1 Elizabeth Doyle, ‘Banana Boats: A Missing Link in the Rise of the Cruise Vacationing 1881 to 1958’, unpublished manuscript shared at the 2012 Mystic Seaport, Munson Institute, National Endowment for the Humanities America and the Sea symposium.

2 Bruns, Brian David, Cruise Confidential (Palo Alto, CA: Solas House, Inc. 2008)Google Scholar.

3 Dinners of cruise ships are generally served in two seatings, one at 6.00 p.m. and one at 8.00 p.m. This allows guests to select their eating preference and distributes the workload of the staff. Usually an alternative cafeteria-style dining room allows guests to eat whenever they want to. In this alternative space they can elect to be non-performative and wear casual attire.

4 Interview with Ryan LeVeille, Royal Caribbean's Mariner of the Seas, 2005.

5 ^‘Edutainment’ is the preferred word used by the cruise industry to describe the performance style that they prefer for enrichment staff. We are to enrich the passenger experience during the cruise, and we are asked to do so in an entertaining manner. My agency recommends speaking in an upbeat fashion, establishing rapport, and stepping away from the podium. Although these behaviours may come naturally to trained theatrical performers, emphasizing presentation is important for enrichment staff coming from other disciplines.

6 Cruise directors plan event sequences within each sailing voyage to correspond with rising and falling guest moods. At the beginning of a journey there is excitement about simply being on the ship and enjoying its amenities. Towards the end of the journey activities like cooking shows and participatory programming keep guests involved in ship play culture.

7 This is a special event on Celebrity cruise lines. I am not sure if other companies also offer this activity.

8 Henderson, J. Welles and Carlise, Rodney P., Jack Tar: A Sailor's Life (Woodbridge: Antique Collector's Club, 1999), pp. 183–5Google Scholar.

9 Bronner, Simon J. describes Navy Secretary Dalton's, John H. defence of the practice in Crossing the Line: Violence, Play, and Drama in Naval Equator Traditions (Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press, 2006), pp. 5–6CrossRefGoogle Scholar. Current naval policies are clearly articulated on the Naval History and Heritage website at www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq92--1.htm, accessed 24 May 2014.

10 Bronner, pp. 8–26, 46.

11 Bruns, pp. 327–8.

12 A palapa is an open-sided palm-covered hut.

13 Garinagú refers to the culture of the people while Garífuna refers to the people. This ethnic community migrated to the coast of Honduras in 1797 when they were ousted from the island of St Vincent after joining with Taíno islanders to rebel against British rule. Garinagú culture is one of the few black cultures of the Americas that maintain an indigenous language. During a 1992 Fulbright fellowship I spent several months living and working with Garífuna artists. The folklore of the region reflects a matrilineal society and the Punta dance, now widely regarded as a popular club dance, originated as a fertility ritual performed by women when a relative died.