New Group Cruise Options,

It is no secret cruise lines offer their passengers more choices than ever. Yes, cruise guests still sail for the dining, ports and entertainment, but now you can build your group around golfing, wine, health and fitness, culinary arts, holistic health and spa elements, theater, enrichment series and renowned lecturers. The high interest levels in health and fitness have carried over to the cruise industry. Cunard Line introduced the Canyon Ranch Health Spa onboard their Queen Mary 2 when she was launched in 2004. Manned by a staff of 51, this state of the art 20,000 square-foot facility offers guests the chance to enjoy unique therapeutic water and rejuvenating spa treatments, including the exotic Rasul Ceremony, a Canyon Ranch signature item. And Holland America Lines Signature of Excellence program, a $225 million initiative launched in late 2003 to enhance and upgrade all the areas of their fleet, includes partnering with another spa stalwart The Greenhouse Spa. Holland America Lines ships will all feature The Greenhouse Spa by early 2006. These offer great avenues to build a group theme around health, wellness, and therapeutic areas. Carnival Cruise Lines is offering their second annual Mind/Body Cruise aboard their Carnival Pride this fall, which features a faculty of experts from Shape and Mens Fitness magazines. Informative seminars are devoted to health, fitness and nutrition. Wine lovers who like to cruise also have a new option. Carnival Cruise Lines recently launched its Presidential Wine Club, the cruise industry first. Carnival President and CEO, Robert Dickinson, a noted wine collector and connoisseur who is the namesake behind the Presidential Wine Club, is hosting a Carnival Wine Cruise aboard the Carnival Liberty in December of 2005. During this inaugural Presidential Wine Club Cruise, a number of events will be featured, including informative seminars with wine experts, gala wine tasting, and wine-themed parties. And extensive, personalized activities are also part of the cruise, ranging from two different wine tasting seminars featuring not just the wines but also the winemakers, to special opening and farewell receptions and nightly food pairings. Culinary arts enthusiasts also have a new alternative. Spending more than $13 million to create and install special Culinary Arts Center facilities on all of their ships, Holland America is the first cruise line to create these dedicated show kitchens at sea. Guests on select Holland America Line cruises will have an opportunity to experience seminars and demonstrations conducted by top chefs, leading cookbook authors and wine experts provided by Food & Wine. If you have golf enthusiasts in your group, Norwegian Cruise Line has a solution. NCL offers weekly cruises throughout the Hawaiian Islands, and their new Golf Hawaii program ties in beautifully with some of Hawaiis most intriguing golf courses. Golfers do not even have to bring along their own golf clubs, and golf shoes are also available for rental. Guests can choose to play from among five different golf courses during the cruise, on Kauai, Kona and Maui. The Golf Hawaii components can be pre-reserved, so morning tee times are guaranteed in advance at Hawaiis best courses. For cruise enthusiasts who prefer a bit of intellectual stimulation, groups have even more from which to select. Celebrity Cruises, for instance, has expanded their Celebrity Discoveries program, with up to four lecturers on every cruise, ranging from caricature artists onboard Bermuda and Caribbean sailings to residential naturalists on the lines Alaskan, Hawaii and South American cruises. In 2005, famous onboard personalities included actors like Larry Hagman, Ernest Borgnine, Jane Powell, Orson Bean, and Rita Moreno, news correspondents such as CBS Evening News Ike Pappas and NBC News Irving R. Levine, and former Olympic gymnast Cathy Rigby. And National Geographic Traveler has teamed with Celebrity Cruises to bring noted photojournalists onboard. Partnering with Englands prestigious University of Oxford, the QM2 offers their exclusive Oxford Discovery Programme. Guests can interact with some of the worlds top scholars on science, politics, English architecture and history. In addition, the QM2 features enrichment programs with guest speakers sponsored by Architectural Digest, House & Garden and the New Yorker. Still another unique feature is the QM2s Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts program, which includes acting workshops and performances.