Enjoy a glass of sherry while learning to make authentic tapas at the Bodega Casa del Marques, a 19th-century palace built for a wine merchant. The elegant residence is decorated with period furnishings that lend it an ambiance so authentic that it feels as if you were transported to another time. While there, you will learn to make tapas, some traditional and others topped with surprisingly inventive ingredients. These small-plate snacks reflect the local cuisine and are typically served with a glass of sherry, especially in Jerez, which has been producing the fortified wine for more than 175 years. The exact tapas that you will prepare will depend on which ingredients are freshest and most flavorful. They might include fried fish, meatballs or something a bit more unusual such as stewed ox tail. Be sure to add favorite ingredients, as you will dine on the tapas afterwards.

HIGHLIGHTS:
• Participate in a hands-on culinary class at a 19th-century palace built for a wine merchant.
• Learn to prepare authentic, small-plate tapas with traditional and unusual ingredients.
• Dine on the finished tapas and enjoy a glass of sherry as an accompaniment.

Drive through the beautiful Andalucia region to an acclaimed cheese-producing village for an insider’s look at the artisanal process and to sample the most representative cheeses. Your host will be a farmer that tends payoya goats and Grazalemeña sheep, whose milk is used to produce the cheeses. The most well-known and award-winning cheese is El Bosqueño, a smooth textured, light-colored cheese. The farmer will lead you through the fields where the goats and sheep graze and walk you through the cheese-making process step by step. You will also browse a cheese museum with displays of cheese-making hand tools and exhibits detailing the history of cheese production in the area. Afterwards, you will enjoy a sampling that may include an emborrado cheese cured in olive oil and wheat bran. Other cheeses produced here are cured with fresh spices such as rosemary and paprika. To complement the experience, you will be served a glass of locally produced wine.

HIGHLIGHTS:
• See how several award-winning cheeses are produced at a farm in the town of El Bosque.
• Browse a cheese museum with displays that trace the importance of cheese in this region.
• Sample various cheeses made with milk from payoya goats and Grazalemeña sheep.

Capture the moment by taking the perfect selfie photo in Florence & Pisa! Instantly share your experience with family & friends on your favorite social media site as many of the stops will include wi-fi in real time. Professional photographers & 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 Piazza della Signoria. Your walking tour will have designated selfie stops at: • Piazza della Signoria
• Santa Maria de Fiore Cathedral
• Piazza della Repubblica
• Ponte Vecchio
• Piazzale Michelangelo
• The Tower of Pisa

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 stop for some traditional treats and a wine tasting.

Experience local life by riding public transportation to several trendy neighborhoods where expats comfortably enjoy Lisbon’s leisurely lifestyle. A tram will take you through some of the city’s most affluent neighborhoods to the landmark basilica in Estrela. Queen Maria I ordered the church to be built to celebrate the birth of her only son, who sadly died two years before the church was completed in 1790. The queen rests in an elaborate tomb inside. Across from the basilica, you will find the 19th-century Estrela Gardens, an urban oasis with a duck pond, manmade caves and a wrought-iron bandstand. You are sure to see plenty of locals and expats relaxing on the benches and strolling the winding garden paths. After a traditional cup of espresso-like coffee known locally as “bica,” you will ride the bus to the Principe Real neighborhood. During free time there, you might stroll the botanical gardens, or simply take in the spectacular views.

HIGHLIGHTS:
• Join Lisbon’s expats in the neighborhoods where they now reside.
• Get an authentic feel for what attracts the expats to Lisbon.
• Mingle with the locals, ride public transportation and spend free time exploring downtown.

This sightseeing cruise features guaranteed whale watching! Following a short motorcoach ride to scenic Auke Bay, you’ll board a water jet powered catamaran specially designed for wildlife viewing. Relax in the warm, comfortable, spacious main cabin, surrounded by large windows as your experienced Captain guides you through the island studded waters of Stephens Passage. Against a majestic backdrop of snow-capped peaks and glaciers, the onboard naturalist will explain the behavior and habitat of wildlife you may encounter, including humpback and killer whales, Steller sea lions, Dall’s porpoise, harbor seals, bald eagles, bears and deer.

The operators of this tour guarantee that you'll see a whale. If not, you’ll receive a $100 cash refund as you disembark the vessel. Don’t anticipate a refund; in the past 10+ years, whales have been sighted on every tour! To fully enjoy the sights and sounds of a close encounter with wildlife, be sure to bring a warm, rainproof jacket to wear on the topside observation deck and don’t forget your camera! Day use binoculars and a souvenir wildlife guide and map are provided, along with complimentary snacks and beverages. less

Mingle with the locals at a vibrant marketplace and with fishermen along the waterfront in Setubal. The city sits atop a Roman fishing town that a tsunami destroyed in the 5th century, and parts of it have been excavated. Fishing is still essential to Setubal, as you will discover at a bustling downtown market. Sardines, cuttlefish, oysters—they are all here on display, fresh from the docks where the fishermen have brought their morning’s catch. The guide will point out some of the most unusual species and introduce you to the vendors. While walking along a nearby promenade, you will likely see fishermen tending their nets. This will present another opportunity to interact with the locals and ask about their traditional livelihood, which new technology continues to influence. For a taste of the seafood that comes into Setubal, you will dine at a restaurant in town. The menu will include the local specialty “choco frito,” which is fried cuttlefish.

HIGHLIGHTS:
• Gain an understanding of how the sea has influenced the village of Setubal for centuries.
• Browse a seafood market in Setubal and meet some of the vendors and local fishermen.
• Indulge in a delicious seafood lunch, featuring the day’s catch in traditional dishes.

Gain an understanding of how local craftsmen make traditional Greek musical instruments and take in the island’s natural beauty. Pyrgos is known for its 13th-century Venetian castle, the classic Cycladic design of its homes and the panoramic views from its hilltop location. It will be an ideal setting to pause for a cup of coffee and a Greek sweet. Megalochori is equally picturesque, as you will discover while meandering the village’s atmospheric cobbled streets lined with neoclassical houses. The intriguing Museum of Musical Instruments honors the history of the instruments that make Greek music so recognizable. You will learn how classic instruments such as the bouzouki and laouto are handmade and have the chance to play some of them. Afterwards, you will visit the family-owned Gavalas Winery, which has been producing traditional wines such as Katsano and Nykteri since the 19th century. There you will sample wines indicative of Santorini’s terroir and snacks that pair perfectly with them.

HIGHLIGHTS:
• Pause for a snack and to revel in the village of Pyrgos’ classic Cycladic setting.
• Discover how some of the most recognizable Greek musical instruments are hand-crafted.
• Sample a selection of traditional wines and local delicacies at a family-owned winery.

Discover highlights of beguiling Mossel Bay and explore a museum complex dedicated to the first European to land in South Africa. Enjoy an enlightening drive around Mossel Bay, a beach-blessed city in the shadow of the Outeniqua Mountains that was named by a Dutch explorer in 1601, when he found a huge collection of mussel shells in a nearby cave. As you travel along the town’s charming streets, you’ll learn that South Africa’s first post office was established here centuries ago after sailors began leaving letters in the cleft of a milkwood tree so that other sailors could deliver them on their journeys.

See that revered, 500-year-old tree, now a National Monument, standing near the Bartolomeu Dias Museum Complex, which is named for a Portuguese navigator who was the first European to set foot in South Africa in his search for a spice route to the Far East. During your time at the complex, perhaps you’ll visit the absorbing Shell Museum or the Maritime Museum, where a replica of Dias’ ship is on exhibit, along with early maps and navigation instruments. Experience the compelling sites and seafaring history of enchanting Mossel Bay on this captivating excursion.

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.

Stroll through the atmospheric streets of the Old Quarter on the way to a nightclub, where you will watch a mesmerizing flamenco performance that tells a passionate story.After walking from the pier, you will continue at a leisurely pace toward the narrow, cobbled streets of the Old Quarter, which the Phoenicians founded in the 12th century. Being the oldest continuously occupied city in Western Europe, Cadiz exudes history, as you will soon discover in the Plaza of San Juan de Dios, a square that originated in medieval times.

As you meander the labyrinthine streets of the Old Quarter, you will pass one architectural treasure after another. Highlights may include the Neoclassical-style Cadiz Cathedral, which boasts a tile dome that appears Moorish, and Calle Ancha, a wide boulevard that is considered the heart of the city. In time, you will arrive at Taberna Flamenco La Cava, a nightclub that showcases the art of flamenco. Before taking your seat, be sure to notice the photos on the wall of some of the most acclaimed flamenco performers in the past 50 years.UNESCO honored flamenco by recognizing it on its list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

Andalusia, especially Cadiz, is the heartland of flamenco, an electrifying art form that fuses expressive songs, passionate dancing and emotional music. To enhance your immersion into the local culture, you will be served traditional tapas that may include Serrano ham and Manchego cheese.

You'll see the Eternal City on an orientation drive passing iconic structures which includes the Colosseum of ancient Rome where gladiators fought. In Vatican City admire the beauty of St. Peter’s Square, and view some of the treasures of the world’s largest church, St. Peter’s Basilica during your brief visit. The Vatican Museum is home to masterpieces spanning the centuries, marvel at the Sistine Chapel, topped by Michelangelo’s magnificent ceiling. Lunch is included.

Enjoy an enlightening tour of Puerto Limon as a prelude to a cultural performance and hands-on cooking class. The walking portion of the tour will begin at leafy Parque Vargas, a popular gathering place that overlooks the sea. Be sure to notice Uvita Island just offshore, as it is renowned as the spot where Christopher Columbus landed in 1502 on his fourth and final voyage to the New World. He is credited with naming Costa Rica, which is Spanish for “Rich Coast.” You will also pause to take in the sights at Playa Bonita, a beautiful stretch of sand nearby. A dance performance to live calypso music follows at the House of Culture, after which you will learn to prepare a few signature local dishes. Chances are, they will include a Costa Rican version of rice and beans, a beef-stuffed turnover and a sweet plantain tart. Later, you will snack on your tasty concoctions.