Night owls of all ages will find heaps of fun on board their cruise liner. Dance til your feet hurt or sing karaoke until you're hoarse, while knowing your comfortable bed is only minutes away. Many cruise lines provide child-minding services at an hourly rate as part of their youth program, so parents can let their hair down too.

Bars & Pubs

Whatever your tipple or mood, there's a bar or pub on board to quench your thirst. For a more low-key evening, relax over a cocktail in a piano bar, pop into a traditional pub with real draught beer or rekindle the romance in a sophisticated champagne bar. The onboard nightlife provided by Norwegian Cruise Line is something for the aficionados. With one of only 14 ice bars worldwide and certainly the only one at sea, uber-cool is taken quite literally as patrons sit on ice furniture. Faux fur coats are provided for warmth!

Theme Parties

Many longer cruises (seven nights or more) host theme parties - and you usually won't know the theme until you're on board. That adds to the fun as you put your creative skills to the test making a costume, or hire one on board some of the larger cruise liners.

Dance

Salsa lessons, rock'n'roll or ballroom – put your dancing shoes on and don't let two left feet stop you getting your groove on. Dance classes and nights are a feature of many cruise liners and are great fun to go to with your partner or as a way to meet and mingle with your fellow passengers.

Night Clubs

If you're a real party animal, choose a cruise with nightclubs to rival Ibiza or Miami (yes, they really do!) and world-class bars like you'd find in any capital city.

Casino

Try your luck at the roulette table or take a poker master class, many on-board casinos boast a full range of gaming tables and slot machines. You'll find all the glitz and glamour of Vegas, just not as many Elvis impersonators. As with all gambling venues, entry and participation is restricted to over 18s only.

Top tip: Take advantage of happy hours and daily drinks specials to make your cruising dollars stretch further.

For more information about your on-board cruise experience view our sample itineraries, children and youth programs, shore excursions, spas and relaxation, sports and activities, on-board entertainment and dining pages.