From cat lovers to those who prefer to sail nude, we’ve found five of the most interesting themed cruises for clients seeking something a bit different.
Most of us are familiar with cruises tailored to history buffs, wine and beer aficionados, art and literature lovers, golfers and keen gardeners, but there’s a whole other world of specialised themed cruises now available.
Specialised themed cruises are held mostly in the US onboard ships operated by lines such as Royal Caribbean, Carnival Cruise Line and Norwegian Cruise Line. The cruises are either full-ship charters, organised by the individual themed-cruise company, or group bookings on regular cruises. Here are five we think are sure to please.
Star Trek: The Cruise
Dedicated Star Trek fans will boldly cruise from Miami onboard Royal Caribbean’s Explorer of the Seas on a seven-day round-trip to the Mexican Riviera in February 2025 to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Star Trek: Voyager.
However, if your Trekker clients want to join the star-studded crew from “every corner of the Star Trek galaxy”, they need to move at Warp Nine to secure a berth on this special cruise – it’s waitlist only for all categories apart from Junior Suites. In fact, it might be advisable to get on the mailing list for 2026 as soon as possible.
Star Trek: The Cruise (main image) is all about one-of-a-kind shows, interactive events, Q&As, panel discussions, trivia sessions, karaoke, cosplay and nightly themed parties.
The company says that every Star Trek aficionado is catered for—from fans of the original 1966-69 TV series to the Kirk and Picard Next Generation and various spin-offs.
Beam us up, Scotty!
Antarctica Pride Cruise
Sydney-based LGBTQIA+travel specialists Planetdwellers and Pride Tours Chile have teamed up to offer a bucket-list voyage to the White Continent in February 2025 exclusively for adventurous LGBTQIA+ travellers.
They have chartered Aurora Expeditions’ 130-guest, purpose-built expedition ship Greg Mortimer for a nine-day voyage from Ushuaia to the Antarctic Peninsula. At the end of the voyage, guests will take a spectacular charter flight from King George Island to Punta Arenas in Chile.
Antarctica Pride Cruise promises “the gayest of gay polar plunges surrounded by your tribe to cheer you on”, along with onshore hiking tours and zodiac trips to see whales, seals, penguins and other wildlife in their natural habitat.
Evenings will feature specially curated hosted events onboard, so guests can relax with like- minded souls after days spent exploring and photographing one of the world’s most spectacular wilderness regions.
Meow Meow Cruise
Judging by the popularity of cat videos on the internet, there are billions of cat lovers around the world – and since 2015, there’s been a cruise every year designed especially for them.
Anna Conway, a travel advisor based in Florida who created the cruises, found that every time she went on a cruise, she met people who loved cats and loved talking about them as much as she did.
While you can’t take your feline fur baby to sea, you can spend hours in the company of like-minded cat fanciers without fear of boring anyone while cruising in some fabulous destinations.
All Meow Meow guests receive a Meow Meow Cruise Kit when they board and get to participate in activities such as trivia, group dining the Meow Meow Mixer, a free cocktail party and a kitty Scavenger Hunt.
The 2025 Meow Meow Cruise is a seven-day Alaska itinerary, round-trip from Seattle, onboard Princess Cruises’ stylish Discovery Princess.
Bare Necessities Cruises
So, nude cruises are a thing, but most FAQs are about dress codes. Clothing is definitely required when dining onboard and visiting ports; towels are always available to sit on anywhere on the ship, particularly on bar stools and sun-loungers, and the crew are always fully clothed.
Bare Necessities Cruises is the main operator in the nude cruise arena, and Scenic Eclipse II is set to host a 14-night Bare Necessities charter from Cairns to Vanuatu, departing on 26 October 2025.
If your nude-cruise enthusiast clients can’t wait that long to get their kit off at sea, Bare Necessities Cruises is doing an 11-night Big Nude Boat sailing on NCL’s Norwegian Pearl from 3 to 14 February 2025. The round-trip cruise from Miami includes two stays at NCL’s private island in the Bahamas, Great Stirrup Cay.
Rev things up
For those who have clients who are hardcore motorbike enthusiasts, check out the High Seas Rally, the world’s only motorcycle rally on a cruise.
Running from October 26th to November 2nd 2024, on Royal Caribbean’s Radiance of the Seas, this is a love fest for motorbike obsessives that also raises money for excellent causes.
Funds raised through raffles, auctions, and games onboard throughout the week support the High Seas Rally Dialysis Fund and Wounded Warrior Project, with more than $3.4 million raised to date.
For more information, visit startrekthecruise.com; planetdwellers.com.au, cruisebare.com, meowmeowcruise.com; High Seas Rally.
