The tradition in which soon-to-be-married men and women endure all manner of humiliations as a last rite of singledom can be so much more intense on a cruise ship.

Cruise Critic member Bennatty's stag do on Grand Princess began when he showed up in a tuxedo at his best man’s cabin door and was required to don Hugh Hefner-inspired pyjamas.

“I was then given a list of the items I would have to accomplish before I was allowed to go to sleep,” he says, “and over the course of dinner, and the six hours that followed, I accomplished the following:

"I sang the 'Love Boat' theme in the main dining room for all who cared to listen (it sounded damn good). I kissed a woman from every one of America’s states and many from abroad (all with the permission of my fiancé).”

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Then he was required to “re-enact a scene from 'Titanic' with a woman named Rose. She was a beautiful older woman who may have actually sailed on that doomed vessel.”

Ben is one of many victims who’ve taken good-natured part in ever-wackier antics that are meant to send hens and stags off with a last burst of fun. And he’s one of many whose initiation into the sober realm of lifelong commitment is increasingly taking place aboard cruise ships.

The Passenger Services Association, which chronicles cruise trends in the UK, does not keep tabs on the popularity of such outings on ships but if a recent two-night cruise on Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Jade tells any kind of story, it’s that short voyages on big ships are a perfect choice.

Never has waiting in line to board a 2,400-passenger ship at Southampton been more entertaining.

There were at least a dozen groups of adults wearing matching t-shirts (some quite risqué).. Another gaggle of hens were outfitted as nuns, and a couple of men in a stag group were shamelessly dolled up as super heroes. Of course, brides-to-be are easy to pick out of the crowd: look for the faux veil.

“During a two-night mini-cruise to Brugge on P&O’s Arcadia earlier this year,” says my colleague Kelly Ranson, “there was a hen party onboard – the group were all dressed up in matching sailor outfits when they embarked. Once onboard I saw them a few times, mostly in the bars – they all dressed up glam on one night, too.”

As weekend mini-breaks have, for many, replaced a night out near a hometown strip club or a drink fest in Baltic cities with cheap beer, parties at sea are a natural outlet.

Cruise lines offer a handful of one, two and three-night ex-UK sampler cruises that offer the perfect stage set for a hen or stag party.

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