Take an introductory drive through Gisborne, an easy-going beach-blessed city that revolves around life’s pleasures such as surfing, dining and wine production.

After departing from the pier, you'll set off on a journey of discovery. Gisborne is home to approximately 44,000 people and is the birth place of a diverse variety of New Zealand notables, including pro surfer Maz Quinn, opera star Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, several Olympic medalists, and Footrot Flats comic book creator Murray Ball.

The shores of Gisborne are legendary for their beauty and history. Your tour will take you past the spot where Captain Cook, the English explorer who discovered the area, first landed and met the native Maori people.

Then, travel up Titirangi (Kaiti) Hill for a photo opportunity, passing a stately Marae, a Maori meeting house, considered to be the largest in New Zealand. When you reach the top of the hill, you’ll be treated to spectacular views of Poverty Bay, Young Nicks Head, the first piece of land sighted by James Cook’s crew and named for the young lad who spied it—and your anchored ship.

Continue along the shoreline to admire two of the area’s premier beaches. Wainui and Okitu are known for their impressive waves, which draw top surfers to their sands. Keep your camera ready for a stop at the sand dunes of Lysnar Reserve.

In just a few miles, the scenery changes dramatically, and you’ll find yourself in Gisborne’s idyllic rural area. Thirty percent of all wines produced in New Zealand come from this region. Enjoy the view as you drive along roads bordered by sweet-smelling orchards, award-winning vineyards, and lush, fertile plains. You’ll also see fields dotted with adorable fluffy sheep happily grazing beside quaint farmhouses.

On your return to the city, you’ll travel down the main shopping street, the tree-lined Gladstone Road. Named after former British Prime Minister William Ewart Gladstone, the boulevard houses boutiques, souvenir stores brimming with handcrafted gifts, surf shops and colorful outdoor cafes perfect for a bite to eat and people watching. You will have the option of disembarking to explore independently, making your own way back to port, or simply remaining on the motorcoach and returning to the ship.

Snap selfies at the most photogenic spots in and around Santorini, many of them iconic attractions that define the city. To ensure the best possible results, a selfie expert guide will offer tips so you can capture just the right angle, lighting and composition for every shot. Selfie sticks are available and complemented by a convenient photo frame, enabling you to capture, share, and post the best pictures in the future.

As you walk and ride through Santorini, you will pause at designated selfie stops that include:
• Aroma Avlis restaurant
• Oia’s Blue-Domed churches
• Three Bells of Fira church

HIGHLIGHTS

• Take inspiring selfies at the most photogenic attractions in Santorini.
• Follow tips from your selfie expert guide to ensure the very best pictures.
• Learn the historical significance of the locales while enjoying their dramatic settings.
• Sample local specialties at Aroma Avlis, a hilltop restaurant with panoramic views.
• Pose in front of the blue-domed churches in Oia and explore the coastal town.
• Stand above the Three Bells Fira Church and capture the ultimate shot of the city Fira.

HELPFUL HINTS

• Wear casual, weather-appropriate clothing and comfortable walking shoes.
• Bring a hat, sunglasses and sunscreen.
• Be sure your phone or camera is fully charged.

Enjoy an enlightening introductory walk through Nanortalik, the southernmost town in Greenland. Founded in 1797, Nanortalik is the country’s 10th-largest town despite having only about 1,350 residents. Even the translation of its name, which means “the place with polar bears,” indicates that nature not people rules supreme.

For an authentic glimpse into daily life in this rather remote town, you will see the local school, police station and fire department. As you walk about, the guide will describe in detail the challenges and joys of living in Nanortalik. You will also browse the open-air museum in old town, a collection of colonial-era buildings such as turf huts that reflect the area’s history. Inside, you will find exhibits of model boats, leather clothing able to withstand harsh conditions and fishing gear that the indigenous Inuits use. It is believed that the Inuits were among the Arctic people that invented the kayak about 4,000 years ago.

Aquaventure, Atlantis Paradise Island’s Water Park, is a one-of-a-kind 141 acre waterscape. Aquaventure features over twenty million gallons of water, thrilling high-speed water slides like the Mayan Temple and the 7-story Power Tower, a mile long river ride with rolling rapids, a spectacular kids water-play fort, 20 swimming areas, refreshing pools, and access to the most beautiful beaches in the Caribbean! Plus access to view the renowned Atlantis marine habitat, home to more than 50,000 fish representing 250 species and the Caribbean’s largest casino and stroll through Marina Village, a charming and vibrant marketplace featuring 20 retail shops, restaurants, and local entertainment for a distinctly Bahamian vacation experience.

Become familiar with the efforts of local fishermen to improve their methods and increase the industry’s sustainability. While following a seasoned fisherman around the Old Port of Marseille, you will learn some of the issues affecting the profession. The challenges include water pollution, climate change, over-fishing and even poachers taking endangered species from no-fishing zones. Fishing nets create another problem, as they are often lost, discarded, or abandoned at sea, yet they still continue to unintentionally trap marine creatures in a practice known as ghost fishing. As the fisherman will explain, using biodegradable nets is just one way the industry can protect the marine environment and improve the profession. Feel free to ask questions about what’s being done to raise awareness of the issues and provide acceptable solutions. As a memento, you will receive a cube of green diver’s soap made with olive oil in an eco-responsible way and wrapped in biodegradable packaging.

HIGHLIGHTS
• Discover some of ecological issues that fishermen face and how they are being addressed.
• Follow a veteran fisherman around the Old Port for a candid look at the profession.
• Receive a bar of diver’s soap made in an eco-friendly way as a memento.

HELPFUL HINTS
• Dress in weather-appropriate clothing.
• Wear flat comfortable walking shoes.

Discover memorable highlights of Portugal including the Royal Palace at Queluz, Sintra the summer residence of kings and the resort town of Cascais. As you depart Lisbon, enjoy the panorama of the River Tagus with views of the Monument of Discoveries, Jeronimos Monastery and the Tower of Belem. Drive to the Portuguese Royal Palace at Queluz. The simple exterior belies the lavishness within of the Throne Room and the Hall of Ambassadors. The sculpted gardens, with rows of hedges, artistically carved shrubs and huge magnolia trees are impressive.

You’ll visit Sintra, considered one of the most beautiful villages in Portugal. The Royal Palace is the dominant architectural feature, located right in the center of town. You’ll enjoy some free time here to stroll the charming narrow streets lined with bakeries, craft shops and small boutiques. Continue to the resort town of Cascais, it was developed during the late 19th century around a charming town. Enjoy some free time in the historical center with its narrow cobbled streets and interesting architecture.

Visit several of Old Town’s most iconic sites, which gained even greater fame after serving as locations for the fictional capital King’s Landing in “Game of Thrones.”

After departing from the pier, you will soon arrive in the oldest section of Dubrovnik, a revered UNESCO World Heritage Site. Fans of the TV series “Game of Thrones,” which is based on George R. R. Martin’s “A Song of Ice and Fire” fantasy novels, will recognize this part of Dubrovnik as King’s Landing, the fictional capital of the Seven Kingdoms.

Your first stop will be imposing Lovrijenac Fortress, located just outside the medieval walls that encircle Old Town. Known as Dubrovnik’s Gibraltar, the 11th-century fortress perches atop a craggy rock overlooking the sea, which represented Blackwater Bay in the books.

Continuing on, you will enter Old Town and make your way to the defensive walls to the south. After climbing the steps, you will walk along the stone battlements, which afford extraordinary views of the sea and the inner city. These walls appeared in numerous scenes in “Game of Thrones”; they were particularly prominent in the Battle of Blackwater Bay.

Later, you will enjoy free time within Old Town, where you may explore other sites that you may recognize from the series. For instance, the Jesuit Staircase was where Cersei Lannister began her Walk of Shame in Season Five, and many of the show’s market scenes were filmed along St. Dominic Street. Following free time, you will return to the pier.

Venture into the beautiful Thingvellir national park - a UNESCO World Heritage Site only about 30 miles from Reykjavik, and ranking at the top of Iceland’s attractions. This national park offers outstanding sceneries of mountains surrounding a vast lava plain covered in green moss and wild flowers. Head to the Geyser area where you’ll see hissing springs, bubbling pools and other geothermal phenomena. Lunch will be served nearby, amongst these scenic surroundings.

Another highlight of your day is the Gullfoss waterfall. The ‘Golden Waterfall’ is the most famous of the country’s many waterfalls. Here, the river Hvita drops 96 feet in two falls, creating an awesome spectacle. Being located on an old magma chamber, Hveragerdi is notorious not only for its abundance of hot springs, which heat the community’s greenhouse industry, but also for its earthquakes.

If you would like to explore archaeological site of Pompeii on your own, this private motor coach transfer is ideal.

Boarding your coach at the pier, you’ll head to Pompeii and be dropped off in a central location. A tour escort will be traveling with you to and from the ship and will answer any questions you may have about sightseeing or shopping.

After your allotted time in Pompeii, you’ll rejoin your motor coach for the return to Naples.

You’ll journey to the southern part of the island passing the picturesque villages of Macher and Uga and cross a huge black lava stream to get to the Timanfaya National Park. At the Visitors Center, you’ll learn about the volcanic phenomenon in Lanzarote. There are various exhibition rooms, each equipped with different interpretative resources. Then, it’s off to Timanfaya National Park, a natural museum of unique beauty. Bizarre craters, streams of lava, and fields of ash are mixed here with a nearly unrealistic lunar landscape, all formed during the last eruption in the 18th century. Upon arrival to Islote de Hilario, a crater with the highest surface temperatures in the region, you’ll experience still-existing activity not far underground as you gather around for fun demonstrations.

The geothermal energy is so strong that water gushes up and dry weed catches fire within seconds. At the restaurant El Diablo, food is cooked on a natural grill powered by the heat from the earth below. Board the coach to embark on a tour of the Fire Mountains called "Lunar Route" which goes deep inside the heart of the national park and lasts approximately 45 minutes. Through a recorded narration you’ll learn about the history of the volcanic eruptions and see how slowly life conquers the inhospitable landscape with very few endemic plants. Continue to the valley of La Geria where the famous Malvasia grape is cultivated. Here you’ll be able to taste the wine produced from the grapes that grow in deep holes surrounded by semicircular volcanic stone walls that protect the delicate vines from the strong winds.

Next, stop will at Mancha Blanca Village to enjoy a buffet-style lunch at Los Dolores Restaurant. Then continue to the Mirador del Rio viewpoint, built into the precipice of the Famara Mountains and also designed by Cesar Manrique. From the steep cliffs you’ll appreciate fantastic views (weather permitting) of the small island of La Graciosa, Montaña Clara and Alegranza. Drive to the northern area of the island known for its volcanic tunnels, product of strong eruptions that have carved caves and passages. The largest lava tunnel called Jameos del Agua is probably the most overwhelming, transformed into a small paradise by local artist Cesar Manrique. You’ll return to the harbor driving through the eastern coast of the island and passing the villages of Guatiza and Mala.

Travel by panoramic coach on a tour that offers fascinating insights on the lives of those who make the sometimes-harsh landscape of Iceland’s Westfjords their home. Beginning from the pier, you’ll drive through the streets of Isafjordur and out along the coastal road for a tour of wondrously remote Bolungarvik, a fishing village towered over by its surrounding mountains. Nearby, you’ll stop at the outdoor Ósvör Museum, where a century-old fisherman’s hut has been restored, complete with the tools of the trade – and the fisherman.

On another leg of the journey, you’ll find yourself up amidst breathtaking views of the magnificent mountains of the Djup, largest of the West Fjords and the Buna River. Not far from that spot, you’ll stop to admire a beautiful stepped waterfall in Tunguskogur and take an opportunity to taste the freshest, clearest mountain water you may ever have encountered. Back in Isafjordur, you’ll stop in at the Maritime and Folk Museum, which calls one of the town’s oldest and best-preserved houses its home. The museum presents an excellent collection of artifacts related to the region’s maritime history – as well as a sizable accordion collection. Gotta have something to do during those long winters.

Walk through Lungotevere, one of the oldest sections of Rome, and sample a multitude of classic Italian treats. Your culinary immersion will begin at Campo de Fiori, where you will meander a bustling outdoor marketplace with stalls full of colorful produce, aromatic spices and classic Italian condiments. Crudites will be offered, allowing you to see just how tasty raw vegetables can be, especially when dipped in seasoned fresh-pressed olive oil. You will then walk to a bakery for a pizza tasting, on to a chocolate shop to sample confections and then to Sant’ Eustachio, a coffee shop that makes its espresso with water from an ancient aqueduct. The proprietors will explain how they ensure the freshest ingredients and highest quality. A refreshing dessert follows at Giolitti, which may be Rome’s oldest, if not finest, gelato shop. You will then enjoy free time around Navona Square, a wonderfully atmospheric area built over a stadium from the 1st century.

HIGHLIGHTS:
• Taste an array of classic Italian treats in one of the Rome’s oldest sections.
• Expect to sample crudites, pizza, chocolate confections, coffee and gelato.
• Spend free time exploring atmospheric Navona Square.