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Cruise Line Destination Focus Brings Off-Ship Adventures
Crystal Cruises has Overland Adventures that take Crystal guests to unique, immersive events ashore. Typical of the intensity level of their Overland Adventures is a three-night Laos Overland Discovery during a March 7, 2013, Southeast Asia cruise, offering an intimate look into the rich history, culture and scenery of the former French colony and UNESCO World Heritage site, Luang Prabang, considered the best-preserved city in Southeast Asia.
Those participating will get off their cruise ship, Crystal Symphony, in the port of Laem Chabang, Thailand where they will spend the first night. From there, they fly to Laos for two nights, to see a Laotian Buddhist alms-giving ceremony, visit sacred temples and other attractions then sail across the Mekong River to the Buddha-filled Pak Ou Caves. Travelers then rejoin Crystal Symphony in Ho Chi Minh City.While in the area, Crystal offers other off-ship adventures with titles like "The Wonders of Angkor Wat," "Phong Nha Caves & Vietnam Heritage" and "A Portrait of Vietnam: Hue, Hoi An & Hanoi."
The whole destination immersion focus has become so popular that Azamara Club Cruises is adding a complimentary immersive destination event ashore featured on every voyage.
Azamara guests sailing a Baltic cruise voyage, for example, might enjoy a private ballet performance in St. Petersburg, Russia, while walking the red carpet and sipping champagne. Travelers on a Mediterranean cruise may find themselves sampling Jerez, Spain's famous sherry wine at Gonzalez Byass and later enjoying a private equestrian ballet at the Royal Andalusian School of Equestrian Art.
These are not your typical cruise line "load everybody up in a tour bus and drive around" excursions.
Mainstream cruise lines, still mostly limited to day trips, are testing the waters for immersive off-ship adventures. In Alaska, Princess Cruises continues to explore the land of the midnight sun with experiences like a Back Country Zodiac Expedition, a Bering Sea Crab Fishermen's Tour or a Heli-Hike & Rail Adventure.
For now, we're finding these experiential off-ship adventures on high-end luxury lines. But look for mainstream cruise lines to offer intense lifetime event experiences in the near future.
Filed under: Asia, Europe, Laos, Thailand, United States, Caribbean
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Karen Robbins Oct 17th 2012 12:35PM
I'm wondering how some of the cruise lines are going to start changing their offered excursions to suit those who are tired of being on a huge bus and shuffling off and on. On our last cruise to the Black Sea, we arranged a lot of our shore tours with local guides online before sailing. Smaller groups give you more time to see and do much more than the ship's excursions.