Whether through guests lecturers, educational programmes, music or one of a whole host of other special additions, cruise customers have the opportunity to enjoy, on certain sailings, something which is extra-special or unusual. Here are some of our favourite examples

Opera and Cruise with Regent Seven Seas
RSSC have created a unique opportunity to combine a wonderful seven day cruise itinerary on the 490 guest Seven Seas Navigator with two nights in the elegant city of Verona, with opera tickets included. Stay two nights at the unique Due Torri hotel, just minutes from the Arena de Verona, one of the Baglioni group. During your stay, you can take the time to explore the picturesque streets and breathtaking architecture of this very special city, as well as enjoying a performance of Aida (19th July cruise) or Carmen (24th July departure) in first sector stalls seats.

Choose from the 19th July cruise from Rome to Venice, calling at Sorrento, Naxos, Corfu, Kotor, Dubrovnik and Venice with fares from £2995 per person, or the 26th July cruise from Venice to Piraeus calling at Koper, Hvar, Sarande, Kusadasi and Mykonos with fares from £3195 per person. (Fares are based on an H category suite with sea view, including all drinks, meals and gratuities, and include transfers, economy class flights and the Verona stay with Gold tickets for the Verona opera as shown)

Walk and Cruise with Hebridean International
Hebridean’s Footloose adventures on selected cruises on Hebridean Spirit this summer enable you to encounter the natural landscape from an even more private perspective when you join the optional walking expeditions in selected ports of call. From a leisurely morning ramble to a full day’s hike with picnic lunch, the walks offer a variety of length and challenge – but rest assured you will be helped along the way, and your abilities and fitness levels are taken into account.

Choose from Footloose in Iberia, 8 nights from Lisbon to Malaga on April 21st with fares from £3399 per person; Footloose on Spanish Shores, 7 nights from Malaga to Alicante on 29th April with fares from £3042 per person; Footloose to Catalonia, 6 nights from Alicante to Barcelona on 6th May with fares from £2544 per person. (Fares are based on E category accommodation with sea view including all drinks, meals and gratuities, and include all shore excursions, transfers and private flights from Stansted)

Dine and Cruise with Crystal Cruises
Crystal Serenity’s May 2008 Wine and Food cruise includes an unprecedented number of wine and food-themed excursions and onboard presentations by the culinary world’s brightest stars. The 12-day voyage from London to Rome, which includes an overnight stay in Bordeaux, offers 18 epicurian Crystal Adventures as well as onboard events with Master Chef André Soltner and Master Sommelier Evan Goldstein. Excursions include cooking lessons in Barcelona and the South of France and ‘from the barrel’ tastings at Chateau Mouton Rothschild. Guests visit the wine regions of Bordeaux, Cognac, St. Emilion, and Pomerol, as well as Spain’s La Rioja region and Lisbon’s Port Wine Institute.

Join Crystal Serenity from Southampton to Rome on 7th May for 12 nights with fares from £2900 per person (or break the cruise in Lisbon for a 6 night voyage with fares from £1399 per person (Fares are based on C category staterooms with sea view including soft drinks and meals, and are cruise only)