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Cruise Activities You Can Re-create at Home: Cruise Entertainment

Contributor
Brittany Chrusciel

Last updated
Apr 1, 2020

Read time
4 min read

You've watched every show on Netflix, done every puzzle -- and even chore -- in the house…now what? If you're looking for entertainment and find yourself nostalgically thumbing through an old cruise program looking for inspiration, know that there are ways to bring cruise-style fun into your daily life, without leaving the house.

Whether you're an avid trivia participant, see every stage show each night of your cruise or attend every educational lecture, there's something for you online. We round up a few ways you can bring the exciting world of cruise ship entertainment into your family room tonight.

On This Page

  • Make Your Own Towel Animal
  • Try Remote Bingo, Trivia or Karaoke
  • Catch a Show
  • Absorb Some Enrichment

Make Your Own Towel Animal

Leaving chocolates on your own nightstand might not be cutting it for your "at-home turndown service." If you miss your terry cloth companions, there are a few ways you can create them at home. Carnival wrote the book on towel animals -- literally -- but it's now out of print; check out Amazon or eBay for copies of "Carnival Towel Creations."

In the meantime, there are quite a few videos on YouTube about how to fashion yourself a lobster or monkey. Once you've crafted your own towely sidekick, check out Cruise Critic's slideshow of favorite towel animal creations and share your own on our social channels.

Try Remote Bingo, Trivia or Karaoke

Channel your inner Entertainment Director and reenact a daily cruise program with virtual versions of popular onboard activities like trivia games or karaoke sessions.

Of course, online Bingo games abound, but the key to creating that cruise atmosphere is comradery. Using a function on Google called Google Hangout (just one of many video chat platforms targeted to groups), cue up some karaoke versions of your favorite tunes on YouTube and belt out the hits to your compassionate friends or family members, who are also online.

The same concept can be applied to trivia games. Using a service called QuizWitz, up to six players can play up to 10 quiz rounds online using the free version of the game.

As reported in the New York Times, the Gaythering hotel, an LGBTQ-oriented property in Miami, has experimented with bringing its weekly karaoke, bingo and trivia sessions online. Using Instagram and other social media channels, resident drag queen Karla Croqueta hosts singalongs to Britney Spears ballads, while other games are livestreamed on designated nights.

Catch a Show

If your granddaughter's rendition of musical numbers from "Frozen" isn't satisfying the need for a riveting stage performance, there are a few ways you can manage to attend a nightly show without boarding a cruise ship.

Bring Broadway into your living room by streaming a number of performances on BroadwayHD -- each subscription comes with a one-week free trial (just remember to cancel before you have to pay). Or, for something even more high-brow, stream performances from the Metropolitan Opera with nightly broadcasts on MetOpera.org.

If you're craving some live music, YouTube is always a solid resource, but don't forget to check archived Facebook Live sessions or pinned Instagram stories from your favorite bands and artists -- you might be surprised to find what you can jam to without stepping out your front door. Tour provider Viator is now offering a variety of virtual experiences as part of its #RoamFromHome initiative, and that includes the 2020 season of the Sydney Opera House, flamenco shows in Madrid, concerts at the Grand Ole Opry, or even a virtual experience at London's Twickenham rugby stadium.

If all else fails, your family can re-create a Movies Under the Stars scenario. If you happen to have a projector and can stream TV into your backyard (don't forget the popcorn and blankets) -- voila! -- it's a movie, or anything else you want to watch, under the open sky (just not at sea).

Absorb Some Enrichment

If you regularly sail onboard a cruise line with lots of guest lecturing, like Cunard or Seabourn, you might be used to penciling in engaging live discussions or tutorials to your day. Don't let dry land stop you from learning a new skill or a fun fact.

Browse a massive library of more than 3,300 TED talks online, or sign up for a Master Class to learn skills from some of the most highly skilled professionals in their fields (from interior design to acting, writing and sports).

Miss Celebrity Cruises' onboard glass-blowing demonstrations? Head to your own lawn and pull up YouTube on your phone to follow along as experts from the Corning Museum of Glass create works before your very eyes.

And if your idea of enrichment, or just plain cruise ship relaxation, is to crack a good book, head online to Project Gutenberg, which offers more than 60,000 free e-books. To channel even more vacation vibes, set up a lawn chair in your backyard, grab a floppy hat and a refreshing drink, and then fire up your Kindle or e-reader. You'll feel transported in no time.

[Viator is owned by TripAdvisor and an affiliated media group of Cruise Critic.]

Publish date April 01, 2020
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