MSC Cruises is offering an 18-night voyage departing Miami and May 24, ending in Rio de Janeiro in time for the 2014 World Cup. The itinerary includes stops in Charlotte Amalie (St. Thomas), Bridgetown (Barbados), St. George (Grenada), Port of Spain (Trinidad and Tobago) along with Fortaleza, Salvador de Bahia, Ilheus and Rio de Janeiro (Brazil). Rates start at $1,019.00.
While on board, enrichment and entertainment programs include arts and crafts sessions, bridge, burraco and chess lessons, professional dance courses, including salsa, merengue and rock’ n roll, with lecture programs tailored to each itinerary.
Along the journey, shore excursions at stops throughout the Caribbean and Brazil are available. Highlights include:
A pirate schooner adventure in St. Thomas is available for adults and children alike. The next stop is Grenada, where passengers can embark on a rainforest adventure.
Once in Brazil, historical tours of the colonial city of Salvador, one of the oldest capitals in the Americas, include local cuisine, music, architecture and Afro-Brazilian culture. Excursions highlight Salvador’s key attractions, including the area’s oldest colonial forte, Farol de Barra, the main plaza of Praça da Se, one of the finest examples of Brazilian baroque architecture and Igreja de Ordem Terceira and the infamous “healing room of miracles” of the Bonfim Church.
South of Salvador, discover the early-20th-century architecture of the cocoa port of Ilhéus. Its history was made famous by Brazilian novelist Jorge Amado in his best-selling novel Gabriela, Cravo e Canela. (‘Gabriela, Clove and Cinnamon’).
In Rio de Janeiro, cable cars take guests to the top of Sugar Loaf, one of several morros (hills) of granite and quartz that rise straight from the water's edge. Jeep tours include visits to the Christ statue, the Candelaria Church, Lapa Arch’s and the Rodrigo de Freitas lagoon. Architecture enthusiasts can take a drive to view several of Oscar Niemeyer’s pieces of art with a visit to the saucer-shaped Niteroi Contemporary Art Museum.
For more information, visit www.msccruisesusa.com.