Under the G for Great Holiday. Bingo players can take their passion for the game to new heights by enjoying play aboard most of the worlds finest cruise lines. Now a featured form of entertainment, Bingo is offered day and night in many of the show lounges aboard ship with prizes ranging from cash jackpots to complete cruise packages.

In addition to being a standard offering on board, many Bingo players get together and cruise together sharing their passion on Bingo specific cruises. As an example, the 17th Annual World Championship Bingo Tournament and Gaming Cruise takes place in September aboard Holland America Line's luxurious new "Vista" class cruise ship, the ms Oosterdam, as it sails the Alaska "Inside Passage" from Seattle! Other Bingo groups may choose the west coast and a 4-day Baja Bingo cruise. Not only do the ships offer you fabulous Bingo but much much more.

Some cruise guests have won enough money in on board casinos to pay for their next cruise vacation. Even if you are not the gambling type, youll enjoy the excitement of these glittering ocean going casinos. With all the bells and whistles of their Las Vegas cousins, they feature a fair number of traditional games of skill and chance - blackjack, electronic slot machines, video poker, craps, roulette and Caribbean stud poker. Cruise Ships even offer tournaments such as a Festival of Slots with large cash prizes and cruise raffles.

You get all the excitement of the land based gambling halls combined with fabulous food, fabulous ports of call and a world of colorful entertainment and nighttime enjoyment! And best of all, there is no cover charge, no tickets to buy or reserve, no waiting in line. Dazzling musical revues salute the very best of Hollywood and Broadway, with advanced lighting and sound systems and spectacular special effects.

Your entertainment aboard spotlights a variety of marquee performers, including musicians and singers, comedians and magicians. Cruise lines recruit professional performers from some of the best-known stages on land. The entertainers vary from ship to ship and line to line however dont be surprised if Bill Cosby, or Bowser from Sha Na Na or jazz greats Manhattan Transfer is on your ship. The shows will easily rival anything you might see on land. Except that on-board your ship you dont have to remember your tickets or struggle to find a parking space.

Not only will you enjoy Broadway style reviews, musicals, stand-up comics, movies and specialty acts, and guest talent shows, many cruise lines including Norwegian and Holland America offer theme cruises from Budd Friedmans famous Improv at Sea to a Bavarian style Oktoberfest where, in addition to daily beer tastings, the staff host a Bavarian Beer Garden Party and an authentic German/Bavarian dinner.

Prefer country music? No problem, you can join top-act headliners and other guest performers aboard foot-stomping, knee-slapping country music cruises. Learn the latest line dancing or try not to smile as you two step your way across the Caribbean.

How much would you pay back home to catch a Broadway show, enjoy the midnight buffet and then head for late night comedy before you hit the disco? Its all included aboard your cruise ship.

Norwegian Cruise Lines treats you to extravagant, full-scale productions of classic Broadway musicals like Grease, 42nd Street, The Pirates of Penzance, The Will Rogers Follies, Crazy for You, and George M! And again, you dont pay for tickets! Just walk in to the beautiful theatre at sea, and enjoy the show.

Can theatres at sea rival those on land? A three-deck-high showroom, the Palladium, on Carnival Destiny, is home to two showstopping Vegas style productions that combine complex sets, laser technology and awesome talent that leave you spellbound. And there is not a bad seat in the house! After the show, visit one of the many lounges to enjoy a jazz ensemble, or 50s and 60s music or spend some fabulous times around the piano bar becoming a karaoke star.

Between your ports of call, you will be surprised how much there is to do on board your ship. When it comes to nighttime entertainment your choices are as diverse as you want to make them. From ballroom dancing to late night comedy, from first run movies to dazzling shows, all free and all with guaranteed seating.

Sid Kaplan

Cruise Vacations Guide