Crystal Cruises' Northern European voyage collection beginning this May will offer everything from visits to a Scandinavian "ice bar" and the Russian Imperial Guard marching to symphonic crescendos, to homemade goat caramel in Norway and a view of Stockholm by hot-air balloon.
Other shore-side excursions include:
* Pop culture-related destinations such as Stieg Larsson's Stockholm; the Beatles' Liverpool; Belfast's Titanic shipyard; and St. Andrews University, where Prince William and Kate Middleton met, and the Da Vinci Code's Rosslyn Chapel (Edinburgh).
* Historical journeys related to Vikings in Stockholm, Dublin, and Roskilde (near Copenhagen); genealogical emigration and the Cold War in Hamburg; and life behind Berlin's Iron Curtain.
* Architectural tours spanning the Art Nouveau in Alesund, Norway, to the Modern in Berlin.
* Eco-conscious trips including bird watching in Runde Island (near Alesund) and Shetland (Scotland), kayaking the Finnish Archipelago (Helsinki), or exploring the wind-powered town of Paldiski (near Tallinn, Estonia) by 4x4.
* Adrenalin-fueled adventures like racing rally cars in Estonia; cosmonaut training, including zero gravity weightlessness, near Moscow; and, in Crystal's most over-the-top excursion of 2011, flying a MiG fighter jet over Russia, for $39,300.
Following her $25 million makeover, Crystal Serenity will offer 11-day Baltic cruises including St. Petersburg overnights, 14-day North Cape/Arctic Circle voyages, and an 11-day golf-themed British Isles itinerary.
Promotional two-for-one fares start at $6,730/person, including free air from North American gateways (or generous air credit) and $1,000/person "All Inclusive—As You Wish" shipboard credit.