Voyages: Ports of Recall

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Most theme trips are put together either by cruise lines, which tend to reserve an entire ship for the theme, or by travel agents, who book their own groups for a particular specialty. Each November, Provident Travel of Cincinnati, Ohio, organizes a one-week Caribbean cruise with Royal Caribbean International that features current and former Cincinnati Reds. About 160 to 200 die-hard fans, average age 60, put up $1,200 to $1,800 (this includes airfare) to hobnob with the pinstripers, says Jim Mogan, Provident's director of operations. Charles Hindersman, 77, a retired professor and university vice president who lives in Indianapolis, Ind., has participated in these baseball cruises for the past 11 Novembers with his wife Justyn, 75. "As a native of Cincinnati, I have been a lifelong fan," says Charles. "These trips have given me the chance to talk to legendary players past and present, get to know them a bit as human beings and realize that they are people just like the rest of us."

This June, TraveLeaders Group, a Coral Gables, Fla., travel-management company and travel agency, is planning a seven-day Big Fat Greek Cruise, which will sail from Venice to the Greek isles. Inspired by last year's runaway hit movie My Big Fat Greek Wedding, the theme trip, on First European Cruises, will feature conversations with some of the film's stars, Greek food, Greek culture and dancing, and "some plate smashing," says chairman Keith St. Clair. TraveLeaders expects 150 to 200 guests, and the average cost per person will be $1,000, not including airfare. The agency is promoting this trip through its website, and St. Clair anticipates that 90% of the takers will be 50 or older.

For those who don't want to venture as far as Greece to experience specialty cruising, there are companies that sail only in domestic waters. One of these is the Windjammer Association, based in Rockland, Maine, which sails 14 privately owned tall ships along the coast of Maine from Memorial Day through Columbus Day on themed journeys whose focuses range from knitting to whale watching.

Another U.S.-oriented cruise operator, the Delta Queen Steamboat Co., offers theme trips along the Mississippi River in paddle-wheel steamers. A Civil War cruise, complete with daily lectures, panel discussions by historians and visits to famous battle sites, attracted Rosalind and Ted Tedards of Greenville, S.C., in July 2000. Rosalind, 56, a homemaker, has been a Civil War buff for 30 years and owns hundreds of books on the subject. The eight-day cruise cost $5,500, and the Tedardses will never forget it. They still keep in touch with some of the guest historians they met on the trip.

"I'm fascinated by both the Civil War and steamboat travel, so it was a great combination," Rosalind says. "I'd love to go again."