Fun, Food, and Crazy Times on Board: The Most Spectacular Cruise Ships (Where Getting Bored is Illegal)

Let’s be honest: forget the idea of the old-fashioned cruise with burraco tournaments and bingo in armchairs. Today, the giants of the sea cruising the Mediterranean and the Caribbean have become a kind of floating Las Vegas, but with sea air and without the anxiety of losing your paycheck at the casino (unless you go overboard with onboard shopping). Now, companies are vying to include the most absurd attraction: from roller coasters on the highest deck to restaurants run by chefs who have more Michelin stars than friends. Pack your bags, because we’re about to take a tour of ships where the watchword is “exaggerate“.

Let’s start from our home with Costa Toscana, the queen of the Mediterranean, for you have made a big mistake. Here, the temple of gluttony is the Archipelago restaurant, where three world-renowned chefs (Bruno Barbieri, Hélène Darroze, and Ángel León) have created menus that will make you forget your name, taking you on true journeys of taste. And after accumulating enough calories to get through winter, you can burn them off on the water slides of the aqua park (strictly after waiting at least three hours after your meal) or by pretending to be athletes in virtual reality simulators.

If, however, you dream of the Caribbean and don’t suffer from vertigo, MSC World America is the ship for you. This floating city is so large that you’ll need your smartphone’s navigation to find your cabin. The real madness on board is called Cliffhanger: it’s the only giant swing in the middle of the sea that literally dangles you in the void at a height of 50 meters. Enough to make even the bravest go grey. To recover from the scare, you’ll have an incredible array of restaurants at your disposal: from classic giant American-style steaks to the sushi bar, passing through poolside street food.

Meanwhile, in the Mediterranean, Royal Caribbean’s brand new Legend of the Seas has decided to redefine the concept of a “quiet vacation”. On this giant of the seas, you can test your courage on Crown’s Edge, a mixed course between a walk in the void and a zip line suspended 45 meters above the waves (yes, they really love making us float in the void). If you survive, dinner will leave you speechless: at the Royal Railway – Legend Station restaurant, you’ll dine inside a super high-tech train car that simulates a journey on the Silk Road, complete with virtual windows displaying the landscape. And to cap off the evening, there’s even the official “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” musical. Practically a floating amusement park.

Could Norwegian Cruise Line be missing? Of course not. On the spectacular Norwegian Viva, which happily splits its time between Europe and the Caribbean, they’ve cleverly installed the Viva Speedway, a real three-level electric go-kart track. That’s right, you can feel like Formula 1 drivers, overtaking your friends while the ocean rushes beneath you. If you prefer an even faster descent, there are the The Drop free-fall slides, which will let you test gravity in a matter of seconds. The best part, however, is the Indulge Food Hall: a covered market where you can order anything that comes to mind via tablet, from Mexican tacos to Indian curry, all at the same time.

Finally, if you want to escape from children (yours or others’), the answer is Virgin Voyages with its Adults-Only ships in the Caribbean and Mediterranean. Created by billionaire Richard Branson, these ships look like mega yachts for rock stars: no sad buffets, no megaphone announcements, and no group singalongs by the pool. Instead, you’ll find a real tattoo parlor (because an ‘Anchor and Freedom’ on your arm after three cocktails is always a good idea), sunset yoga classes, and pajama parties under the stars. The food is for true gourmets, with Korean restaurants where you cook directly at your table and an experimental venue that looks like a chemical lab. In short, the perfect place to feel young, even if your age says otherwise!