Cajun Christmas & New Year’s Eve Cruise

$2,985 PER PERSON*

Day 1: Depart Colorado Springs and arrive in New Orleans. Gaze at the spectacular sights of New Orleans from the comfort of a luxury coach on an unforgettable 3-hour city tour.

Day 2: Trace the shoreline of Lake Pontchartrain and Great River Road en route to Oak Alley Plantation. After your day in New Orleans, board your lovely ship and depart down the mighty Mississippi.

Day 3: In Nottoway, Louisiana you will visit the estate of sugarcane magnate Randolph Nottoway. You’ll also visit the charming town of White Castle. This evening, we’ll ring in the New Year aboard our lovely ship!

Day 4: St. Francisville, Louisiana is a testament to the lifestyle of a bygone era, with its plethora of charming antebellum-period homes and striking architecture.

Day 5: Natchez, Mississippi is known for its elegance, hospitality, and impressive preservation of historic homes.

Day 6: Vicksburg blends Southern culture and heritage with exciting modern attractions. As a major battle site during the Civil War, this port carries a history unlike any other!

Day 7: Today is a river cruising day.

Day 8: As we port in New Orleans, we say goodbye to Southern Charm and depart for the airport for our flight home.

*Price includes: Interior Stateroom $2685 per person/double occupancy, roundtrip airfare from Colorado Springs, pre-cruise hotel, 7-day escorted cruise, all meals/drinks onboard the ship, all transfers, all tours as described, all taxes and surcharges.

Days 1 & 2: Depart Colorado Springs, arrive in Turkey, check-in to your hotel and enjoy a delicious dinner.

Day 3: Start your tour in Istanbul. Your city tour of Istanbul includes the Hippodrome Roman, the Blue Mosque, the Basilica Cistern, the Topkapi Palace and finally end at the Grand Bazaar.

Day 4: Depart for a visit to the Basilica of Saint Sophia, one of the largest shrines ever built. A highlight of the day will be the scenic cruise on the Bosphorus by private boat. Sail past the medieval hilltop fortress of Rumeli. Afterwards drive to Ankara, the capital of Turkey.

Day 5: Start exploring the capital city of Turkey with the Anatolian Civilizations Museum where you will have the chance to discover the archeological findings that belong to Hittites, Urartians, Phrygians and many other civilizations which had left traces in the cradle of civilizations, Anatolia.

Day 6: Explore Cappadocia with its unique landscapes formed by erosions of winds and water. Continue to Pasabag Valley. Your next stop is Kaymakli Underground City, a subterranean settlement composed of troglodytic cave dwellings providing shelter for early Christians protecting themselves from invaders. Continue to the rockcarved natural citadel of Uchisar promising a superb view of the region from its top. The last stop of today’s touring before returning to the hotel is Avanos, the famous town of Cappadocia that was established by the Hittites on the riverbanks of Halys River.

Day 7: You will be driven to Konya that was called Iconium during the Roman period and was an important post for Roman legion and control of the trade routes of antiquity.

Day 8: Start your exploration with Hierapolis founded during the Hellenistic period as a control point of trading routes connecting East to West.

Day 9: Explore the timeless city of Ephesus where history and archaeology will offer you their majesty with incredible richness.

Day 10: Depart from the hotel to explore the Greco-Roman city of Pergamon famous for its Asclepion, the ancient medical center of which its purpose was most like a spa of the 19th century. Leaving the Asclepion, you will see the Acropolis, the Altar of Zeus, and the Temples of Athena, Trajan and Dionysus. Continue your drive to the very well known ancient city of Troy. You will be thrilled by the ancient city that witnessed the battle of heroes.

Day 11: You will be driven to Istanbul. Your scenic drive will first take you to Gallipoli, the site of the incredible battle played out here during World War I.

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