10 Best Entertainment Options on Cruises (2016 Edition)

Family-Friendly Shows

Disney has always been more entertainment company than travel company, so it's no surprise that its at-sea offerings are filled with happy-making extravaganzas for all ages. Last November, Disney Cruise Line debuted its new Tangled show on the Disney Magic (which sails the Western Caribbean from Miami) featuring three new Alan Menken songs, costumes by a Tony-winning designer, and gasp-worthy sets.

Over on the Disney Dream, which relaunched in October, eight sailings from January to April feature a "Star Wars Day at Sea"—a full day dedicated to the iconic films via screenings, trivia events, character meet-and-greets, and a "galactic dance party."

Disney Cruise Line offers 14 character-packed shows across its four ships, including an Aladdin show onboard the Disney Fantasy, a Toy Story show (which ends its run later this year) aboard the Disney Wonder, and a Cinderella show aboard the Disney Magic. (Can't keep track of which performances appear on which boat? Take a look at this nifty chart of all of Disney's at-sea shows.)

If you're not sold on Disney but still want a cruise that keeps little ones entertained, consider Costa Cruises, which in April will bring Peppa Pig, a British cartoon character, aboard. She'll be available for meet-and-greets and play sessions in the boats' kids' spaces, which will be set up to look like the popular show.

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Broadway Productions

Royal Caribbean's Broadway at Sea program brings passengers full-scale, 90-minute productions of Broadway shows, including We Will Rock You on the new Anthem of the Seas (a ship that launched November 4), Mamma Mia! on Allure of the Seas, and Cats on Oasis of the Seas.

Princess Cruises, not to be left behind, has enlisted Tony, Grammy, and Oscar winner Stephen Schwartz (Wicked, Pippin) to oversee four new musicals. The first, an illusion-themed revue, Magic to Do, premiered on the Crown Princess, Ruby Princess, and Emerald Princess in late 2015.

On Norwegian Cruise Lines' Norwegian Breakaway, passengers can catch the five-time Tony-nominated Rock of Ages, as well as Burn the Floor, a high-energy ballroom-dancing production.

Performance Competitions

American Idol-style performance competitions are gaining steam across the cruise industry. In October, Princess premiered The Voice of the Ocean, based on the TV show The Voice. Cruise guests who think they might have some talent try out during karaoke auditions, and the best of them get picked to be coached by pros. During a live finale, nine finalists compete and fellow passengers vote on the winner—the production even keeps faithful to the rotating "I Want You" chairs and red buttons. Eleven of the fleet's 18 ships will offer the show between January and May.

Catch Princess's March 6 cruise to the Western Caribbean (fares start at $689 per person) and during the seven-day sailing you can cast your vote to crown the company's top performer during the fifth annual Entertainer of the Year competition. You'll have to do your research first—which means watching live shows by the company's four finalists, who were picked based on guest surveys. They include comedian A.J. Jamal, a regular on the Tonight Show; magician Alex Ramon; singer and dancer Nathan Foley; and the Liberace-style pianist John Bressler.

This vote-for-the-winner format seems especially popular in Europe: Germany's Aida Cruises debuted its own "Voice of the Ocean" contest in October. Starting in April, Italy's Costa Cruises is presenting the similar "Voice of the Sea." And England's P&O Cruises is riffing on BBC's Strictly Come Dancing show, letting guests enter a dance competition curated and judged by professional dancers and choreographers.

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Festivals at Sea

If you're already planning travel to a massive gathering like Coachella or SXSW, consider combining your musical pilgrimage with the chance to cruise the Caribbean. A company called Sixthman specializes in what it calls "festivals at sea"—basically music-fueled ragers surrounded by azure waters.

The lineups aboard its ship charters vary, but many feature headliners like Train (in February), Pitbull (in March), and Kid Rock (also in March). The company also offers an Outlaw Country Cruise featuring Lucinda Williams, Blackberry Smoke, and the Mavericks—and a Rock Boat that spotlights musical-festival mainstays like Michael Franti and Gavin DeGraw.

Aside from Sixthman, there's also Jam Cruise, which borrows the MSC Divina for a week to hit up Miami, Belize City, and Cozumel, and offers plenty of performances by just-under-the-radar artists, jam sessions, autograph signings, yoga classes, and costume contests. Jam Cruise has a hardcore base of loyalists—the 2016 sailing sold out in 2015, and this post is pretty typical of how most attendees feel about it.

Hard-Rock Extravaganzas

The terms "hard rock" and "leisurely cruising" aren't thought of together all that often—but that doesn't mean that there isn't an at-sea offering for someone who prefers the mosh pit to the balcony seat. To get your fill, pick a sailing from On the Blue. The company's signature product is its Monsters of Rock cruise, which has several iterations and sailings throughout 2016 to destinations like California's Catalina Island and Ensenada, Mexico, aboard the NCL Pearl. Though the ship is luxurious, the concerts shred. As its online description vows, "You will need a vacation from this vacation!"

On the Blue also offers a Def Leppard cruise to the Bahamas (tagline: "Hysteria on the High Seas"), featuring the legendary band plus guests Tom Keifer, Last in Line, Eric Martin, and more.

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R&B Fan Fests

The 2016 Soul Train Cruise to the Caribbean sold out more than five months before its January 30 sailing date. There's not much mystery as to why: Smokey Robinson will be there.

Other headliners aboard the Celebrity Constellation will include the O'Jays, the Whispers, Stephanie Mills, Billy Ocean, and many more, all emceed by Doug E. Fresh. The agenda includes artist meet-and-greets, Q&A sessions, dance lessons, cocktail receptions, and late-night parties in "Club Soul Train."

Sailing dates and itinerary for the 2017 Soul Train Cruise have already been announced—March 4-11, hitting Belize, Cozumel, and Key West—though the lineup isn't out yet.

R&B fans should also know that eight of Holland America's ships feature B.B. King's Blues Club, a Memphis-themed experience brought to life via the B.B. King All-Star Band, eight talented musicians who perform six nights a week. On the ms Koningsdam, it's part of the new Music Walk complex.

Jazz Sailings

Legendary cruise line Cunard recently partnered with Blue Note Records to create "Jazz at Sea" itineraries, which you can find here and here.

Cunard's first Blue Note cruise happened in October, a transatlantic crossing aboard the Queen Mary 2 featuring Gregory Porter. The next one, also a Queen Mary 2 transatlantic crossing, takes off from Southampton on August 1 with no less a headliner than 14-time Grammy winner Herbie Hancock, who'll perform three 45-minute sets in the ship's Royal Court Theatre.

If you're looking for a jazz cruise that makes some stops, though, there are plenty, including one through the Mediterranean aboard the Seabourn Sojourn, another to Honduras, Belize, and Mexico aboard the Norwegian Getaway, and another through the Caribbean aboard Holland America's ms Eurodam.

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Cirque du Soleil Spectacles

Who doesn't love a Cirque du Soleil show? Like some Kodachrome dream with high-flying athletes, quirky semi-plots, and costumes and sets that emerge from spectacularly imaginative minds, these magical spectacles aren't easily forgotten—which is why we're excited that cruise lines are getting in on the act.

MSC Cruises recently partnered with Cirque du Soleil to bring original new shows aboard the MSC Meraviglia, which will take its inaugural sailing in June 2017 through the western Mediterranean.

The Swiss-owned travel company is working with the Canadian performance troupe—along with $21 million—to design and build a 200-seat dining and entertainment venue in which to showcase the talents of some of the world's best aerialists, gymnasts, and clowns. Guests will have dinner and drinks before the shows, which will run six nights a week, two performances per night.

Norwegian Cruise line also offers performances featuring world-class acrobats and musicians—it's called Cirque Dreams and is offered aboard the Norwegian Breakaway and Norwegian Epic.

Classical Performances

Some cruise lines cater to an older, wealthier crowd, and plenty of them offer itineraries that focus on showcasing classical music. Tauck's 12-day Musical Magic Along the Blue Danube voyage, for one, stops in Prague, Vienna, and Budapest to visit the homes and concert venues of the classical greats including Mozart, Beethoven, and Strauss. Onboard the riverboat, musicians perform suites and sonatas, and lead musical workshops and seminars.

During Uniworld's European Jewels trip aboard the River Empress, passengers get dinner and a concert at Germany's Castle Weikersheim. Or choose the line's Enchanting Danube itinerary, during which the luxurious River Beatrice takes you to a performance in a palace in Vienna. Both voyages are part of Uniworld's "Monarch Collection" of travel offerings, which, publicists say, "caters to guests intrigued with European royalty and culture, and provides travelers with an opportunity to enjoy a touch of aristocracy."

As for Holland America, it has teamed up with the Lincoln Center for Performing Arts so that three of its ships—ms Eurodam, ms Oosterdam, and ms Koningsdam, will debut Lincoln Center Stage, a music venue in which chamber musicians will perform nightly recitals.

If you love opera, consider booking one of these three Cunard cruises through Europe, all of which take you to the Arena di Verona Opera festival in Italy's Roman amphitheater. Or go with Brandenburg's exploration of Greece and the Adriatic Sea. The prestigious musical organization charters the Aegean Odyssey for a 13-day voyage (the first one takes off May 9) that includes Venice, Athens, Dubrovnik, and Split. Onboard, Bob Porter, the Brandenburg Festival's choral director, will run daily singing workshops (passengers choose the repertoire) and present a grand finale while the boat docks in Ravenna, Italy.

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Comedy Shows

Think of typical cruise-ship entertainment and you probably see an unfunny sap at the mike, wiping sweat off his brow while the audience clutches its tomatoes. Thankfully, though, corny jokes and ba-dum-bump humor has given way to more sophisticated stuff at sea.

Case in point: Carnival has partnered with stand-up master and sitcom star George Lopez to curate entertainment across the fleet, including picking out the joke-tellers. Lopez himself occasionally performs in the onboard Punchliner Comedy Clubs, which present at least 10 shows per trip, each featuring at least two comedians. Evening shows are appropriate for kids while the late-night sets involve raunchier material.

More interested in a comedy-themed boat? Sixthman's four-day Impractical Jokers Cruise sails Miami to Cozumel aboard the Norwegian Pearl, featuring performances by Lisa Lampanelli, Gilbert Gottfried, Michael Ian Black, and the Tenderloins. Also on the docket: Q&A sessions with the jokesters, a "Hollywood game night," a lip-sync battle, a flip-cup tournament, and theme nights—get your tacky tourist attire ready.

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Editor's Note: Want more cruise news, tips, and advice? Visit our sister site, CruiseCritic.com. Cruise Critic is a member of the TripAdvisor Media Group, which also operates SmarterTravel.

Avital Andrews also covers travel for the Los Angeles Times, Outside, Sierra, and Frommer's. Follow her on Twitter @avitalb or on Facebook.