Web site can help you embark on theme cruises

Theme cruisin’

Looking to do more than eat and lounge on the deck during your ocean cruise? Well, you can find themed cruises, some of which offer lectures by experts, or hands-on activities such as crafts, dancing and seminars in photography. A new Web site called ThemeCruiseFinder.com can help you locate a cruise themed around whatever interests you. There are cruises dedicated to golf and religion, and some featuring performances from rock and blues to country and gospel. While many cruise-goers prefer general-interest trips where the focus is on a destination, others enjoy meeting people with similar interests or spending their time on board learning about a subject that interests them rather than relaxing.

The ThemeCruiseFinder.com site lists more than 570 cruises, searchable by type of cruise. For example, there is a Dec. 6 week-long "Ultimate Wine Cruise" to the Mexican Riviera, and a 10-day Caribbean cruise departing Dec. 9 on the Queen Mary 2, during which the Royal Astronomical Society will offer on-deck "star parties" — lectures about the universe and programs in the planetarium.

— The Associated Press