• Solve a murder amid the high seas.cruise ship image by Nick Wade from Fotolia.com
  
  Cruise ships are known for providing plenty of entertainment, whether it be evening musicals and magic shows or fun activities during the daytime. One idea for cruise organizers (or for business day trips) is to plan a murder mystery. To enhance the fun of the game, choose a theme, particularly one related to cruising, to take advantage of the ship and all of its potential. With thousands of square feet to explore, plot, scheme and play the game, murder-mystery players on a cruise ship will enjoy finding out "who done it."
  
  

Characters of "The Love Boat"

• Tie the murder-mystery game to the cruise ship by giving players characters from the old television show "The Love Boat." No matter the size of your murder-mystery group, you can have guests be Captain Stubing, Dr. Bricker, bartender Washington, purser Smith and, of course, cruise director Julie. Larger groups can include lesser-known cast members or add parts such as cruise entertainers and guests. Before players arrive on the ship, distribute cast biographies and some details about each character so that even if guests haven't seen the television show, they can get into the game.
  
  

Tour the Ship

• Cruise ships are known as floating cities, with everything from basketball courts and climbing walls to triple-tiered theaters and dance halls among the ship's levels. Ships also offer shops, bars, salons and spa, a gym and restaurants; use them all for the murder mystery as a way of getting guests familiar with the ship and adding excitement to the game. Drop clues about different areas of the ship (such as, "I have chips, but you can't eat them" for the casino, or, "On this bridge, nothing drives under me" for the captain's navigation area), then lead players on a wild goose chase to pick up clues about the murder.
  
  

Murder Weapons on Board

• You can't have a murder mystery without a murder, so arrange for the murder and murder weapon to be cruise-ship-related. For example, the murdered person could be found by the group squashed beneath a replica of the giant, wooden captain's steering wheel or slumped over, poisoned, in one of the ship's bars. Other ideas include the murder weapon being thick ropes used to anchor the ship in port (strangling/hanging), choking on a casino chip or poker card--or, to avoid a scene, game organizers can report that the victim fell or was pushed overboard off a balcony or the rear of the ship.