For Immediate Release

Five Fascinating Shore Excursion Adventures Hand Picked by Cruise Travel Experts

Private Cruise Tours Create Priceless Memories

DETROIT (Feb. 14, 2012) – Looking for an over-the-top, once-in-a-lifetime shore excursion for your next cruise? Want to experience unique cultural adventures, unlock nature’s most breathtaking secrets or explore the most exotic settings on the planet?

The specialists at CruiseCompete have five suggestions for your next cruise ship shore adventures:

1. Private Aroma and Therapy Riviera style – Cannes, France

This excursion begins in the legendary French city of Cannes; one of the best-known cities of the French Riviera and famous for its film festival. After departing the pier, enjoy a morning of shopping. Stroll the elegant haute-couture shops of La Croisette Avenue or visit the more moderately priced stores of Rue d'Antibes.

At lunchtime, make your way to the Carlton Cannes, where Grace Kelley met her future prince. Enjoy a lunch buffet with a glass of French wine at The Carlton Beach Restaurant, which has lured locals, hotel guests, shoppers and celebrities onto its bay-view terrace for decades.

After lunch, drive to the self-proclaimed perfume capital of the world, Grasse, and tour one of its signature perfume factories. Walk next door to the Villa Habanita, where you will create your own perfume under the auspices of a master perfumer. Choose from 80 essences displayed on pivoting trays and take away your own eau de parfum in a 50 ml scent bottle. Guests may re-order their perfume anytime (each formula is kept secret by the perfume factory).

This tour takes approximately seven hours. Pricing: Depending on party size, prices range from $458 per person to $754 per person. More Information: To find out more details about this excursion, please click here.

2. Private Wine Tour to the Côtes de Provence- Cannes, France

In Côtes de Provence, the wine growers themselves decided to build a wine center – La Maison des Vins – where all of their products are gathered. During your visit, learn about the history, geography and production of the wines. Learn how to serve, to evaluate, to smell, to taste them and, finally, to drink them!

After lunch, a short bus ride will take you to the nearby estate Chateau Ste Roseline, an important pilgrimage site. Great artists have celebrated the life of Saint Roseline, Mother Superior of the abbey from 1300 to 1329, Marc Chagall in a mosaic, and Diego Giacometti with a relief sculpture and a bronze lectern. A visit will also be made to their award winning cellar. After your tasting, you will drive back to Cannes.

This tour lasts approximately 8 hours. Because this tour visits a religious or memorial site, shoulders and knees must be covered. Pricing: Depending on party size, prices range from $313 to $1133. More Information: To find out more details about this excursion, please click here.

There are many other wonderful shore excursions if you’re porting in Cannes. Tour the French Riviera, run away to the playground of the rich and famous in St. Tropez, or experience the glamour of Monte Carlo. To see more options please click here.

3. Private Ultimate La Boqueria, Cooking Class and More – Barcelona, Spain

After meeting your chef, you will visit the La Boqueria market, the largest marketplace in Spain. For more than 800 years this has been a wonderland of fruits, vegetables, meats, seafood, baked goods and sweets arriving by sea or the nearby fertile farmlands. As you tour the market with your chef, you will discover why Mediterranean cuisine is so popular and learn about the local products that make it unique. Your chef will help you choose the best ingredients for your gourmet cooking lesson and meal. Then walk to a nearby prestigious cooking school, where you will learn the secrets of the best seafood paella, suquet or crema catalana in town. Sit back and relax with a glass of wine or put your apron on and participate.

After lunch, take a guided tour of the old city known as the Gothic Quarter, passing several of the area’s unique architectural sites, including the Gothic Santa Maria Church. The Gothic Quarter is considered the heart of Barcelona and home to an abundance of gourmet shops and cafes tucked away in its nooks and crannies. Wander the same streets as Picasso and Miro; visit a charming local cheese shop to sample fresh Spanish cheese paired with a perfect wine.

Stop at the oldest venue in Barcelona for refreshments, as well as fruits and dried nuts such as hazelnuts from Lleida, almonds from Tarragona, homemade nougats and chocolates. Your secret gourmand route will be rounded out by a tasting of delicious chocolate con churros in a charming local cafe, one of the best places in Barcelona for this local delicacy.

This tour lasts approximately 9 Hours. Pricing: Depending on party size, prices range from $302 to $634. More Information: To find out more details about this excursion, please click here.

Barcelona is a wonderful port for shore excursions; you can walk in Picasso’s footsteps, visit the monastery at Montserrat, or simply take in the history… Here are some more options…

Europe has so much to offer… click here to view excursions in ports throughout this beautiful and historic region.

If an Alaska cruise is next on your list, we like this one:

4. Private Misty Fjords Fly Out Fly or Spin Fishing With Guide – Alaska

Fly through Misty Fjords, one of the most scenic natural areas in the world, onboard an Alaska seaplane on your way to a remote wilderness lake with your private fishing guide. In addition to frequent sightings of Alaska wildlife and the spectacular natural scenery, you will have the opportunity to experience fly or spin fishing for native Alaska trout on a wilderness lake, truly the fishing experience of a lifetime. Guests will have a great opportunity to catch a variety of trout species, including Dolly Varden, rainbow and trophy native cutthroat trout, as well as arctic grayling. Guests with a preference to fish for a specific species of trout can pre-arrange their specific trip with the guide.

We provide all flies and jigs designed and tied by your personal guide. Lures are provided for anglers choosing to spin fish. We also provide waders, boots, fly and spin rod set-ups, snacks while on the lakes and streams, transportation and all safety equipment needed for your trip.

Guests must bring $20 in cash to purchase a local Alaska fishing license, which is available from the guide. This tour lasts approximately 4 hours. Pricing: Depending on party size, prices range from $1949 to $2749. More Information: To find out more details about this excursion, please click here.

Headed to the Beautiful Hawaiian Islands?

5. Molokai Deluxe Helicopter Tour

See all the highlights of West Maui, then whale watch (in season) across the Pailolo channel to discover Hawaii's tallest waterfalls along Molokai's remote and isolated North Shore. Capture the world's steepest sea cliffs over 3,000 ft. tall on your video!

See Father Damien's monument at Kalaupapa before returning through the heart of the West Maui Mountains.

The helicopter portion of the excursion is one hour. Details: This tour lasts approximately one hour. Pricing: $420. More Information: To find out more details about this excursion, please click here.

To see more USA shore excursions, please visit CruiseCompete’s Shore Excursions By Port. The United States offers excursions throughout New England, and in Hawaii and Alaska.

These shore excursions are but a sampling of the options for your next adventure. CruiseCompete offers shore excursions throughout the world. Please visit CruiseCompete’s Shore Excursions By Port to plan a once-in-a-lifetime trip for your next voyage!

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