10 cruise experiences you won't find anywhere else

To Whom It May Concern:

We came across this information in the trades and thought it would be of
interest to this newsgroup as well.

Happy sailing,
John Sisker, SHIP-TO-SHORE CRUISE AGENCY®
(714) 536-3850 or toll free at (800) 724-6644 & (pagoo ID: 714.536.3850)
www.shiptoshorecruise.com



Here are the details on top 10 picks for the most unusual cruising
experiences.

1. Sailing, sailing o'er the bowling main If you're reluctant to pull
yourself away from your favorite bowling buddies to go cruising, bring 'em
along. Norwegian Cruise Line's (800-327-7030; www.ncl.com) soon-to-debut
Norwegian Pearl will offer a full-size, four-lane bowling alley. Part of a
planned all-day entertainment center, this is not your mother's bowling
alley. The venue offers plush seating, cushioned daybeds and banquettes near
the bowling lanes, and mood lighting changes for evening. Will the ball roll
perfectly true? (You're on a moving means of transport, after all.) "Much of
the time yes, and some of the time no," says Colin Veitch, NCL's president
and CEO. "We won't be hosting the world bowling championships; it's just fun
we're shooting for." Gutter bumpers will pop for kids' bowling parties--or
for those adults who might need a little help with their scores.

2. Riding the riggings Maybe you'd prefer to play pirate? Book passage on
Star Clippers' (800-442-0551; www.starclippers.com) fleet of sail ships and
scramble up a spider web of rigging for a bird's-eye-view from an actual
ship's crow's nest. On no other cruise line can you climb up for an
exhilarating view of the horizon. On Royal Clipper, the flagship of the
fleet and the first five-masted sail ship built in a century, a "lookout
station" on each mast soars 60 feet above the sun deck. Each boasts a teak
settee for lounging aloft. A ship-supplied safety vest (yes, attached to a
safety line) and being under the watchful eye of a crew member on deck help
make your ascent up the ratlines easy. For an especially awesome experience,
you even can do this while the ship is under sail. Don't forget your camera.
Also on this line, one of cruising's quirkier notes: the occasional resident
parrot!

3. It's not Mickey Mouse stuff Disney Cruise Line (888-325-2500;
www.disneycruise.com) gilds the lily with more than pixie dust. It has more
"uniques" than most lines. For authentic movie magic found on no other
ships, you can cruise either of Disney's two vessels. You won't find Minnie
and Mickey Mouse or Goofy anywhere else at sea. Toss in the line's private
1,000-acre island, Castaway Cay, and now you're talking some really unique
treasures, such as the only private island with its own dock (and this
recent addition: the actual 175-foot barnacle-encrusted ghost ship prop from
the blockbuster film "Pirates of the Caribbean" sits docked in Disney's
lagoon). The private dock means no tendering to shore as is the case with
all other cruise lines' private island stops. This is a terrific advantage
for those sailing with small children who might need (or want) to go back
and forth to the ship multiple times. Disney also is the only line that
launches fireworks from the actual ship; on every cruise during a Pirates
"in" the Caribbean party, 102 colorful shots are fired in a 3 1/2-minute
light show. The Magic Kingdom, indeed.

4. Slip-slidin' away Had enough of great adventure parks? Try the water
slides on Carnival's (888-CARNIVAL; www.carnival.com) FunShips, still the
only line to offer these splashy high jinks at sea. Plunge a whopping three
decks on Destiny- and Conquest-class vessels, coursing as much as 214 feet
on a thin film of H {-2} O along dizzying, twisting water slides. Colorful
and fun for all ages, it all began in 1978, when Carnival's now-retired
Festivale featured the first water slide. Slides now are must-have fixtures
of the fleet, featured on all 21 ships. The seven biggest slides are on the
Conquest- and Destiny-class vessels. The smallest are 72 feet long and on
the four Spirit-class ships. For in-betweeners, the line's Fantasy- and
Holiday-class ships feature 114-foot-long twisters

5. Spa-licious For pampering, hop onto any cruise ship. But a few really
distinguish themselves. For instance, Princess recently made waves with its
latest launch, Crown Princess, on which you can tune out the world in its
stunning open-air Sanctuary, an adults-only spa-like area with a host of
amenities, featuring light meals, massages, and a staff of Serenity Stewards
who provide chilled face towels, Evian atomizers and healthy beverages. For
uniqueness, though, it's hard to top Disney Magic's Spa Villas complete with
an indoor treatment suite, which is connected to a private outdoor veranda
with personal hot tub, open-air shower and luxurious chaise lounge. And
while most lines have Steiner-run spas (a virtual monopoly in the industry,
which means you get basically the same spa stuff no matter on which ship you
sail), Regent Seven Seas boasts the only Carita spas at sea, offering some
treatments not available elsewhere. Among the exclusives at Carita: a
Renovateur Lift Fermete, which repairs mature skin's signs of aging. The
treatment, which firms fine facial lines and wrinkles, has been called a
non-surgical face-lift. Hey, you don't think still-stunning Catherine
Deneuve (a Carita spa client) looks the way she does by magic, do you?

6. Seeing stars For literally out-of-this-world views, head for the
planetarium on Cunard's (800-728-6273; www.cunard.com) Queen Mary 2, the
only one at sea. Located in Illuminations, the elegant theater has
approximately 150 planetarium-dedicated seats. Here, the line offers three
complimentary 25-minute shows each afternoon during every trans-Atlantic
voyage. It's heady stuff: "Stars Over the Atlantic" presents a 21st-Century
perspective of "what we know now." (Hmm, will it still include Pluto?) "The
Search for Life: Are We Alone?," developed by the American Museum of Natural
History in collaboration with NASA, is narrated by Harrison Ford. And
"Infinity Express," narrated by Laurence Fishburne, showcases the latest
breakthroughs in our quest to know the cosmos--from "How big is the
universe?" to "Where does it end?" And if the planetarium is something you'd
like to write home about, pop that postcard into QM2's recently installed
Royal Mail postbox, an authentic British fixture that looks like a giant
blazing-red fireplug. As only Cunard can, these iconic artifacts symbolize
the line's unique place in history as the first provider of trans-Atlantic
mail service between England and America.

7. Rocking and docking Sometimes rocking the boat is pleasant, especially if
you're lolling in a hammock built for two. Windstar (800-258-7245;
www.windstarcruises.com) has added precisely that romantic touch on the top
deck of its fleet of motorized sail ships. Located on the flying bridge, the
hammock is like having your own private getaway. Stretch out to gawk,
snooze, read or snuggle. At sunset in the Med or slipping out of a Caribbean
port, the hammocks are a must. For motorized vessels that aren't true sail
ships, the hammocks replicate the experience of flopping into the bowsprit
net of a real schooner, with nary anything between you and the sea, except a
railing. Windstar also may be the only contender at sea to pre-load Apple
iPod Nanos with music and provide them for complimentary use. The Nanos come
with 500 songs, offering several playlists from crooners to classical. Every
Windstar stateroom also has installed Bose SoundDock speakers. Passengers
can dock their own MP3 players or borrow one from the line.

8. Classy cooking Regent Seven Seas 877-505-5370; www.rssc.com) offers the
only Le Cordon Bleu restaurants at sea, staffed and run by the venerated
French cooking school. And dining at these restaurants is complimentary. In
addition, Regent runs a "Classe Culinaire des Croisieres" workshop series
taught by visiting Le Cordon Bleu chefs. The workshops give passengers a
hands-on introduction to the art of French cooking. On select sailings of
Seven Seas Voyager and Seven Seas Mariner, workshop participants slice and
dice and learn how to prepare selections from the ship's Le Cordon Bleu
menus. Depending on the voyage, participants may join the chefs on local
market tours in port, where they will help select the freshest ingredients.
Upon "graduation," participants receive their own chef's apron and short
toque, a Le Cordon Bleu cookbook of classic recipes and a certificate of
participation. Cost for the workshop: $395 per person. You never can tell:
This program might inspire your Inner Restaurateur.

9. Going to pot Some ships aren't just cooking with gas. Princess Cruises
(800-774 6237; www.princess.com) actually will fire up your personal pottery
creation in bona fide kilns on board. On the line's Coral and Island
Princesses, artistically inclined passengers can try their hand at
wheel-thrown pottery and, during the cruise, have their clay creations
fired. Classes cost $35 per hour and include the use of materials, tools and
glazes as well as the kiln firing. These are no "paint your own plate"
emporiums. Course options include beginning and advanced instruction in
wheel throwing techniques. Try your hand at clay slab construction or the
ancient art of coil-and-pinch-pot techniques. There even is a "clay play for
adults" class and, for advanced students, the chance to do your own thing in
free-form projects. Hey, with the chance to make your own decorative dish as
a souvenir, you won't have to steal the china from room service!

10. Nice ice When you ask for a "martini over ice" on Celebrity's
(800-437-3111; www.celebrity.com) just-revamped Century, expect to be taken
literally. The ship's new martini bar boasts an "ice bar"--a concept that's
bound to put you in a cool mood. The venue features a liquid wall that
freezes, forming a sparkling crystalline look, as does the entire top of the
bar counter, which freezes into ice-cold stone. The liquor bottles behind
the bar sit upon a solid block of ice. Talk about cool! Winter-white walls
and furniture, polished stainless steel and chrome decorative touches, and
continuously changing kinetic lighting complete the "cool" ambience.
Offering 30 different kinds of martinis, the line says it's standing-room
only here every night.