Want something to do on a sea day?

What do you want to do when you have a sea day on your cruise, sit by the pool, read a book or undertake a more stimulating activity. That's why more and more cruise lines are not only adding enrichment-oriented programs but also expanding those that already exist.

So what are enrichment programs? interactive workshops, lectures from experts, culinary demonstrations and presentations on a variety of topics, all with the intention of making cruising more interesting.
What can you learn onboard? Some programs focus on educational topics, the cosmos, history, art, photography and computers. There's plenty of personal enhancement, with health and wellness programs that focus on everything from medical lectures to stress management. You can also learn to play the piano or speak Spanish, enhance your acting skills or even paint with watercolors.

So just a few words on a few offerings:

Cunard Line, Cunard Insights

The Cunard Insights speaker series and Cunard Book Club literary discussions are offered on all three ships. In addition on QM2 they offer Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) acting workshops, Royal Astronomical Society astronomy and stargazing presentations, and the Juilliard Jazz series. Also offered on Queen Mary 2 since 2010 is a lecture series, dubbed "The Special Relationship," focusing on the close political, diplomatic, cultural and historical ties between the United States and the United Kingdom.

Celebrity Cruises, CelebrityLife

There are multiple options to Celebrity's enrichment programs, which balance educational experiences with others that are just plain fun. "Taste" programs include culinary tours and classes on food- and wine-pairing or molecular mixology. "Revive" seminars may focus on acupuncture, skin renewal or balancing one's metabolism. Activities in the "Learn" category include everything from stargazing sessions to self-guided Rosetta Stone language-learning workshops, dance lessons and hands-on art classes.

Celebrity iLounge staffers lead classes on digital photo enhancement, Web site creation and travel blogging, and environmental programs feature talks on energy generation and recycling by the ship's officers.

Oceania, Bon Appetit Culinary Center and Artist Loft

Oceania's main enrichment focus is on food. Both Riviera and Marina feature a Bon Appetit Culinary Center with convection ovens, two-person cooking stations and themed classes, ranging from basic knife skills to the art of fish cookery and trendsetting world cuisines. The classes are heavily hands-on, with all students participating, though a couple of hour long courses focus on lectures on popular culinary topics like cheese selection and food-and-wine pairings.

If cooking's not your thing, Marina and Riviera offer a hands-on program for budding artists, where artists-in-residence give step-by-step instruction in watercolours, needlepoint, and arts and crafts.

This little list is not exhaustive and of course there are many other options. You must remember that there may well be a cost for these courses, although some are offered free; the rub of course is that the free ones may not really go into any depth.

For me I look at what is on offer to see whether it interests me.

Days lay be the pool are not really my thing, I can get bored very quickly so I am always on the lookout for that different program. I did spend 45 minutes in a presentation on Celebrity Equinox given by a first officer on the environmental programs feature talks on energy generation and recycling, it was really interesting and I could have stayed longer!

So just remember to look at your daily program when on baord and go with the flow.