Optional tours are available from most ports for an additional charge.
Itinerary
Day Rotterdam, The NetherlandsDeparts 05:00 PM The Netherlandsââ¬â¢ second-largest city and Europeââ¬â¢s busiest port is home to some of the 20th and 21st centuries' most important architectural feats, which is particularly impressive when you consider that nearly all of Rotterdam was razed to the ground during World War II. Sometimes referred to as ââ¬ÅManhattan-on-the-Maas,ââ¬Â the city lives up to its reputation as a forward-looking metropolis with fascinating design and some of the Netherlands' finest museums and most trendy shops.
Marvel at buildings by starchitects Rem Koolhaas and Norman Foster or get lost in the maze of gabled homes in historic Delfshaven, the point from which the Pilgrims set sail for the New World aboard the Speedwell in 1620. In the postwar years, Rotterdam has also become one of the most diverse cities on the continent as waves of migrants from elsewhere in Europe, North Africa and Turkey have come to work in the shipping industry, concentrated here thanks to the cityââ¬â¢s location on the deltas of the Rhine and Maas rivers. With its sweeping harbor and massive Europoort, the city has quickly grown to become the largest port in all of Europe.
Day At Sea
Day Bergen, NorwayArrives 08:00 AM Departs 04:00 PM Beautiful Bergen, Norway's second-largest city, is one of the most popular ports of call on a cruise up the fjords. Step off the ship into the medieval Bryggen wharf area, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1979, where small boats line the harbor and wooden gabled buildings stand proud along the waterfront. Bergen's rich maritime tradition goes back nearly 1,000 years, including the years the town played an important part in the Hanseatic League, the trading empire that dominated maritime commerce in the region between the 14th and 18th centuries. The city is one of Europe's oldest settlements, and its cobblestone streets and narrow alleyways lead to emerald-green parks, medieval cathedrals and stone fortresses that kept enemies at bay centuries ago. It's also eminently walkable, with historic buildings and excellent markets selling everything from fish and produce to trinkets and souvenirs.
Day Isafjordur, Iceland / Scenic Cruising IsafjardurdjurArrives 08:00 AM Departs 05:00 PM / Cruising "Although it is the largest town in and the capital of the Westfjords region of Iceland, Ãsafjörður has a mere 2,600 inhabitants and is only connected to the mainland by a narrow nine-meter-wide (30-foot-wide) isthmus. Local lore has it that the isthmus, and the town itself, were formed by a group of trolls who wanted to live apart from humans. Despite its small population, Ãsafjörður has earned a reputation as a cultured and urbane town thanks to its excellent choral and theatrical groups, a nationally known theater festival called Act Alone and the popular music festival Aldrei Fór Ãg Suður (âI Never Went Southâ) held each Easter.
Ãsafjörður and its outlying regions stretch over 2,300 square kilometers (900 square miles) from the stunning waterfall of Dynjandi in the south to the vast Hornstrandir Nature Reserve in the north where, on the cliff of Hornbjarg, visitors can see the largest colony of seabirds in the North Atlantic. Along Iceland's spectacular coastline, glacier-carved green mountains stand in contrast against the deep blue sea."
Day Cruising Prince Christian SoundCruising only Navigating one of Greenlandââ¬â¢s most scenic inland passages means threading the needle through the glaciers and narrow granite cliffs of Prins Christian Sund (or Prince Christian Sound in English, or Ikerasassuaq in Greenlandic). It was named after Christian VIII (before he became the king of Denmark), but explorer John Cabotââ¬â¢s description is more accurate and more evocative: a river of melted snow.
The 105-kilometer-long (66-mile-long) fjord separates Greenlandââ¬â¢s mainland from the Cape Farewell Archipelago, a group of islands off of Greenlandââ¬â¢s southern tip. The remote route is accessible by ship only during the summer months, when warmer temperatures reduce the chance of ice blockages around the entrance. Aappilattoq, an Inuit town with about 100 residents, is the only settlement; the only other sign of a human presence is a remote weather station constructed by the United States during the Cold War, at the eastern end of the fjord. A journey along the passage offers an up-close look at glaciers, icebergs and the imposing mountains that dominate Greenlandââ¬â¢s landscape, towering over the narrow channel with their spires and jagged ridges.
Day Nanortalik, GreenlandArrives 07:00 AM Departs 02:00 PM Nanortalik, which means "the place with polar bears," is the southernmost town in Greenland, located on an island of the same name. Founded in 1797 as a trading depot at the mouth of Tasermiut Fjord, the town is currently home to approximately 1,000 people. Although the island is named for polar bears, the chance of seeing these furry giants is fairly slim. What you will find, however, is a place of majestic beauty and friendly, welcoming residents.
From the nearby Tasermiut Fjord, where rocky summits rise above a narrow glacial inlet, to the Qinngua Valleyââ¬âthe only forest in all of Greenlandââ¬âNanortalik is surrounded by natural wonders. Culturally there is just as much to experience. For history buffs, the Nanortalik Museum explores native, Old Norse and European colonial history as it shaped Greenland, with nine historic buildings and the worldââ¬â¢s oldest umiak (sealskin boat). To appreciate the richness of Greenlandââ¬â¢s traditions, be sure to attend a local choral concert where youââ¬â¢ll hear a unique blend of musical disciplines unlike any youââ¬â¢ve heard before.
Day At Sea
Day St Anthony, Newfoundland, CanadaArrives 08:00 AM Departs 04:00 PM Near the northern tip of Newfoundlandââ¬â¢s Great Northern Peninsula, tiny St. Anthony (population: 2,418) predates even the famed navigator and explorer Jacques Cartier. Though he gave the town its name, it was already a seasonal camp used by French and Basque fishermen when he arrived in 1534. St. Anthony's fortunes have long been tied to the sea: Those fishermen were followed by whalers, and now tourism has become increasingly important, with whale-watching expeditions among the principal draws. Other opportunities for sightings include moose (the area has one of the worldââ¬â¢s largest populations of them), polar bears in the spring, and icebergs as they drift south along the Newfoundland coast. For many travelers, however, St. Anthony is the gateway to one of North Americaââ¬â¢s most intriguing archaeological sites. While Christopher Columbus is popularly credited with being the first European to ââ¬Ådiscoverââ¬Â the New World, Viking explorers were there before himââ¬âmore than four centuries earlier. The remains of an 11th-century village at Lââ¬â¢Anse aux Meadows, located less than an hour north of St. Anthony, are the oldest evidence of a European settlement in North America. Today, the reconstructed sod houses at this UNESCO World Heritage Site give a sense of the hard lives of those early settlers.
Day St Johns, Newfoundland, CanadaArrives 10:00 AM Departs 11:00 PM "Closer to London than it is to Canada's west coast, the capital of Newfoundland, St. John's, has long looked east and across the Atlantic. It is the easternmost city in North America, excluding Greenland, and has its own time zone, a half-hour ahead of the rest of eastern Canada.
Long before there was a permanent town, established around 1630, British fishermen would set up camp here in the summer. To this day the harbor remains the center of the city, with its oldest buildings and streets (including Water Street, the oldest street in North America) nearby. And although it was primarily fishing and whaling that drove the economy of St. John's for centuries, today the oil and natural gas found beneath the ocean floor is increasingly important.
The rest of St. John's sits on hills around the harbor, which has led to frequent comparisons to San Francisco. The tallest, Signal Hill, is one of St. John's most famous sights with its panoramic views. While the city shines at a distance, it is also in the details that it charms visitors, with its houses painted in jelly-bean hues and cozy restaurants and pubs that provide relief from Atlantic breezes.
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Day At Sea
Day Halifax, Nova Scotia, CanadaArrives 08:00 AM Departs 11:00 PM The ports of New England and eastern Canada bear witness to fascinating histories and vibrant cultures that continue to thrive to this day. Approaching these cities from the sea offers a memorable perspective: For many immigrants to North America, their first glimpse of their new lives would be from the decks of ships sailing into these harbors. While the fishing villages of New England and Canada's Atlantic Provinces embody a long seafaring tradition, neither region is frozen in time. World-class museums and celebrated restaurants sit side by side with historic sites. Whether you want to explore the early days of Canada and the United States or see what the future holds for their metropolises, a journey along North America's Atlantic coast promises to be unforgettable.
Day At Sea
Day Boston, Massachusetts, USArrives 07:00 AM The ports of New England and eastern Canada bear witness to fascinating histories and vibrant cultures that continue to thrive to this day. Approaching these cities from the sea offers a memorable perspective: For many immigrants to North America, their first glimpse of their new lives would be from the decks of ships sailing into these harbors. While the fishing villages of New England and Canada's Atlantic Provinces embody a long seafaring tradition, neither region is frozen in time. World-class museums and celebrated restaurants sit side by side with historic sites. Whether you want to explore the early days of Canada and the United States or see what the future holds for their metropolises, a journey along North America's Atlantic coast promises to be unforgettable.