EXCURSIONES EN TIERRA

OVERVIEW

Acquire an enlightening overview of Vancouver by viewing its most alluring attractions and then exploring on your own. Although large and metropolitan, Vancouver has still retained much of its natural beauty in urban oases such as Stanley Park. After pausing there to admire a display of First Nation totem poles and take in the serenity, you will enjoy an entirely different ambiance in bustling Chinatown. Exotic open-air markets, heritage buildings and pagoda-topped telephone booths are staples in this ethnic neighborhood, which dates back to 1890 when Chinese immigrants settled in what was then known as Shanghai Alley. Another historical perspective awaits you in Gastown, an area that developed in the early 1870s. The neighborhood is named for settler “Gassy” Jack Deighton, a saloon owner who was considered full of hot air because he spun tall tales. The cobbled streets of Gastown are now lined with upscale boutiques, galleries and restaurants.

HIGHLIGHTS
• Gain an overall understanding of Vancouver by driving around its downtown.
• Enjoy the tranquility of Stanley Park, North America’s third-largest urban park
• Visit vibrant Chinatown, Vancouver’s most established ethnic community.
• Walk through Gastown, Vancouver’s oldest neighborhood and one of the trendiest

HELPFUL HINTS
• Dress in weather-appropriate clothing.
• Wear flat comfortable walking shoes.

Board the Alcatraz ferry and sail to the notorious prison that once housed the likes of Al Capone and the Birdman of Alcatraz. During your ferry ride, enjoy a panoramic view of the famous San Francisco skyline. Upon arrival, you'll tour the small jail cells as the audio narration brings you back to days gone by.

You'll return to San Francisco by ferry and board your motorcoach for a journey across the Golden Gate Bridge. After a stop at Vista Point for a fabulous view of the city, it’s a short ride into charming Sausalito. Here, take a stroll and browse some of the specialty shops or galleries.

OVERVIEW

Join this scenic tour of Vancouver and discover the famous Granville Island Public Market for free time at your leisure. Departing the cruise pier, you’ll head into the heart of downtown, a bustling urban environment surrounded by water and mountains. This tour will pass by the popular Gastown District, home to the antique-style Gastown Steam Clock that whistles to tell the time. You will also pass by Vancouver’s vibrant and historic Chinatown, the second largest in North America, before arriving at Stanley Park. Stanley Park is where the locals come to relax and play and considered one of Canada’s most beautiful national historic sites and home to old growth trees plus a spectacular display of First Nation Totem Poles. You’ll have some free time to discover Stanley Park and take photos of the North Shore Mountain Range rising just outside of the city. Next stop is Granville Island Public Market where you will have free time to find tantalizing food vendors, colorful fruit and vegetable stands plus handcrafted products and the very finest in unique gifts before concluding your tour at the Vancouver International Airport.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Get a good look at Vancouver’s landmarks on a panoramic drive through downtown.
• Wander the winding paths through Stanley Park, a wonderfully serene urban oasis.
• Browse the abundant shops in the Granville Island Public Market.
• Transfer to the Vancouver International Airport in plenty of time for your flight.

HELPFUL HINTS
• Dress in weather-appropriate clothing.
• Wear flat comfortable walking shoes.

OVERVIEW

Discover two of Oregon’s most charming coastal villages and beautiful beaches. Your local guide will travel with you crossing Young’s Bay Bridge. Enjoy impressive views of Saddle Mountain, one of Oregon's highest peaks and the Astoria-Megler Bridge, the longest bridge in the state. You'll travel through the Oregon Coast Range before stopping at Cannon Beach, considered an artist's colony and home to photographers, artists and writers. The beach is also well known for Haystack Rock, a 235 foot tall rock formation that is the home of puffins, sea gulls cormorants. You’ll have some free time here to explore the colorful courtyards, streets and little shops. Continue on to Seaside, a charming coastal village with arcades, art galleries and miles of beach. Enjoy some free time here to stroll along the boardwalk, buy some salt water taffy or take a ride on the carousel.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Enjoy impressive views of Saddle Mountain.
• Travel through the Oregon Coast Range before stopping at Cannon Beach.
• Explore the colorful courtyards, streets and little shops during your free time.

HELPFUL HINTS

• Dress in weather-appropriate clothing.
• Wear flat comfortable walking shoes.

Nothing says Los Angeles more than "Beaches and Beverly Hills"! This tour will begin at the Port of Los Angeles, where you will disembark the ship and begin a tour in route to Beverly Hills. Here you'll be taken through the most exclusive neighborhoods, and on to Rodeo Drive, the home of world famous stores and shops. This will be a perfect time and place to pick up a souvenir or two along the way. Upon departure from Rodeo Drive our next visit will be to Santa Monica, the home of the world famous amusement pier where we will stop for you to enjoy the atmosphere, scenery and ocean breezes. The Tour will conclude at Los Angeles International Airport.

OVERVIEW

See the highlights of San Francisco at your own pace by riding a double-decker bus around the city, hopping on and off whenever you please at the attractions you find most intriguing. Simply hop on one of the buses using your complimentary pass and then hop off when it reaches a destination of interest from more than a dozen designated stops on the Red Route. You might hop off at Chinatown for lunch, the Embarcadero Center for shopping and North Vista Point for a sweeping view of San Francisco and the iconic Golden Gate Bridge. Other stops along the way include the laid-back Haight Ashbury neighborhood, the 19th-century Ferry Building and the extravagant neoclassical Palace of Fine Arts, a faux palace built for the 1915 Panama-Pacific Exposition. Stay as long as you like at each destination and then hop on another bus whenever you are ready. A new bus arrives every 20 minutes or so.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Ride a double-decker bus around San Francisco, taking in the sights along the way.
• Hop off the bus at attractions that you find most intriguing and stay as long as you like.
• Hop on another bus whenever you wish and ride it to the next interesting attraction.
• Hear commentary that describes each attraction, so you can easily pick your favorites.

HELPFUL HINTS

• Dress in weather-appropriate clothing.
• Wear flat comfortable walking shoes.

Welcome to Los Angeles! This LA overview tour begins at the Port of Los Angeles where you'll disembark your ship and join this exciting, fact filled excursion through the highlights of the city. You’ll pass the Los Angeles Coliseum, the University of Southern California, the Museum of Natural History and through the downtown area of Los Angeles. Enjoy a stop at Olvera Street, one of the oldest streets in this lovely city. Here you'll have time to stroll through the local Mexican handicraft shops and cafes.

Upon departure from Olvera Street your drive takes you to Hollywood through one of the main streets, Hollywood Boulevard, where you'll have time to see the famous TLC Chinese Theater. This is the location of the hand and foot prints of famous movie stars. Continue on to the famous Farmers Market, where you’ll have free time to purchase lunch (at your own expense) or to shop for gifts or souvenirs. The tour concludes at Los Angeles International Airport. For operational reasons the tour may be altered.

Join this scenic tour of Vancouver and discover why it was chosen to host the 2010 Winter Olympics. Departing the cruise pier, you’ll head into the heart of downtown, a bustling urban environment surrounded by water and mountains. This tour will pass by the popular Gastown District, home to the antique-style Gastown Steam Clock that whistles to tell the time. You will also pass by Vancouver’s vibrant and historic Chinatown, the second largest in North America, before arriving at Stanley Park. Stanley Park is where the locals come to relax and play and considered one of Canada’s most beautiful national historic sites. The park is larger than New York City’s Central Park and home to old growth trees plus a spectacular display of First Nation Totem Poles. You’ll have some free time to discover Stanley Park and take photos of the North Shore Mountain Range rising just outside of the city before concluding your tour at the Vancouver International Airport.

HELPFUL HINTS
• Dress in weather-appropriate clothing.
• Wear flat comfortable walking shoes.

This perfectly paced tour allows you to step onto a horse-drawn trolley and then step back in time to experience Victoria as people did when Queen Victoria reigned over the British Empire. The trolleys, which have become synonymous with Victoria, are drawn by two magnificent draught horses who know the route almost as well as your guide. Your tour begins at the Ogden Point Pier and then winds through the historic neighborhood of James Bay and then into Victoria’s famed Inner Harbour, home to the Royal BC Museum, The Steamship Terminal, and the iconic Fairmont Hotel Empress. If your tour happens to be at night, you’re sure to be dazzled by the thousands of lights that line British Columbia’s stately Legislative Buildings, designed by famed British-born architect, Francis Rattenbury. Your horse-drawn trolley offers blankets to keep you warm in the event of a cool evening breeze and the passenger area is covered to provide protection in the unlikely event of a shower.

Take in the jewels of the City by the Bay on this half day discovery of the “the City.”

From the pier, travel west passing fisherman’s wharf en route to view the iconic Golden Gate Bridge. Here you pause at the Golden Gate Bridge Welcome Center which offers excellent views of the bridge and informative information and representations of the bridge’s history and engineering. The ample shop offers souvenirs and books memorializing the city and bridge structure. From the Golden Gate to Land’s End, where the city meets the sea.

At Lands’ End, enjoy views over the Pacific Ocean while the nearby modern visitors center offers Indoor exhibits and videos on the natural and cultural history of the Land's End area, Sutro Baths and Sutro Heights. From the coast, drive along the Great Highway to Golden Gate Park on the way to one of the city’s numerous hills, Twin Peaks. At 922 and 904 feet, respectively, South Peak and North Peak are the second- and third-highest hills in San Francisco. Enjoy postcard views over the entire bay from the viewpoint here before beginning the route back to the water’s edge passing a number of historic neighborhoods and buildings before arriving to the pier.

Experience the thrill of an Iron Chef-style cooking challenge, where you can put your skills to the test with fellow passengers. With breathtaking rooftop views of San Francisco as a backdrop, classes are taught by local hosts who bring their expertise and passion to each session.

Spend hours with a chef as they demonstrate culinary techniques and provides cooking tips, all in the interest of improving your skills in the kitchen. Whether you are somewhat of a novice or a highly experienced cook, this course has plenty to offer. During the session, you will learn how to prepare dishes using seasonal ingredients that are nutrient-rich and responsibly sourced. You will also discover the principles of flavor composition so you can create memorable dishes without following a recipe when you return home. Much of the course will be hands on, allowing you to better understand the principles by practicing the techniques under the chef’s watchful eye. Afterwards, you will enjoy a lunch made with garden-fresh ingredients that reflect California international cuisine. The exact dishes will be determined by what’s in season, but past offerings have included Thai, summer vegetable galette, balsamic Swiss chard tart and buckwheat crepes with tarragon zucchini.

HIGHLIGHTS
• Spend time in a hands-on cooking class with an accomplished chef in her home kitchen.
• Learn techniques to better prepare nutrient-rich, responsibly sourced dishes.
• Gain an understanding of flavor composition so you can prepare meals without a recipe.
• Dine on dishes that reflect California cuisine.

OVERVIEW

Travel around Astoria, taking in the most outstanding sights and stopping on occasion at landmarks that best reveal the city’s history. Astoria was named for millionaire businessman John Jacob Astor, whose fur trading company established the first permanent settlement west of the Rockies here in 1811. As you continue around the city on this narrated driving tour, you will discover all sorts of fascinating facts about Astoria and see key attractions such as the Liberty Theater, where Clark Gable made his first stage appearance. Other highlights include the Doughboy Monument that commemorates those that fought in World War I, a Victorian mansion built for Astoria’s first millionaire and the mural-adorned Astoria Column that the Astor family funded in 1926. You will also learn about the devastating fire of 1922 that almost destroyed Astoria and how the city was rebuilt to become greater than ever.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Become familiar with Astoria’s history through key landmarks.
• Understand the influence of John Jacob Astor on his namesake city.
• Hear commentary about momentous events such as the fire of 1922.
• Take in the panoramic view from atop Astoria Column, if you wish.

HELPFUL HINTS

• Dress in weather-appropriate clothing.
• Wear flat comfortable walking shoes.