Balmoral, Around the World Cruise L1101 ex Southampton Return

108 Night World Cruise sailing from Southampton roundtrip aboard Balmoral.

Slightly larger - and with a wider choice of facilities - Fred. Olsen Cruise Line's Balmoral is still compact enough to offer the intimate, home-from-home atmosphere for which the company is so well known. Named after theScottish home of the royal family, the ship's public rooms also have a Scottish theme, although the onboard atmosphere is distinctly British. Enjoy formal or informal dining, a drink in the pub-at-sea, main shows and dancing, or take in the views from one of the bars and lounges. Two pools, a gymwith fantastic views and golf practice nets are available for the more energetic. Or relax in one of the Jacuzzis, indulge in luxurious spa treatments or enjoy a book from the library.

Southampton
Southampton is a city and major port situated on the south coast of England. It is the closest city to the New Forest, situated approximately halfway between Portsmouth and Bournemouth. The city of Southampton is a modern and bustling place to visit, filled with huge shopping malls, modern buildings and an interesting past.

Southampton's busiest tourist attractions include the Civic Centre- home to the Guildhall, library and many significant events throughout the year; Ocean Village - a trendy marina development full of waterfront attractions, restaurants, bars, cinemas and shops; Southampton Common - an enormous area of green in the very heart of the city, with plenty for all the family such as the Hawthorns Urban Wildlife; and the Rose Bowl - a prominent local sporting venue.

Santa Cruz
The most varied and one of the most attractive of the Canary island group, Tenerife offers a truly incredible variety of landscape, vegetation and climate, owing to the high mountainous crest which clearly divides the island in two. Giving, on one hand, a lush, fertile and humid North Coast and a dry, desert like, arid Southern Coast on the other.

Santa Cruz de Tenerife is a very friendly town with beautiful parks and lively streets. The port area is the town's real center: Plaza de España, with its Cabildo Insular and Plaza de la Candelaria with its impressive 17th century Carta Palace. More sights are the baroque church Iglesia de la Concepción, the Museum of Painting and Sculpture and the castle Castillo de Paso Alto.

Close to Santa Cruz there are the beaches Las Gaviotas and Las Teresitas, and an outstanding view over the island can be seen from the mountain Monte de la Esperanza, located 20 km's from the town.

Willemstad
Curaçao, the largest island in the Netherlands Antilles, is part of the Dutch Leeward Islands, also known as the Dutch Antilles. Willemstad, the capital, is noted for its brightly colored, Dutch-style houses and Cunucu dwellings (based on African-style mud and wattle huts). It is one of the best shopping destinations in the Caribbean. The harbor has a floating market where colorful barges full of agricultural produce are moored. Nearby is the new market building, the design of which is very unusual.

Popular places to visit in Willemstad include Fort Amsterdam, now the seat of government of the Netherlands Antilles, the Queen Emma Pontoon bridge and the Queen Juliana Bridge. The latter spans the harbor at a height of 490m (1600ft). The architecture of the Scharloo area, reached by crossing the Wilhelmina Drawbridge, is fascinating, dating from as early as 1700. The Mikvé Israel Synagogue is the oldest in the Americas and, like the Jewish Beth Heim Cemetery, is worth a visit. Its courtyard museum has a fine collection of historical artifacts.

Callao
Callao is the largest and most important port in Peru. It is located west of Lima, the country's capital, and is part of the Lima Metropolitan Area.

Callao is built on and around a peninsula, the district of La Punta, once a wealthy residential neighborhood. An historical fortress, the Castillo de Real Felipe (site of "Rodil's Last Stand"), stands on the promontory overlooking the harbor.

In its surroundings is located the Main Iglesia Matriz Church, the Capitanía del Puerto (Port Captaincy) and the. From the latter's front yard begins a street that takes the visitor towards the District of La Punta, a long peninsula encrusted into the Pacific Ocean and hosting the Naval Base, besides round stony beaches, the old walkway by the sea and a handsome residential area that flourished among the decades of the forties and fifties.

A few kilometres into the sea stands the San Lorenzo Island, with some archaeological relevance and the El Frontón Islet, at presently an abandoned prison that used to hold highly dangerous criminals

Papeete
Tahiti is the largest of the Polynesian islands with its population most concentrated in Papeete which is a major shipping crossroad located on Tahiti's northwest corner.

Shopping-lovers will enjoy Papeete's chic shops, busy municipal market, waterfront area and lively mix of French, Polynesian, and Chinese cultures. Its suburbs sprawl up the mountains overlooking the city for miles along the coast in both directions.

The interior of the island offers splendid and unforgettable opportunities for hiking or safari 4x4 excursions, with impressive waterfalls, archeological sites, grottos and more.

Auckland
Auckland is located on the north island of New Zealand, situated between two magnificent harbours, the Waitemata and the Manukau. It is the largest city in NZ and is often referred to as the 'City of Sails' due to the large number of yachts which travel in its waters.

Auckland city has a great range of shops including designer boutiques, markets and stalls. It is also home to many fine galleries and museums including the Auckland Museum and the Auckland City Art Gallery. Restaurants in the waterfront suburbs such as Mission Bay or St Heliers and the inner city specialise in local seafood delicacies. There are also a number of attractive public gardens and reserves surrounding the city.

The large Polynesian population in Auckalnd include Maori, Samoan, Cook Island and Tongan people whom all contribute to the city's vibrant culture. Local markets and churches in particular provide an insight to the local cultures.

Sydney
Sydney, a free spirited, vibrant city built around one of the world's most beautiful harbours, with scores of sparkling beaches within easy reach of its cosmopolitan heart - that's Sydney, capital of New South Wales, Australia's largest and oldest city, where the first settlers landed in 1788.

Brisbane
It may have been founded by British convicts as recently as 1824, yet today, Brisbane features fine architecture, excellent restaurants and provides the gateway to some of the finest stretches of beach you'll find anywhere in the world.

Cairns
Cairns is the gateway to tropical north Queensland and is a popular travel destination because of its tropical climate and proximity to many attractions. The Great Barrier Reef is only one-and-a-half hours away by boat. The Daintree National Park and Cape Tribulation, about 130km north of Cairns, are popular areas for experiencing a tropical rainforest. It is also a starting point for people wanting to explore Cooktown, Cape York Peninsula, and the Atherton Tableland.

Cairns city itself is a modern, sophisticated city in the heart of the tropical north, with international standard restaurants, boutique shopping, modern art galleries and classy nightclubs to keep visitors entertained. Cairns also boasts outstanding hotels, offshore island resorts, big Reef-cruise catamarans in the harbor, and too many souvenir shops. The only beach right in town is a man-made 4,000-sq.-m saltwater lagoon and artificial beach on the Esplanade.

Bangkok
The port city of Laem Chabang is your gateway to Bangkok, Thailand's glittering capital. This "City of Angels" is a lustrous city of immense Oriental charm, festooned with ornate temples, shrines and a lacework of canals. Towering golden spires reach for the heavens while sunlight glistens on the majestic Royal Palace and boats laden with produce drift up and down the canals.

Shining through this dream-like setting is the hospitality and warmth of the gentle Thais. These talented people have raised folk dance to high art, created mouth-watering cuisine and built a splendid capital, unique in all the world.

Thailand is bounded by Myanmar, the Indian Ocean, Malaysia, the Gulf of Thailand, Cambodia and Laos.

The capital, Bangkok, although increasingly westernised, is underpinned by a strong sense of tradition.

The city's canals are untouched by the fast and loud streetlife. Through the city flows the Chao Phraya River on whose banks can be found some of the best hotels in Bangkok. It is also where visitors will find the Grand Palace - a major site. Within the city limits is a wealth of over 300 Buddhist temples and shrines

Singapore
Singapore is an island-state in Southeast Asia. Singapore City is by far the largest and most significant island alongside 63 others that make up Singapore state. Located at the mouth of the Singapore River, it is a modern, affluent city and the world's busiest port.

A blend of the ancient and modern can be seen from the gleaming skyscrapers to Chinese and Hindu temples. Combining a lush tropical climate, with tasty food, good shopping and a happening, vibrant nightlife scene, this Garden City makes a great stopover or springboard into the region.

Cochin
A former British colony, the port of Cochin was not officially established until 1920, when the channel into Cochin underwent restructuring to accommodate large shipping lines. Fort Cochin possesses a wealth of historical buildings that track the city's tumultuous past, while Mattancheri Palace provides a home to the Rajas of Kochi, such as gowns, palanquins, weapons, and furniture. Rumored to have been a gift of the Portuguese in 1557 to the Raja of Kochi in exchange for trading rights, the palace provides an intriguing glimpse into Cochin's history

Kochi (colonial name Cochin) is a vibrant city situated on the south-west coast of the Indian peninsula in the breathtakingly scenic and prosperous state of Kerala, hailed as 'God's Own Country'. Its strategic importance over the centuries is underlined by the sobriquet Queen of the Arabian Sea. Informally, Cochin is also referred to as the Gateway to Kerala.

From time immemorial, the Arabs, British, Chinese, Dutch, and Portuguese have left indelible marks on the history and development of Cochin. Over the years, Cochin has emerged as the commercial and industrial capital of Kerala and is perhaps the second most important city on the west coast of India (after Mumbai/Bombay). Cochin is proud of its world class port and international airport that link it to many major cities worldwide.

Dubai
Dubai is one of the most modern cities in the world; this city was a fishing and pearling village less than 50 years ago. The architecture of its modern buildings and sky scrapers is the finest in the Middle East. Sightseeing within the city center is split mainly between Deira, on the right bank of the Dubai creek and historic Bur Dubai on the other bank. Deira, is home to the best shopping and is the business and commercial centre of the city. Bur Dubai has less of a bustling atmosphere and is home to a number of tourist attractions, including the Dubai Museum, Grand Mosque and Sheikh Saeed Al-Maktoum's House.

Alexandria
Alexandria, Egypt's second largest city (after the capital Cairo) is the second-largest city in Egypt, and is the country's largest seaport. Alexandria extends about 32 km (20 miles) along the coast of the Mediterranean sea in north-central Egypt.

Alexandria is an important tourist resort with many cultural attractions and memories of a glorious past. Attractions include the Greco-Roman Museum, the Roman Amphitheatre at Kom al-Dikkah and the Catacombs of Kom al-Shoqafa. There are also many sandy beaches stretching from east to west.

Valleta
Valletta and its suburb town of Floriana are perched on the steep Sciberras peninsula jutting out into Malta's two deep natural harbours, Grand Harbour and Marsamxett Harbour. Valletta is the Islands' fortress city. Founded by the Knights of St John in 1566, it is known as the 'city built by gentlemen for gentlemen' ; a 16th century architectural masterpiece.

Valletta is very much a working, capital city; a bustling cultural centre and the administrative and commercial heart of the Islands. Walking around Valletta, you'll come across an amazing number of historical sites, squares, courtyards, gardens and any number of cafés to visit. The city is a delight to shop in: narrow side streets are full of tiny shops selling antiques, maps, books, prints and jewellery.

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