10 once-in-a-lifetime shore excursions

Some moments are so magical you couldn’t organise them on Google even if you tried. From helicopter hops over Australia’s wild Kimberley to private wine tastings in a monastery, these shore adventures let you step behind the velvet rope and straight into the kind of memories that make dinner-party jaws drop.

Royal Caribbean’s Perfect Day at CocoCay lets a limited number of lucky groups claim a Bora Bora-style over-water cabana, complete with slide, hammock, butler service and Champagne on speed-dial. Skip the scramble for sun-loungers and spend the day floating above neon-blue water in pure, private bliss.

Lift off in a vintage seaplane from Juneau, skim five icy glaciers, then land beside a 1923 log lodge where alder-smoked wild salmon sizzles on the grill and black bears sometimes wander past the windows. Seabourn’s Alaska Inside Passage sailings reserve the table, and the airstrip, just for you.

Viking’s Rhine Getaway guests can slip inside Eberbach Monastery after hours for a private wine tasting and medieval banquet beneath soaring Gothic vaults. It’s just your small group, centuries-old casks and the echo of history. 

On select Oceania cruises in Europe, you can join a Provençal truffle hunter (and his eager sniffer dog) in an oak forest, then roll up your sleeves in a farmhouse kitchen for a Michelin-chef masterclass and long, truffle-laced lunch.

In the Kimberley, lift off on a scenic chopper to the four-tier Mitchell Falls, then cool off in the emerald rock pools that crown the cascade. Explore ancient rock art tucked behind shimmering curtains of water. Roads? None. Memories? Off the charts.

Sailing on Celebrity Flora takes you to Champion Islet in the Galapagos, where inquisitive sea-lions and penguins frolic in the waters. Colour-burst reefs hide turtles, rays, reef sharks, and if you look up you’ll see Blue-footed boobies, pelicans and frigatebirds. It’s nature’s own amusement park, minus the queues. 

On a cruise to Antarctica with HX Expeditions, you could spend a night camping on the ice. Pitch your expedition-grade tent, listen to penguins chatter and wake to a polar sunrise few humans ever witness.

Paul Gauguin Cruises’ Motu Mahana is theirs—and yours—for the day. Think floating rum bar, Tahitian earth-oven BBQ and lagoon massages beneath swaying palms, with no other visitors in sight.

Azamara’s signature AzAmazing Evening swaps hushed concert halls for raw Andalusian passion: an exclusive, after-hours flamenco show staged just for guests in a historic Málaga venue, with gourmet tapas and chilled fino sherry flowing between sets. When the guitar’s final note fades and the dancers whirl off-stage, you’ll swear Spain is pulsing through your veins.

Inspired to set sail on a journey like no other? Discover the world from a new perspective, with endless horizons and unforgettable destinations. Connect with our cruise specialists today and start planning your dream voyage!