15
JANUARY 1 2009
AMERICANWAY
For her Top of theWorld itiner-
ary,
TahitianPrincess
will make
hermaiden call at
Saint-Pierre et
Miquelon
. This undiscoveredFrench
territory off the coast of Newfound-
land is the last remnant of France’s
once-massive holding inNorthAmer-
ica. The center of the cod-fishing
industry and a producer of liquor
duringProhibition, this quaint stop
in theNorthAtlantic has fewer than
10,000 inhabitants, most ofwhom
arefishermenwho live on the archi-
pelago of eight islands that’s slightly
larger thanWashington, D.C. For this
cruise, passengers fly to London and
transfer toDover for the 18-day sail
toNewYork. Fares start at $4,695.
(800) 774-6237,
Anchors aweigh.
ALuxeOdyssey
In June, the industry’s first new luxury ship in six years debuts.
Seabourn Odyssey
accommodates
450 passengers in 225 suites, including the 1,182-square-foot GrandWintergarden, completewith a private, glass-enclosed solarium.
Sporting an 11,400-square-foot, two-deck spa,
Odyssey
commences her inaugural season in Venice and winds up in the Caribbean.
Inaugural fares from$4,335. (800) 929-9391,
Liverpool
gave theworld theBeatles,
but few realize that Liverpool also
launchedCunardSteamshipCompany
in 1840. This fall, Cunard’s
Queen
Mary2
will celebrate her fifth sea-
son by circumnavigating theBritish
Isles for thefirst time, making a
maiden call at themother company’s
birthplace. There,
QM2
passengers
can explore the FabFour’s stomping
grounds likePenny Lane andStraw-
berry Field.
Liverpool isn’t just about the
Beatles, though.
AlbertDock
,
onceEngland’s gateway toAmerica,
provedpivotal inEngland’s trade
across the pond. Today, Albert Dock’s
restoredwarehousesmake up one of
the city’smost outstanding heritage
attractions.
QM2
’smaiden tour of
theBritish Isles begins and ends in
Southampton inOctober. Travelers
fly to London and transfer toSouth-
ampton for the eight-day cruise. Fares
start at $1,867 per person. (800)
728-6273,
Cunard isn’t the onlyflag calling
at newports. Starting inSeptember,
NorwegianSun
will make itsmaiden
call at
LaPaz,Mexico
,
during her
MexicanRiviera cruises. Discovered
byHernánCortés in 1535, LaPaz—
the capital of BajaCaliforniaSur— is
amecca for snorkelers anddivers.
The cruise includes an excursion to
Los Islotes, a cluster of small islands
with a large sea lion colony that at-
tracts beginner and experienced snor-
kelerswho come to swimwith the
playful creatures. Travelers fly in and
out of SanFrancisco for the 11-day
round-tripMexicanRiviera cruises.
Fares start at $799per person. (866)
234-7350,
