This year, I had a wonderful adventure sailing away on the Dice Tower Cruise. As many of you may know, the Dice Tower is a YouTube channel that develops videos about tabletop board games and the people who play them.
I have been following this channel for several years and had the chance to join the Dice Tower community for the annual cruise this year. We sailed on the Independence of the Seas, a Royal Carribean ship out of Fort Lauderdale in early December.
I had not cruised in many years and was impressed by how things have changed. Back in 2014, the Independence of the Seas held the record as the largest cruise ship in the world . This ship is massive with 14 decks, including multiple pools, a fitness center, shopping promenade, conference rooms, theaters, and restaurants. It was like a floating city!
Our stateroom was much larger than I expected with a king-size bed and an ocean view. The ship itself was beautiful with glass elevators, marble finishes, and elegant furnishings.
In addition to being able to enjoy all the standard amenities on the ship such as waterparks and shows, we could attend Dice Tower activities.
The Dice Tower crew organized a number of shows and activities that we could attend. A large conference room was set up as a gaming center with a large library of board games that you could check out. Conference participants were spread out in tables throughout the room with signs inviting other members to join in.
New Friends
Over 500 members of the Dice Tower community were on board the ship and it was such a treat to be surrounded by other people who love board games as we do. We met people from around the world. Everyone was friendly and welcoming.
One night, I spotted a group playing Railways of the World, a board game that had been sitting shrink-wrapped in my collection for several years. They offered to teach me how to play the next day and we had a great time! (I lost, of course, but that’s really not the point.)
Every night was an opportunity to try new and elaborate cuisine in the formal dining room. Even though I am doing a ketogenic diet, there was no shortage of delicious options on board at any time of the day or night.
One evening, we signed up for a Murder Mystery Dinner. This evening we were part of a group of 10 seated together to solve the mystery at dinner. Each person played a different role, asking questions, providing clues, and interrogating each other to figure out who the murderer was. We all had a great time figuring out which one of us did the dastardly deed.
New Places
Two of the days we stopped at ports of call and could disembark to go on excursions. we traveled to see the Mayan ruins at Chichen Itza on the Yucatan Peninsula. It was a once-in-a-lifetime, educational opportunity to learn about ancient Mexican history and culture.
New Things
One surprise bonus was the large number of free board games generously provided by several board game manufacturers. We had to pack our return luggage carefully to have room for these treasures. (It was an additional game of Tetris!)
The next Dice Tower Cruise is in February of 2019 and we have already signed up! Come join us for a great vacation of relaxation and gaming!
For more information on the Dice Tower cruise, click here.
Bitzy the Bard
“Life is an adventure story and you are the star. Choose to play a hero!”
