Cruise Itinerary

Located at the most northerly tip of Newfoundland, L'Anse aux Meadows is nestled near the fishing village of St. Anthony. It is the site of the first European settlement in the New World, approximately 500 years before Columbus' arrival. Other Norse groups had relocated from their homelands to the New World. In 1961, explorer and writer Helge Instad discovered a group of large mounds in the countryside. These mounds were excavated revealing the remains of a Norse settlement. This site became L'Anse aux Meadows National Historic Park in 1977 and is noted on the UNESCO World Heritage List of important cultural properties. The site at L'Anse aux Meadows has been completely excavated allowing visitors to see the remains of the homes, a smithy, and various worksheds. The park's interpretive center displays Norse artifacts from the excavation which include iron rivets, a flywheel and the floorboard of a boat. Researchers still debate as to whether the site at L'Anse aux Meadows is Leif Eriksson's 'Vinland,' a lush, beautiful area where he settled in for the winter around the year 1000. Parks Canada will greet you on disembarking the ship and you may explore at leisure this first settlement of the New World.

St. John's is the most easterly point in North America and closest point of land to Europe. Due to it strategic location, St. John's has been vitally important for centuries to explorers, adventurers, merchants, soldiers, pirates, and all manner of seafarers, who provided the foundation for this thriving modern day city. Explore this, one of the oldest cities in North America, and a city unlike any other. This "City of Legends" is cradled in a harbor carved from granite, and surrounded by hills running down to the ocean. Quaint side streets of a thousand colors are home to friendly faces that wait to greet you.

St. John's is the most easterly point in North America and closest point of land to Europe. Due to it strategic location, St. John's has been vitally important for centuries to explorers, adventurers, merchants, soldiers, pirates, and all manner of seafarers, who provided the foundation for this thriving modern day city. Explore this, one of the oldest cities in North America, and a city unlike any other. This "City of Legends" is cradled in a harbor carved from granite, and surrounded by hills running down to the ocean. Quaint side streets of a thousand colors are home to friendly faces that wait to greet you.

Saint Pierre and Miquelon is a French archipelago south of the Canadian island of Newfoundland. Sparsely populated Miquelon-­Langlade island contains the Grand Barachois lagoon, home to seabirds and seals. The busier Saint Pierre island has a distinct French atmosphere, with a cathedral and the Musée Heritage, which celebrates regional history. An island nearby, Île-aux-Marins, features an abandoned fishing village.

This island in the archipelago in the Gulf of St. Lawrence offers scenic fishing villages and wind- and water-sculpted coastlines of eerie beauty. The church of St. Pierre at Laverniere was constructed from the wreckage of ships that foundered on the offshore shoals. A lighthouse now warns others away.

To visit Québec is to experience France without crossing the Atlantic. The architecture, the ambience, and the animated conversation on the street confirm the impression that a bit of France has been permanently imbedded in North America. Stroll along the streets of the atmospheric Latin Quarter and explore the historic stone and brick houses of Old Québec, the only remaining walled city north of Mexico. Visit the Place Royale and Notre Dame des Victoires, the oldest stone church in North America, and marvel at the turreted Château de Frontenac.

Trois-Rivières is a city in the province of Quebec, Canada. The riverfront Boréalis museum traces the history of the local paper industry. Nearby, the Centre d’exposition Raymond-Lasnier displays contemporary art. Quebec Museum of Folk Culture explores the cultural life of the Québécois. Adjacent is the Old Prison, dating from 1822. The Forges du Saint-Maurice has artifacts from Canada’s first iron-working community.