Special Interests at Sea

With leisurely days at sea in between ports of call, your cruise ship is an excellent place to pursue your hobby or try something new. Cruise lines cater to special interests with excellent on board facilities, enrichment programs and theme cruises. Here's a sample of what's available.

Culinary Programs

Indulge your passion for fine food and wine with on board culinary programs.

• Cooking Demonstrations & Classes - So popular are these entertaining events that many lines have added state of the art demonstration kitchens to their ships. Check your daily program for the time and place. You'll learn how to make some mouth watering dishes prepared by the chefs on board or maybe cook side by side with a celebrity chef! For the true connoisseur, Regent Seven Seas features Le Cordon Bleu Workshops on some sailings.
• Food & Wine Excursions - Enjoy a market tour to buy fresh, local produce and enjoy some wonderful meals ashore with culinary excursions. Oceania Cruises' Epicurean Immersions are a series of culinary focused tours in Europe; Seabourn's Shopping with the Chef^SM lets you join the chef on his visits to local markets in select ports around the world; Princess Cruises' gourmet excursions let you sample the local culinary scene.

Health & Fitness

• No need to leave your fitness routine at home. Today's ships cater to your active lifestyle with these facilities: a jogging track, swimming pool(s), well equipped gym, shuffle board, ping pong, mini golf, golf driving nets, golf simulators, basketball courts and even squash courts (MSC and NCL), bowling alleys (NCL), FlowRider surf simulators and zip lines (RCI), T'ai Chi, Nordic fitness walking and tennis (Crystal).

Classes and Lectures

• Crystal Cruises' University at Sea - Crystal has the most extensive program for special interests. With University at Sea you can take piano lessons, master T'ai Chi, learn various computer programs, improve your digital photography and much more.
• Cunard Insights - Explore new horizons aboard QM2 by attending inspiring lectures by leaders in the fields of literature, music, history, psychology, filmmaking and art throughout the voyage.
• Featured Luminaries - Regent Seven Seas often features special guests and events that include lectures by world-renowned experts and award-winning luminaries in their field. The current lineup includes Jean-Michel Cousteau, world-renowned oceanographer and environmentalist and Chris Ogden, former chief foreign affairs correspondent for Time magazine.

Theme Cruises

• Food & Wine - Cruise lines welcome guest chefs, cookbook authors and wine experts on board for food and wine themed cruises throughout the year. Cooking demonstrations, hands on cooking classes, special meals, Q & A sessions, market tours and book signings are part of these sailings. Examples are Crystal's Wine & Food Festivals, Regent Seven Seas' Spotlight Cruises, Holland America's Culinary Arts Center Program, presented by Food & Wine magazine, Silversea's Wine Series and Seabourn's Chefs Circle.
• Wellness & Sports - Sailings feature keynote speakers and sports celebrities who give lectures, Q & A sessions and sign autographs during the cruise. See Crystal Cruises' Body, Mind and Spirit sailings and Baseball Greats sailings with MSC Cruises.
• Science & Astronomy
  • QM2 is the only ship with an astronomical observatory on board so it is the perfect spot for shows, lectures, star parties and other events on voyages hosted by the Royal Astronomical Society.
  • MSC Cruises' Astral Theme cruises also feature star observation, seminars and theme evenings. Discover the world of Astronomy and Astrology away from the lights of the city.
  • Oxford University Press Science at Sea - Cunard also features cruises with prominent science writers on board to keep you up to date with the latest in popular science.
• From Music to Bridge - MSC Cruises has a full roster of theme cruises for 2010 with special events and classes on board. In addition to the Baseball Greats cruises mentioned above, other themes are:
  • Art-At-Sea: Drawing, painting, ceramic and porcelain lessons and exhibition.
  • Dance: Samba, Tango, Salsa, Lambada, Mambo, Merengue, Cha Cha, ballroom and rock and roll lessons plus competitions and warm up preparation.
  • Music: Oldies, Big Band, Country
  • Hobby: Arts & crafts (copper jewelry, lucky-charms, zodiac T-shirts, nautical knots and more); workshops & seminars on knitting, painting and photography; card games and chess tournaments.
  • Culture: Study sessions and lectures in the Mediterranean. Festa Italiana; a celebration of all things Italian!
  • Culinary
  • Bridge
• Spotlight Cruises - in addition to topics mentioned above, Regent Seven Seas features Art, Dance, Photography, Cabaret and Music theme cruises in 2010.

Sounds like fun doesn't it? Make your vacation more rewarding by focusing on your special interest while you're away.

By Susan Milne

Special Interest Vacations

Your vacation becomes something very special when combined with your favourite pastime. When it is not just a holiday, but a study tour, expedition, active adventure or pilgrimage you enjoy a very enriching experience.

Organized Tours

Tour companies offer a selection of theme tours catering to special interests ranging from hiking, kayaking and exploring natural wonders to food and wine.

Companies also cater to special events, like this year's organized tours to the Oberammergau Passion Play in Germany.

Travelling with a tour company means all the arrangements are taken care of and you are free to focus on what you came to see and enjoy.

Cruises

With the right itinerary, cruising can fulfill your special interest needs. Follow in the footsteps of the great explorers of the past; observe sea birds in various corners of the world; traverse the engineering wonders of the world's canals and reach out of the way places like the Galapagos Islands and Norway's North Cape.

With sea days in between ports of call, there's plenty of time to practice your hobby or take up something new on board. Click on "Special Interests at Sea" above for more on enrichment options and theme cruises.

Travel with Your Club

Are you a member of a club? Photography, gardening, bird watching and walking come to mind as excellent subjects for a special interest vacation. Why not put together a group of like minded enthusiasts for a journey to pursue your interests abroad? You may be able to take advantage of group pricing as well for accommodation, tours and cruises if your group is large enough.

Special Interests and Our Local Partners

If you have a special interest you would like to pursue while on vacation, our local partners around the world can help with all the arrangements.

• Take a private tour
• Attend a cooking class
• Learn a language
• Visit a winery
• Study local culture
• Acquire tickets for special events

These and more are possible with the help of our local experts. Get in touch and we'll start making the arrangements!

By Susan Milne