Seems like every cruise we've been on has a court because old folks enjoy it too

[theking]

The secret behind pickleball’s popularity? It's more than a game.
Fitness fads come and go. Pickleball players aren't going anywhere.
When Noelle Mandell moved to New Orleans from Houston, she was, as she puts it, "craving community." She found it by signing up for beginner sessions at her local pickleball club, the Exchange, where she met, and befriended, a "small but vibrant" crew of regulars. “The game itself is super fun — I love playing and learning — but it’s the people who keep me coming back to the court," Mandell, 34, tells Yahoo. “What I admire most about pickleball is how it brings such eclectic people together. ... Once the game starts, all that matters is the play.” It’s this low-barrier, high-connection nature of the sport that has helped pickleball evolve from niche hobby to social movement. Some 60 year after it was invented in 1965 on Bainbridge Island, Wash. — yes, it's been around that long — it's emerged as the fastest-growing sport in America for four years running, with over 19.8 million players in 2024 alone, according to the Sports & Fitness Industry Association. There are courts at many major (and boutique) hotels, community centers and even churches, the latter of which, as the Southern Baptist Texan reports, are leaning into the sport's popularity as a way to "spread the gospel [and] build community."

Took these photos when I was on a cruise ship: