Made-to-order shore excursions on Holland America by Various Travel Authors on Creators.com

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Made-to-order shore excursions on Holland America

By Sheila Sobell and Richard N. Every

It was early morning, and only goats and sheep were out grazing the rocky, arid hillside. From the walled city of Dubrovnik, Croatia, our car followed a serpentine road, Jadranska Turisticka, for 1,300 feet up to the summit of Srd Hill, the area's second tallest mountain. Strains of guitar music lured us up cracked stone steps to the top, where the view of Dubrovnik, the Zupa Dubrovacka valley and the Elaphite Islands of the Adriatic was mesmerizing. A waiter offered us champagne and local pastries, and we toasted ourselves and this seductive city. We had arrived at a private spot for lovers known only to the locals.

Meanwhile, Lindsay Currie was squatting in front of a crumbling house in the village of Psili Vrisi on the Greek island of Peloponnese, photographing through the keyhole the interior of her great-grandfather's house. Later she sat down to a traditional Greek lunch prepared by distant cousins and pored over a photograph of her great-grandfather with an award he received from the king of Greece for fighting in the Balkan War.

John and Sally Sullivan, Roman Catholics from Great Falls, Va., wanted a tour of Rome that would appeal to their three children, ages 9, 13 and 16.

"Sally and I had in mind an experience that would bring our family together and strengthen our religious conviction," John said.

Since 2004, Holland America's Signature Collection has been making the dreams of cruise passengers like all of us come true. Working in concert with local tourism partners, the shore excursion manager helps develop an itinerary, discover off-the-beaten-track experiences, find guides and translators, and arrange creative transportation ranging from private vehicles to boats to floatplanes. Every excursion is tailor-made. In our case, they surprised us with exquisitely romantic locations, restaurants and shops along with an award-winning "best of Dubrovnik" English-speaking guide. For Currie, they located her grandfather's village and provided a Greek translator and driver. For the Sullivans, they hired a guide with a strong art and history background who could bring centuries of religious history to life for both the kids and their parents.

One of our favorite day trips was to the Old City of Dubrovnik. Just after we traversed a drawbridge defended by two guards in medieval costumes and armed with pikes, we noticed a musician sitting at the edge of a circular fountain and running a curved bow over a single-string musical instrument with a wooden back called a gusla and stamping out a beat on two precariously balanced wooden boards. Anyone with an untrained ear would guess the outdoor recital was prompted by the guslar's wife, who, upon hearing the cacophony he produced, urged him to "take it outside." That day he entertained visitors who were charmed by the Indian- and Tibetan-inspired melodies and paid generously for the privilege of a photo opportunity.

Following in the steps of Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson, who made the city fashionable in the 1930s, we decided on a bit of shopping.

At the Stradun art gallery we were entranced by the ingenuity of a 98-year-old weaver and her daughters who have cleverly transformed the embroidered textiles used to fashion the country's national folkloric costumes into purses that sell for upward of $200, depending on the design's complexity.

Beauty piqued our appetites. Our guide, Marojica Bijelic (Malo), took us to a secret location for lunch — Gil's restaurant just beyond the main shopping square. Hidden away in an old French fort, it has been transformed into a first-class European restaurant offering elegant French fusion cuisine and a dŽcor that blends Moroccan draped ceilings with bold purple walls and glass Venetian chandeliers that cascade down over the tables like private waterfalls. Through the casement windows we caught stunning views of the harbor before we were directed out from the main room into the courtyard and tucked away into a tented alcove straight out of the "Arabian Nights," where it's rumored that many a young enamorato has bribed the waiter to "hold the coffee and draw the drapes."

Thirty minutes later we were in Ston, a tiny village specializing in oysters. Like Dubrovnik, it was once completely fortified by the Romans to safeguard its salt beds, then a very valuable commodity. At the restaurant Bota in Mali, Ston, we took an outdoor table and waved away the menu. On offer was the perfect recipe for romance - Prosekao, a sweet after-dinner wine, coupled with oysters plucked just hours ago from the bay outside.

IF YOU GO

Other intriguing personalized options on Holland America cruises include the Medallion Collection, offering first-class access to events and sights not normally readily available; multiday Overland Adventures; the Encore Collection that showcases hidden gems, unusual angles and inside stories for repeat visitors; and the Worldwide Collection that focuses on Holland America's own nominations to the Seven Wonders of the World's natural treasures, architectural marvels and technical wonders. For more information and reservations, call 877-932-4259 or visit www.hollandamerica.com.

Sheila Sobell and Richard N. Every are professional worldwide travel photojournalists. Visit them at www.writersobell.com. To read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.