Hogs on the High Seas: The bikers cruises

Motorcycle riders, rev 'em up: Hogs on the High Seas has two rally cruises for you this year, and another on tap for 2009.

Note: these cruises are not connected to Harley-Davidson Inc. However, you may find a Harley lover or two aboard. Wink wink, nudge nudge.

The first bikers cruise, a week-long sailing from Los Angeles to the Mexican Riviera on Royal Caribbean's Vision of the Seas, is coming up soon: April 13, 2008. As of today, only nine cabins are left for sale (1060 people have already signed up). Remaining cabins are priced from $2,074 to $3,314 total for two people.

Port stops include Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlan, and Puerto Vallarta, but a lot of the fun takes place onboard. The dress code is "motorcycle attire" -- no formal wear on this cruise (leather is required the two nights of "formal" dining). There are special biker games and events, a sexy senorita contest and a topless hombre contest, along with partying in port. You might even win a new bike.

The next high seas rally is a week-long Western Caribbean sailing on November 2, 2008, aboard Royal Caribbean's Mariner of the Seas, with port stops in Labadee, Haiti (Royal Caribbean's private island), Ocho Rios (Jamaica), Grand Cayman, and Cozumel, Mexico. Prices for remaining cabins range from $1,950 to $3,600 for two people total.

The attire and entertainments are much the same for this cruise, which features a belly smacker contest, best beard contest, buxom wenches contest, pirate biker bingo, poker walk, and tattoo contest, along with more partying in port.

The downside: no bikes on board, for either cruise. You'll just have to be satisfied with the company of your fellow bikers.

In 2009, watch for details on an Alaska cruise.

For more information, click here for the Hogs on the High Seas website, or call 800/444-8795.

Photo from Hogs on the High Seas.

Blue Suede Cruise: celebrate Elvis aboard the Carnival Fantasy

Are you lonesome tonight? Feeling like a hound dog? Ready to dust off your blue suede shoes?

You're a perfect candidate for the four-night second annual Elvis Cruise, which sets sail from New Orleans aboard the Carnival Fantasy on August 28, 2008, with two days at sea and a day in port in Cozumel, Mexico, before returning to New Orleans on September 1.

But the real focus will be the King himself, with Elvis-themed shows every night of the cruise and special activities including Elvis trivia and bingo, Elvis movies and documentaries, Elvis tribute performances, an Elvis tribute contest, cocktail parties with old friends of Elvis, and more!

In fact, the entire cruise will be Elvis themed -- right down to the banana and peanut butter sandwiches in the dining room. (Just kidding -- I think...) Some 1400 Elvis fanatics will be onboard.

To join them, you'll need to book and pay in full for the cruise by May 15 (though it may fill up earlier). Prices start at $699 per passenger double occupancy and go up to $2,750 for a penthouse suite (Elvis would approve), not including a $175 charge for fees, gratuities, etc. The third, fourth, or fifth guests in a stateroom can travel for significant discounts.

For more information or to book, click here for the cruise website or call 800/704-3034.

Photo from The Elvis Cruise.

Carnival cruise director John Heald to host second Bloggers Cruise

John Heald, Carnival's congenial senior cruise director, pens one of the most popular cruising blogs around today (read it at Carnival's website or here). Heald's blog, which he calls his "thingy" and offers a funny and remarkably candid behind-the-scenes look at shipboard life, has attracted 1.4 million visitors since debuting last year.

Recently he hosted the first-ever John Heald's Bloggers Cruise aboard the Carnival Freedom, a week-long romp through the Caribbean (Cozumel, Grand Cayman, and Ocho Rios, Jamaica) in which he held court while nearly a thousand fans of his blog partied and attended special blogging-related events. (I was privileged to be among those onboard and can attest to Heald's personal magnetism and incredible energy.)

Now Carnival has announced that the second annual John Heald Bloggers Cruise will take place on a five-day Carnival Fantasy cruise from New Orleans to the Mexican ports of Progreso and Cozumel on February 7-12, 2009. (The Fantasy will be completely upgraded next fall, adding a new aqua park, an adults-only area, and a redesigned main pool area.)

During the cruise, Heald will host a variety of exclusive events and provide special giveaways for his blog groupies. Prices for the cruise begin at $359 per person, double occupancy, with discounted rates for the third and fourth passengers in the same stateroom. Ask for fare code CPBL/FPBL to be included in the special Bloggers Cruise events (all of which are included in the price of the cruise).

Photo of Fantasy oceanview stateroom from Carnival Cruise Lines.

On board the Saga Ruby -- to where? The ultimate Mystery Cruise

I love this idea: Saga, a UK travel company that operates two cruise ships, is running its second annual Mystery Cruise. But it's not just any run-of-the-mill mystery cruise in which passengers have to solve a crime or the like. On this Mystery Cruise, the passengers don't even know where they'll be going.

If you sign up, you'll do so knowing:

You'll depart Southampton, England in March 28, aboard the Saga Ruby.

You'll return 14 nights later.

In between, you may visit...well, who knows? (Last year's Mystery Cruise went to Spain and Portugal, sailing in the opposite direction from there until dark, when it turned and headed south -- a clue to the captain's demonic sense of humor.)

And oh yes, you can be pretty sure it will be fun, as long as you have a sense of adventure and don't insist on knowing where you're going until each day in port arrives.

This Mystery Cruise will be helmed by Captain David Warden-Owen. The captain promises a host of activities onboard "to add to the intrigue," including a half-day mystery tour included at each port.

At least eight ports of call, all outside the UK mainland, are promised. At least four of them will be completely new to the Saga Ruby. Besides the port mystery tours, there will be a mystery to solve during the cruise (presumably in addition to where on earth you're going).

The cost for all this merriment and befuddlement is 4,129 British pounds per person for an outside cabin (if you have to ask how much that is in US dollars, you can't afford it, but last time I checked it was running about two to one in favor of the pound). One would hope you have some British pounds stashed away in a safety deposit box somewhere that you can pull out for just this occasion.

If so, you can book the trip online by clicking here or calling (in the UK) 0800 096 0083. Ask for WEB08.

Wish I could join you -- whereever it is!

Photo from Saga.

First-ever Nickelodeon Family Cruise sails this August

Lots of cruise lines now offer supervised kids' programs during the summer months.

But Royal Caribbean is going them one better, teaming up with Nickelodeon -- the world's most widely distributed kids' TV channel -- to offer a Nickelodeon-themed one-week Western Caribbean cruise aboard the world's largest cruise ship, the Freedom of the Seas.

That means your kids can sail with Nick characters like Dora the Explorer and SpongeBob SquarePants, take part in game shows featuring Nickelodeon slime (fun!), and meet some of the network's live-action stars. It's being billed as "Seven Days of Sun, Surf, and Slime."

All of this is in addition to Royal Caribbean's regular Adventure Oceans kids' programs (geared to different age groups from tot to teens) and the raft of other activities available on the 4,000-plus-passenger Freedom of the Seas, which include a surf simulator, a water park, an ice skating rink, a mini-golf course, a rock climbing wall, and a basketball court.

The mega-ship -- which departs Miami on August 10 and returns August 17 -- will take your family to the tropical destinations Cozumel, Mexico; George Town, Grand Cayman; Ocho Rios, Jamaica; and Royal Caribbean's private beach stop in Labadee, Haiti, which will be Nickelodeon-themed for this trip.

And parents aren't forgotten. The Freedom of the Seas offers more than 10 bars and lounges, eight restaurants, a spa and fitness center, adults-only whirlpools, and a casino. Just don't forget your kids are on board while they're mixing it up with Dora and SpongeBob; SpongeBob needs a break, too!

Vacation packages for the cruise are now on sale. Rates in a single stateroom for a family of two begin at $2,699, for a family of three at $3,349, for a family of four at $3,999, and up for bigger families. Discounts are available for adjacent staterooms, and connecting cabins are also available. Port taxes, government fees, and gratuities are an additional $200 per person.

For more information or bookings, call 866/770-NICK or click here for the cruise's special website.

Freedom of the Seas photo from Royal Caribbean.

Calling all gardeners: Peter Deilmann has a river cruise for you

Dedicated gardeners, put down your trowels -- it's your time to cruise!

But don't fear -- you can still indulge your passion aboard one of Peter Deilmann's gardening theme river cruises this year, which visit some of Europe's most beautiful gardens.

Eight-day programs include "German Garden Classics" -- from Hamburg to Dresden aboard the five-star MV Dresden -- which visits landscaped parks and a variety of castle gardens en route. Departures are June 28 and August 23, 2008, and prices start at $2,177 per person for an outside triple cabin.

Another choice is the "Cottage Gardens of Holland and Belgium," which departs from Basel, Switzerland, to Amsterdam on July 26, 2008. Visits to castle gardens, shrub nurseries, and flower markets are on the itinerary, along with a seminar about garden design. Rates start at $2,860 per person for an outside twin.

A third possibility is "Dream Gardens Along the Rhone and Saone Rivers," departing Lyon, France, June 21, 2008, and visiting rose gardens, formal gardens, estate gardens, and botanical gardens in central and southern France. In short, "Les Jardins de Provence." Prices start at $2,403 per person for an outside triple.

All garden-themed cruises include transfers, entrance fees, and local guides for the gardening excursions. Port charges are additional. And if you're a non-gardener who wanders onto this cruise and doesn't want the special gardening package, you can deduct several hundred dollars from the cost. But what fun would that be?

There are also a number of sea and ocean gardening-themed voyages in northern Europe and the Mediterranean; check the Peter Deilmann Cruises website for information about those.

Booking deadlines with full payment for all gardening programs are 60 days before each cruise departs.

Photo of MV Dresden courtesy of Peter Deilmann Cruises.

Blues Cruise to Mexico aboard Holland America filling up fast

You may be singing the blues unless you act quickly to book the 2008 version of the week-long Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise, billed as the "world's only fully chartered blues cruise."

According to the cruise's website, the ship -- Holland America's Ryndam, departing San Diego for the Mexican Riviera (Mazatlan, La Paz, and Cabo San Lucas) October 5, 2008 -- is already 85 percent sold out.

Dozens of scheduled performances during the week include headliners like Etta James, Magic Slim, Dr. John, Los Lobos, Elvin Bishop, Shane Dwight, Tommy Castro, Koko Taylor, and Leon Blue. Blues parties are also held throughout the cruise.

Remaining staterooms include some ocean-view staterooms priced at $2,025 per person (based on double occupancy) and some limited- or partial-view staterooms priced from $1,975 to $2,150 per person. Port and ship fees of $195 per person are additional, as well as $70 gratuities per person.

To book, go to the Blues Cruise Website , call 888-BLUESIN, or visit the Holland America Website.

If you're too late to score a spot on this cruise, you can now pre-book for the 2009 Blues Cruise, scheduled for January 24-31, 2009, on Holland America's Eurodam, visiting Dominica, Tortola, and the Dominican Republic in the eastern Caribbean. You can hold your place with a refundable $250 deposit.

Photo from Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise.

A Baltic cruise for classical music lovers

Like to sail to the soothing strains of Bach, Beethoven, and Mozart? Then listen up: The aptly named Crystal Symphony will be transformed into a floating concert hall this June on an 11-day Baltic voyage from Oslo to Stockholm by way of Copenhagen, Helsinki, and St. Petersburg.

A distinguished group of artists, composers, and lecturers will headline the luxury cruise, including mezzo-soprano Frederica von Stade, classical violinist Leila Josefowicz, composer Jake Heggie, and conductor Joel Revzen, among others.

Both live performances and lectures will be featured, along with music instruction and lessons and classical performances in St. Petersburg, including one at the Hermitage. The port stop in St. Petersburg spans three full days.

The cruise embarks from Oslo on June 7, 2008. Fares begin at $4,685 per person, double occupancy. For more information on Crystal Cruises, go to www.crystalcruises.com or call 888-799-4625. To book the cruise, call a travel agent.

Crystal Symphony photo from Crystal Cruises.

Luxury cruise to Bermuda for political junkies

If political punditry gets your juices flowing, look no further: you can be on your way to Bermuda and The Bahamas in April with a panel of Washington political journalists hashing over the 2008 presidential primary season.

The Washington Week at Sea cruise will travel roundtrip from Fort Lauderdale on April 7 and visit Savannah, Georgia, and Charleston, South Carolina, before sailing to Bermuda and The Bahamas aboard the luxury Regent Seven Seas all-suite, all-oceanview Navigator.

Gwen Ifill of the PBS show "Washington Week" will moderate a panel including Dan Balz, national political correspondent for The Washington Post; Doyle McManus, Washington bureau chief for the Los Angeles Times; and Martha Raddatz, ABC News' chief White House correspondent. Top political analyst Charlie Cook will also be onboard.

The cruise is part of Regent Seven Seas' special PTV at Sea series, featuring public broadcasting personalities. During this cruise and others in the series, you can meet and interact with PBS stars and their guests not only during panel discussions but also special cocktail parties and private dinners, allowing for one-to-one conversations.

Rates for the Washington Week at Sea cruise begin at $4,295 for oceanview suites and $4,795 for balcony suites. Rates are based on double occupancy. Port, handling, and security charges are an extra $380 per person.

To reserve a spot, call Artful Travelers at 800-645-8566. For more information on the PTV at Sea series, click here. For more information on Regent Seven Seas, click here.

Photo from Regent Seven Seas Cruises.

MSC Lirica to host transatlantic bridge cruise

There may never be a bridge spanning the Atlantic Ocean, but you can play bridge all the way across the Atlantic on board the MSC Lirica departing Fort Lauderdale this March 29 en route to Europe.

Both veteran bridge players and eager beginners should find that this 18-night cruise trumps a run-of-the-mill sea voyage. Tournaments and lessons in international bridge will be coordinated by certified teachers from the Italian Federation of Bridge. (MSC Cruises is an Italian line that hosts an international clientele, including many Americans.)

And when you're not finessing your bridge hand, you can enjoy several Caribbean ports -- San Juan, Puerto Rico; St. John, Antigua; and Fort de France, Martinique -- before calling at ports in Madeira, Spain, France, and England, where you'll disembark in Dover. The transatlantic crossing alone takes six days -- plenty of time to hone your bidding skills.

Prices are reasonable, starting at $1,349 for an interior cabin and $1,649 for an oceanview stateroom, based on double occupancy (bring your bridge partner!). Government fees and taxes and a fuel surcharge are extra. Children under 17 are free when sharing a cabin with two full-paying adults.

For more information or to book the cruise, go to the MSC Cruises website or call a travel agent.

Photo of MSC Lirica from MSC Cruises.

Welcome to the Theme Cruise Finder!

Looking for a cruise that caters to your hobby or passion, or just a cruise where you'll be among like-minded people?

You've come to the right site : the Theme Cruise Finder Blog.

Health and fitness cruises. Culinary cruises. Wine cruises. Bridge cruises. Poker cruises. Birding cruises. Wildlife cruises. Singles cruises. Big band and swing cruises. Jazz cruises. Classical music and opera cruises. History and cultural cruises. Gay and lesbian cruises.

Golf cruises. Sports cruises. Astronomy cruises. Astrology cruises. World War II cruises. Gardening cruises. Photography cruises. Performing arts cruises. Movie cruises. Self-improvement cruises. Murder mystery cruises.

You'll find them all here, and more.

Visit this site frequently and you'll find out about all kinds of theme and specialty cruises -- both those that are offered regularly and those that are one-shot opportunities.

I'm Clark Norton, publisher of SmarterCruising.com and the SmarterCruising Blog, where you'll learn how to save money on cruises and land all the best cruise deals.

Now, with my new Theme Cruise Finder Blog, you can locate the right cruise for you if you're looking for an ocean or river voyage that's suited to your own special interests among like-minded people.

Once again, welcome to the Theme Cruise Finder Blog -- and come back often.

Photo by Dennis Cox/WorldViews