Vantage World Travel

MS Columbus - Dubai / Nice

An 19 day / 18 night cruise itinerary April 17-May 6, 2008

Highlights

• An Atlantis of the sand tells you its story: 1001 nights in Oman
• Gingerbread housefacades in the highlands of Yemen: enter Sana’a
• One of Christianity’s oldest monasteries in the Sinai Mountains invites you to come and pray
• Through a mighty ravine to a breath-taking encounter: marvel at the rock city of Petra
• In Wadi Rum following the traces of Lawrence of Arabia
• One of the seven wonders of the world, 64 Pharaoh graves and plenty of other reasons to visit Cairo and Luxor
• Glide through the desert along the Suez Canal
• Impressive: Sicily’s Mount Etna
• Taormina, a Sicilian beauty at the foot of the volcano

Daily Itinerary

• Thurs., 04/17 Individual arrival - Embarkation onto the COLUMBUS, departure 12:00 midnight
• Fri., 04/18 Khasab/Musandam/Oman, in the roads from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm
  An invitation to be amazed: deep bays carved into the coastline afford breath-taking views on your journey from Khasab to Bukha*. During your impressive jeep trip to Jebel Harim* steep mountainsides and wide Wadis of the Bedouins form your backdrop.
• Sat., 04/19 - Sun., 04/20 Relax at sea
• Mon., 04/21 Salalah/Oman, from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm
  Immerse yourself into a fairytale world of 1,001 nights and go on a cross country trip to the lost city of Ubar*. Amongst sand dunes you can find the ruins of an old fortress, reminiscent of a time of flowering gardens and extravagant palaces. If you explore Salalah and environs* you will encounter the old frankincense road and the last resting place of Biblical Job in the mountains.
• Tue., 04/22 Relax at sea
• Wed., 04/23 Aden/Yemen, from 6:30 am to 2:00 pm
  Spend two magnificent days in “Arabia felix”. At the intersection of Frankincense and Myrrh Road you will find Sana’a*, the destination of your overland excursion. Colourful windows glitter in the sunlight, stucco facades of graceful beauty - a walk through a dream.
• Thurs., 04/24 Hodeidah/Yemen, from 8:00 am to 6:00 pm
  Return to the ship from the overland excursion. The street winds its way up the Haraz Mountains, and you can enjoy a magnificent view of Yemens’ mountain architecture on your excursion to the fortress town of Menacha and Al-Hajjara*.
• Fri., 04/25 - Sat., 04/26 Relax at sea
• Sun., 04/27 Sharm el Sheikh/Egypt, from 6:00 am to 10:00 pm
  Wake up to an exciting day in Egypt. The trip across the Sinai peninsula and the St. Catherine Monastery*, a UNESCO world cultural heritage site, takes you through wonderful mountainous landscape to the place where the burning thorn bush once stood. There, by the foot of the Moses Mountain, you can see the ancient monastery with the former library and splendid collection of icons.
• Mon., 04/28 Aqaba/Jordan, from 7:00 am to 7:00 pm
  In 1812, a Swiss man dressed up as an Indian merchant and was granted permission to enter the legendary rock city of Petra*. Thanks to J.L. Burckhardt you can now also visit the 2,000 year old temples, palaces and burial chambers of this UNESCO world cultural heritage sites, which are carved out of red stone. Wadi Rum* was the place were Lawrence of Arabia camped with the Bedouins. Now you can explore this beautiful rock desert.
• Tue., 04/29 Hurghada/Egypt, in the roads from 7:00 am to 12:00 noon
  Would you like to meet the “Mother of the World”? Go on a several day excursion to Luxor and Cairo* and visit the pyramids of Gizeh, the Sphinx and the Archaeological Museum. Before you do that, the Valley of the Kings with the famous pharaoh graves await you in Luxor.
• Wed., 04/30 Suez/Egypt, in the roads from 1:00 am to 7:00 am
  If you didn’t manage to visit the wonders of the Nile yesterday you now have another opportunity to take an overland excursion to Cairo*. On board, a very special seafaring experience awaits you: the journey through the Suez Canal.
  Port Said/Egypt, from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm Return to the ship from the overland excursions
• Thurs., 05/01 Relax at sea
• Fri., 05/02 Heraklion/Crete, from 8:00 am to 6:00 pm
  A testimony of Minoan culture welcomes you in Greece: Knossos and the Archaeological Museum* take you to a past epoch and incite you to visit the magnificent palace with its beautiful mural paintings.
• Sat., 05/03 Relax at sea
• Sun., 05/04 Catania/Sicily, from 8:00 am to 6:00 pm
  Approach the largest active European volcano with reverence: Mount Etna* invites you to take a walk by the Silvestri Crater. The volcano also forms a picturesque backdrop in Taormina*. Medieval aristocratic palaces and a Greek theatre from the 2nd century BC deserve your attention.
  Passage through the Strait of Messina
• Mon., 05/05 Relax at sea
• Tue., 05/06 Nice/France, arrival 7:00 am - Individual departure