white sand beaches and a variety of family-friendly activities such as snorkeling, stand-up paddleboarding, kayaking, and swimming. Some family cruises dock overnight at Ocean Cay, allowing you to watch the spectacular Lighthouse light show.

12. Celebrity Equinox

Celebrity Cruises

An upscale cruise line with prices to match, Celebrity Cruises appeals to families with older children or multigenerational groups looking for luxurious family cruises. Celebrity Equinox is not the newest ship in the line (its inaugural sailing was in 2009), but this kid-friendly cruise ship received an extensive overhaul as part of the "Celebrity Revolution" in 2019 and continues to impress with its family cruises in 2024. 

COUPLES CRUISES: 7 best cruise lines for couples (and their most romantic voyages)  

Celebrity's Camp at Sea kids' program offers a diverse and constantly changing series of activities so that it’s "never the same camp twice." And Celebrity Equinox partners with Miami’s Phillip and Patricia Frost Museum of Science to offer STEM programming on topics such as the importance of plankton to the Earth’s oceans. Other kid-friendly activities on Celebrity’s family cruises include hot glass blowing classes and demonstrations, as well as lawn games such as croquet and bocce on the real grass of the Lawn Club.

7 great cruise lines for families (and their 12 most kid-friendly ships) originally appeared on FamilyVacationist.com .

More from FamilyVacationist:

• 13 cheap family vacations that are super fun
• 50 best family vacation ideas for all ages
• 25 best family vacation spots in the U.S.

FamilyVacationist.com and TourScoop.com are owned and operated by Vacationist Media LLC. FamilyVacationist covers family vacation ideas ; family vacation spots ; all-inclusive family resorts ; and must-have travel accessories for families. TourScoop covers guided group tours and tour operators , tour operator reviews , tour itinerary reviews and travel gear recommendations . The views and opinions expressed in this column are the author’s and do not necessarily reflect those of USA TODAY.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: No kidding: These 12 cruises are the perfect multigenerational family vacation option

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Casinos on cruise ships may be smaller than the ones you see in Las Vegas, but there is no much difference between the two. Cruise lines offer some of the best and most popular games from physical and online casino real money . Here are the games you should play on a cruise ship casino:

Slot machines and table games

Cruise ship casinos have a range of slot machine options as well as table games, including blackjack and numerous poker games (Let it Ride, Ultimate Texas Hold’em, Three Card, Carribean Stud).

You can play these games against the dealer. Some cruise ships have dealer-dealt tables for Texas Hold’em that’s played against other players, whereas others use electronic Poker Pro tables. But some ships don’t offer Texas Hold’em; therefore, if you are a fan of this game, you will want to confirm this before buying your ticket. You will also find at least one craps table and one roulette table, and only a few will have Baccarat.

Penny Slots

Nearly all cruise ship casinos have penny slots. But there are many variations on how to win. At one cent per variation, your one cent wager can cost you more than two dollars a go.

Higher risk tables

Only a few cruise ships offer this option. On some of the best cruise ships with casinos, if there are enough high rollers who want to play high stake games, it can be arranged. However, for the most part, tables are usually limited.

Blackjack, poker and slot tournaments

Most cruise ship casinos offer tournaments that you can take part in. The most common gambling tournaments include games like blackjack and slot. With most tournaments being buy-ins, you have to pay a certain amount of money before you can participate. On the upside, you will not spend any money during the tournament.

For some cruise ships , you can actually rebuy during poker and blackjack tournaments. Mostly, those who win in these tournaments get money, but on some shipping lines, winners get some special treats. This could be something like a free cruise for two.

Important Things You Need To Know About Cruise Ship Casino Games

Here are a few things you should know about casino games on a cruise ship:

• Is cruise-ship casino open around the clock?

Cruise ship casinos only operate when the cruise ship is out there at sea. However, the casino can also open in port at regions where gambling is not illegal, such as Malta and Bermuda . Some shipping lines close casinos during the day even when the ship is sailing because they know that most people are busy doing other things during the day. Night hours may vary but most casinos on cruise ships don’t close until 2 or 3 AM. It is always important that you check your everyday cruise schedule for casino hours.

• What’s the minimum age allowed on a cruise ship casino?

For most cruise ships , the required minimum age to play or be at their casino is 18 years. Some shipping lines have their minimum age at 21 on all sailings or certain sailings. If you would like to gamble, but you think you might be too young, make sure that you confirm with the cruise line or travel agent before booking.

• How do I deposit money at a cruise ship casino?

Most cruise ship casinos allow you to deposit cash. You can also use your cruise card. When playing at the table, your cash money will be changed into chips or the price of the chips can be charged on your cruise card. Most slots use cruise cards, but some take cash. Only a few casinos in cruise ships are cash-only. Most ships have an ATM, but the withdrawal fee is usually very high. You may want to bring some bills if you are not sure about how the cruise ship casino works .

• Do they offer free drinks in cruise ship casinos as they do in land casinos?

You can only get free drinks in cruise ship casinos where drinks are always free. Generally, you will have to pay as you do in the dining room or at the bar. If you are a member of the casino loyalty program at the cruise ship and have earned enough points, you might get some free drinks. However, most programs will require you to wager huge amounts of money before you can get drinks served.

• Do cruise ship casinos have a loyalty club where I can get some perks and points?

Most cruise ship casinos have loyalty programs that are separate from the cruise line’s loyalty program. The more money you bet, the more points you earn. The rewards usually come in the form of free cruise sailings and drinks. To get a significant amount of points, you will have to bet a significant amount of money. You may end up spending more than what you will get for the reward. Keep in mind that the rewards you get on one cruise ship cannot be transferred to another ship.

• Can I smoke in a cruise ship casino ?

This depends on the cruise ship you are sailing in. Most ships will allow you to smoke in their casinos . But some ships don’t allow smoking . So, you will want to make sure that you confirm this before bringing your cigarette on the cruise ship casino.

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Soft Cooler and other packing "hacks"

By dhodermarsky , March 11, 2017 in Norwegian Cruise Line

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dhodermarsky

I've been researching the best cruise packing "hacks" and one suggestion was to bring a soft cooler in your luggage and buy beers onboard before getting off the ship. Has anyone done this before. Another suggestion was to have a hole punched in the room key so you can wear it on a lanyard. I also got a over-the-door shoe organizer to help keep the room organized. Any other suggestions or tips from experienced cruisers with small children?

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ClevelandCruisin

I have a lanyard with a key card holder, makes life easier when trying to find it.

Buying beers onboard? If you have UBP, you can only purchase drinks for yourself and I'm sure only 1 at a time.

Power strip is always a good idea.

I have a lanyard with a key card holder, makes life easier when trying to find it.   Buying beers onboard? If you have UBP, you can only purchase drinks for yourself and I'm sure only 1 at a time.   Power strip is always a good idea.

If you have UBP you can get drinks 2 at a time, but it might be harder to find a bartender that will give you an unopened beer. Never tried taking drinks off the ship.

If you bring a power strip it can't have a surge protector on it

Remember, if you take booze off, you are going thru customs, and will need to declare it.

Go to the main dining room for lunch, one will be open, but they will try to steer you to the buffet -much more relaxing way to start the trip.

Magnets to hang notes, schedules, plans on the walls.

Guest services gives out free motion sickness pills.

Rekax, enjoy, make memories.

Safe sailing

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LakeWobegon

To avoid wrinkles (not completely eliminate them), use the bundle method. See NBC link below. From trial and error via a trip or two a month for work these past 10 years, the bundle method beats folding, rolling or any other method of packing clothes hands down. And you can fit more clothes in less space. The con is that your clothes are not easily accessible if they're in a bundle. And if the TSA unwrapped my bundles, I'd be a little irritated. Ha.

Also, we get everything packed the night before we fly out and I step onto the scale with each bag to do the math and see if any of them is overweight according to the airline's rules. Then reallocate items to different bags as necessary.

We also bring a handful of door friendly hooks (i.e. won't scratch the door) that hang over the door for extra swim suit and cover up drying space. Good luck!

I am not sure how small your children are but for babies and tots a small blow up bath tub is great for bathing and to use on the balcony and at a beach. It is also easier to wear babies than use a stroller if you use a stroller try and find the smallest one.

Someone already mentioned magnets for holding notes to the walls, but you can also bring children's magnetic activities (think letters and numbers but also animals, etc.). Granddaughter enjoyed playing with the animals on the walls. I don't know if all the ships have metal walls, but the Breakaway does.

And strong magnetic hooks/clasps will hold caps, scarves, etc.

Small children who are picky eaters: bring something that they like (snack foods, juice boxes, cereal). The selection on board may not be exactly the same as they're accustomed to eating. Introducing new foods is great, but it helps to have a back-up in the cabin if they need a quick snack before bed- one that reminds them of home.

Why would you want to buy beer onboard to take off the ship? It's less expensive to buy beer at most of the ports. If you are trying to take it off at the end of the cruise - you may have to declare it. Not to mention - why on earth would you want to carry beer around on your port visit - especially if you have small children to deal with?

If you have the beverage plan, your drinks were not meant to leave the ship.

For small children - bring something familiar that they can play with when you are just hanging out in your cabin.

steelersfan4ever

Someone already mentioned magnets for holding notes to the walls, but you can also bring children's magnetic activities (think letters and numbers but also animals, etc.). Granddaughter enjoyed playing with the animals on the walls. I don't know if all the ships have metal walls, but the Breakaway does.   And strong magnetic hooks/clasps will hold caps, scarves, etc.   Small children who are picky eaters: bring something that they like (snack foods, juice boxes, cereal). The selection on board may not be exactly the same as they're accustomed to eating. Introducing new foods is great, but it helps to have a back-up in the cabin if they need a quick snack before bed- one that reminds them of home.

Are you allowed to take juice boxes/pouches on board?

NittanyCruise

If you have UBP you can get drinks 2 at a time, but it might be harder to find a bartender that will give you an unopened beer. Never tried taking drinks off the ship.   If you bring a power strip it can't have a surge protector on it     Sent from my iPhone using Forums

When I was on the Epic this past December it was very easy to get unopened cans of beer.

Why would you want to buy beer onboard to take off the ship? It's less expensive to buy beer at most of the ports.

Exactly. Walk into any souvenir, drug, or convenience store at the port and buy a cold beer for a buck. No sense in hauling some around with you.

No beverages allowed unless it's wine or previously approved by contacting NCL

https://www.ncl.com/faq/liquor-beverage-policy

They don't care about juice boxes for kids...or whoever. Just pack them as normal...or carry them on, especially if you are with kids.

If your kids are young and have the type of magnetic toys that you can build with they work wonderful on the ship walls. Kept my grandkids busy for hours when I took them. Then when you are ready to clean up they can just put them on the walls and they are out of the way.

1. If you have small kids, plastic bags are great for filling with snacks when going into port; bacon, crackers, hard-boiled eggs, bread, etc. We usually make PB&J sandwiches, especially on GSC because the kids don't necessarily eat on our schedule.

2. The hole in the key card thing is a must...lanyards are pretty cheap through Amazon.

3. Clothes pins or maybe even stronger clips are useful for keeping your towel attached to your chair, both by the pool and at the beach.

4. Power strip, but one w/o the surge protector.

5. Highlighter, for highlighting activities in the Freestyle Daily that you want to do.

6. Lysol wipes or hand sanitizer...even though it's all over the ship, it's good to have with you too.

7. I usually bring a bunch of $1 bills for tipping when warranted. Even though tipping isn't usually done because it's pretty much included in everything, you will find certain members of the crew who go WAY ABOVE and deserve prompt recognition.

Not a hack but I pack a travel alarm clock, one that I can see the time in the middle of the night without having to press any buttons. I use to use my phone but a couple of cruises ago my phone went batty with time changes (I have an iPhone 6+) and I never knew if I was looking at the correct time and like to set alarm for gym in the morning. Now I dont need to worry any longer.

Also, I use packing cubes. I iron all my clothes 2-4 weeks prior to a cruise (past cruise last month I packed a month before), and fold and place in packing cubes. Shirts in one, pants in another and I do not have ANY wrinkles.

Above are my must haves (along with over the door shoe hanger that is mentioned above if you travel with more than two people).

1. If you have small kids, plastic bags are great for filling with snacks when going into port; bacon, crackers, hard-boiled eggs, bread, etc. We usually make PB&J sandwiches, especially on GSC because the kids don't necessarily eat on our schedule. .

You are not allowed to take meats or eggs and other non-prepackaged foods off the ship at MANY ports.

If you need to take food off at a port, then little boxes of cereal, granola bars, or other wrapped prepackaged foods should be OK.

Bluetooth speaker to enjoy some music in your cabin getting ready etc. or just relaxing on the balcony. Over the door set of hooks for towels, swimsuits etc. from the dollar store. Travel size container of laundry detergent.

Sent from my SM-T320 using Forums mobile app

Sand and Seas

We love our magnetic hooks and an over the door hanger that someone left in our last cabin....sorry we didn't know how to return it to you! So we don't forget and leave them behind on future cruises, my DH spray-painted them all a bold color.

We found our magnetic hooks at Walmart and the dollar store is good for over the door hangers. You can hang wet bathing suits, jackets, hats and all kinds of other things on them.

Haven't found a ship yet that doesn't have magnetic walls.....except for our Windjammer cruises 20 years ago.

ProfessorandtheGeek

Yes, we carried the portable collapsible cooler. It was nice to have ice in the stateroom all day. Just ask your steward to fill it up twice a day. We bought ours from Amazon.

I will add a few things to the list. We brought battery powered tea lights that we had glued magnets to the back of. We placed them along the floor in the cabin, so that we did not have to leave any lights on in the cabin at night (they have timers). It gave the cabin a wonderful romantic glow, and gave us safety lighting at night. We also brought magnetic hooks for extra space for hanging things (they could hold 50 lbs+). We did not bring an over the door space saver. I do recommend a medicine bag filled with any over the counter items you made need, aspirin, Motrin, Dramamine, eye drops, Imodium, etc.. it could save you a trip to the ship doctor. The #1 thing I am so very glad I brought was Downy Wrinkle release spray, what a lifesaver! Also, we never travel anywhere without Lysol wipes to wipe down our room (remotes, door knobs, etc..) and a small flashlight.

norway olin

That is contrary to published restrictions. Juice is mentioned here:

https://www.ncl.com/faq#can-i-bring-water-or-soda-board

ginger123snaps

We have 3 boys. they are older now but i will give you our list:

1. Lysol wipes

2. Baby wipes

3. quick dry towels to take off the ship (much easier then carrying the large towels ship provides)

4. Foldable eddie bauer lightweight backpacks for use on port

5. over the door organizer

6. each boys gets his own packing cube. 1 for socks/undewear and 1 for clothes

7. a beach bag to carry to/from pool

8. flip flops/tennis shoe

9. every medicine i have

10. shovels for beach toys

11. pop up laundry basket for the room

12. i bring a lanyard for myself with a coin pocket type purse (holds my lipstick and key card)

13. ziplock bags for snacks

14. I usually bring snacks they like (goldfish, graham crackers, etc)

15. a large plastic container to hold my wet clothes at the beach.

WhiskeyTangoFoxtrot

Man, I hope so!

One thing I learned from our last cruise where we hit two hurricanes is to bring some duct tape. It will keep the drawers and closet Fromm opening in rough seas. It was very loud banging all night.

Also, for shore excursions, we have a couple of these waterproof dryboxes and my wife has a waterproof case for her phone. The nice thing about these is you can take them with you snorkeling and not worry about any of your valuables being left on shore when everyone is in the water. One of these will hold an iPhone6 plus, four passports, credit cards and cash. I just put it around by wrist and off I go.

https://www.amazon.com/Scuba-Choice-Waterproof-Container-iPhone/dp/B00VAZVT6I/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1489375739&sr=8-2&keywords=scuba+dry+box

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15 Alaska cruise mistakes you never want to make

For many, an Alaska cruise is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. You don't want to screw it up because you might not get the chance for a do-over. Unfortunately, it's easier than you think to make Alaska cruise mistakes that can ruin a trip or prevent you from experiencing Alaska to the fullest.

While cruises to the Last Frontier are not polar-cruise-level adventures, they require more careful planning than for a Mexico or Caribbean sailing. You need to get all the details right, from booking the cruise and packing your bags to what to do and see during your cruise.

For cruise news, reviews and tips, sign up for TPG's cruise newsletter .

Here's a list of things you should never do on an Alaska cruise. Avoid these Alaska cruise mistakes, and you'll be on your way to a smooth sailing.

Alaska cruise planning mistakes to avoid

No matter how many times you've cruised before, you might be shocked at how much planning you need to do for an Alaska sailing. Get these things wrong, and you might miss out on your big Alaska cruise experience.

Assume all Alaska cruises are the same

This is an easy mistake to make on your first Alaska cruise. However, matching your ship and itinerary to your expectations and travel style is crucial for a successful trip.

Are you looking for a full day of glacier time? Try a midseason sailing that visits Glacier Bay National Park . Early and late-season cruises might be unable to access the glaciers on their itineraries due to ice floes.

Want to see whales? A round-trip Alaska cruise in June is ideal. Do you want to fish for salmon? You'll want to book at the peak of the salmon fishing season, from mid-June to mid-August. Ketchikan is the salmon capital of the world, and while most cruises stop there, a few don't, so make sure it's on the itinerary if you wish to fish.

Are you taking kids on your Alaska cruise? Big ships often have more for kids to do on board, which might be more important than where the ship goes. Expedition-style cruises may have less for youngsters but appeal to independent teens. These voyages offer a more intimate and close-up Alaska experience, with outings on kayaks and Zodiac boats that launch directly from the ship.

Wait to book excursions

You don't have to worry about booking tours in advance in some cruise destinations. Alaska cruises are not like that.

Alaska shore excursions fill up fast. It's worse in midsummer, but even on shoulder season sailings, you may not find space on the excursions you hoped to do if you wait until you're on the ship to book. The only solution is to sign up for tours as early as possible.

Does this mean you shouldn't take advantage of last-minute Alaska cruise deals if you find them? Of course not. Snap those babies up — just come prepared with a list of second and third choices of excursions, just in case.

Related: Tips for booking the best cruise shore excursion for your money

Overlook independent excursions

You don't have to stick with ship-sponsored shore excursions in every port in Alaska. On my last Alaska cruise, we booked kayaking independently for our stop in Ketchikan. It was one of the best experiences of the entire cruise. The company picked us up and dropped us off at the cruise ship. We were guaranteed an on-time return to the ship and paid far less than for the ship's kayaking excursions.

If you want to check out independent tours , you can find several Alaska excursion aggregators online or deal directly with independent businesses. Make sure you inquire about tour timing and leave a buffer so you won't miss your ship even if there's traffic or a delay.

Book same-day flights on embarkation day or early flights home

You don't want to find yourself stuck in an airport because of a flight delay when you should be boarding your cruise. To avoid this problem, book your flights to arrive the day before your cruise departs rather than the same day.

If you think it can't happen to you, listen to my most recent flight horror story. I was on not one but two flights on the same day, where minor mechanical problems caused deplaning and two-hour delays. I should have landed at my destination at 11:30 a.m. but didn't arrive until after 5 p.m. Had that been embarkation day, my ship would have sailed without me.

Similarly, it's always best to book departing flights home for the afternoon in case the ship is delayed returning to port or is not cleared by authorities on time. If you're flying in or out of Anchorage, know that all transportation options include several hours of travel from the ports of Seward and Whittier; you might consider overnighting in Anchorage either pre- or post-cruise to play it safe.

Skip the travel insurance

Airline issues aside, Alaska can be a wee bit hazardous. You will encounter slippery slopes and rocky roads — and that's just walking through Alaska port towns. You might be participating in more daring activities than normal, such as flying in helicopters, hiking across glaciers, kayaking icy waters or zip lining through forests. It's easy for something to go wrong.

On my last Alaska cruise, I heard about two passenger emergencies. A kid broke an arm on the ship and needed surgery, so a family of five disembarked in Ketchikan — not exactly a cheap end to their vacation, I'm guessing. Later in the sailing, a sick passenger was airlifted directly off the ship by the Canadian Coast Guard before we made it to Victoria.

If you live in the U.S., your health insurance is most likely valid in Alaska. You'll be covered for medical expenses but not the other expenses associated with any injury that interrupts your cruise. Travel insurance is the way to go unless you want to pay for flight changes and medical evacuation out of pocket.

Related: The best cruise travel insurance plans

Alaska cruise packing mistakes to avoid

Packing for an Alaska cruise can be tricky. The region's unpredictable weather means it can be rainy and 50 degrees one day, then sunny and 85 degrees the next. Mix in boat rides and glacier watching from the ship at 6 a.m., and you have a complicated packing job ahead of you. Don't make these Alaska cruise packing mistakes.

Forget your rain gear

Rule No. 1 on Alaska cruises: Pack rain gear. It might not rain one drop on your cruise, but chances are good that the weather will be wet at some point on your trip. When it does, you'll want the right gear to stay dry and not be drippy and miserable.

Waterproof shoes or boots are a must. For extra protection, spray them with a water-repellant sealer before you pack. You can stow lightweight raincoats or ponchos and pull-on rain pants in your backpack during excursions when you don't need them.

Skimp on layers

Layers are the only way to dress on an Alaska cruise. Start with thin, base-layer undergarments that won't bulk up your clothes and are comfortable even if the day turns out warmer than expected. The final layers of outerwear should be lightweight because you may need to stuff them in your backpack for half the day as the temperature rises.

I especially like puffy vests and jackets for Alaska. You can shed the jacket as temperatures allow, then lose the vest if it gets even warmer. Top everything with caps, knit hats, earmuffs and gloves. Those things might be excessive for a stroll through town but important in the wind on a whale watching boat.

Related: Cruise packing list: The ultimate guide to what to pack for a cruise

Overpack on eveningwear

The dress code on most Alaska cruises is more relaxed than in other cruise destinations. Days are long and outdoorsy, leaving people less enthusiastic about rushing back to the ship to put on fancy clothes and dress shoes.

Trade out your hiking shoes for comfy flats or dress sneakers. Jazz up casual, neutral-colored slacks (even jeans) or skirts with jackets or scarves. You can leave the formalwear and high heels at home.

Cheap out on insect repellant

Mosquitoes in Alaska aren't always a nuisance, but they can be horrendous. Pack insect repellant and full-coverage clothing as though you were planning to visit a rainforest ... because you are.

If you don't plan on checking a bag, pick up bug spray in your departure city or first port of call.

Leave the binoculars and cameras at home

One question I get asked often is whether you can see whales and other wildlife from the ship. The answer is a resounding yes. Unfortunately, much of what you will see is from a distance.

You can solve that problem with a pair of lightweight binoculars. They're also useful for getting a close-up view of glaciers or spotting eagles in port. Consider bringing a pair for everyone in your group because you don't want to fight over one pair when a pod of whales comes into view.

As for cameras, I recommend that everyone in your travel group has a water-resistant camera or a waterproof smartphone case or pouch. I lean toward cameras rather than phones for two reasons. One, most cameras dropped into the depths of an Alaskan bay pose a less traumatic loss than most smartphones. My second reason is in the next section.

Related: Can you use your cellphone on a cruise?

Mistakes to avoid during your Alaska cruise

Once you're on board your ship, it's time to put all the stress of planning and packing behind you. You've made it, and you don't want to let anything get in the way of enjoying your cruise.

Stare at your phone too much

An Alaska cruise is the ideal time to hit pause on your digital life. Sure, you want to capture the amazing scenery, but you know what? Few of the pictures you take will accurately portray the scale of the beauty of Alaska.

The photos you'll enjoy most when you look back next year are the ones of your travel partners enjoying the trip. Take those, then spend your time soaking up the enchantment of this place. The news, the email correspondence and your Instagram followers can take a back seat until you're back home.

Assume the seas will be smooth

Don't be surprised if you feel seasick in Alaska's waters, even if no other cruise has made you feel that way. Cruising through the Inside Passage is generally calm, but the open waters of the Pacific Ocean can be choppy. Even the bays can churn up quickly during summer storms.

Ships also do a lot of maneuvering, including turning complete circles designed to give everyone on board access to the amazing views. Unfortunately, those tight turns can contribute to nausea for some people.

Prepare by packing motion sickness relief bands you place on pressure points on your wrists, prescription scopolamine transdermal patches, ginger candies, over-the-counter seasickness medications and herbal motion sickness patches. I've used these for years, with only one failure on a rather small ship.

You can also treat the woozies with seasickness tablets, which are often available free at the medical center or guest services, green apples from the buffet and ginger ale from your ship's friendly bartenders. Related: How to avoid seasickness on your next cruise

Spend all your time indoors

You packed all those clothing layers — now's the time to use them. The coldest part of your Alaska cruise will likely be while the ship cruises through can't-miss scenery. Don't wimp out in an observation lounge. Bundle up and head outside to fully take in the view. Your balcony may give you an edge over the folks in interior rooms, but you won't get a 360-degree vista unless you're out on the top deck.

The best souvenir advice I've received is to buy a cozy throw or blanket at your first port stop. It won't cost a fortune and will serve a purpose for the rest of the cruise. Picture yourself cozy and warm in your fuzzy Alaska souvenir blanket, sipping hot chocolate while watching glaciers calving. Once home, you'll remember your epic vacation every time you snuggle up on the couch.

Sleep through your vacation

This is not a cruise you want to sleep through — and even if that's your plan, you may have difficulty accomplishing it. Long hours of daylight, excursions and glacier viewings that start early and even your own fear of missing out can have you out of bed early and staying up later than you might on any other cruise.

Sleep apps and eye masks may help with the daylight situation. I also find that Alaska cruises are ideal for ordering room service meals. It definitely saves time before morning excursions and can provide a bit of downtime in your cabin for lunch or dinner on occasion.

Fail to try something new

Your Alaska cruise offers many opportunities to try things you might never have the chance to do again. You could walk on glaciers, snorkel in a dry suit in the frigid Alaska waters or play with sled dog puppies. Or, how about riding in a sled pulled by sled dogs? We already mentioned salmon fishing, which is surprisingly fun, even if you'd never go fishing at home.

The array of things to try in Alaska can be as tame or as adventurous as you want — it's the joy of discovery that's key. I once kayaked in Ketchikan with a woman on her first solo cruise in Alaska. She'd never kayaked before. When our marine biologist guide pulled a sea cucumber from the crystal-clear waters to show us, she squealed with delight when he offered to let her hold it. That's the kind of joy you cruise to Alaska to experience.

Bottom line

You can avoid the most common Alaska cruise mistakes with a little extra planning.

The goal is to have the Alaska cruise experience you and your travel companions long for. Achieve that by choosing an itinerary that gets you to the things you want to see and do, shopping early for excursions (especially the ones you have your heart set on) and packing gear and clothes that will keep you comfy during your Alaska adventure.

Everything else is about stepping outside, breathing in the shockingly clean air and enjoying the cruise.

Planning an Alaska cruise? Start with these stories:

• Everything you need to know about booking a trip to Alaska with points and miles
• The 9 best Alaska cruises for every type of traveler in 2024
• 6 best Alaska cruises for families
• 20 must-have cruise items — including a roll of duct tape

‘True Promise’: Why and how did Iran launch a historic attack on Israel?

Iran has just launched the largest ever drone strike in the world, and the biggest missile attack in its history.

Tehran, Iran – Iran’s use of hundreds of drones and missiles to directly target Israel overnight on Sunday in retaliation for an Israeli strike on the Iranian consulate in Damascus set some major political and military precedents.

It was the single largest drone attack ever carried out by any country, and it was the first time Iran directly attacked Israel after almost a half-century of being archenemies .

Keep reading

Iran warns israel, us of ‘severe response’ in case of retaliation, jordan, lebanon, iraq reopen airspace closed over iran’s attacks on israel, iran’s irgc seizes ‘israeli-linked’ ship near strait of hormuz, iran’s khamenei blasts israel, west for ‘bloody’ gaza war in eid speech.

Here’s a look at what political, military and economic considerations Tehran might have factored in while deciding on the attack that has amplified fears of a larger regional war and that could also affect the direction of Israel’s war on Gaza.

The politics

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) dubbed the operation “True Promise” to show that top leaders in Tehran, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, intend to make good on their vows of “punishment” for attacks by Israel and others.

The attack was in response to the April 1 Israeli strike on the Iranian consulate in Damascus that killed seven IRGC members, including two generals in charge of leading operations in Syria and Lebanon, along with six other people.

It was mainly aimed at strengthening Iran’s deterrence, which critics said had been compromised after increasingly confrontational policies and military strikes by the United States and its allies across the region, especially following the January 2020 assassination of top general Qassem Soleimani in Iraq.

Iranian officials also appeared to have exercised a degree of “strategic patience” after the late December assassination of another top IRGC commander in Syria, Razi Mousavi, in an Israeli air raid amid the fallout of the war on Gaza.

Inaction, lower-grade strikes, or being content with military action through the “axis of resistance” of aligned groups across the region would in this vein be viewed as too costly for Iran both locally and abroad.

That is true even as Tehran recognises that Israel and the embattled government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu may see benefits in escalating tensions across the region and forcing the US military into taking more action against Iran.

On the other hand, the unprecedented Iranian attacks may have briefly shifted the world’s attention from the deaths of tens of thousands of women and children in the Gaza Strip, but they could translate into soft power gains for Iran in the Muslim world in the long run, when compared with other regional powers.

Saudi Arabia has not ruled out normalising relations with Israel despite the carnage in Gaza, and Turkey only started limiting some exports to Israel earlier this week after the Israeli government refused to allow it to airdrop aid over the besieged enclave, where infants are dying of starvation. Both Saudi Arabia and Turkey have, however, been deeply — and vocally — critical of Israel’s war on Gaza.

Iran would also have plausible arguments at the United Nations Security Council since attacks on diplomatic missions signal a violation of the Vienna Convention, and since Article 51 of the UN Charter enshrines the “inherent right” of self-defence, something Israel has been heavily leaning on since the start of the Gaza war.

A list of military firsts for Iran

There is no official confirmation from Iran about exactly how many drones or ballistic and cruise missiles it used to attack Israel, but the Israeli military said more than 300 were launched.

Iranian drones have been making international headlines for the past few years, especially following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine more than two years ago. Ukrainian officials say the Iranian-designed Shahed drones of the Russian military continue to rain down over their territory .

Shahed-136 kamikaze drones that carry a relatively small warhead weighing some 50kg (110 pounds) were used in the attack on Israel, Iranian state television said on Sunday.

Telegram channels affiliated with the IRGC said the Shahed-238, which is powered by a turbojet rather than the propeller on the 136 model, was also used in the attack. The 238 model sacrifices some manoeuvrability for significantly higher speeds that are believed to reach as high as 600kmph (372mph).

Iran has long been known to possess the largest and most varied missile arsenal in the Middle East, but this was by far the largest test of its capabilities.

State television said the Emad long-range ballistic missile and the Paveh cruise missile were used to attack Israel.

In February, in large-scale military exercises that included simulating an attack on the Palmachim airbase in Israel , the IRGC used Emad missiles and launched the Dezful ballistic missile from a warship.

Iran also possesses Fattah, a hypersonic ballistic missile that could theoretically arrive in Israel in as little as seven minutes, along with a cruise missile variant of the same family. There was no indication the missiles were used in the early Sunday attacks.

Either way, in multilayered attacks over several hours, Iran has just managed to conduct its largest-ever drone and missile strikes that covered some of their longest distances in a real military operation.

“The operation achieved a level of success that exceeded our expectations,” said IRGC commander-in-chief Hossein Salami, adding that the projectiles only targeted military sites, including the Nevatim airbase in the Negev desert that was allegedly used to launch the Israeli strikes on the Iranian consulate in Syria.

What are the economic effects?

The effect of the historic attacks on the already-troubled Iranian economy was likely lower than the weight of political and military dimensions on the list of considerations for Iranian leaders as they planned the offensive in almost two weeks since the consulate attack.

But as expected, there was an immediate reaction in local markets, with foreign currencies climbing amid rising anxieties over prospects of the conflict further sliding into a regional war.

The rial, Iran’s falling national currency , dropped to a new all-time low of about 670,000 per US dollar on Sunday before regaining some ground.

The semiofficial Tasnim news website reported on Sunday that very few currency and gold deals are taking place in Tehran and other markets as an atmosphere of caution is dominant.

The Tehran prosecutor’s office announced on Sunday that it opened a case against an unnamed journalist and the Jahan-e Sanat newspaper they worked for due to “disturbing the society’s psychological security and disturbing the economic atmosphere of the country”.