It feels like the Summer of 2026 is just about to part ways from us as the Storms at the end of August are now upon us. Thankfully no storms away at sea this year for me and my family aboard the P & O cruise ship Britannia on our journey around the Mediterranean. We had an amazing time full of many highlights, and a few gaming ones along the way.
We never go anywhere without a few games in the luggage and this break was no exception. The feature is going to focus and highlight what we enjoyed on this trip.
K-Pop Demon Hunter Uno
A new theme of Uno has hit the retailers recently in the form of K-Pop demon hunters. My kids love these characters and this set of Uno has captured them and held their interest, as they are quite young.
Don’t get me wrong, this is a classic Uno game with a couple of little twists. There is the Honmoon card that requires all other players to either play a hunter character of a 2+ or 4+ special. If they cannot then they keep drawing cards until they can. It’s a fun twist. The player that played the Honmoon card then picks the next colour for play to continue on.
The 4+ special card also has a twist as the rules state there is no playing this if you can play another card. If someone does then players are entitled to challenge them. If the challenge is successful as the player has other cards they could have played, they are punished by collecting six cards. However if the challenge fails, that player takes the 4 cards that may have been intended for another. I don’t remember this being an issue before but I do like this rule.
The game was a huge hit in the evenings in the restaurants when waiting for food. It kept the kids' minds occupied whilst their meals were cooked and we had a lot of laughs as well. A much more appropriate way (for me) to be at the dining room table over using screens. I’m sure the waiting staff would have got involved with play had they been allowed.
Tic Tac Trek
This game has become a massive go-to for my wife and I as we get furiously competitive in play. It’s a strict 2 player game that sees the classic Tic Tac Toe game get a massive evolution for gameplay. This game featured an evening or afternoon when our children were in the kids club and we needed a sun break.
Now I have a major gripe with Tic Tac Toe in that a good player just cannot lose the game. It is not possible when you understand play. That is what the game is though.
So this game takes away that element of the stronger player winning by throwing in the random chance element with by adding a tile drafting system and thus throwing in random chance. There are 26 tiles in the bag with 5 differing types allowing players to create a small wild landscape. Each tile has an O on one side and an X on the other allowing players to play their corresponding type.
The objective is to make 3’s in a row on the horizontal, vertical and diagonal. When a player does this they play with a campfire. Play keeps going until the bag is empty and players count up the open corners and edges around their campfire to find their total final score.
There is a lot of strategy to this very simple game about when and where you play as there is no longer a rigid 3x3 grid. The landscape is fluid and that is even if you draw the right piece to get your 3 in a row. It is very clever, very small in size making it an excellent travel companion.
Ecosystem - Coral Reef
It’s a must take on a cruise ship for us because the theme feels perfect being away on the ocean. We attempted to introduce our children to this as they got kicked out of kids club due to a medical emergency where a helicopter was needed to come out to the cruise ship, to rescue a passenger who needed urgent medical attention that could not be provided aboard. All the top decks were cleared so we were at a loose end. (Thankfully the person rescued was ok).
We love ecosystem games, they are all great. The rules in this one for scoring though are just a touch more difficult than certainly the base ecosystem game, making it a very different game to go about playing which I love the fresh challenge here.
For people unfamiliar with Ecosystem, Players are tasked with creating an ecosystem to generate the best score at the final count after all cards are played. Players are to create a 5x4 card set up in front of them to maximise the scoring potential. Players create this grid by playing a card from their hand of 10 cards. Then they pass the hand on to the left. The next card is played from the new hand. After the 10 cards are played, a fresh hand of 10 cards are dealt. This is the 2nd round and cards are passed to the right after the play.
The game has a set ending point and a lot of different routes to victory (or defeat). Ecosystem isn’t for young children as we found but they enjoyed the challenge and appreciated the art. We played in teams so we as parents helped guide the game. Ecosystem is an amazing game for older children and adults. It’s perfect on a cruise setting and just an all round wonderful game full of depth and strategic thinking.
Dobble
Dobble is another easy one for around the dining table that the children love to play once again. An easy one full of excitement as everybody frantically looks for those pairs that are always there. I can never get my head around how there is always at least a pair, it is mind boggling but it is true.
For anyone unsure of Dobble, 3 cards are turned in the middle full of pictures of the Dobble theme. It is the players job to call a pair like snap, when it is called they take the pair, fresh cards are dealt upright in the middle and players frantically look again. The winner is the player who has the most pairs.
You do get some variations in some of the themes but it is all about the pairs.
Again, we are all about simple and fun when we play our games in the family, particularly when away and the children are a little out of their comfort zone. Dobble brings the familiar for them and keeps things easy. Be warned though, frustrations can bubble up as it gets very competitive.
Travel Qwirkle
We love Qwerke in our home and so this set was purposely picked up for our travels as it is far more accessible when away from home and not a full size gaming table. This set fits into a relatively small space but the component quality is not lacking in the slightest as you still have the beautiful wooden tiles that are satisfying to play with, just a lot smaller.
The game has 108 wooden tiles in the bag made up of 6 different colours and shapes. A game for 2-4 players, you are trying to make the largest score. Scoring is really easy though, each tile is worth a point and your goal is to make Qwerkles for the best score. Players will draw 6 tiles and play the best possible runs either in the same shape with differing colours or the same colour with different shapes. If you make the Qwerkle of 6, you score the 6 and a bonus 6. But you also score for all the tiles in all directions. It’s a very cool game.
There is so much strategy and thought that goes into the play. You want the best score but not at the risk of letting your opponent score a Qwerkle.
The travel set works so well aboard the cruise ship. We enjoyed a few calm games, my wife and I, sat in the crows nest of Britannia watching the world sail by. It didn’t get much better.
Final Thoughts
We love our cruise holidays for the adventures, the thrill and entertainment of the ship, the explorations of the different port destinations. Having a game or 2 packed though does make for a few more magical family moments and memories. These are my cruise ship holiday gaming recommendations.
