Art appreciation. Acoustic guitar. Ballroom dancing. Bicycling. Chocolate. Even Frank Sinatra.

For almost any interest, there's a theme cruise, and every year, there seem to be more of them.

Cruise Lines International Association (ENLARGE)
Learning never stops, even on vacation. A fun environment at sea can open up new worlds, such as a computer class.
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The idea isn't new. In the 1920s, passengers took booze cruises from New York to Halifax, Nova Scotia, and in the 1960s, three- and four-day cruises to the Bahamas became fashionable, says Allan Jordan, a New York cruising expert and historian who writes, lectures and consults on the topic.

Traditionally cruise ships were defined by their nationality, says Jordan, who's cruised more than 60 times. Most of the ships were owned by governments, who needed them to transport people and goods, and the cruisers experienced that country's flavor. So if people wanted to meet Italian crew members, eat Italian food and enjoy Italian dancing and games they took an Italian cruise.

As the ships were sold to private companies, they became more homogenized. The cruise staff could come from many nations and the food and games became less ethnically focused.

Cruise lines began marketing themed excursions in earnest in the 1980s, Jordan says, as a way to differentiate themselves.

Theme cruises provide activities you know you'll be interested in, as well as provide like-minded shipmates for lively conversation.

You can find themed cruises easily. Ask a travel agent who specializes in cruises, check the cruise line's Web site, or try a Web search engine with the key words "theme cruises" or your interest and the word "cruises" (such as, bridge players and cruises).

Some examples: Mind/body fitness; whales and wildlife; opera; book club; Yamaha keyboard lessons; Berlitz French and Spanish instruction; the British monarchy; Civil War; history of steamboats; World War II; psychic experience; and financial planning.

As you can see, there's something for everybody — and that's just a small sampling of topics.

• List of themed cruises, K9

• What you get on some speciality cruises, K9