SHORE EXCURSIONS

After departing from the pier, you will enjoy a leisurely drive along the Bay of Naples and on to Sorrento, a city of Renaissance palazzi and charming pedestrian lanes. A meandering walk will take you to a woodworking studio, where craftsmen will likely demonstrate the art of intarsia or wood inlay, which has long been associated with Sorrento. Free time follows, during which you might browse the museums and boutiques. Ceramic tableware, casual fashions and intarsia jewellery boxes are amongst the most popular items.

Then, it's on to Pompeii, a Roman town forever known for the catastrophic eruption of Mount Vesuvius that buried it under ash and pumice in 79 A.D. After free time to explore on your own and perhaps watch artisans create cameos, you will tour the ruins. The excavations have unearthed a snapshot of life here nearly 2,000 year ago. Buildings are largely intact, frescoes adorn the villas and everyday objects are scattered about, just as they were when the volcano erupted. Expect to see ancient baths, temples and residences with intricate mosaic floors. It's an eye-opening look into ancient life, one you will remember long after returning to Naples.

See the very best of Manhattan on this comprehensive full-day tour. Leaving the pier, you will first travel to midtown and Rockefeller Plaza. Home to NBC's Today Show, the Plaza is also the annual location for New York's spectacular Christmas tree and the nostalgic ice-skating rink. Your visit here gives you the opportunity to ascend to the Top of the Rock Observatory and be treated to some fabulous and breathtaking panoramic views of the city from this 70-story high observation platform.

After this exhilarating experience, re-board your motor coach and travel to the Financial District. You will be visiting St Paul Chapel & The 9/11 Memorial. St. Paul's Chapel, where President George Washington paused to pray after his inauguration. Presently St. Paul's contains exhibits and memorabilia relating to the 9/11 attacks. You will then walk to the 9/11 Memorial, which consists of 2 massive pools set within the original footprints of the Twin Towers with 30-foot waterfalls cascading down their sides. Take some time to reflect and pay your respects to those that lost their lives there and view New York’s tallest building, One World Trade.

Your tour next makes its way to Grand Central Terminal, both a transportation hub and destination in itself for visitors to New York City. The charming beaux-arts building has undergone restoration to bring it back to its former glory. Here, you can enjoy some free time to explore and purchase some luncheon. You will be afforded approximately 75 minutes of free time here to shop and have lunch on your own before re-joining your coach.

Following your break for lunch, enjoy a scenic drive past Central Park, along Fifth Avenue and through Times Square before making your way to Herald Square. This neighborhood remains predominately a shopping district and you will get a chance to pass by the landmark facade of Macy's, the world's largest department store which is famous not just for shopping, but for its parades as well. Other areas you will see today are Madison Square Garden, the world famous arena that hosts sporting events and entertainment shows; Greenwich Village and SoHo, the fashionable area nicknamed for its "South of Houston Street" location; Chinatown; the financial district and Wall Street. Inside visit of St. Paul Chapel is not included.

Filled with the sights and sounds of a day spent discovering New York, your coach will drop you back at the pier where your ship awaits.

Applaud the splendid natural beauty of Southern Africa's western coast during this dolphin and seal cruise on the Walvis Bay Lagoon. Travel along a littoral road to the historic jetty at Swakopmund and board an open-air boat for a three-hour cruise in the renowned Walvis Bay Lagoon, declared a Wetland of International Importance as it is one of the most significant ecological sites along Southern Africa’s western coast. You’ll learn that the lagoon is well-known for its native bird species and vast array of intra-African and Palaearctic migrants, and find the water is usually very calm yet teeming with avian and marine life. Continue on to Pelican Point, a sand spit separating Walvis Bay from the Atlantic Ocean, where you’ll likely encounter a large Cape fur seal colony, and watch for schools of heavyside and bottlenose dolphins that often swim alongside the boat. Keep a sharp lookout for white-chinned petrels, Wilson’s storm petrels, cape gannets, pelicans and cormorants. During your cruise, you’ll savor a delicious repast of fresh oysters, sparkling wine, soft drinks and a selection of open-faced sandwiches, a perfect accompaniment to your outdoor adventure.

HIGHLIGHTS
• Embark an open-air boat for an in-depth exploration of the famed Walvis Bay Lagoon.
• Survey the lagoon’s protected wetland, known for its plethora of avian species and marine life.
• Thrill to schools of heavyside and bottlenose dolphins trailing beside your boat.
• Search for white-chinned petrels, Wilson’s storm petrels or cape gannets amid a flurry of countless pelicans and cormorants.
• Spy a large colony of Cape fur seals at sandy Pelican Point.

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

Observe the abundant wildlife in the naturally beautiful Patagonian steppe, highlighted by a leisurely walk among a large colony of Magellanic penguins.

After departing from the pier, you will settle in for an immensely scenic drive along the New Gulf and on to rugged Punta Ninfas on the Patagonian steppe. The vegetation here is shrubby, wind-blown and an ideal wildlife habitat. Gray fox, llama-like guanacas and various species of seabirds, including oystercatchers and albatrosses, are found in this dry landscape.

Even so, penguins are the star attractions in this part of Patagonian, as you will discover from your base at El Pedral Lodge. Perched on a cliff, the lodge was built in 1904 and some of the period furnishing still remain, including the mahogany dining table.

From here, you will head to a nearby Magellanic penguin rookery for an extended walk among these highly social birds. If you hear the penguins braying like donkeys, it is simply the way they seek mates.

You can expect to see the penguins tottering about, tending to their young, interacting with each other, and perhaps hunting small fish just offshore. A group of penguins floating in the ocean is called a raft; a group on land is sometimes called a waddle because of their awkward walk.

Later, you will walk through a ravine where you can observe fossils from the Cenozoic Era, estimated to be at least 30 million years old. Lunch at the lodge follows, after which you will return to the pier.

Experience life in the days of the Klondike Gold Rush through activities that defined Alaska in the late 1890s. Upon arriving in Dredge Town, a replica of typical gold rush community, you will watch a sled dog demonstration and interact with puppies that will eventually pull sleds for the famed Iditarod annual competition. You will also learn to pan gold and extract gold nuggets from a stream with a water sluice much like those that the prospectors used. You can then bring your pay dirt to the assayer’s office to determine its value. The gold will be yours to keep. An enlightening tour of the 60 Mile Dredge, one of the last remaining authentic gold dredges in the world, adds even more depth to your understanding of the mania that fueled the Klondike Gold Rush. Finish with a hearty barbecue lunch complete with a dessert of s’mores over a campfire or enjoy an amazing soda float (weather dependent), amazing performances, and laughter with our costumed characters.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Visit a musher’s camp and watch sled dogs demonstrate their strength and stamina.
• Interact with the sled dogs and puppies.
• Pan for gold nuggets like the prospectors did in the Klondike Gold Rush of 1898.
• Enjoy a barbecue lunch and make s’mores over a campfire.
• Tour Dredge Town for a deeper understanding of life during the gold rush.