Awesome Cruises

In a cruise industry first, Virgin Voyages sailors can now sail all year long with the $120,000 Virgin Voyages Annual Pass. Hop onto any ship, anytime, from anywhere, for an entire calendar year. Cruise destinations include the Mediterranean, Carribean, North America, Europe, and more. In another first, sailors can pay in US dollars or Bitcoin cryptocurrency.

Royal Caribbean’s megaship, Utopia of the Seas, dares cruisers to take on the 259-foot-long Ultimate Abyss: the longest dry slide at sea. A French construction team assembled pieces on board, adding features like transparent racing windows and “zoom booster” rollers for extra oomph. Just enter the giant anglerfish’s toothy mouth and cross your fingers.

Royal Caribbean launched the gargantuan Icon of the Seas, an over-the-top, maximalist combo of mega ship/floating city for 7,600 passengers. It’s so huge that cruisers will forget they’re on a boat. The cherry on top is Category 6, the largest waterpark at sea with six thrill rides covering 17,000 square feet.

Gin has been an anchor in Holland America Line’s history dating back to the cruise company’s start 150 years ago. To toast its big anniversary, HAL launched De Lijn gin to be exclusively served and sold on board its fleet. The result is a premium gin made in America and inspired by the Netherlands.

In olden times, shuffleboard was the most fun you could have on a cruise. Now it’s laser tag! Pew pew! On the very top deck on very tall Norwegian Cruise Line mega-ships! The planet’s only outdoor laser tag arenas are even awesomer than the only go-cart racetrack at sea on the same deck.

To explore the ends of the earth in comfort and style, Viking sets a new standard for expedition ships with the launch of the Viking Octantis. The star of Viking’s first Antarctic season of expedition voyages is luxuriously appointed, equipped with science labs, and built to take on weather extremes.

Think like a pirate to solve the clues in a video treasure hunt and be automatically entered to win a free cruise anywhere Windstar Cruises’ small ships and yachts sail. During their voyage, the winner and a guest will then be doubly rewarded with what Windstar says will be “the ultimate hidden treasure.”

Lido deck… The Final Frontier. Royal Caribbean’s Mariner of the Seas ship will transform into Star Trek: The Cruise V. Cast from TOS, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, Enterprise, and Discovery will be aboard, including George Takei, Walter Koenig, Jonathan Frakes and Marina Sirtis. Departs from Port Canaveral 2.26.22.

Norwegian Cruise Line hits the gas with the largest go-kart speedways at sea on its two newest mega-ships, the enormously entertaining Joy, Encore, and Bliss. The Awesomer buckled up for the ultimate wild ride on the Bliss’ bi-level, indoor-outdoor track in a tricked out electric kart with its headrest blasting F1 racing sounds.

Aside from the Titanic, cruise ships don’t usually execute deep dives. Until now. Scenic Luxury Cruises and Tours has become the first cruise line to equip a ship with a submarine for underwater excursions, with its new 114-stateroom, all-veranda, ultra-luxury ship, the Scenic Eclipse.

Not only will a lucky few adventurers get to set sail to explore the Canadian Arctic on an 18- to 75-day journey, those who cruise on the Kapitan Khlebnikov from 8/22-9/8/16 will meet astronaut Chris Hadfield, who is going along for this awe-inspiring trip from Quark Expeditions.

Setting sail in 2017, Norwegian Cruise Line’s latest cruise ship, the Norwegian Joy, will sport a two-level outdoor go kart track, as well as an indoor attraction with bumper cars that hover. Now passengers can get both seasick and carsick at the same time.

Why would someone need a self-leveling pool table? To hustle suckers on their yacht of course. Spotted on board a cruise ship, this table uses a gyroscope to keep balls in place in rough waters.