Two fast-growing sports are making their way onto cruise ships: pickleball and padel. Pickleball is already a regular part of the onboard activities offered by many cruise lines, especially in the US, and is now becoming more common with European, premium and luxury cruise lines as well. Padel is still much less common at sea, but a few cruise lines have already added the sport to their ships.
Pickleball combines elements of tennis, badminton and table tennis. It is played with short paddles and a perforated plastic ball on a court that is smaller than a tennis court. The sport was invented in 1965 on Bainbridge Island in Washington State and has grown rapidly in the US in recent years.
Cruise lines were quick to pick up on the trend. Holland America Line is one of the early adopters and now offers pickleball across its entire fleet. The cruise line is also an official cruise line partner of the Professional Pickleball Association (PPA). Beginners can take part in free introductory sessions, and paddles and balls are available onboard.
Royal Caribbean also offers pickleball on a large number of ships. Depending on the ship, the sport is played on a dedicated court or on a multi-purpose sports court. MSC Cruises has also added pickleball to several ships, including MSC Meraviglia, MSC Euribia, MSC Virtuosa, MSC Magnifica, MSC World Europa and MSC World America. On some of the newer ships, pickleball is part of larger multi-purpose sports areas.
Princess Cruises offers pickleball on a number of ships, including Sun Princess and Star Princess. The sport has become a regular part of the onboard activities, although not every ship in the fleet has a dedicated court reserved exclusively for pickleball.
Celebrity Cruises currently offers pickleball on ten ships: Apex, Ascent, Beyond, Xcel, Eclipse, Equinox, Constellation, Infinity, Millennium and Summit. The activity is free, with paddles and balls provided. There are also open-play sessions and organised tournaments.
Carnival Cruise Line has also added pickleball to the activities offered on many of its ships. Depending on the ship, it is played on sports areas that may also be used for other activities. Pickleball has therefore become a regular part of the onboard sports programme for many major cruise lines.
Premium and luxury cruise lines are also increasingly offering pickleball. Regent Seven Seas Cruises, for example, offers the sport on Seven Seas Explorer, Seven Seas Splendor and Seven Seas Grandeur. Some of these ships have courts that can be used for both pickleball and paddle tennis.
Paddle tennis and padel are not the same sport, although they are related and share some similarities. For cruise passengers, the main point is that a court described as a paddle tennis court is not automatically a padel court.
Oceania Cruises also offers pickleball, including on the new Allura. Virgin Voyages has pickleball on its Lady-class ships as well. The cruise line points out, however, that its playing area is smaller than a standard pickleball court.
Pickleball has even reached river cruising. AmaWaterways offers a full-size pickleball court on AmaMagna. Cunard also has a pickleball court on Queen Anne, as well as paddle tennis.
The situation is different with padel, which is still relatively rare on cruise ships. The sport was invented in Acapulco, Mexico, in 1969 and later spread mainly through Spain and Latin America. Padel combines elements of tennis and squash and is played on a court enclosed by glass and mesh walls, which are part of the game.
There are still only a few examples of padel being offered at sea. One of them is Explora Journeys. EXPLORA III, the third ship in the fleet, is the first Explora ship to have its own padel court.
Tennis star Jannik Sinner was onboard for the official opening in July 2026. He was the first guest to board EXPLORA III and took part in various events with his performance team during the first leg of the “Mediterranean Prelude Journey”.
The new padel court was officially opened during the visit. Sinner cut the ribbon together with Serena Melani, captain of EXPLORA III, and Anna Nash, President of Explora Journeys. He then played a friendly game on the new court with his coach. Sinner is a global brand ambassador for Explora Journeys and was also named the first “Honorary Diamond Member” of the Explora Club.
Regent Seven Seas Cruises is also moving into padel. Seven Seas Prestige, scheduled to enter service in December 2026, will have a combined padel and pickleball court on its new Solara Sports Deck.
Cunard already offers pickleball on Queen Anne, as well as paddle tennis. A padel court, however, is not listed. The distinction is worth mentioning because the names can easily be confused: paddle tennis and padel are related sports, but they are not the same.
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Pickleball has clearly moved beyond being a niche sport on cruise ships. Many major cruise lines now offer it as part of their regular onboard activities, on several ships or even across their entire fleet. This does not always mean there is a dedicated pickleball court. In many cases, existing sports areas are used for several different activities.
Padel is still at an early stage. EXPLORA III and the Seven Seas Prestige, due to enter service at the end of 2026, are two early examples from the premium and luxury segments. More cruise lines may follow if demand for padel continues to grow.
We are currently not aware of any specific plans by AIDA or TUI Cruises to add dedicated padel courts. MSC Cruises, on the other hand, already offers pickleball as part of its onboard sports programme.
If you want to play pickleball or padel on your next cruise, it is still worth checking the details for your particular ship before travelling. The sports available, whether there is a dedicated court and whether paddles and balls are provided can vary from ship to ship. Open-play sessions, introductory lessons and tournaments also differ depending on the cruise line and ship.
Note: This article has been researched carefully and checked against current information from the cruise lines and other available sources. However, we cannot guarantee that all information will remain accurate or complete over time. Sports facilities, ships, courts and conditions of use can change and may vary depending on the ship and itinerary. If you specifically want to play a particular sport on a particular ship, we recommend checking with the cruise line directly before booking or travelling.