8 Awesome Types of People You’ll Find on a Cruise
What types of people go on cruises? If you’ve never been on a cruise before, you may be surprised at who you’ll meet. If you’re a veteran cruiser, you likely love to meet new people. Going on a cruise means that everyone is a traveling companion because you all chose the same destination, and most of you are taking part in the amazing shore excursions. It is possible to keep to yourself, if you prefer, but your fellow cruise passengers have much of the same agenda — to have fun and relax. Here are eight types of people you’ll likely find on your cruise. You never know, you may even meet some new, lifelong friends.
Thrill Seekers
Thrill seekers are eager to discover exciting activities that involve physical risk. Here are a few places where you’ll find like-minded cruisers:
- Destinations: On the intrepid cruise to Alaska there are helicopter tours and glaciers to explore. Sun seeking daredevils choose to cruise to the Caribbean where there’s adventure at every turn, from deep water diving to white water rafting.
- Shore excursions: You can’t get more of an adrenaline rush than when you cruise to the Caribbean and fly down a mountain on the world’s steepest zipline in Maarten, where you’ll experience the ride of a lifetime.
- Onboard activities: The thrills start onboard with SkyRide®, a bike course suspended above the ocean. You might find the adventurous booked on Mardi Gras™, home of the first ever ocean roller coaster, Bolt™: Ultimate Sea Coaster. Adventurous passengers will want to wake up their palate at international cuisine eateries, such as Bonzai Sushi or Jiji Asian Kitchen™.
Lifelong Learners
Lifelong learners love to build up their repertoire of knowledge and skills. There’s plenty of opportunity to meet other knowledge seekers while on a cruise:
- Destinations: You’ll discover something new just about anywhere you choose to cruise. But if you yearn to learn by having some hands-on experiences, cruise to Alaska where you’ll be taught how to dog sled and fish for crabs.
- Shore excursions: Learners love interactive excursions, such as swimming with the dolphins in Mexico or learning to ride a Segway in Bermuda. Or, cruise to Mexico to learn salsa dancing in Mazatlan.
- Onboard activities: You’ll meet this group at onboard cooking demonstrations, meandering through onboard art exhibitions and soaking up information during onboard art seminars. Find lifetime learners eating up all the information at The Chef’s Table, where master chefs reveal their cooking secrets.
History Buffs
History buffs love adding to their vast well of historical knowledge. They’ll seek out cruises rich with cultural experiences that will give them a look into ancient times. Here is a look at some of the historical excursions:
- Destinations: Cruisers have dozens of history-rich destination options, including ports as far as Italy to visit Rome or tour historic Sicilian villages.
- Shore excursions: What scholar wouldn’t want to cruise to Bermuda and study up on the history of the Bermuda Triangle’s shipwrecks by actually snorkeling to see some up-close and personal? Or cruise to Hawaii and tour ancient Hawaiian sites.
- Onboard activities: You’ll find history buffs looking for a book in the onboard library to finish reading at Serenity Adult-Only Retreat™, heading to the Alchemy Bar™ to experience vintage cocktails and dining at the rustic Cucina Del Capitano® for a classic Italian meal.
Shopping Enthusiasts
Shopping enthusiasts love the thrill of discovering a new and meaningful item that tells a story. Cruisers love to bring home memories from their favorite adventures.
- Destinations: Cruisers love to bring a piece of vacation home, even if it doesn’t come from a store. That’s why shopping enthusiasts love cruising to Italy for a chance to make a rare purchase at a local jewelry factory and to Costa Rica for an opportunity to purchase works by local artisans.
- Shore excursions: Every port is a shopper’s paradise, especially Thomas where you can shop the world famous Mountain Top or head to Jamaica’s Montego Bay for the Shoppes at Rose Hall.
- Onboard activities: Where else would you find shoppers but strolling from store to store? Find everything from apparel and jewelry to liquor and makeup on board.
Beach Bums
Cruisers tout their official beach bum status on a cruise. Beach bums love cruising to the world’s most spectacular beaches and spending time fully immersing themselves in the beauty.
- Destinations: Cruises offer trips to the most beautiful, renowned beaches in the world from Hawaii’s Na Pali Coast in Kauai to Australia, where you can explore various beaches on Great Barrier Reef cruises.
- Shore excursions: Lounge on hidden beaches in Puerto Vallarta, or sail by luxury catamaran to a private beach in Cozumel, Mexico. Wherever Carnival goes, there’s bound to be a private beach waiting for you, from the clear tropical waters of Grand Turk to a private getaway retreat in The Bahamas.
- Onboard activities: Any beach bum can be found near onboard bodies of water, such as WaterWorks and Twister Waterslide, or you can prep for beach lounging at the Loft 19 And, of course, a beach bum would dine at the Seafood Shack.
World Explorers
Cruisers like to travel, explore the world, create lasting memories and share their experiences with their friends and family. Traveling to multiple ports of call truly excites the world cruiser.
- Destinations: Seasoned travelers like to make things easy on themselves, which is why you’ll always find world explorers cruising to exotic locales in Europe, Australia, or taking Transatlantic and Transpacific
- Shore excursions: World travelers are all about sightseeing and, love Croix’s scenic tours, Spain’s vintage train ride through Palma De Mallorca or a day touring Provence, France.
- Onboard activities: World travelers can be found taste-testing onboard. Check out Cruise the Vineyards where wine lovers go for tastings. Then go where the world travelers relax, at Cloud 9 Spa™ in the Oriental and Aroma steam baths.
Open-Minded
Open-minded folks prefer meeting new people from different cultures. They’re welcoming dinner table guests when you’re opting to eat in the main dining room. Here are other places you’ll find open-minded cruisers:
- Destinations: Visiting different cultures opens the senses. A Transpacific cruise will do just that as you and your open-minded cruise mates visit new cultures in Guam, Singapore and Malaysia.
- Shore excursions: Open-minded cruisers immerse themselves in culturally inspired activities. Cruise to Honolulu and spend a day learning about Polynesian culture complete with cuisine, dancing and demonstrations.
- Onboard activities: The curious, unbiased cruiser can always be found at the Punchliner Comedy Club, poolside enjoying the diverse crowd and eating in the main dining room meeting new faces.
Fun Seekers
Most cruisers want to have fun. Fun means different things to different people, but here’s where you’ll find fun seekers:
- Destinations: Every destination is fun. For a little extra helping of fun, cruise to popular tropical destinations, such as the Caribbean, The Bahamas, Bermuda and Mexico.
- Shore excursions: Party hearty with other fun seekers by pub crawling in Yucatan, Mexico, go on a party cruise with open bar in Ocho Rios, Jamaica or let loose on the Kukoo Kunuku Party Bus on your way to happy hour at the local rum shop in Aruba.
- Onboard activities: There’s no shortage of fun on board, especially if you’re part of the casino’s Carnival Players Club. If sports are your idea of fun, head outdoors for mini golf, or hit SportSquare™ for some game action with other fun seekers. Keep the fun going by pub hopping from the popular RedFrog Pub™ to the Bluelguana Tequila Bar™. Also visit the Havana Bar and Guy’s Pig & Anchor Smokehouse | Brewhouse, both on limited ships.
There’s never any pressure to meet new people on a Carnival ship, though the opportunity is always there. The mingling of passengers and the chance encounters you’ll have is what makes cruising one of the most popular vacations to take.
Disclaimer: shore excursions and onboarding activities may vary by ship and destination.