OVERVIEW

Take the ferry across the Golden Horn to the Asian side of Istanbul and experience local life in two engaging, trend-setting neighborhoods. A short tram ride will then bring you to the Moda district, a gentrified area with a creative edge. While meandering about, you will see Greek and Armenian churches next to mosques and a wonderful mix of people from all nationalities. You will get an even more authentic feel while pausing for a cup of coffee at a café. A downtown walk will bring you to Kadikoy, a once sleepy neighborhood that has become a hip hotspot full of cafés and bars. Along the way, you will pass a variety of antique shops and stores selling merchandise ranging from household goods to the traditional candy lokum. Also called Turkish Delight, lokum is often flavored with coconut, dates, almonds or ginger. Lunch follows, after which you will meander through a market that will be abuzz with activity.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Take a ferry across the Golden Horn, one of the primary inlets of the Bosphorus.
• Explore the creative, gentrified neighborhood of Moda and pause for a cup of coffee.
• Meander through the hip neighborhood of Kadikoy and enjoy a traditional lunch.

HELPFUL HINTS

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

Experience Uruguay’s energetic capital like a local by browsing two popular markets and relaxing along La Rambla, the popular promenade that runs along the coast. Near the pier, you will find the Montevideo Agricultural Market, a National Heritage site affectionately known as MAM. The locals mostly come for the extraordinary fruits and vegetables, and many of the vendors will offer samples that will be indicative of Montevideo’s cuisine. You can also expect to be offered samples at the Ferrando Market, a much newer attraction packed with fine restaurants and shops selling gourmet products. Like MAM, it is an excellent venue for people-watching. Another candid glimpse at local life awaits you along La Rambla, the popular promenade that follows the coast. A favorite of walkers, runners and bicyclists, La Rambla is probably the ultimate place to take in the local life. To really live like a Uruguayan, try mate, a traditional caffeinated drink that is a national obsession.

HIGHLIGHTS:
• Browse two markets, one a National Heritage site, the other known for gourmet products.
• Sample a variety of fresh produce and unusual dishes and treats at the markets.
• Enjoy a slice of life by walking along La Rambla, Montevideo’s coastal promenade.

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.

When we return to Reykjavík we’ll make one last stop at Perlan, the Pearl before returning to the pier. Perlan has a viewing deck that offers great panoramic views over Reykjavik, perfect for taking photos or just relaxing and enjoying the view. Lastly, enjoy a scenic drive of the city on your way back to your ship.

Capture the moment by taking the perfect selfie photo in Istanbul! Instantly share your experience with family & friends on your favorite social media site Selfie experts will teach you how to take the best selfie photo including composition, posing, lighting etc. Capture the spirit of this incredible destination.

Your tour will start with a scenic drive from the ship to your first selfie stop with astonishing views on the way. Your walking tour will have designated selfie stops at:

• Sultanahmet Square
• Grand Baazar
• Galata Bridge
• The Blue Mosque
• Hagia Sophia

You will have some free time to go shopping in the Grand Bazaar, and to end your picture-perfect day, you will experience a traditional Turkish Drinks tasting.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Visit Istanbul’s most epic spots to snap your selfies while enjoying local Raki tasting and learning about its history and architecture!
• Learn from Selfie Experts tips & tricks on how to take the perfect selfie.
• Enjoy a deep dive into Turkish culture discovering unique local treats.

Enjoy an enlightening tour of Naples by visiting Spaccanapoli, the street that divides the city, and by savoring folded pizza, a classic Neapolitan treat.

After departing from the pier, you will begin a panoramic drive around Naples, taking in the views from locales such as Posillipo Hill in one of the city’s most affluent areas. Along the way, you will pass the imposing Castle Nuovo.

While parts of it date to the 13th century, it is still known as the new castle to distinguish it from the famed Egg Castle, which began as a 1st-century Roman villa. Castle Nuovo’s five towers make it one of Naples’ most recognizable landmarks. You will also see the Egg Castle, which holds a commanding position on the sea.

In time, you will reach Spaccanapoli, a long street whose name means “Naples splitter,” a reference to it seeming to divide the city in two. Here, you will visit the Jesuit church Gesú Nuovo and the Church of Santa Chiara, which was founded in 1310 and features an austere Provencal-Gothic style. Much of Santa Chiara had to be rebuilt after World War II.

For an even more authentic glimpse into daily life, you will walk through the narrow streets of Old Town, which UNESCO has declared a Cultural Heritage site. As you will discover, there is no better setting to eat portafoglio or folded pizza, as the dish was invented in Naples. A cup of fresh espresso at a nearby café standing at the counter as Neapolitan does will top off the experience.

Gain an appreciation for some of Cyprus’ crafts and foods by visiting a traditional baker, beekeeper and basket weaver. Your first stop will be the village of Larnaca, where you will stop at the Byzantine church Agios Lazaros and at a bakery for a snack of koupes, a traditional street food stuffed with minced meat and spices. Cyprus is known for its extraordinary honey, which you will hear about from a beekeeper in the rustic village Valva. You will also taste the honey, which may reflect a bouquet of flora such as thyme, eucalyptus and orange blossom. Once you arrive in the village of Choirokotia, artisan Petros Nicolaou will demonstrate the art of basket-weaving, a trade he learned from his grandparents. It takes about three hours to make a single basket from water reeds, and it is a fascinating process. While observing Nicolaou’s artistry, you will sample local delicacies that include halloumi cheese made in a basket.

HIGHLIGHTS:
• Stop in a historical village to snack on a traditional street food known as koupes.
• Sample honey that reflects the flavors of the local flora in another village.
• Watch a basket weaver demonstrate his prodigious talents as you snack on local cheese.

Sail across Pillsbury Sound to the enchanting island of St. John on a catamaran and then snorkel in the turquoise waters just offshore. All that is required of you is to sit back and relax as the catamaran glides along the eastern end of St. Thomas and continues to St. John, the most pristine of the U.S. Virgin Islands. In time, you will arrive at Honeymoon Beach within the Virgin Islands National Park. You will be free to snorkel, stroll along the sugar-white beach and relax as you see fit. You might stretch out on a beach towel, linger in the shade of a coconut palm and swim in the sea with nothing on your mind other than enjoying yourself. On the return cruise to St. Thomas, the champagne will be flowing and an array of cheeses, freshly baked breads and fresh tropical fruits will be served.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Sail on a sleek catamaran to neighboring St. John, half of which is a national park.
• Snorkel the crystal-clear waters off Honeymoon Beach on the island’s western edge.
• Bask in the sun, relax on the beach and delight in the natural beauty.
• Celebrate the adventure with a tropical beverage from the open bar on the return cruise.

Explore a wetland nature reserve on reclaimed land that now supports an abundance of indigenous flora and fauna. Salt pans covered much of this area for centuries, and it wasn’t until about 50 years ago that the brackish wetlands became an important habitat for flora and fauna. As you walk through this wonderfully unique ecosystem, a naturalist will describe the transformation of the reserve and how environmentalists prevented it from becoming an industrial zone. Nearly 250 types of birds—more than half the species in the entire country of Slovenia—have been spotted there, including Eurasian reed warblers, black-winged stilts and squacco herons. You can also expect to see a huge variety of colorful butterflies flitting about. Halophytes are among the more intriguing plants found in the wetlands, as they thrive in salty ground. From a distance, these succulents appear to have ice on their leaves, but it is actually dried salt that the plants exude from their glands.

HIGHLIGHTS
• Gain insight into how former salt pans were transformed into a thriving wetland.
• Walk through a now-protected nature reserve with a naturalist guide.
• Observe abundant wildlife that includes more than half the bird species in Slovenia.

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

Capture the moment by taking the perfect selfie photo in Naples & Sorrento! Instantly share your experience with family & friends on your favorite social media site Our selfie experts will teach you how to take the best selfie photo including composition, posing, lighting etc. Capture the spirit of this incredible destination.

Your tour will start with a scenic drive from the ship to Sorrento which is a balcony over the sea with amazing views of Naples and Mount Vesuvius. Your walking tour will have designated selfie stops at: • Villa Communale
• Piazza Tasso
• Basilica Reale Pontificia San Francesco da Paola
• Castle Nuovo

To make this experience even more fun, you will be provided with a selfie stick and utilize our Selfie Station in order to help catch the perfect picture. During the tour, you will get to taste traditional Neapolitan slice of pizza and local beer.

Enjoy meeting the locals and being entertained by whimsical lemurs on this delightful tour to nearby Nosy Komba.

Board your local boat from the ship's gangway and cruise across the east coast of Nosy Be to Nosy Komba, passing the verdant Lokobe evergreen forest along the way. Reaching the fishing village of Ampangoriana, you will tender ashore (please note it is a "wet" landing) and then have a bit of time to mingle with the locals and browse for souvenirs. Approximately 500 yards from the village is the Black Lemur Sanctuary, home to Madagascar's most famous residents, the black lemurs. During your visit, you will have the opportunity to observe these lively creatures as they leap from tree to tree. The black lemurs are the males and the brown lemurs the females. Although these animals live in the wild, they are tame enough to be fed with bananas and their capricious behavior will no doubt be fun to watch.

Leaving the sanctuary, you will walk to a nearby snack bar where you will be treated to a light snack while relaxing in the shade of a Tamarind tree and taking in the wonderful views of the Lokobe Reserve and surrounding islands. During your break, the local Sakalava embroiders will give you a demonstration on tablecloth making and the village children will perform a brief folk show for you. Free time will be provided for you to stroll on the beach, shop for souvenirs or perhaps take a dip in the ocean.

At the conclusion of your visit, you will re-board your boat and cruise back to Nosy Be and your awaiting ship.

Snorkel the azure waters adjacent to the of Belize's Barrier Reef, the world’s largest living barrier reef. This is a shallow water entry, well suited for beginners and intermediate snorkelers. Depart from the Harvest Caye Marina on one of our comfortable snorkel vessels for the short scenic ride to a beautiful site along the reef. This location is teeming with multitudes of colorful reef fish, co-habiting among the beautiful hard and soft coral formations, intermingled with sponges, sea fans, and delicate sea anemones.

Possible sightings of spotted eagle rays and schools of larger fish are quite common, large starfish, queen conchs, and sea cucumbers also call this patch of the reef home. After snorkeling, re-board your boat and enjoy the return trip while listening to Caribbean rhythmic vibes. After returning to the pier, as you step off the boat, you can pick up your complimentary rum punch.

Experience traditional rural life by making bread, sampling cheeses and coffee, and conversing with villagers. While visiting the family-operated Hadjiiorkis flour mill in Frenaros, you will learn how the milling process has changed over the decades. You will then combine the necessary ingredients and make your own whole wheat bread shaped like a boule, from the French word for ball. Feel free to sample it at the mill and take the remaining loaf with you on the way to Athienou village. Your host there will be the mayor, who will lead you on an enlightening insider’s tour of the area, which was first settled in the Neolithic period that began about 12,000 ago. Later, you will enjoy a cup of strong coffee made in a long-handled pot called a mbriki. Other highlights include a tasting of halloumi and anari cheeses made in a 19th-century creamery and a revealing conversation with an Orthodox priest.

HIGHLIGHTS:
• Sample a loaf of wheat bread that you will make at a mill and take the rest with you.
• Follow the mayor of Athienou around the historical village and pause for a cup of coffee.
• Sample cheeses and converse with a local priest.