Football….’The Beautiful Game’. Does it float your boat???

So the Fifa World Cup 2014 is finally upon us. It will run for a whole month from the 12th of June to the 13th of July at various locations in Brazil.  Does this fill you with excitement or does it fill you with dread?

Some forward thinking folk  may have booked a nice relaxing cruise break to escape the mayhem that can ensue when the tournament takes place, but can you really avoid the furor that the World Cup seems to generate?

I have looked at some of the major cruise lines and it seems that the answer is most definitely not!

Take for example Royal Caribbean. They have teamed up with Coca Cola to put on a right ‘Royal’ football party at sea, screening all the games on board, scheduling Brazil themed dance classes, themed parties and putting on a World Cup celebration during the welcome aboard show.

MSC are also really going football crazy:  In the lead up to the competition, a “Sailaway Pool Party World Cup Edition” will be held aboard all the MSC Cruises’ fleet. Other games will include the MSC World Cup Championship – a table football tournament; the MSC World Cup game – a  team game where teams have to challenge each other in some funny water games, to win  prizes; And arts and crafts enthusiasts will have the opportunity to make their own football shirt, by creating t-shirts with the colours of their favourite teams. 

 Princess cruises are celebrating the competition , showing all the games from their ‘Movies Under the Stars’ screens, where you can watch them either in the pool or from the comfort of a sun lounger whilst the crew serve you with drinks and popcorn.

Costa cruises have got Brazilian dance ‘flash mobs’ on board their ships, shimmying away to the beat of the official World Cup Anthem as well as lots of World Cup themed entertainment.

Other cruise lines joining in the footy fun are P&O, Cunard, NCL, Azamara and Celebrity, all screening live action in most public areas and  then there are the Crystal cruise ships Serenity and Symphony where you can watch all the action in the peace and tranquility of your own stateroom (and very nice they are too).

And for those who want to avoid the madness completely….Well after some brief research I only found 2 cruise lines that  were adamant that there would be no matches broadcast. They were Regent Seven Seas and Fred Olsen. Here’s a statement from a spokesperson at Fred Olsen:

“Historically, our guests have not shown much of an appetite for major sporting events. TVs are not a big thing on board – passengers go to public areas to sit and chat, relax, enjoy the views and listen to a trio playing.”

As nice as it is listening to a trio, part of me wants to say Bah Humbug to that! But hey ho….Horses for courses as they say. Personally I will be cheering on my country all the way – until we get knocked out by Germany on penalties.

COME ON ENGLAND!!!