Named for the Northern Compass Point, Noordam dazzles with museum-quality art and lavish staterooms. Guests of this Vista Class ship will have their pick of onboard activities. Sing along to your favorite hits at Billboard Onboard. Enjoy a Pilates class at the Fitness Center. Or savor the delights of one of the specialty restaurants. The Pinnacle Grill serves the juiciest steak at sea and Canaletto beckons with tantalizing Italian dishes.
Day 1 Tokyo
Tokyo, Japan, presents a different view at every turn. It's one of the world's main economic centers and its most populous agglomeration. The business of Tokyo is business, but you can still find harmony and small-scale gardens on back streets. Around the corner from neon and concrete, you may find the bonsai-lined courtyard of a traditional inn.
Tokyo was nearly destroyed by bombs and fires during World War II, and by earthquakes at other times, but it has always rebuilt itself. As a result, there is little left of Old Japan in the city, but there's plenty of New Japan to take its place.
The streets are a confusing maze, so a map is essential. The transit system is excellent, however, and there are kobans (police boxes) throughout the metropolis, as well as a populace generally willing to answer questions.
Visitors to Tokyo represent both business and leisure travelers. And despite its past reputation, Tokyo is no longer fearsomely expensive. It's relatively easy to visit Tokyo on a budget.
Day 2 Shimizu
Shimizu is located on the northwest coast of Suruga Bay on the island of Honshu. Protected by a sandspit, it is a major commercial port and fishing centre. Places of scenic and historic interest include the Pine Groves of Miho, the Ryuge Temple, containing a fern palm believed to be more than 1,000 years old, and the nearby Nippon-Daira plateau.
Day 3 Osaka
This large, bustling port is the starting point for tours to the ancient cities of Kyoto and Nara, the cultural fountainheads of classical Japan. Kyoto's Old Imperial Palace and the shogunal Nijo Castle remain glorious symbols of the power the city held for over 1,000 years. Until 1868, Kyoto was the capital of Japan, filled with elegant timber buildings and, perhaps more than any other Japanese city, imbued with Kami, the divine spirit. You'll sense it everywhere, for there are hundreds of Shinto shrines and over a thousand Buddhist temples, as well as sacred treasure-houses of religious sculpture, painting and exquisite gardens. Nara, City of the Seven Great Temples, lies in an idyllic setting.
Day 4 Kochi
Kochi has beautiful lagoons and lakes and offers travelers an extraordinary setting for a stay of a few nights.
Day 5 Hiroshima
Hiroshima in southwestern Honshu has grown rapidly as a commercial city, and after 1868 it was developed as a military base. Every August 6 since 1947, thousands participate in multidenominational services in the Peace Memorial Park built on the site where the bomb exploded. After the war the city was largely rebuilt, and commercial activity gradually resumed. Visit the Peace Park but also explore Miyajima Island and its colourful shrines and mysterious forests.
Day 6 Kanmon Straits
Day 7 Fukuoka
Fukuoka is the second largest city on Japan's Kyushu Island. Fukuoka is historically know for it's castles and visitors can visit castle ruins, and beautiful wooden temples. In central Fukuoka there are many food stalls and restaurants, and visitors can go from stall to stall tasting a variety of Japanese dishes. Moreover Fukuoka offers excellent shopping, and has a every unique shopping and entertainment complex called, Canal City.
Day 8 Nagasaki
One of Japan's most historic cities, Nagasaki was a major port, trading with the Portuguese and Dutch in the 16th century. You can still see this colonial legacy in the brick buildings, old forts, canals and curving cobblestone streets. On a hill overlooking the bay, beautiful Glover Mansion, the setting of Madame Butterfly, is typical of the fine homes built by wealthy foreign residents. But Nagasaki's ties with Korea and China are equally apparent in the famous Chinese temple, a large Chinese colony and the numerous fine Korean and Chinese restaurants.
Day 9 Pusan (Busan)
Korea's "museum without walls" is akin only to China in its depth and cultural wonder. From Pusan, you can journey to the ancient Silla capital of Kyongju, a dynasty which reigned in Korea for almost a thousand years. Today this small provincial town is virtually a museum without walls, dotted with many splendid ruins. Nearby, the forested mountains and valleys shelter hundreds of beautiful Buddhist shrines including the renowned Sokkuram Grotto, and Tongdosa and Pulguksa Temples. Pusan is also a shopper's mecca and Korea's vital southern link to Japanese and American trade.
Day 10 At Sea
Day 11 Shanghai
Shanghai is a teeming metropolis of 11 million, bustling with energy, towering skyscrapers, art deco buildings, honking traffic, and shopping crowds. Once here, visitors will find Eastern ways abound: Tai Chi along the Bund, the serenity of exquisite ponds and gardens, and an endless flotilla of sampans edging along the Huangpu River. Explore Shanghai old and new: the busy bazaars and alleyways of the Old Town, Yu Garden, Wuxingting Tea House, Long Hua Temple and more.
Day 12 Shanghai
Shanghai is a teeming metropolis of 11 million, bustling with energy, towering skyscrapers, art deco buildings, honking traffic, and shopping crowds. Once here, visitors will find Eastern ways abound: Tai Chi along the Bund, the serenity of exquisite ponds and gardens, and an endless flotilla of sampans edging along the Huangpu River. Explore Shanghai old and new: the busy bazaars and alleyways of the Old Town, Yu Garden, Wuxingting Tea House, Long Hua Temple and more.
Day 13 At Sea
Day 14 At Sea
Day 15 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 16 At Sea
Day 17 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 18 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 19 At Sea
Day 20 Da Nang
Da Nang is on the threshold of becoming a major destination for tourists from Europe, Australia and the United States, thanks to some unique attractions, spectacular scenery and the friendliness of the locals. The French influence is evident in Da Nang's provincial character which dates back to the 19th century, with later history wrought by war. It was here on the coast that the first U.S. combat troops landed on March 8, 1965. As the war progressed, Da Nang’s runway was expanded to become the largest in all of Southeast Asia. Da Nang fell to the Viet Cong in March 1975; this signified South Vietnam's defeat in the war. Among the city's numerous attractions is the much-touted Cham Museum, housing close to 300 Cham sculptures. Here history lovers get a glimpse into a very powerful era of Vietnam's past. Da Nang, however, may be most familiar to Americans who watched the movie Good Morning Vietnam and the popular television series China Beach - which immortalized a popular R&R GI resort of the Vietnam War.
Day 21 At Sea
Day 22 Phu My
The atmosphere of this city, known as the "Pearl of the Orient," is warm and energetic. Tourists usually choose to wander the busy streets of the Chinatown district, experience the Vietnamese art of water puppetry or visit the Reunification Hall. Other highlights are the former American Embassy, the Rex Hotel and the War Museum.
Day 23 At Sea
Day 24 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 25 Bangkok (Laem Chabang)
Laem Chabang is a city of color and contrast, you'll be awestruck by the kaleidoscope of sights and sounds.
Day 26 Bangkok (Laem Chabang)
Laem Chabang is a city of color and contrast, you'll be awestruck by the kaleidoscope of sights and sounds.
Day 27 Koh Samui
Coconut palms blanket this island, from hillocks right to beaches. Na Thon is the oldest town on the island. Beaches and temples scattered around the island are the main attraction. Na Thon is now a busy tourist town with hotels, good seafood restaurants and a variety of shops. Ko Samui remains an enjoyable place to spend time, with a casual, do-as-you-please atmosphere many visitors find very attractive. Other sights to see include
Wat Laem Saw temple, Ban Lamai Cultural Hall, beaches, and Santiburi Dusit Resort.
Day 28 At Sea
Day 29 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."