Our Favorite Theme Cruises
These sailings showcase great food, wine, photography,
theater and more
By Elizabeth Armstrong
You can indulge a favorite hobby or expand your knowledge in an unfamiliar field. Many lines bring leading experts and even celebrities on board for conversations with passengers.
Depending on the itinerary you choose, you can sample vintages from South America to South Africa, pick up cooking tips from top chefs, learn the best way to photograph wildlife or tee off with a pro at a storied golf course.
A wide variety of theme cruises are available in alluring destinations around the world. Below is just a sampling of those scheduled to depart between August 2008 and January 2009.
For rates and details on any of these cruises, call Vacations To Go at (800) 338-4962. Many of these theme cruises can be found on the theme cruise page of Vacations To Go's Web site. Otherwise, use the "Find a Bargain" tool to search for specific sailings.
Food and Wine
Holland America Line offers a series of food and wine cruises as part of its Culinary Arts Center program. Cooking demonstrations and question-and-answer sessions take place in onboard theater-style kitchens with large plasma video screens and display counters. Among upcoming guests are Max McCalman, an expert in artisanal cheese ( Aug. 5, 2008 aboard the Noordam in the Mediterranean), Alex Guarnaschelli, executive chef of Butter in New York City ( Aug. 27, 2008 aboard the Ryndam in Alaska) and Harold Dieterle, winner of the first season of Bravo's "Top Chef" and owner of Perilla Restaurant in New York ( Oct. 22, 2008 aboard the Amsterdam in Asia and Australia).
Six-star Silversea Cruises partners with Relais & Chateaux, the prestigious association of boutique hotels and fine restaurants, for its oceangoing culinary program. Aboard these sailings you'll find cooking demonstrations, special food-and-wine pairings, creative regional dishes and a grand five-course gourmet dinner. Guests also can tag along on escorted provisioning trips to markets, when the itinerary permits. Alois Vanlangenaeker, executive chef at Hotel Il San Pietro di Positano in Italy, will share his expertise during the Nov. 26, 2008 cruise aboard the Silver Cloud in South America.
Silversea also presents several wine-themed cruises, with lectures, special tastings of vintage blends and excursions to vineyards. Daniel Soto of Santa Alicia Winery in Santiago, Chile, will host wine events aboard the Silver Shadow for its Sept. 28, 2008 voyage in South America, while Marc Bourreli of California's Wente Vineyards will preside over the Shadow's Dec. 3, 2008 trip in the Eastern Caribbean.
Another six-star line, Crystal Cruises, has announced the lineup for its fall Wine and Food Festival this October. Michelle Bernstein, chef/owner of Michy's in Miami, brings her signature dishes to the Oct. 18, 2008 voyage aboard the Crystal Serenity from Rome to Barcelona. Meanwhile, Henri Brosi, who helms the kitchen at London's swanky Dorchester Hotel, will demonstrate his techniques aboard the Crystal Symphony as it cruises from Montreal to New York on an Oct.19, 2008 itinerary to Canada and New England.
Guests aboard these two Crystal Cruises can round out their culinary experiences with optional food-inspired shore excursions, such as cooking lessons in Sorrento, Italy, and a lobster lunch on the coast of Nova Scotia in eastern Canada.
Theater and Music
A cast of theater and film stars is slated to be aboard the Crystal Serenity for Crystal Cruises' inaugural Theater at Sea itinerary. As the luxury vessel sails from Venice to Monte Carlo, Golden Globe-winning actress Lynn Redgrave will perform "Nightingale," which tells the story of five generations of her theatrical family, and Emmy winner Gena Rowlands will screen one of her films.
Other luminaries on the Mediterranean sailing include Lucie Arnaz, who will sing songs from her cabaret act, and Florence Henderson, who also will hit the stage with some of her favorite musical numbers. The cruise departs Sept. 12, 2008.
Cool jazz beats will accompany passengers as they cruise from Los Angeles to the Mexican Riviera aboard the Crystal Symphony. A roster of more than two dozen jazz artists will entertain with swinging sounds that range from the classic songs of the '30s, '40s and '50s to the contemporary rhythms of today. Plus, guest lecturer Loren Schoenberg, who penned "The NPR Curious Listener's Guide to Jazz," will share his encyclopedic knowledge of the genre. This cruise departs Nov. 30, 2008.
Sail to the strains of classical music when the Boston Symphony Chamber Players come aboard the Queen Mary 2. The acclaimed musical ensemble will join the Cunard ship for the Sept. 4, 2008 trans-Atlantic sailing from Brooklyn, NY, to Southampton, England.
The Danube River has long inspired artists and composers. An Oct. 5, 2008 sailing along the river with Peter Deilmann Cruises aboard the aptly named Mozart will feature the music of the Del Mar Ensemble, whose members perform in chamber groups, and the Enchanted Ground Trio, which focuses on Baroque-era works and classical sonatas. In addition, guests will visit the Figaro House in Vienna, where Mozart composed "The Marriage of Figaro," and enjoy a performance at the Hungarian Opera House in Budapest.
Sports
Rub elbows with baseball legends on an MSC Cruises vacation. Fans of the game will be treated to question-and-answer sessions, candid stories and trivia games hosted by the players. Among the greats scheduled to sail with MSC are Dave Campbell and Otis Nixon ( Dec. 13, 2008 aboard the Lirica in the Caribbean) and Ken Griffey Sr. and Andre Dawson ( Jan. 24, 2009, aboard the Orchestra in the Caribbean).
Serious golfers who sail on certain Crystal Cruises itineraries and purchase three or more rounds of golf on shore excursions can take part in a special golf program. Participants receive a variety of perks, such as a Crystal golf cap and golf shirt, layouts of the courses with the pars and lengths of each hole, and VIP cocktail parties where golfers will be paired into foursomes. Celebrity golfers and PGA teaching professionals will host Crystal's golf cruises and accompany golfers to the greens, playing a few holes with each foursome.
For the remainder of 2008, golf programs are scheduled for Sept. 27 aboard the Crystal Symphony in Canada and New England, and Oct. 30 aboard the Crystal Serenity in the Mediterranean. Golfers are strongly encouraged to bring their own clubs.
Photography and Art
The small, intimate ships of Cruise West are known for giving passengers an up-close view of a region's scenery, wildlife and people. Now the line has partnered with Pentax Imaging Co. to help guests expertly capture these travel memories on film. Cruise West's photography voyages are for all skill levels, from novices to seasoned shutterbugs. Photographer Kerrick James, whose work has appeared on more than 80 book covers and 85 magazine covers, will lead onboard workshops and special "field events" ashore, discussing everything from image composition to being in the right place at the right time for that perfect photo.
The next Pentax photo cruise is scheduled for Dec. 2, 2008 -- a Central America trip with a Panama Canal transit aboard the Pacific Explorer -- followed by a "Whales and Wildlife" itinerary in Mexico's Sea of Cortez aboard the Spirit of Yorktown, departing Jan. 17, 2009.
Work on your brushstroke aboard certain sailings with Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines. Two Mediterranean voyages this fall -- Sept. 4, 2008 on the Balmoral and Oct. 13, 2008 on the Black Prince -- feature guest artists who will lecture on various art movements, provide instruction and encourage passengers in expressing themselves on canvas.
For Singles
National cruise discounter Vacations To Go reaches out to solo cruisers with its series of hosted singles cruises. Participants meet and mingle at exclusive events, such as cocktail mixers, masquerade balls, trivia games, pub crawls and group shore excursions. Vacations To Go singles dine together as well in a reserved section of the ship's restaurant, but with unassigned seating so that group members can opt for different tablemates each night.
At press time, hosted singles cruises were planned through Sept. 19, 2009. The weeklong itineraries explore the Caribbean, Alaska, Mediterranean and Mexican Riviera. Find a complete list at www.VacationsTo Go.com/singles, or call (800) 419-5179.
The information in this story was accurate at the time it was published in July/August 2008.
Please visit Vacations To Go or call (800) 338-4962 for current rates and details.