Shore excursions aren't what they used to be. Here are a few trends to look for:
VOLUNTOURISM
On upcoming Crystal Cruise visits in Antigua, passengers can volunteer at a donkey sanctuary. In Tuscany, volunteers can assist at a residential care facility for the elderly and help tend the centre's gardens.
TASTE THE COUNTRY
Most ships offer tours of local wineries or visits to gourmet restaurants, but some offer lessons in making the local cuisine.
Holland America Lines has developed the Encore Collection of shore excursions for travellers who have been there and done that. In the Croatian countryside outside Dubrovnik, guests learn to barbecue over a huge pile of burning coals: Iron pans are filled with meat and vegetables, which are left to slowly bake. Lunch is served with local wines.
Regent Seven Seas guests in Charlottetown can slip into chef's whites and get hands-on instruction in preparing seafood at the Culinary Institute of Canada.
Windstar's Concierge Collection excursions in Europe take small groups to a cooking class at the renowned Moulin de Mougins cooking school near Cannes.
BE PART OF THE ACTION
Get a complimentary tango lesson in San Telmo with a Regent Seven Seas cruise stopping in Buenos Aires.
At Crystal Cruises port stops in Rome or Florence, car-crazed passengers can get into a Ferrari F430 Spider F1 for a lesson and then a drive along country roads and through historic towns (cost: $7,700 U.S.).
Or, in February, join the Rio de Janeiro Carnival samba parade with Crystal Cruises. Pay $799 to dress in costume and meld into the melee, or for $400, take it all in from a seat in the Sambadrome stands.
