Did you know that in 1946-47 about 60% of the U.S. population saw a movie in a movie theater at least once a week? Today that figure is closer to 10%. By most accounts, movie theater attendance continues to decline – as it has since the advent of television.

So what does this have to with travel?

Now that most of us, and most hotels, have very nice TVs, and we can watch movies whenever we want on our mobile tablets and phones, a visit to the local movie theater just doesn’t hold the same appeal it once did. Unless you are a teenager on a date.

But there is still something indefinable about watching a movie on a BIG screen – under the stars. And when I came across this thread in which cruisers discuss what movies might be shown on deck, I have to admit that the thought of snuggling up with my wife and some popcorn to watch a movie on the deck of a cruise liner as we sailed the open ocean sounds like a very appealing experience.

When we go out to see a movie nowadays, it isn’t because that’s where the movie is showing – it’s for the experience. And taking in a movie in a unique and romantic setting while on vacation is a way to up the experience ante.

It sure would beat the heck out of the local cineplex.

Would I book a cruise solely for the opportunity to experience an on-deck movie? No. But is it one more experience offered onboard that would make me consider booking a cruise? Absolutely.

Similarly, if they were to have movie nights, say, where they showed movies projected onto one of the Great Pyramids or maybe on the big screen inside Dallas Cowboys stadium, I would consider these to be one-of-a-kind movie experiences that I just might be willing to pay for.

Where is the strangest/coolest place you have even seen a movie? Where do you wish they would show movies?

Read the thread in its entirety: Movies on the pool deck