13 Experiences You Didn?t Know You Could Have on a Cruise
Today?s cruising boom is good news for everyone, fromaficionados who love setting sail to those ready to give a new vacation style a go. And as cruising?s popularity grows ? approximately 27 million people stepped aboard in 2018 ? cruise lines have diversified.
It?s all about variety these days, not just in ship size ? ranging from intimate, 60-passenger yachts to next-level, 6,000-person mega-vessels ? but in style too. You can sip coffee on your balcony as you float down a European river, go searching for wildlife on an expedition ship, or get lost in a floating city at sea. Itineraries are also more creative: Culinary academies and wellness centers on board, for example, pair well with surprising shore excursions, from hiking up mountains to attending orchestra concerts. These 13 experiences are offered by cruise lines that participate inVirtuoso Voyages? an exclusive program that offers complimentary benefits and perks to travelers who book cruises through a Virtuoso travel advisor ? and they?ll make you think twice about what you can do on your next sailings. Welcome to the new era of cruising, where almost everything goes.
1. Explore marine life from inside a $3 million submarine.
Realize your James Bond fantasies with a trip on Crystal Cruises?Crystal Esprit, a 62-passenger yacht that touts a three-person submersible as one of its water-based activity options. (Jet Skis, kayaks, and stand-up paddleboards are also at the ready.) A pilot takes two passengers at a time on explorations up to 1,000 feet below the surface, including on a seven-day,Dubrovnik-to-Venice sailing. TheEspritis an ideal vessel for scuba divers and snorkelers, and its slim size means it can call on smaller ports, including the yacht marina in Kotor, Montenegro;Croatia?s walled city ofDubrovnik; and all the way north toVenice.Departures: Multiple dates, July 7, 2019, to August 30, 2020; from $6,099. Virtuoso Voyages benefits on select sailings include a $125 shipboard credit. Submersible experience, $350.
2. Set sail with your pup in tow.
You?ve worked too hard to let your fitness routine slide for a week. Do as much (or as little) as you like withAmaWaterways, the river-cruise line that stables bicycles for shore excursions and employs dedicated wellness hosts to lead core- and circuit-training classes on board. On the new, 196-passengerAmaMagna, which debuted in May and is twice as wide as most European river ships, cruisers can log a mile on the top-deck walking track, take a stretching class in the Zen Wellness Studio, hydrate at the juice bar, or get a massage. Disembark on an eight-day,Vilshofen-to-Budapest Danube River sailingto bike along the river or hike to a castle.Departures: Multiple dates, June 2 to December 29, 2019; from $2,549. Virtuoso Voyages benefits on select sailings include an onboard host and welcome reception and a guided tour of Vienna?s Scho?nbrunn Palace.
4. Discuss world affairs with a career diplomat.
There?s nothing like sailing with an astronaut, scholar, government official, or filmmaker to vanquish the shuffleboard-and-buffets cruising stereotype.Seabournraises the intellectual bar with its Seabourn Conversations series, featuring notable guests who don?t just lead onboard lectures, but engage with fellow passengers over meals and excursions as well. Ashok Sajjanhar ? India?s ambassador to Sweden and Latvia and president of the Institute of Global Studies, New Delhi ? will educate guests on the 599-passengerSeabourn Ovationduring a 19-day,Dubai-to-Singapore cruisewith stops in theUnited Arab Emirates, Oman,India,Sri Lanka, andIndonesia.Departure: December 2, 2019; from $3,999. Virtuoso Voyages benefits include an onboard host and welcome reception and a $150 shipboard credit or a private shore excursion in Mumbai.
5. Stay out late without fear of missing the boat.
Azamara Club Cruisespioneered overnight port stays, letting guests revel in the local nightlife in addition to the standard daytime scene.The boutique cruise line is amping up its after-dark experiences with a new series of exclusive evening shore excursions, such as taking in an acrobatics performance in Valencia,Spain. On an 11-day,round-trip-from-Athens sailingon the 702-passengerAzamara Pursuit, travelers can attend a traditional Jewish folk music performance by a klezmer group at Jerusalem?s Ashdod Performing Arts Center. It?s part of an immersive, three-day stop in the holy city that includes visits to the Western Wall and the Dome of the Rock.Departure: September 4, 2019; from $4,724. Virtuoso Voyages benefits include an onboard host and welcome reception and a $150 shipboard credit or a private shore excursion to Jerusalem.
Make tasty use of your time at sea onOceania Cruises? 1,250-passengerMarinaorRivieraships by enrolling in a cooking class or three at the onboard Culinary Center. Kick things off with Slice: Mastering Chef Knife Skills to learn the basics of mise en place before trying your hand at making pasta or grilling. The 12-day,Rio de Janeiro-to-Buenos Aires voyageon theMarinaoffers a balanced diet of cultural excursions in Paraty,Brazil; beach time in Punta del Este,Uruguay; and food and wine tours inMontevideoandBuenos Aires.Departure: December 7, 2019; from $2,299. Virtuoso Voyages benefits include prepaid gratuities.
7. Celebrate your anniversary with a Polynesian blessing ceremony.
Cast away to the South Pacific for the most memorable of occasions aboard the 332-passengerPaul GauguinwithPaul Gauguin Cruises. During an eight-day,round-trip-from-Papeete sailingthrough the Society Islands ? full of archeological sites, lagoons fit for snorkeling, and white-sand beaches ? local onboard hosts known as Les Gauguines and Les Gauguins can bless couples in a traditional Polynesian ceremony by reciting a love poem, singing, and, after a Champagne toast, wrapping celebrants in a traditional patchworktifaifaiquilt. They?ll also teach you how to say ?I do? in Tahitian, dance island-style, and make a basket out of pandanus leaves.Departures: Multiple dates June 8 to December 28, 2019; from $4,295. Virtuoso Voyages benefits on select sailings include an onboard host and welcome reception and a $150 shipboard credit or a private shore excursion in Moorea.
8. Spend all day at the spa.
Bookending stops in Sint-Maarten, Dominica,Saint Lucia,Antigua, andSaint Bart?s, four of the 11 days onRegent Seven Seas Cruises? 750-passengerSeven Seas Explorer?sround-trip-from-Miami journeyare spent at sea, offering prime time to find some inner peace in the ship?s Canyon Ranch spa. This at-sea outpost mirrors the famous destination retreat, with yoga classes, seaweed wraps, hot stone massages, reflexology, and hydrotherapy features ranging from saunas to cold rooms. Between oxygen facials and pedicures, check out the ship?s impressive art collection, including several Picassos, or learn about the healthful secrets of Mediterranean cooking in the Culinary Arts Kitchen.Departure: January 8, 2020; from $5,799. Virtuoso Voyages benefits include an onboard host and welcome reception and a $150 shipboard credit or a private shore excursion and lunch in Saint Bart?s.
9. Learn how to steer a sailboat.
Sixteen sails bound to four masts help power the 360-footStar Flyerclipper ship, one of three throwback vessels in theStar Clippersfleet. Nautical culture meets luxury aboard this 170-passenger vessel, which has two swimming pools on its teak decks. Friendly deckhands, who hoist the sails manually each time the ship leaves port, offer knot-tying classes, ship-maneuvering lectures, and demonstrations on navigating with a sextant ? a tool to measure angular distances at sea. Test your newfound skills on a 15-day,Barbados-to-Panama voyage, which visitsGrenada, the ABC Islands (Aruba,Bonaire, and Curac?ao), andColombia, and culminates in a sailor?s dream transit through the Panama Canal.Departure: November 23, 2019; from $3,990. Virtuoso Voyages benefits include an onboard host and welcome reception and a $150 shipboard credit or a private shore excursion and lunch in Saint George?s, Grenada.
Go beyond VSCO and your smartphone?s filters: The fully equipped Photo Studio aboardSilversea Cruises? 254-passenger (200 in polar waters)Silver Cloudoffers master classes in composition, editing, and Adobe?s Lightroom and Photoshop programs. High-tech printers encourage shutterbugs to create postcards and panoramic prints, regardless of whether they were taken using an iPhone or a DSLR. Photograph the wildlife that inhabits the bottom of the earth on a ten-day,round-trip-from-Ushuaia expeditiontoAntarctica. The ship?s resident photo manager will coach passengers on adjusting shutter speeds so they can capture images of seabirds in the Drake Passage, penguins on the South Shetland Islands, and otherworldly icebergs in the Antarctic Sound.Departures: Multiple dates, December 10, 2019, to January 20, 2021; from $11,160. Virtuoso Voyages benefits on select sailings include a $300 shipboard credit per person.
11. Read Adventures of Huckleberry Finn on the mighty Mississippi.
The sense of freedom and possibility brought to life in Twain?s iconic novel can still be found on Ol? Man River, and you?re likely to experience both duringAmerican Queen Steamboat Company?snine-day cruisefromNew Orleansto Memphis. On board the 436-passengerAmerican Queen, an authentic paddlewheel riverboat, watch the Mississippi roll past from the ship?s decks, read a classic tome in the Mark Twain Gallery, and take in a show in the Grand Saloon. Along the way, holiday- themed events and excursions reveal the history and heritage of the U.S. South. See NOLA?s ceremonial lighting of bonfires on the levee, learn how to perfect buttery biscuits in the Natchez home of award-winning chef Regina Charboneau, and more.Departure: December 15, 2019; from $2,099. Virtuoso Voyages benefits include an onboard host and welcome reception; contact your Virtuoso travel advisor regarding an additional, soon-to-be-announced amenity.
12. Travel back in time on the Nile River.
From the hand-built pyramids at Giza to tranquil Nile excursions aboard a traditional felucca sailboat, travelers will revel in the ingenuity of past centuries during their time in Egypt. Seven of the 12 days onUniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection?sround-trip-from-Cairo itineraryare based on the elegant 82-passengerRiver Tosca. Egyptologist-guided excursions decode the colossal statues of Memnon, the mummified remains of King Tutankhamun in his Valley of the Kings tomb, and the hieroglyphics adorning temples from Luxor to Aswan. Changing pace, ride a felucca and take tea at the hotel where Agatha Christie setDeath on the Nile. Go now, while tourism is growing, but before the masses return.Departures: Multiple dates, September 28 to December 28, 2019; from $4,999. Virtuoso Voyages benefits on select sailings include a $200 shipboard credit per person.
13. Get cooking with a celebrated chef.
The James Beard Foundation ships out its award-winning chefs and sommelierson culinary-themedWindstar Cruisessailings, which include cooking demos, beverage pairings, and market tours. Gain firsthand knowledge by joining a talented chef and beverage expert on a ten-day,San Diego-to-Vancouver sailingaboard the 212-passengerStar Breeze, which plies the U.S. West Coast with stops inSanta Barbara, Monterey,San Francisco,Portland, andSeattle. The chef will host a wine-paired dinner, lead a shopping trip, and provide a cooking demonstration. Work off the meals while exploring the Monterey Bay Aquarium and Seattle?s Pike Place Market.Departure: May 5, 2020; from $2,999. Virtuoso Voyages benefits include an onboard host and welcome reception and a custom-curated shore event.
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