Cruise ships may be what you’re looking for if you’re bored of traveling the conventional ways, whether by plane or train. According to data from Spherical Insights, the global cruise ship market is set to grow from $9.2 billion in 2023 to $25.4 billion by 2033. More than a mere means of transportation, a cruise ship combines everything fun about travel into one oceanic package for a multi-day trip to your preferred destinations.
Nowadays, many cruise ships provide various amenities, entertainment, and activities held onboard to maximize a traveler’s experience. This is especially important for attracting the growing demographic of Gen Z travelers who may prefer luxury elements while combining travel and leisure. Today, cruise ships from various lines offer entertainment and recreational opportunities for passengers to pass the time at sea. Below, we’ll look at the two sides of gaming that cruise ships provide and how you can make the most out of your on-sea gaming experience:
eSports gaming
As mentioned above, many cruise lines want to cater to younger passengers and bigger families. To further entice gamers, most vessels have dedicated gaming spaces for gamers to interact, compete, and relax. These include game-specific lounges housing gaming consoles and desktop setups. While these tend to be marketed for younger passengers, they are generally open for all ages.
Some cruise lines have also attempted to stage eSports tournaments. American cruise line Princess Cruises has held Overwatch and League of Legends competitions for gamers onboard to engage in friendly competition while enjoying breathtaking ocean landscapes and sceneries. Even if you aren’t familiar with a particular title, you can still inquire regarding gaming tournament schedules onboard and learn by playing.
To impress your at-sea competitors, you can apply some of the best LoL betting tips to level up your gameplay. These include familiarizing yourself with the best eSports teams in the game to learn their specific playstyles and preferred champions, as well as studying the current LoL meta to build the most efficient strategies. Of course, like learning anything new, it’ll take a while to master the in-game mechanics of MOBA games like League of Legends. However, it’s important to remember that these onboard eSports tournaments are just for fun and meant to be great cruise entertainment, so don’t pressure yourself too much.
And if competitive gameplay isn’t your cup of tea, you can always spend the time — alone or with family and friends — gaming casually at the designated lounges. If you’d like to game privately, you can ask your cruise line whether you can bring your gaming console. Otherwise, you can also pack portable consoles that won’t require direct plugging into en-suite TVs and networks.
Casino gaming
Finally, a more conventional form of gaming onboard is the casino. Most cruise lines nowadays have onboard casinos that offer experiences comparable to land-bound ones. Like the gaming lounges, these casinos are a great way to socialize with other passengers and test your odds and luck. However, there are some notable differences between at-sea casinos and those in Las Vegas.
For one, most onboard casinos don’t offer free drinks, although some may have a “points system” that offers free drinks as rewards if you earn enough. In our post discussing “Three Cruise Travel Hacks That Still Work”, we highlighted how you could tailor your at-sea drinking experience. For example, you can ask for wine and beverages with higher alcoholic content if you’d like to maximize your casino drinks — since most lines don’t provide them for free. You’ll have many choices of drinks, and it’s important to tip your crew and staff accordingly to add to your cruise ship casino experience.
Another difference is the availability of cruise cards. While you can still play traditionally using cash, you can also charge your activities to your room via a cruise card or onboard credits and “points.” At the end of your stay, you can cash out your cruise card to acquire your winnings.It’s also important to note that some cruise lines may prohibit smoking in their onboard casinos. Carnival Cruise Line’s smoke-free casino is one of many that recently introduced anti-smoking rules, including the Symphony of the Seas non-smoking Casino Royale. These smoke-free casinos ban both cigarettes and electronic variants like e-cigs and vapes. Howe
