Highlights

PER PERSON PRICES:

Interior: $2995 Double…..$4895 Single

Oceanview: $3295 Double….$5495 Single

Balcony: $3995 Double…..$7195 Single

Itinerary

April 19: Arrive Rome

Today arrive into Rome, your gateway to the Eternal City, Civitavecchia has served as Rome’s seaport since the 13th century. The port has a long and venerable history. The emperor Trajan built a pleasure villa near the modern city, while Bernini and Michelangelo designed the harbor fortifications.

Yet the Eternal City eternally beckons. The ancient capital of the Western World and the center of Christianity for nearly 2,000 years, Rome provides an inexhaustible feast. Visit the ruins of the Forum, view the splendors of the Sistine Chapel, or climb the Spanish Steps, once the heart of Rome’s Bohemian Quarter. Rome has been a magnet luring the world’s greatest artists, architects, and philosophers since the days of the Caesars.  Transfer via private motorcoach to your overnight hotel.  The rest of the day is on your own.

April 20:  Rome Sightseeing/Board the Grand Princess

This morning take a sightseeing tour of Rome aboard your private motorcoach.  After the tour, the motorcoach will drive you to Civitavecchia to board the Grand Princess.  Newly enhanced with the latest innovations, Grand Princess continues to offer the signature service for which Princess Cruises is renowned. Along with signature features like Movies Under the Stars, Italian-inspired Piazza and The Sanctuary, fresh venues onboard offer new ways to help you escape completely. Sip on a variety of soothing teas at Leaves Tea Lounge & Library, or enjoy hand-tossed pizza in Alfredo’s, a full-service pizzeria. Plus, their new nightclub, The One5, provides a vibrant ambience to dance the night away.

April 21: Florence/Pisa (Livorno)

Livorno is the gateway to glorious Tuscany. Visit Florence – the cradle of the Renaissance – home to the Duomo, the Uffizi and the Ponte Vecchio. Here the Medici fostered a city-state whose cultural legacy is as great as classical Athens. Giants like Dante, Da Vinci, Michelangelo and Galileo infused the West with a new creative spirit. Then there is Pisa, Florence’s rival for political power. Pisa, a brash, commercial seafaring town rivaled the great maritime powers of Venice and Genoa. The city was a leader in art and architecture second only to Florence.

April 22: Monte Carlo, Monaco

Monte Carlo is the playground of the rich and famous. Sleek yachts grace the harbor. Boutiques offer the latest fashions from the most prestigious couturiers in Europe. Cafés, cabarets and the elegant Casino throb with nightlife. Monte Carlo is also the modern district of the principality of Monaco, sitting atop a promontory above the old port of Monaco and its dazzling harbor. Monte Carlo sprang to life with the opening of the Casino, designed by Charles Garnier, whose credits include the Paris Opera.Monte Carlo lies at the heart of the Riviera. Stunning scenery and charming seaside resorts are to be found in either direction along the three Corniches.

April 23: Barcelona, Spain

The 1992 Summer Olympics revealed to the world what Europeans and seasoned travelers already knew – Barcelona is one of the world’s greatest treasures. Vibrant and earthy, commercial and cultural, this city of two million residents is the capital of Spain’s autonomous region of Catalonia. Stroll along the wide, tree-lined promenades of Las Ramblas and marvel at the spires of Gaudi’s Basilica La Sagrada Familia. Or visit the former Olympic Ring on the hill of Montjuic – also home to world-class parks, fountains and museums. Barcelona, which nurtured such artistic giants as Picasso, Dali, Miro and Casals, is definitely a traveler’s paradise.

April 24: Day at Sea

Today enjoy a full day at Sea.

April 25: Gibraltar

The Rock crouches over the sea like an ancient stone beast, looking Sphinx-like to Africa. Beneath the white cliffs of this natural fortress grows a profusion of palm, pine, and cypress. No fewer than 600 varieties of flowers thrive here, some not found anywhere else on Earth. Gibraltar’s stunning setting is matched by its history – five countries have battled for 13 centuries to control the passage between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean. The result made for a cultural melting pot. Veiled Moroccan women in caftans and vacationing Englishmen and Spaniards stroll along the narrow, steep lanes. The locals revert to a liquid Spanish when talking among themselves. And visitors to a 15th-century cathedral pass through a blue-tiled courtyard, once part of a 13th-century mosque.
Helmeted bobbies, pillar-boxes and pubs make for a bit of Britain in the Mediterranean. Gibraltar is a fascinating place, from its caves and batteries to the Barbary apes gamboling on the slopes of the Rock.

April 26: Lisbon, Portugal

Draped across seven hills, Lisbon was once the center of a vast maritime empire that stretched from the west coast of Africa to the Spice Islands of the East Indies. Then, on November 1, 1755, a violent earthquake destroyed two-thirds of the city in the space of 10 minutes. Only the Alfama, the old Moorish quarter, survived. Today, Lisbon is a stately city of Neoclassical buildings and wide plazas.

April 27-28: Days at Sea

Spend 2 full days at Sea

April 29: Paris/Normandy (Le Havre), France

Perhaps no other place in France holds more associations for English-speaking visitors than Normandy. The historic Allied landings on D-Day – 6 June, 1944 – live on in the memories of British and Americans alike. Nor has Le Havre forgotten the dark days of the war. The port was nearly completely destroyed during the Normandy campaign. Today, Le Havre is France’s second largest port and the gateway to Paris, “City of Light,” the Norman countryside, and the historic landing beaches. Travelers usually head for the historic landing sites or to Paris. Yet Le Havre was designated a World Heritage Site in 2005. The Musee des Beaux Arts Andre Malraux boasts one of the finest collections of Impressionist painting in the world.

April 30: London (Southampton) England

Today arrive into London.  Upon debarkation, your private motorcoach and guide will meet you and transfer to London.  Upon arrival into London, enjoy a sightseeing tour by motorcoach.  The rest of the day will be on your own.  Overnight in London.

 May 1: Depart for Home

This morning, transfer to the London Heathrow Airport and depart for home.