Cruising: something for everyone or may I interest you in a nude cruise?

Some cruise simply to relax with a book or stare out to sea all day, hypnotized by the ship's wake. Others may not see much of the day choosing to spend the evening partying and dancing away. Some never see much of the evening. You know the ones: poolside, drink in hand, at nine in the morning.

There are those who are up at first light, ship schedule in hand, determined to cram in every possible activity. And then there are the ones who never even open the ship schedule. Some cruise for the ports while others stay onboard, choosing never to get off the ship when in port.

There are cruises for foodies, cruises for wine lovers. Cruises geared towards families, cruises geared towards adults. You can golf on cruises, learn to ballroom dance, hone up on your computer skills, rock climb, skate, or surf. You can learn how to make sushi or exotic martinis. At wine seminars you can learn the difference between a cabernet sauvignon and a sauvignon blanc. You can show off your trivia, take the stage on karaoke nights, maybe even enter a talent show and perform in front of everyone at the end of the voyage.

And these are just things offered on regular itineraries.

Google "cruise" and your area of interest and you will find lots of specialty charter cruises, including, yes, clothing optional cruises. There are Elvis cruises, Beatles tribute cruises, jazz cruises, blues cruises. There are cruises on which specialty or big-name acts perform. One company, Sixthman, is responsible for putting together cruises that have recently featured such artists as Lynyrd Skynyrd (YouTube has some great clips from these cruises), John Mayer, Sarah McLachlan, Barenaked Ladies and a whole host of others. These cruises cost more than a regular cruise but if you love live music or are a huge fan of any such acts, they may well be worth your while. Instead of spending 2-3 days at an outdoor festival, lining up for the pleasure of using an outdoor toilet and camping amongst thousands of others, you can just stumble back to your cabin at the end of the night. It's like a festival without all the mud, muck and overpriced food and drinks.

Such is the beauty of cruising. There really is something for everyone.