Wackiest Cruise Shore Excursions

By Fran Golden

Forget the motor coach tourthese outrageous excursions will rock your boat.

Ketchikan, AK, is a quiet town full of fishermen, forested hills, and the occasional totem pole, but on some afternoons, leather-clad gangs roar through town on their Harleys.

Havoc-wreaking Easy Riders? Not exactly. Theyre Holland America cruise ship passengers on a group shore excursion, one of the increasing number of unique, adventurousoutrageous, evenoptions that cruise lines are offering to their customers.

The lines have been ramping up ships with amenities like rock climbing walls and ziplines to draw a younger, more active crowd, says Carolyn Spencer Brown, editor in chief of Cruisecritic.com. It makes sense that theyre doing the same for shore excursions.

Furthermore, while a traditional cruiser may be content with motor coach tours, onboard casinos, and multiple trips to the buffet, this new generation of thrill seekers wants more to do, rather than view, says Lee Lennon, Yachts of Seabourns director of Destination Services. And they want to go back and make their friends say, Wow!

Some of these wow factors involve vehiclesfast ones that spin, swoop, skid, or screech. For instance, go sailing with Crystal Cruises from St. Petersburg, Russia, on its summertime Baltic cruises, and you could end up flying a Soviet MiG. At the Sormovo Air Base, on the outskirts of the historic Nizhny Novgorod, participants undergo a physical exam and flight instruction before strapping on a helmet for a dizzying journey up over the Russian countryside at speeds of up to 1,536 mphthats twice the speed of sound. The cost for this two-day extension: a whopping $46,000.

Less priceybut just as adrenaline-fueledis a cage dive off the coast of South Africa, into waters infested with great white sharks. While not known to be man-eaters (though their reputation says otherwise), the torpedo-shaped creatureswhich can grow up to 20 feet in lengthswim up menacingly close to the five-man steel cage, close enough for glimpses of their razor-sharp teeth. Crystal Cruises also offers this outing, on its 19-day cruise from Mumbai to Cape Town, for under $500.

Cruise lines growing list of extreme shore excursions is so wide-ranging that youre guaranteed to find something that floats your boat.


Ride a Harley: Caribbean and Alaska

Cruisers who want to take sightseeing in the fast lane can speed around in Harleys in Ketchikan, AK, and in the Caribbean, a literal hog heaven when ships dock in town. Youll need a valid motorcycle permit (or you can hitch a ride with a licensed rider) before roaring into Cozumel sunsets or Ketchikans pristine Tongass forest under the direction of a gang leader (well, a local guide).

Where to Book: Carnival, Princess, and Holland America offer Harley excursions in St. Martin, Nassau, and Cozumel year-round and in Ketchikan in the summer. Fares from $190 to $369.


Snorkel with Sea Dragons: Australia

One of the most unusual creatures of the sea is found only off the coasts of southern Australia. Not quite a sea horse and not quite a fish, the mysterious sea dragonwhich can grow up to 18 inches longwas named for its resemblance to the mythical creature and often escapes perception by the human eye. Squint hardtheyre often mistaken for seaweed swaying in the undertow, thanks to their leafy camouflage.

Where to Book: Available through the Holland America Line; $167 to $199 on fall itineraries passing through Melbourne.


Go Truffle Hunting: Croatia

The elusive white truffleaptly dubbed culinary goldis one of the worlds most highly prized foods, fetching upward of $6,000 per pound. This romp in the oak forests near Livade village in northwestern Croatia provides a rare glimpse into the tightly guarded tricks of the truffle-hunting trade, led by a real-life forager and specially trained dogs.

Where to Book: On SeaDream Yacht Clubs seven-day Adriatic cruises, from Dubrovnik to Venice, that stop at Rovinj, Croatia; $188.


Take a Helicopter Tour: Hong Kong and Dubai

The scene has become an action movie clich: a deafening chopper drops down from the heights of a soaring skyscraper, narrowly dodging enemy fire. And just when you think youre in the clearBoom! Crash landing! Okay, cruise lines wont let you re-create the scene frame by frame, but you can still get in on the action. In Hong Kong, a twin-engined copter takes off from the rooftop helipad of the Peninsula Hotel for a dramatic swoop over the Kowloon skyline and Victoria Harbour, while a flightseeing tour of Dubai surveys the desert coast before touching down at the suspended helipad at the iconic Burj Al Arab.

Where to Book: Yachts of Seabourn offers the excursion year-round in Hong Kong on its East Asian itineraries ($399) and in Dubai on its spring and fall Middle East voyages ($699).


Swim with Sharks: South Africa

Thanks to Jaws, the great white shark has earned a reputation as one of the oceans most vicious predators. This journey starts off innocently enough, with a tranquil 20-minute sail from Kleinbaai harbor, southeast of Cape Town, but takes a menacing turn near Dyer shark alley Island. Dive-cage operators will lower you into the waters in a five-man steel cage, throwing out ground sardines to lure the beasts, who may swim up close enough for views of their razor-sharp teeth.

Where to Book: Crystal Cruises, on a 19-day cruise from Mumbai to Cape Town, embarking March 29, 2011; $448.


Sail a Traditional Ship: Turkey

Originally built for fishermen and sponge divers, the guleta traditional two-masted wooden sailboatis now used for picturesque sailings, especially off the Bodrum peninsula in southwestern Turkey. Views of hilltop windmills, sandy beaches, and citrus orchards on the Aegeans tiny islands are best experienced en couple to the clink of champagne flutes.

Where to Book: Windstar Mediterranean cruises in the summer and fall; $649.


Build a Lamborghini: Venice

A private tour of the museum at the Lamborghini factory in SantAgata Bolognese, in central Italy, takes you through 47 years of company history and a display of vintage and prototype models of one of the worlds snazziest sports cars. The visit gets more hands-on at the manufacturing plant, where you can assemble the components of an actual vehicle.

Where to Book: Yachts of Seabourn and Crystal Cruises offer factory tours in Venice, from $1,480 per person.


Brave the Elements with Penguins: Antarctica

An extreme landscape of frigid cold and biting winds, the White Continent is home to only the hardiest of survivors. Among them: adlie, chinstrap, and gentoo penguins. The daylong trek to the remote King George Island is an adventure in itself: a seven-seater plane traverses the Strait of Magellan, Tierra del Fuego Island, and the jagged Darwin Mountains, before shooting south another 620 miles to Frei Base, a scientific research station on the penguins island of residence.

Where to Book: With Silversea Cruise, on the Silver Whispers South American itineraries, departing from the port of call of Punta Arenas, Chile; $4,999.


Watch the Monaco Grand Prix: Monaco

The Grand Prixs harrowing 2.075-mile circuit through the narrow streets of Monaco has been a favorite for the jet-setting glitterati since 1929. Prime seating is guaranteed, so youll watch racers negotiate tight corners, hairpin turns, and slippery passes right up to the finish line.

Where to Book: Windstar Cruises seven-day sailing from Rome to Nice, onboard the Wind Surf, departing May 16, $2,700.


Fly a Soviet MiG: Russia

What better way to channel your inner James Bond than an exhilarating whirl in a Soviet jet fighter? The adventure takes off at the Sormovo Air Base, on the outskirts of the historic Nizhny Novgorod; after a physical exam and flight instruction, youll strap on a helmet for a skyward journey up to the dizzying speed of 1,536 mph (or twice the speed of sound). The rewards of your mission, if you choose to accept it: a flight certificate and breathtakingbut blurryviews of the Russian countryside.

Where to Book: Crystal Cruises operates MiG tours from St. Petersburg on summertime Baltic cruises. The two-day package costs $45,999, including round-trip transportation to Moscow, overnight hotel accommodations, and a full-day sightseeing tour.

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