DAY 1 – MALTA – LONDON

Meet the Tour Manager at Malta International Airport for your flight to London. Upon arrival transfer to Southampton cruise terminal for embarkation of your cruise on board the Anthem of The Seas by Royal Caribbean.

DAY 2/7 CRUISE

Anthem of the Seas is the second ship in Royal Caribbean’s Quantum Class. The 4,180-passenger cruise ship features innovations like RipCord by iFly, a skydiving simulator; North Star, a jewel-shaped glass capsule that rises 300 feet above sea level, providing 360-degree views from high above the ship; and the SeaPlex, the largest indoor sports and entertainment complex at sea, with attractions ranging from bumper cars, roller skating and video gaming to a circus school, complete with flying trapeze classes. Anthem is a big, bold, beautiful ship, with more restaurants, bars and onboard than you can hope to experience in a week. It’s entertaining and flashy, and it reminds us of being in a Las Vegas hotel for a week. The atmosphere is equal parts modern sophistication and straight-up fun. Onboard entertainment is exceptional, highlighted by West End musical, “We Will Rock You,” which rivals anything you’d see on Broadway. At night, the ship’s innovative Two70 venue blends technology with live performance, including aerialists, singers and dancers. In total, the ship features 18 dining venues, including one -- Jamie’s Italian -- created in association with a celebrity chef. Also onboard is a restaurant called Wonderland, which is the cruise line’s first real foray into molecular gastronomy. You’ll pay for a number of the restaurants, but the extra-fee venues by far offer the best food onboard.

PORTS OF CALL

MADEIRA is a diverse place when it comes to holidaymaking. Black sand beaches, the frothing Atlantic, towering rock walls and gushing streams and irrigation channels make this an outdoor Nirvana. But it’s also a place of gentler pleasures such as wine tasting, visiting lush botanical gardens and watching embroiderers and wicker weavers at work. Hiking the levada irrigation channels is the top activity, with tens of thousands pulling on hiking boots to discover Madeira’s secret interior.

LAS PALMAS has a mainland-Spain feel, spiced up with an eclectic mix of other cultures, including African, Chinese and Indian, plus the presence of container-ship crews, and the flotsam and jetsam that tend to drift around port cities. It’s an intriguing place, with the sunny languor and energy you would normally associate with the Mediterranean or North Africa. The hooting taxis, bustling shopping districts, chatty bars and thriving port all give off the energy of this city, which is Spain’s ninth-largest.

TENERIFE is the striking grande dame in the archipelago family. Attracting over six million visitors a year, the island’s most famous southern resorts offer Brit-infused revelry and clubbing, combined with white sandy beaches and all-inclusive resorts. But get your explorer’s hat on and step beyond the tourist spots and you’ll discover an island of extraordinary beauty and diversity, with remote mountain-ridge villages, cultured port settlements and charming ancient towns.

LANZAROTE is an intriguing island with an utterly extraordinary geology of 300 volcanic cones, eerie blackened lava fields and the occasional bucolic, palm-filled valley. The main holiday resorts hug the southern coastline, northeast of which rise the surreal volcanic badlands of the Parque Nacional de Timanfaya and the island’s wine region. Among the wilder northern reaches, surf flourishes at Famara, former capital Teguise surprises, Haría charms with its history and, beyond, Isla Graciosa (the Canaries’ eighth island) beckons.

LISBON emerged as one of Europe’s top tourist destinations in the last decade. With its cobbled alleys, soft colour palette, UNESCO-listed heritage sites and white-domed cathedrals it has also drawn a flux of new residents all seduced by its beauty and balmy weather. Seven cinematic hillsides overlooking the Rio Tejo cradle Lisbon’s postcard-perfect panorama and a captivating scene crafted over centuries.

VIGO is a historic and cultured city, home to Europe’s largest fishing fleet, this is an axis of commerce in northern Spain. Yet its central areas are very walkable and full of intriguing nooks, and it’s the main gateway to the beautiful Illas Cíes. Above all, Vigo is a welcoming and confident city whose citizens really know how to enjoy life, especially after dark in the many buzzing tapas bars, restaurants and clubs. The Casco Vello (Old Town) climbs uphill from the cruise-ship port; the heart of the modern city spreads east from here, with the parklike Praza de Compostela a welcome green space in its midst.

DAY 8 - LONDON – MALTA

Breakfast and transfer from Southampton`s Cruise Terminal to London for city tour. Relax as you travel around central London to see the sights. Pass through Parliament Square, Houses of Parliament, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, Nelson’s Column at Trafalgar Square, Piccadilly Circus and The Tower Bridge. Transfer to Airport for your flight to Malta.