Many people don’t like days at sea when they are on a cruise. I don’t know why, because I LOVE days at sea.
So, what is there to do for a whole day while “stuck” on a ship with “nowhere” to go?
First, there’s breakfast. You can go to one of the restaurants, if you want, but I prefer going to the buffet, where you can see the water. I like looking at the water. You could also order room service. If you have a balcony, you can sit out there and eat your breakfast. Also, you can just pick something up at one of the venues or buffet and go to the pool area to sit and eat. Take your time, if you want.
Go to the pool area where there are pools (naturally), hot tubs, a child’s water play area, a giant movie screen (always showing something), a number of quick service food choices (including ice cream and soft drinks – all included), lounge chairs to sun bathe, tables to sit at, etc. There is an adult-only area if you don’t have children tagging along (either you went on a cruise without them, or they went to the children’s areas). The adult area is quieter and less crowded.
If you really want to, you can go to the gym and work out. The tread mill seems to be popular, because you can look at the water while “treading” along.
While rather pricey, you can go to the spa. Yes, there are lots of options there.
You can also go to a movie at the movie theater on board. These are currently running movies throughout the day. If you just so happen to be on a cruise when a movie is opening in the theaters, you’ll be able to watch it while on the ship! The cost of these movies are included in your cruise fare, however, the snacks there are not, and can be rather costly. So, if you want a snack, grab some extra cookies at the buffet, or order something from room service, before you go. Also, if you want a drink, be sure to get that on the pool deck before going down to the movie.
Children have a number of activities available to them with their age-mates. I’m sure some of those activities would appeal to adults, too, but adults aren’t allowed in there.
Also, throughout the day there are a number of other options, including games, music, shows, dancing, etc. You can find out what is happening in your “Navigator” put in your room each evening. You can also find out what’s happening on the app that you hopefully installed on your phone before you got on the ship.
Each evening there is a Broadway style show. I think the best one I’ve seen on one of the ships is the “Frozen” show on the Disney Wonder. Many times there is an afternoon show, too, on a sea day.
Naturally, there is lunch and dinner time, too. Many choose to eat at the quick service areas for lunch, because they are at the pool. I still like going to the buffet so I can sit and watch the water while I eat.
I also enjoy just sitting around in the adult area of the pool deck where I can sit at a table and watch the water and read a book. It is very relaxing, and taking an hour or two doing that, to me, is great. I don’t get to do that all the time at home.
For dinner we like to go to our regular dinner seating, because it is so much fun to eat with the same people each evening. We are introverts, so this forces us to get to know other people. We’ve always enjoyed our table, and each evening we were almost always the last to leave (we had the late seating), because we were talking so long. We would even go to a movie afterward together.
There are family and adult-only venues where there are shows, dancing, games, etc. While the entertainment is free, the beverages are not.
I loved going out on our balcony each evening to watch the water. It was especially beautiful if the moon was visible on our side of the ship.