Travel

12 Wildest Onboard Activities You’ll Find on Modern Cruise Ships

cdwheatley / Getty Images

Often referred to as a floating hotel, cruise ships are so much more. Very few hotels offer go-karting, Broadway-style performances, and all-you-can-eat buffets for one price. The best part is that multiple cruise ships and cruise lines can offer their own unique experiences. 

Key Points

  • Cruise ships offer some of the wildest activities on land or at sea.

  • “Skydiving” while you’re in the middle of the ocean is a fantastic thing to do.

  • Racing go-karts on a cruise ship is something you have to experience once in your lifetime.

  • The right travel credit card can take you to places you’ve never dreamed of. Click here now to see our top picks. (Sponsor)

While you can do nothing more than lounge by the pool all day or stand on the balcony and admire the sights, cruises beg you to do much more. Cruise lines have gotten incredibly inventive, with some wild onboard activities to keep customers returning and new customers trying things out. 

12. Water Coaster

Jodi Jacobson / Getty Images
Disney cruise ships are famous for their aqua water slides.

Take a ride on the Disney Dream, Disney Wish, and Disney Fantasy, which offer the famous AquaMouse and AquaDuck. These watertracks can run as much as 765 feet while pushing you and another person around with water jets. 

11. Bumper Cars

Colorful electric bumper car in autodrom in the fairground attractions at amusement park. Selective focus on the cars
kviktor / Shutterstock.com
Driving bumper cars never gets old.

Who can say no to bumper cars at sea? A theme park favorite has come to the ocean on multiple Royal Caribbean ships as of 2014. Zipping around 5 miles per hour isn’t fast, but it is fun to bump everyone around. 

10. The Abyss

Courtesy of David Beren 24/7 Wall St.
Royal Caribbean loves to tease its famous 10-story slide.

Sliding down 10 decks and 100 feet might seem great on land, but it’s all the more fun at sea. Royal Caribbean’s Abyss slides are available on its Oasis-class ships as dry slides where you use a carpet. 

9. Ice Bars

top view of drink in glass made of ice in ice bar with other ice glasses in background. View from Famous Ice bar in Stockholm Sweden.
EvisDisha / Shutterstock.com
Bring a jacket and gloves for a cruise ship ice bar.

You can visit Norwegian Cruise Line’s ice bar if you can stomach 17 degrees Fahrenheit at sea. Available on the Breakaway, the seats, bar, and even the glasses for your drink are all made of ice. 

8. Rock Wall

A recreational climbing wall located on the aft side of the main smokestack on board a cruise ship.
Matt Ragen / Shutterstock.com
Climbing a rock wall at sea isn’t easy, but it sure is fun.

Royal Caribbean is among multiple cruise lines that offer the wild experience of attempting to climb a rock wall while at sea. As if the rock wall wasn’t hard enough, doing it while battling the waves makes for even more of a challenge. 

7. Submarines

A shot of a small yellow submarine is resurfacing
juliannedev / Shutterstock.com
Seeing the ocean from a personal submarine is unlike anything else.

Seabourn, Viking, and Scenic Cruises are among the cruise lines that offer the truly wild activity of offering a submersible submarine experience. Enjoy the wildlife below the water line in a way you never imagined while on a cruise. 

6. Go Karting

Young Man Leading a Group in Indoor Go-Kart Race
PintoArt / Shutterstock.com
Go-karting is a whole lot of fun on land, and in the middle of the ocean.

Multiple Norwegian Cruise Line ships will allow you to go-kart at sea. These three-story high tracks offer plenty of twists and turns and the opportunity to properly lap your friends or family. 

5. Rollercoaster

View of a roller coaster ride on the top deck of a cruise ship. Curacao.
Mulevich / Shutterstock.com
A rollercoaster at sea is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Carnival Cruise Line was among the first to offer a real rollercoaster across its Excel Class ship line. While you won’t find any loops, you will get two laps around the track on this exciting cruise thrill ride. 

4. 4D Movie Theater

Happy young couple watching 4d movie in cinema.
Mallika Home Studio / Shutterstock.com
Experiencing a 4D movie theater at sea is a great way to spend your time.

Available on MSC ships, a 3D movie theater is a wild activity that costs a mere $5 per visit. This experience is a cross between a rollercoaster and a movie theater, all while being super fun. 

3. Zip Line

vernonwiley / E+ via Getty Images
Zip lining on a cruise ship is the definition of a truly wild activity.

On Royal Caribbean’s Oasis class ships, you can take an 82-foot zip line above everyone else. If you have nerves of steel, you can fly nine decks across the ship. 

2. Surf Simulators

Flowrider
Larry D. Moore / Wikimedia Commons
Flowrider is both adventurous and challenging.

Better known as FlowRider, multiple Royal Caribbean ships offer this surf simulator, and it’s a very hot ticket. Rest assured that it’s both challenging and an ego bruise if you wipe out within the first few seconds. 

1. Skydiving Simulator

Matt Cardy / Getty Images News via Getty Images
Skydiving on a cruise ship is an incredible experience.

Included on Royal Caribbean’s Quantum-class ships, the RipCord by iFly experience is the first-ever skydiving simulator you can try at sea. The 23-foot high, glass-enclosed structure is truly gravity-defying, in a good way. 

Travel Cards Are Getting Too Good To Ignore

Credit card companies are pulling out all the stops, with the issuers are offering insane travel rewards and perks.

We’re talking huge sign-up bonuses, points on every purchase, and benefits like lounge access, travel credits, and free hotel nights. For travelers, these rewards can add up to thousands of dollars in flights, upgrades, and luxury experiences every year.

It’s like getting paid to travel — and it’s available to qualified borrowers who know where to look.

We’ve rounded up some of the best travel credit cards on the market. Click here to see the list. Don’t miss these offers — they won’t be this good forever.

Thank you for reading! Have some feedback for us?
Contact the 24/7 Wall St. editorial team.

AI Portfolio

Discover Our Top AI Stocks

Our expert who first called NVIDIA in 2009 is predicting 2025 will see a historic AI breakthrough.

You can follow him investing $500,000 of his own money on our top AI stocks for free.