Expand your horizons on this comfortable, award-winning ship, intimate and thoughtfully created by experienced nautical architects and designers to enrich your interaction with your destination in every way.
Day 1 Hong Kong
As Asia’s premier gateway to China and Southeast Asia, Hong Kong offers a great travel experience. Visitors will find everything from hiking, horse racing and sailing to internationally renowned art galleries and lively art festivals. Some of the best hotels, dining and shopping in the world are found in this metropolis. Hong Kong is one of the world’s great cities and a delightful realm of natural wonders and serene rural villages. With its wealth of cultural attractions, Hong Kong invites exploration and inspires interest to even the most experienced traveler. Sights include Museum of History – which houses a collection of archaeological finds and historic photographs providing an introduction to Hong Kong’s history. Cultural Center is the city’s newest performing arts venue. The Space Museum’s dome, where Omnimax shows and astronomy exhibits are featured, is nearby. Adjacent is the Museum of Art. Stanley Market is an open-air market for browsing and finding bargains in fashions, leather, porcelain, and linens. Jade Market is a specialty market featuring 450 stalls with jade items.
Day 2 Hong Kong
As Asia’s premier gateway to China and Southeast Asia, Hong Kong offers a great travel experience. Visitors will find everything from hiking, horse racing and sailing to internationally renowned art galleries and lively art festivals. Some of the best hotels, dining and shopping in the world are found in this metropolis. Hong Kong is one of the world’s great cities and a delightful realm of natural wonders and serene rural villages. With its wealth of cultural attractions, Hong Kong invites exploration and inspires interest to even the most experienced traveler. Sights include Museum of History – which houses a collection of archaeological finds and historic photographs providing an introduction to Hong Kong’s history. Cultural Center is the city’s newest performing arts venue. The Space Museum’s dome, where Omnimax shows and astronomy exhibits are featured, is nearby. Adjacent is the Museum of Art. Stanley Market is an open-air market for browsing and finding bargains in fashions, leather, porcelain, and linens. Jade Market is a specialty market featuring 450 stalls with jade items.
Day 3 South China Sea
Day 4 Halong Bay (Hanoi)
Meaning “Bay of the Descending Dragon,” Halong Bay’s water is calm and undisturbed despite the jutting limestone mountains that soar out of the water and toward the sky. As if a tail of a Dragon plunged into the earth, the mountains are craggy, sharp, and barren, and are dotted with thousands of small caves of various depths and heights. At dusk, they all take on mysterious shades of gray, mauve and olive, lending credence to the local legends.
Day 5 Halong Bay (Hanoi)
Meaning “Bay of the Descending Dragon,” Halong Bay’s water is calm and undisturbed despite the jutting limestone mountains that soar out of the water and toward the sky. As if a tail of a Dragon plunged into the earth, the mountains are craggy, sharp, and barren, and are dotted with thousands of small caves of various depths and heights. At dusk, they all take on mysterious shades of gray, mauve and olive, lending credence to the local legends.
Day 6 Hue
Hue is at the heart of central Vietnam. The landscape – with its misty Perfume River and pagodas – has long been a source of poetry and paintings. Always an important cultural, intellectual and historical city, Hue remains one of Vietnam’s main attractions.
Day 7 South China Sea
Day 8 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is often referred to as Vietnam’s jewel and the Pearl of the Orient. Located in south Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh City is the country’s largest city, with more than six million people and over one million motorbikes. Under the current regime the city is once more being rebuilt. Whole blocks are disappearing, being replaced by concrete, steel and glass structures. Central Saigon, which is still the official name for the city center, shows evidence of the French colonial city, with wide, tree-lined boulevards, sidewalk cafés and elegant French architecture. The city is divided into two sections: Saigon, the municipal and historical district, and Cholon (Chinatown), where the entrepreneurial talent and private funds are concentrated. Cholon appears to be the most populated and in general the most vigorous part of Ho Chi Minh City. It is well worth a visit for its bustle and activity and its pagodas, which are reputed to be the finest in the whole city.
Day 9 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is often referred to as Vietnam’s jewel and the Pearl of the Orient. Located in south Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh City is the country’s largest city, with more than six million people and over one million motorbikes. Under the current regime the city is once more being rebuilt. Whole blocks are disappearing, being replaced by concrete, steel and glass structures. Central Saigon, which is still the official name for the city center, shows evidence of the French colonial city, with wide, tree-lined boulevards, sidewalk cafés and elegant French architecture. The city is divided into two sections: Saigon, the municipal and historical district, and Cholon (Chinatown), where the entrepreneurial talent and private funds are concentrated. Cholon appears to be the most populated and in general the most vigorous part of Ho Chi Minh City. It is well worth a visit for its bustle and activity and its pagodas, which are reputed to be the finest in the whole city.
Day 10 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is often referred to as Vietnam’s jewel and the Pearl of the Orient. Located in south Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh City is the country’s largest city, with more than six million people and over one million motorbikes. Under the current regime the city is once more being rebuilt. Whole blocks are disappearing, being replaced by concrete, steel and glass structures. Central Saigon, which is still the official name for the city center, shows evidence of the French colonial city, with wide, tree-lined boulevards, sidewalk cafés and elegant French architecture. The city is divided into two sections: Saigon, the municipal and historical district, and Cholon (Chinatown), where the entrepreneurial talent and private funds are concentrated. Cholon appears to be the most populated and in general the most vigorous part of Ho Chi Minh City. It is well worth a visit for its bustle and activity and its pagodas, which are reputed to be the finest in the whole city.
Day 11 Gulf of Thailand
Day 12 Sihanoukville
Sihanoukville (also called Kompong Som / Kampong Saom) is Cambodia's only port and is rimmed by four beaches: Ochheuteal, Sokha, Independence and Victory. The town is the perfect spot for fishing or diving. Visit the nearby waterfall or Ream National Park, a great day's adventure. The sleepy colonial town of Kampot isn't too far away, with the intriguing ghost town Kep also nearby.
Day 13 Sihanoukville
Sihanoukville (also called Kompong Som / Kampong Saom) is Cambodia's only port and is rimmed by four beaches: Ochheuteal, Sokha, Independence and Victory. The town is the perfect spot for fishing or diving. Visit the nearby waterfall or Ream National Park, a great day's adventure. The sleepy colonial town of Kampot isn't too far away, with the intriguing ghost town Kep also nearby.
Day 14 Bangkok (Laem Chabang)
Laem Chabang is a city of color and contrast, you'll be awestruck by the kaleidoscope of sights and sounds.
Day 15 Bangkok (Laem Chabang)
Laem Chabang is a city of color and contrast, you'll be awestruck by the kaleidoscope of sights and sounds.
Day 16 Bangkok (Laem Chabang)
Laem Chabang is a city of color and contrast, you'll be awestruck by the kaleidoscope of sights and sounds.
Day 17 Gulf of Thailand
Day 18 Strait of Malacca
Day 19 Kuala Lumpur (Port Klang)
Kuala Lumpur is a cosmopolitan, modern business hub and government center. With a population of about two million, it is one of Southeast Asia's smallest capitals. Port Klang is gateway to Kuala Lumpur, a 42-mile distance away. Other sights include National Art Gallery - a permanent collection of about 2,000 works by Malaysian artists; Batu Caves - caverns discovered by American naturalist William Hornaby in the 1880s; the Selayang Batik Factory – known for their handmade and block-printed batiks; and Zoo and Aquarium - a complex home to 280 species of Malaysian and other exotic animals, birds, fish and reptiles.
Day 20 Singapore
One of Asia's great economic successes, Singapore has fused diverse cultures into one dynamic nation.
Behind high-tech industries and high-rise buildings lives a society with an ingrained sense of conservative Confucian values. Beneath the westernized modernity beats a totally Asian heart. Strong beliefs center around extended families, filial piety, discipline, respect and Asian work ethics. Singapore’s name, meaning "Lion City," can be traced to the 13th century, and today there is the mythical Merlion, half-lion, half-fish, standing guard at the mouth of the Singapore River as the symbol of Singapore. A recent advertising campaign billed Singapore as "A Fine City."
Day 21 Java Sea
Day 22 Jakarta
For most travelers, Jakarta, Indonesia, is either part of a business trip or a pit stop on the way to more popular tourist destinations such as Bali and Yogyakarta. In truth, most find little that makes them want to linger in Indonesia's capital: A large, crowded city on the island of Java, Jakarta evokes few beautiful or memorable images. One exception is the Gedung Kesenian Jakarta, the city's art building.
To appreciate this city, visitors need to seek out Jakarta's sights that invoke the historical heritage as a meeting place for East and West. These include the remnants of the Dutch colonial era and the old schooner harbor, Sunda Kelapa, still hard at work and looking much as it did in previous centuries.
Don't be surprised, though, if modern Jakarta begins to grow on you: Its jarring mix of trendy nightspots, teeming streets and occasional political demonstrations bespeaks a place where the present is unfolding in an exciting—if not always orderly—manner. The city's image is slowly changing, however, and Jakarta has many fine hotels, shopping malls and golf courses in and around the metropolitan area to entice visitors to stay a little longer.
Travelers to Indonesia should be aware that tsunamis and earthquakes are part of the travel equation. Both are unpredictable, but travel warnings from embassies come into force quickly in the unlikely event that they should occur.
Day 23 Jakarta
For most travelers, Jakarta, Indonesia, is either part of a business trip or a pit stop on the way to more popular tourist destinations such as Bali and Yogyakarta. In truth, most find little that makes them want to linger in Indonesia's capital: A large, crowded city on the island of Java, Jakarta evokes few beautiful or memorable images. One exception is the Gedung Kesenian Jakarta, the city's art building.
To appreciate this city, visitors need to seek out Jakarta's sights that invoke the historical heritage as a meeting place for East and West. These include the remnants of the Dutch colonial era and the old schooner harbor, Sunda Kelapa, still hard at work and looking much as it did in previous centuries.
Don't be surprised, though, if modern Jakarta begins to grow on you: Its jarring mix of trendy nightspots, teeming streets and occasional political demonstrations bespeaks a place where the present is unfolding in an exciting—if not always orderly—manner. The city's image is slowly changing, however, and Jakarta has many fine hotels, shopping malls and golf courses in and around the metropolitan area to entice visitors to stay a little longer.
Travelers to Indonesia should be aware that tsunamis and earthquakes are part of the travel equation. Both are unpredictable, but travel warnings from embassies come into force quickly in the unlikely event that they should occur.
Day 24 Semarang
Semarang is one of the oldest cities in Indonesia, situated on Java's north coast between the shore of the Java Sea and a small ridge of mountains. With a population of over one million, Semarang is the largest city in Central Java and its capital. Semarang serves as a popular gateway to the mountainous interior of Central Java and to fabled Borobudur. Pasar Johar Market is the sprawling central market, selling brassware and bric-a-brac in addition to foodstuffs and textiles. Citraland is a convenient shopping mall on Simpang Lima, one of the major shopping streets. The majority of Semarang’s restaurants are centered around Jalan Gajah Mada. Their menus feature every variety of Asian cuisine. Other sights include Gereja Blenduk - a Protestant Dutch church dating from 1753 and the oldest church in Central Java. Built in the shape of a Greek cross, it features a baroque organ and pulpit; and Chinatown - offering such buildings as the Confucian Thay Kak Sie Pagoda, dedicated to the Goddess of Mercy and built in 1772.
Day 25 Surabaya
One of the last traditional Indonesian cities that evokes old colonial Asia, Surabaya remains delightfully untouristed and little changed from the thirties. You'll discover old neighborhoods of typical Dutch colonial homes, while in Islamic enclaves throughout the city, men in fez-like hats gather around mosques with minarets. Visit the Surabaya Zoo exhibiting a family of Komodo dragons. Or travel across the narrow straits from Java to the island of Madura and a bygone way of life, where a centuries-old style of bull racing still continues to be used as a method of breeding selection for the island's important cattle industry.
Day 26 Benoa
Benoa (Tanjung Benoa) is a modern Balinese resort - a government-run dreamland of coconut palms, white sand beaches and pristine waters located near the island's southernmost tip. Geologically, the area is quite different from the rest of Bali, and even from the rest of the Bukit peninsula upon which it rests. Instead of rice fields or limestone cliffs, there is sandy soil reaching down to a long, sandy beach protected by a reef. Coconut trees are everywhere. The climate here is also drier than the rest of Bali, freshened by a mild ocean breeze.
Day 27 Benoa
Benoa (Tanjung Benoa) is a modern Balinese resort - a government-run dreamland of coconut palms, white sand beaches and pristine waters located near the island's southernmost tip. Geologically, the area is quite different from the rest of Bali, and even from the rest of the Bukit peninsula upon which it rests. Instead of rice fields or limestone cliffs, there is sandy soil reaching down to a long, sandy beach protected by a reef. Coconut trees are everywhere. The climate here is also drier than the rest of Bali, freshened by a mild ocean breeze.