Theme cruises range from music to motorcycles

Are you passionate about poker? Geeked about scrapbooking, hooked on horses or blown away by jazz? Too bad you don't have nearly enough time in your frantic life to pursue whatever subject tickles your fancy.

But growing numbers of travelers are finding a way to indulge their special interest -- from bingo, bluegrass or bridge to salsa, soap operas or zydeco -- by heading out to sea on a theme cruise where they can immerse themselves in a favorite hobby for days on end, free of pesky time constraints and annoying obligations.

In this era of tight schedules, impersonal travel experiences and sprawling mega-ships, special-interest cruises offer vacationers a chance to easily meet new people and bond with others who are as crazy about mah-jongg, motorcycles or Mustangs as they are.

Bob Dickinson, president of Carnival Cruise Lines, a key player in the industry, credits theme cruises with luring more than half of today's first-time passengers aboard a ship and says theme- and special-interest cruises have become a key marketing tool for cruise lines.

Beyond that, a shared interest in line-dancing or Lynyrd Skynyrd, for example, can be an instant ice-breaker.

Shirley Owens of Royal Oak, Mich., participated in a lobster tail-eating contest with veteran bluesman Bobby Rush in January on her fifth Legendary Rhythm and Blues Cruise.

A veteran of four sailings to the eastern Caribbean and one to the Mexican Riviera, she returns time and again because, she says, "It's like a seven-day blues festival, but everything is right there at your fingertips. You don't have to drive home, and if you feel like it, you can get up at any time of the night and find music, food, fun and friends.

"It's all music-lovers, and it's nice to be around so many happy people."

Owens notes that in addition to performances, the workshops, autograph parties and other special activities add to the charm. "There's so much going on onboard you don't ever have to get off the ship!"

Lifestyle cruises are the latest wrinkle in the theme-cruise trend. They range from Rosie O'Donnell's annual gay family cruise to Christian singles groups.



And then there are motorcycle theme cruises sponsored by Nashville-based Entertainment and Travel Alternatives.

The popular cruises have more than tripled in five years to 19 annually, according to the firm's president, Steve Wallach.

The Coast Guard permits up to 35 motorcycles per ship to roar down the gangplank onto such islands as Bermuda, Puerto Rico, St. Kitts, Barbados and the Virgin Islands, he says, and adds: "For motorcycle enthusiasts there's no other way to see an island. We ride the roadways where the buses don't go."

Chocolate and culinary cruises are perennial favorites, along with the Rusty Wallace NASCAR Caribbean cruise.

Music-themed cruises, from blues, classical and country to jazz and rock 'n' roll, also are popular.