10. Chill Out Over Cocktails
It may not be an adrenaline rush per se, but it is a chilly sub-zero thrill to sip drinks on a shipboard ice bar. Your heart will be pumping just to stay warm. Several Norwegian ships feature a SVEDKA/Inniskillin Ice Bar that accommodate 25 guests bundled up in hooded coats and gloves. This artic-like igloo chamber is kept below 17 degrees Fahrenheit, and even the glasses are made of ice. This is definitely the coolest bar on the ocean.
11. See Some Heart-Stopping Shows
Onboard entertainment has come a long way since those cheesy musical reviews of yore. Some of the top lines feature elaborate performances that rival anything offered on land. You can see the Blue Man Group or take in a Broadway show like Chicago, Hairspray, Cats or Aladdin. Laugh along with Second City comedians, and even take in a figure skating show on a shipboard rink (how do they manage a double axel on a rocking ship?). There are also AquaTheatres featuring high diving antics and aqua-acrobatics. Celebrity Cruises wows audiences with Cirque du Soleil performances. You can’t help but feel your adrenalin rushing along with these extraordinary performers.
12. Have Fun in the Zone
Today’s cruise ships are more like theme parks at sea, and Royal Caribbean, in particular, has taken this idea to the extreme. Their Quantum of the Seas and Anthem of the Sea’s have a SeaPlex, featuring an enormous indoor multi-deck fun zone – the largest indoor sports and entertainment complex at sea. It boasts bumper cars, a rollerskating rink, a regulation-sized basketball court and even a circus school with a flying trapeze, among other recreational offerings. This two-level carnival-like play space also features cruising’s first food trucks, because you just gotta grab a dog after spin on the bumper cars.
