The city center is a charming mix of old city walls and a large modern shopping centre. With multiple restaurants, museums, cinemas and theatres there is plenty to be explored. Time spent at embarkation and disembarkation ports may be limited which may restrict availability of shore excursions.

Las Palmas is a capital of Gran Canaria, one of Spain’s Canary Islands off northwestern Africa. A major cruise-ship port, the city is known for duty-free shopping and for its sandy beaches. At Playa de Las Canteras, a coral barrier lines the beach and shelters swimmers. The annual Las Palmas de Gran Canaria carnival brings together flamboyantly costumed performers, music and dancing.

Barbados is the most British of the Caribbean islands, where cricket is the national passion and afternoon tea a tradition. Yet the flawless skies, lilting rhythms of both speech and calypso and the endless beaches all provide vivid reminders that you are a long way from home. Enjoy a stroll around Bridgetown, the capital which boasts impressive colonial architecture and take a snap of what used to be known as Trafalgar Square.

Talcum-soft beaches, world class shopping, glitzy casinos, stunning sea views and tracts of desert landscape scattered with giant boulders and exotic cacti are all yours to enjoy when you visit popular Aruba, jewel of the ‘deep’ Caribbean.

The Panama Canal is the worlds biggest short-cut. You will be amazed by its sheer scale and clockwork efficiency.

Manzanillo is a Pacific Ocean port city and resort in the Mexican state of Colima. It’s the site of 2 bays, Bahía de Manzanillo and Bahía de Santiago. The latter is known for beaches such as Playa La Audiencia, with calm surf for water sports. The waters off the coast have numerous coral reefs, shipwrecks and other dive sites. With a high concentration of marlin, the area is also known for deep-sea sportfishing

San Diego is a city on the Pacific coast of California known for its beaches, parks and warm climate. Immense Balboa Park is the site of the renowned San Diego Zoo, as well as numerous art galleries, artist studios, museums and gardens. A deep harbor is home to a large active naval fleet, with the USS Midway, an aircraft-carrier-turned-museum, open to the public.

Cruising under the Golden Gate Bridge into San Francisco is one of the world’s greatest travel experiences for it acts as gateway to a fascinating city set across dozens ofhills overlooking the bay. The hippies are long gone but San Francisco’s scenic beauty, laid-back ambience and more than 3,000 restaurants make it a joy to visit. The famous Fisherman’s Wharf harbourfront restaurant and multi-coloured boats complex, where seals happily sunbathe on its wooden decking, faces out towards the former island prison of Alcatraz which is now a major tourist attraction just like the city’s colourful Chinatown district and upmarket shopping centre in Union Square. And no visit to San Francisco would be complete without a trip on the city’s 130-year-old tram system carrying you up and down the improbably steep streets made famous by that stomach-churning Steve McQueen car chase in the movie Bullitt. From the city, you can also visit the pretty resorts of Sausalito and Monterey.

Cruising under the Golden Gate Bridge into San Francisco is one of the world’s greatest travel experiences for it acts as gateway to a fascinating city set across dozens ofhills overlooking the bay. The hippies are long gone but San Francisco’s scenic beauty, laid-back ambience and more than 3,000 restaurants make it a joy to visit. The famous Fisherman’s Wharf harbourfront restaurant and multi-coloured boats complex, where seals happily sunbathe on its wooden decking, faces out towards the former island prison of Alcatraz which is now a major tourist attraction just like the city’s colourful Chinatown district and upmarket shopping centre in Union Square. And no visit to San Francisco would be complete without a trip on the city’s 130-year-old tram system carrying you up and down the improbably steep streets made famous by that stomach-churning Steve McQueen car chase in the movie Bullitt. From the city, you can also visit the pretty resorts of Sausalito and Monterey.

Hula dancing, surfing and magnificent sandy beaches all spring to mind when you hear the name ‘Hawaii’. Honolulu is Hawaii’s capital, situated on the island of Oahu. Downtown you will discover the only royal palace on American soil. Spend a day lounging on Waikiki beach or relive a dramatic moment in history with a visit to Pearl Harbour and the Arizona Memorial.

Step straight into a film set for ‘South Pacific’ when you arrive in the Samoan capital, Apia – it’s a magical first impression. On the main Samoan island of Upolu, there’s an intriguing mix of historic churches and monuments, bustling flea and fish markets and laid-back residential districts that have a welcoming, traditional village feel to them. Around the island are some of the South Pacifics best (black sand) beaches. And to prove this really is a ‘Treasure Island’, visit Vallima just outside Apia, where Robert Louis Stevenson settled and spent the last five years of his life. There is an excellent museum nearby, dedicated to this splendid storyteller.

Suva is the capital of Fiji and is a beautiful harbour city. Its tall modern buildings are beautifully balanced by rich traditional colonial architecture. Major landmarks include the Thurston Gardens, next to Government House, the official residence of the President of the Republic of Fiji and the museum, recognised as one of the best of its type in the South Pacific. Not to be missed are the municipal markets near the waterfront, which come to life on a Saturday morning

New Zealand’s biggest city and major cruise port, Auckland, sits between the Pacific Ocean and Tasman Sea, which is how it came to host the America’s Cup twice – in 1999 and 2002 – attracting investment to transform the harbour side into a superb meeting and eating place which all Auckland cruise visitors can now appreciate. The Viaduct Harbour area now boasts outdoor restaurants ideally placed to view the hundreds of yachts attracted to this icon of sailing success. This ‘City of Sails’ is also home to New Zealand’s impressive National Maritime Museum which charts the nation’s seafaring history. Harbour ferries offer a great way of viewing the city, either by crossing the bay to old-established Devonport or under the harbour bridge to the suburb of Birkenhead. Otherwise cruises to Auckland take in all the sights from the revolving restaurant at the top of the Sky Tower, the tallest structure in the southern hemisphere at 328 metres. On Auckland cruises, shore excursions can take you to the remarkable geysers and mud pools of Rotorua.

Tauranga is a Maori name, translated as resting place for canoes. Situated on a narrow peninsula and surrounded by water, it lies within the Bay of Plenty, an area with beautiful natural harbours and endless beaches.

Bars and restaurants are dotted along The Strand, an area ideal for strolling around. At Rotorua listen to the pulsating rhythms of a traditional Maori Haka and see the seething, bubbling cauldron of geysers and mud pits.

Striking architecture, both old and new, distinguishes New Zealand’s capital city, Wellington, which sits on the shores of a beautiful harbour surrounded by a natural amphitheatre of wooded hills. While here, visit Te Papa, New Zealand’s bold and innovative national museum. Take a tour of the Parliament buildings. Admire old St Paul’s Cathedral with its gothic style church. Take a cable car ride to Kelburn for sweeping views of the city and enjoy a stroll back down through the Botanical Gardens. For those of you who are feeling energetic, stretch your legs with a climb to the top of Mount Victoria, for a 360-degree panorama of Wellington.

Sydney always lives up to great expectations. When you are on one of our Sydney cruises, the first glimpse of the Harbour Bridge and Opera House will stay in your memory forever. One of the world’s great cities and harbours, Sydney always lives up to great expectations. When you are on one of our Sydney cruises, the first glimpse of the Harbour Bridge and Opera House will stay in your memory forever. Even before the 2000 Olympics, cruises to Sydney had much to offer – hosting the games just made the city even better with improved facilities and extra dining and entertainment venues all round. From the waterside restaurants fringing the historic Rocks district, the Sydney cruise tour takes you around Sydney Cove past the Circular Quay ferry terminal to that remarkable Opera House and the beautiful Royal Botanic Gardens.

Sydney always lives up to great expectations. When you are on one of our Sydney cruises, the first glimpse of the Harbour Bridge and Opera House will stay in your memory forever. One of the world’s great cities and harbours, Sydney always lives up to great expectations. When you are on one of our Sydney cruises, the first glimpse of the Harbour Bridge and Opera House will stay in your memory forever. Even before the 2000 Olympics, cruises to Sydney had much to offer – hosting the games just made the city even better with improved facilities and extra dining and entertainment venues all round. From the waterside restaurants fringing the historic Rocks district, the Sydney cruise tour takes you around Sydney Cove past the Circular Quay ferry terminal to that remarkable Opera House and the beautiful Royal Botanic Gardens.