Crystal Cruises is taking guests backstage, behind the velvet ropes, under the hard hat and into the luxury kitchens, homes and cars of local European experts with six new “Boutique Adventures”— limited-availability shore-side excursions. In all, guests can choose from 15 different “Boutique Adventures” during Crystal’s 2014 luxury European cruise season.
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New excursions include:
- Hard-hat tour of Santa Maria Cathedral, for a behind-the-scaffolding view of the 13th-century church’s renovation currently underway, personally guided by one of the project’s architects or technical advisors. (From Bilbao, Spain)
- "Backstage” access to Bilbao’s Guggenheim Museum, where guests will dine and visit the kitchen to learn how it’s all made. (From Santander, Spain)
- Seafood Master Class at the Cliff Townhouse restaurant, with resident chef Sean Smith, who will instruct on the traditional Irish preparation of the area’s most popular catches, before treating participants to a three-course feast. (From Dublin, Ireland)
- VIP Edinburgh Military Tattoo experience, with a multi-course dinner in Edinburgh Castle’s Gatehouse, pre-and post-show champagne and VIP seats in the “Royal Gallery” for the annual Tattoo — a 1000-plus-person showcase of international military music, drums and pageantry, concluding with a tune from a lone Scottish bagpiper. (From Greenock, Scotland)
- Exclusive exploration of Italian national monument Casa Cuseni in Taormina, which has views of Mt. Etna, plus a Sicilian lunch in the property’s private villa (From Sicily, Italy).
- Stockholm’s must-see sites, vintage VIP style, first by chauffeured classic car – such as a 1938 Cadillac Fleetwood Limo – then by early 20th-century tram, though historical locales such as the Vasa Museum, enjoying traditional Swedish “Fika” (coffee and local delicacies) en route. (From Stockholm)
Other 2014 European “Boutique” experiences include private artist sessions in Corfu and Lisbon, opera in Lucca, private mass at Barcelona’s Sagrada Família, a Michelin Star-level cooking class in Sorrento and a VIP F1 party at the Monaco Grand Prix. Fares for the half- and full-day excursions range from $109 to $2,259 per person.
In 2014, 25 Crystal cruises of seven to 14 days will sail through the Mediterranean, Northern and Western Europe and the British Isles. Until April 30, all-inclusive “Book Now” cruise fares start at $2,640 per person.
For more information, visit www.crystalcruises.com.