Southampton to Auckland

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.

The tranquil harbour, verdant palm groves and excellent climate of Gran Canaria's lively capital Las Palmas delighted Christopher Columbus when he discovered it on his famous voyage of 1492. Those same attractions now draw modern travellers keen to explore the atmospheric cobbled streets and leafy courtyards of its old quarter, Vegueta. Cruises to Gran Canaria also bring you close to Playa del Ingles, the liveliest and best-known beach in the Canaries. You can explore the stunning desert scenery of Maspalomas, or tour further afield to explore peaceful old towns like Arucas - famed for its lush banana plantations - and Teror, with its fine collection of traditional houses with intricately carved wooden balconies. Other highlights of our Gran Canaria cruises include lovely Palmitos Nature Park - set in a canyon inland from Maspalomas and famous for its vivid tropical plants, birds and fish - and Bandama, an extinct volcano set 1,900 feet above sea level, which offers panoramic views ov…

Watching the Atlantic surf crash down on the rugged east coast of this richly diverse island and, for a moment, you may feel you could be on the Cornish coast but the moment you hear the waves of gospel singing emanating from a tiny local church you realise you could not be anywhere else but Barbados. While, over on the sheltered west coast, the glorious beaches are pure Caribbean. And there are more beaches and a lot more bars, cafés, restaurants and clubs creating a vibrant 24/7 lifestyle on the south coast, too. In the capital and cruise port, Bridgetown, there are intriguing signs of its British colonial past while, across the island, you are really spoilt for choice. You can enjoy every watersport under the sun; stunning nature walks and bike rides; or maybe a trip to the uniquely magnificent Harrisons Cave underground complex of caverns, waterfalls, stalactites and stalagmites.

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 world's 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…