Optional tours are available from most ports for an additional charge.
Itinerary
Day Buenos Aires, Argentina-- "In the early 20th century, Buenos Aires, Argentina, gained immense wealth when it began shipping its pampas-raised beef around the world. It quickly entered the club of great world cities, and a slew of attractions and architectural jewels soon arose. Since that time, the capital has experienced huge swings in economic and political fortune. But Buenos Aires continues to fascinate and entertain sightseeing visitors, both for its chaotic energy and for its sheer urban beauty. Thankfully, the Belle Ãpoque grandeur and enormous tracts of greenery remain. Any list of things to do in Buenos Aires would begin with its many walkable neighborhoods; Palermo especially stands out, thanks to creative residents who have pushed the restaurant scene well beyond beef.
Porteñosâas the locals are calledâmay be of Spanish, Italian, Jewish or Middle Eastern descent; that mix of cultures is reflected in the city's dialect, foods and pastimes. Looking beyond the city's sights, Buenos Aires is known as the birthplace of tango, and while the music and dance never quite went away, today tango is making a resurgence. Fans come here from around the world to take part in or watch the milongas (dance events). Argentines are world leaders in polo as well, and as the sport captures the interest of more and more travelers, hunky players like Nacho are gaining global celebrity.
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Day Buenos Aires, ArgentinaDeparts 05:00 PM "In the early 20th century, Buenos Aires, Argentina, gained immense wealth when it began shipping its pampas-raised beef around the world. It quickly entered the club of great world cities, and a slew of attractions and architectural jewels soon arose. Since that time, the capital has experienced huge swings in economic and political fortune. But Buenos Aires continues to fascinate and entertain sightseeing visitors, both for its chaotic energy and for its sheer urban beauty. Thankfully, the Belle Ãpoque grandeur and enormous tracts of greenery remain. Any list of things to do in Buenos Aires would begin with its many walkable neighborhoods; Palermo especially stands out, thanks to creative residents who have pushed the restaurant scene well beyond beef.
Porteñosâas the locals are calledâmay be of Spanish, Italian, Jewish or Middle Eastern descent; that mix of cultures is reflected in the city's dialect, foods and pastimes. Looking beyond the city's sights, Buenos Aires is known as the birthplace of tango, and while the music and dance never quite went away, today tango is making a resurgence. Fans come here from around the world to take part in or watch the milongas (dance events). Argentines are world leaders in polo as well, and as the sport captures the interest of more and more travelers, hunky players like Nacho are gaining global celebrity.
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Day Ilhabela (Sao Sebastiao), BrazilArrives 08:00 AM Departs 05:00 PM "Volcanic peaks, stunning beaches, dense tropical jungle and some 360 waterfallsâit's no wonder Ilhabela translates to ""beautiful island"" from its unofficial Portuguese name (though officially known as São Sebastião Island, nobody dares call it anything but beautiful!). Separated from the Brazilian mainland and the town of São Sebastião by a narrow strait, the 360-square-kilometer (139-square-mile) island is the chic getaway of choice for Paulistas (natives of the city of São Paulo), who flock here for its secluded sun-toasted sands, boutique hotels, trendy restaurants and unadulterated nature (85 percent of the island has been turned into a park and UNESCO-protected biosphere).
Mainstay pastimes here include beach-lazing with a caipirinha (Brazil's national cocktail, made with a sugarcane-distilled spirit known as cachaça plus sugar and limes) at the ready; water sports; trekking; and frolicking among the rich and fabulous. Whether you're diving deep into its cerulean waters in search of 16th- and 17th-century pirate shipwrecks (or windsurfing over them!), jungle hiking alongside toucans and capuchin monkeys or just plopping yourself down on any number of its idyllic beaches, Ilhabela makes no apologies for its position as São Paulo's cosmopolitan island escape. Ain't she beautiful?
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Day Rio de Janeiro, BrazilArrives 08:00 AM "Some cities need no introduction, and even fewer cities live up to their reputation the way Rio de Janeiro does, in both the best senseâhow visitors experience sheer exhilaration being thereâand the harsh reality of its social and economic strains. Situated in arguably the world's most dramatic urban setting, it has apartment complexes that hang on huge granite peaks which rise smack in the middle of the city, and adding to the drama, its stunning beaches seem to stretch forever.
A quick course in Rio: Before arriving, listen to some bossa nova and samba music to get in the swing of things. Second lesson: Practice pronouncing Rio as Hio in order to sound like a native Carioca. After that, it's all about stopping at corner juice bars to enjoy fresh tropical drinks named for fruit you've never even heard of, and indulging in people-watching along the legendary Copacabana and Ipanema boardwalks. For more insight into the city, you might take the plunge into Maracaña Stadium to watch a crazy match between crosstown rivals Flamengo and Fluminense (imagine the Yankees and the Red Sox living in the same city) or jump on a bike to discover some of Rio's far-flung and vastly diverse districts.
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Day Rio de Janeiro, BrazilDeparts 06:00 PM "Some cities need no introduction, and even fewer cities live up to their reputation the way Rio de Janeiro does, in both the best senseâhow visitors experience sheer exhilaration being thereâand the harsh reality of its social and economic strains. Situated in arguably the world's most dramatic urban setting, it has apartment complexes that hang on huge granite peaks which rise smack in the middle of the city, and adding to the drama, its stunning beaches seem to stretch forever.
A quick course in Rio: Before arriving, listen to some bossa nova and samba music to get in the swing of things. Second lesson: Practice pronouncing Rio as Hio in order to sound like a native Carioca. After that, it's all about stopping at corner juice bars to enjoy fresh tropical drinks named for fruit you've never even heard of, and indulging in people-watching along the legendary Copacabana and Ipanema boardwalks. For more insight into the city, you might take the plunge into Maracaña Stadium to watch a crazy match between crosstown rivals Flamengo and Fluminense (imagine the Yankees and the Red Sox living in the same city) or jump on a bike to discover some of Rio's far-flung and vastly diverse districts.
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Day Recife, BrazilArrives 08:00 AM Departs 05:00 PM "You'll hear the phrase ""Venice of Brazil"" thrown around a lot in the Brazilian city of Recife. And for good reason. Vast mangrove swamps and waterways are integrated right into the fabric of city life, meaning that when you are in Recife, you'll often find yourself on a bridge, a causeway or a boat. In spite of its nickname, it wasn't Italians but other Europeans who shaped this city's history. The Portuguese founded it in 1537, while the Dutch ruled briefly in the 17th century and left their mark on the architecture. Customs, cuisine and music in this northeastern coastal city are so different from Rio and São Paulo that you might as well be in another country.
Recife is one of Brazil's largest metro areas, with distinct neighborhoods, including an old colonial core with buildings in various states of preservation. In the Boa Viagem district, where at low tide you can see the reefs that gave the city its name, a seafront boardwalk stretches for 12 kilometers (eight miles)âa favorite spot for locals to jog and bike. Recife's nearby sister city of Olinda is a UNESCO World Heritage Site popular with visitors for its hilltop views, stunning Baroque buildings, walkable cobblestoned streets and world-famous carnaval.
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Day Crossing the Equator / Crossing the Amazon River Bar, BrazilCruising Only The equator is an essential component of our planet's geographyâeven though it's just an imaginary line drawn on a map. In addition to being the widest spot on the planetâa full 43 kilometers (27 miles) wider than at the polesâthis is also the planetary dividing line for the Coriolis effect, which explains why cyclones rotate clockwise north of the equator and counterclockwise south of it. It's also the place best suited for launching spacecraft because the gravitational pull gives rocket ships an extra boost out of the stratosphere. And for a bit of light-hearted fun, if you're onboard a craft where any of the crew are crossing this imaginary line for the first time, you'll likely witness a King Neptune (or Crossing the Line) ceremony. This ancient naval tradition puts newbies, or âPollywogs,â through a series of pranks and tests to prove themselves worthy of being a son or daughter of Neptune, the Roman god of the sea.
Day Manaus, BrazilArrives 10:00 AM "If ever a city were a model for boom and bust, it would be Manaus, which lies at the confluence of Brazil's Amazon River and Rio Negro, more than 1,450 kilometers (900 miles) from the Atlantic Ocean. Like in America's Old West, great fortunes were amassed in no time here and vanished just as quickly during the boom years of rubber production in the late 19th century. The most enduring memorial of that time is the great opera house and theater that are still in use today, and whose existence in the Amazon helped inspire the 1982 movie Fitzcarraldo, about one man's maniacal obsession with bringing opera to the jungle.
These days, Manaus is downright hugeâperhaps surprisingly, it's Brazil's seventh-largest city. A swank new soccer stadium was added for the 2014 World Cup, and a three-kilometer-long (two-mile-long), cable-stayed bridge opened in 2011 across the Rio Negro. The Ponta Negra suburb has modern high-rises, buzzing restaurants and beaches that rival those of any town on the sea. But within minutes, visitors can find themselves in the watery jungle, the source of the Amazonian specialties like pirarucu fish and acai berries on the menus of Manaus's restaurants.
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Day Manaus, BrazilDeparts 05:00 PM "If ever a city were a model for boom and bust, it would be Manaus, which lies at the confluence of Brazil's Amazon River and Rio Negro, more than 1,450 kilometers (900 miles) from the Atlantic Ocean. Like in America's Old West, great fortunes were amassed in no time here and vanished just as quickly during the boom years of rubber production in the late 19th century. The most enduring memorial of that time is the great opera house and theater that are still in use today, and whose existence in the Amazon helped inspire the 1982 movie Fitzcarraldo, about one man's maniacal obsession with bringing opera to the jungle.
These days, Manaus is downright hugeâperhaps surprisingly, it's Brazil's seventh-largest city. A swank new soccer stadium was added for the 2014 World Cup, and a three-kilometer-long (two-mile-long), cable-stayed bridge opened in 2011 across the Rio Negro. The Ponta Negra suburb has modern high-rises, buzzing restaurants and beaches that rival those of any town on the sea. But within minutes, visitors can find themselves in the watery jungle, the source of the Amazonian specialties like pirarucu fish and acai berries on the menus of Manaus's restaurants.
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Day Parintins, BrazilArrives 08:00 AM Departs 02:00 PM If a world record exists for the most remote festival on the planet, then Parintins should win hands down. This cow town of sorts sits on an island in the Amazon River, some 1,100 kilometers (700 miles) inland from the Atlantic. Its claim to fame: the spectacular Boi Bumba festival, held over three days in June. The town's 60,000 inhabitants spend the year preparing for the festival, building fantastic floats that depict giant pink porpoises, fierce jaguars and the like. Two rival camps, the red-colored Garantido and the blue-colored Caprichoso, compete in song and dance performances staged in a massive stadium glowing like a UFO that landed in the Amazon jungle.
Day Devils Island, French GuianaArrives 08:00 AM Departs 05:00 PM Before they were a notorious penal colony, the Iles de Salut (Islands of Salvation) provided French colonists with a welcome
escape from the fever-ridden jungles of the Guiana mainland. Lying ten miles off the coastline, and swept by treacherous
ocean currents, the trio of small islands provided a perfect isolated location for incarcerating criminals without danger or
expense, since the shark-infested sea and the trackless jungles ashore precluded any possibility of escape. All three
islands, popularly known as Devil's Island, were used as a prison from 1852 to 1953. Your day is free to explore the prison
ruins or search for signs of the surprisingly abundant wildlife.
Day At Sea
Day Bridgetown, BarbadosArrives 09:00 AM Departs 07:00 PM "Barbadians, or Bajans in local parlance, consider their island nation the most British of the Caribbean: Queen Elizabeth II is still head of state, and English products are stocked in many of its stores and restaurants. Barbados is known as the birthplace of international pop star Rihanna, but it has also produced some of the biggest Caribbean calypso and soca music stars. The summer Crop Over festival is a huge carnival event. With live music and crafts for sale, the popular Friday fish fry at Oistins Bay is a fun place to mingle with the locals.
Centered around a waterway called the Careenage and its handsome Chamberlain Bridge, the historic center of Bridgetown, the country's capital, was granted UNESCO World Heritage status in 2011 for its wealth of British colonial architecture dating from the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. Among the famous figures who visited Bridgetown when it was at its peak was none other than George Washington, who spent two months in 1751 in a house that still stands today, on his only trip abroad."
Day At Sea
Day Santo Domingo, Dominican RepublicArrives 08:00 AM Departs 11:00 PM La Capital, as Santo Domingo is affectionately known, is a UNESCO site and one of the oldest cities in the Caribbean, with Zona Colonial buildings dating back to the
1500s. Santo Domingo is also considered the most modern metropolis in the Caribbean doing a great job of converging old and new. At the heart of the Zona Colonial, a
pedestrian-friendly maze of cobblestones and interesting architecture is the first cathedral built in the New World. Find time to sample the aromatic coffee and cacao.
Day At Sea
Day At Sea
Day Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USArrives 07:00 AM "Shimmering blue waters, swaying palm trees and soft ocean breezes greet you in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, where you'll find yourself somewhere between laid-back island time and the fast pace of a thriving city. In this sun-filled, year-round beach town, pristine beaches are the main attraction, shorts and flip-flops are the daily uniform, and yachts are often the preferred form of transportation. It's a place where you can do as much, or as little, as you desire.
Because of its many canals and waterways, Ft. Lauderdale is sometimes called the Venice of America. It's home to the annual Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, one of the largest in-water boat shows in the world. Visitors can easily get a taste of the area's nautical lifestyle by cruising the Intracoastal Waterway on an old-fashioned paddle wheeler. Other options include hopping aboard one of the popular water taxis or Venetian gondolas that glide down the historic New River, which flows right through town. "