The Spanish explored the Gulf Coast 500 years ago, yet to most North American travelers it is undiscovered territory. You are invited to discover an unspoiled region of America where the beaches are pristine, the coastal islands are teeming with wildlife, and the historic and cultural sites attest to the region’s rich and varied history. Step aboard the Yorktown, a 138 guest cruise ship with a focus on personalized attention and intimacy, as you experience the historic cities and natural treasures of the Gulf Coast. Explore New Orleans and Mobile; both cities founded by the French in the early 18th century, and both still celebrate their French and Creole heritage. Less well-known but equally fascinating is Apalachicola, an enchanting waterfront town in Florida, renowned for its 19th-century architecture. You'll also enjoy the pristine beauty of natural habitats that have been untouched by civilization, including the St. Vincent National Wildlife Refuge, habitat of such rare species as red wolves and bald eagles.

Highlights:

French Quarter of New Orleans, Mississippi River, Mobile historic sightseeing tour, historic homes and churches of Apalachicola, Pensacola Village and Tarkiln Bayou Preserve, Horn Island birdwatching.

Cruise Departure Dates: Nov 18, Nov 25, Dec 2, Dec 9, 2012

New Orleans is the most celebrated city of the American South, and the largest city in Louisiana. The city has a reputation for historical roots, hot and muggy weather, great food, great music, and great times. Despite being hit hard by Hurricane Katrina in late 2005, New Orleans is still the tourist hot-spot it always has been. Jazz music still rules the city's streets and there's still a bit of Mardi Gras all year round. French Quarter is the oldest, most famous, and most visited section of the city. Many old-line restaurants are in the Quarter, along with music clubs, museums, antiques shops, and drinking establishments. Swamp tours to the bayous are also popular.

Meet your professional driver for a private airport transfer. 

Hotel Le Cirque is New Orleans' hottest new property.  Hotel Le Cirque is located at one of the city's most prestigious addresses - Lee Circle at St. Charles Avenue, on the end of the trendy Arts & Warehouse District. This location is one of the hottest spots during Mardi Gras as over 23 of New Orleans krewes pass right here! The hotel is on the St. Charles Avenue streetcar line, and within walking distance of Julia Street art galleries, Contemporary Arts Center, Louisiana Children's Museum, Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, the World War II D-Day Museum and celebrated restaurants such as Emeril's Delmonico.

Overnight at Hotel Le Cirque.

Enjoy a shared transfer from your hotel to the dock to start your shared swamp tour! Journey by boat, Cajun-style, for a shared tour through the heart of Southern Louisiana's swamplands. Experience real-life adventure from the comfort of our swamp boats. Tour back into some privately owned meandering bayous and take a look into the past. View moss draped cypress trees, fascinating plant life and the creatures who make their homes here.

Your Cajun guide is a native of the area who will share with you the legends and lore of Louisiana's still untamed wilderness.

Overnight at Hotel Le Cirque.

Relax and enjoy a luxury cruise along the waters of the Gulf Coast of the United States. The Gulf Coast is made of many inlets, bays, and lagoons, and is also intersected by numerous rivers, the largest of which is the Mississippi River. The region is anchored by the cities of Houston, Baton Rouge, New Orleans, Mobile, Pensacola, Tampa, and Sarasota, all the centers of their respective metropolitan areas and each containing a large port. Your onboard experience will be enriched by shore excursions at various ports-of-call along the way.

New Orleans is a great walking city, so why not take advantage with some time at leisure to explore on your own? If keeping busy is better for you, you can choose from a number of optional activities such as: a walking tour of the French Quarter, evening cruise on the Mississippi listening to some wonderful jazz music, come face to face with gators during a swamp tour, a guided visit to Oak Alley Plantation, or a visit to the beautiful Garden District where you will have the opportunity to see some lovely homes.

Embark the Yorktown, your cruise ship and gateway to the Gulf Coast. You will overnight aboard ship, conveniently docked near the French Quarter.

The Yorktown is the perfect vessel for relaxed and convivial exploration of America’s great coastal waterways. 257 feet long, 43 feet wide, with a draft of 8 feet, the Yorktown is able to maneuver in secluded waterways and visit small ports that are inaccessible to larger vessels. Accommodating 138 guests in 69 exterior cabins, the Yorktown enjoys an atmosphere of warm and relaxed informality that endears it to repeat and new guests alike. In addition to a large sun deck, the Yorktown boasts a spacious lounge for social gatherings and lectures as well as quiet space for private conversation. The ship’s cuisine, served in a dining room large enough to accommodate all guests at once, emphasizes American regional culinary traditions and specialties.

Overnight at Yorktown (BLD).

Spend the day exploring and discovering New Orleans, described by some as the “most unique” city in America. Named after Philippe d’Orléans, Duke of Orléans, Regent of France, New Orleans is known for its distinct French Creole architecture, cuisine, as well as being the birthplace of jazz and the home of Mardi Gras. Wedged between the mighty Mississippi and Lake Pontchartrain, New Orleans is a city that has been influenced by many different cultural groups. On a walking tour, explore the French Quarter or Vieux Carré (Old Quarter), the 80- block area that is the geographical and spiritual heart of the city, to admire the old architecture that line the Quarter’s narrow streets and passageways. You will also have free time to discover New Orleans on your own. Alternatively, drive for the morning to Vacherie to visit the Laura Plantation, whose earliest inhabitants were the local Colapissa tribe. During the antebellum years, some 500 people lived on the estate. Late in the afternoon, sail through the Mississippi and the Intracoastal Waterway to the Gulf.

Overnight at Yorktown (BLD).

Sailing the spacious Mobile Bay, Yorktown will dock in the graceful city of Mobile, whose strategic location at the mouth of the Mobile and Tensaw Rivers attracted French and Spanish explorers. During the Civil War, Mobile was an important Confederate port. Mobile was founded in 1702 by the French, and shortly thereafter became the capital of the French colony of Louisiana, before moving the seat of government to newly founded New Orleans. Your tour of Mobile will focus on its historic landmarks and sites, which include Fort Condé, originally built in 1711, the Condé- Charlotte Museum, housed in an 1822 building, Bragg-Mitchell Mansion, one of the city’s finest antebellum homes, and Oakleigh, a superb 1833 Greek- Revival mansion. You will also have the opportunity to visit the magnificent Bellingrath Gardens and Home, beautifully set along the Fowl River.

Overnight at Yorktown (BLD).

Cruise along the coast of Alabama and Florida’s Panhandle. Converse with fellow cruisemates in the social atmosphere of the ship's lounge. Evening arrival in Port St. Joe.

Overnight at Yorktown (BLD).

From Port St. Joe, where the Florida Constitution was drafted in 1838, take an excursion to serene and perfectly preserved Apalachicola, (“land of friendly people” in the language of the original indigenous population), with its wonderful collection of historic homes, churches, and museums. This lovely town is also known for its eateries, due to the oysterrich Apalachicola Bay. Visit the 1838 Southern-plantation style Raney House, thought to be the town’s oldest structure. The Trinity Episcopal Church across the street was actually built in New York and shipped down the Atlantic and around the Florida Keys to Apalachicola and reassembled in 1836. Nearby is the Gorrie House Museum, the former home of Dr. John Gorrie (1803-55). Spend time at leisure in Apalachicola, or alternatively, take the ferry to St. Vincent National Wildlife Refuge on St. Vincent Island. This pristine island is home to many endangered species such as red wolves, peregrine falcons, bald eagles and sea turtles. The Apalachicola National Estuarine Research Reserve houses aquariums simulating different marine habitats of the region.

Overnight at Yorktown (BLD).

Sitting at the western end of Florida’s Panhandle, Pensacola is a beautiful Deep South city with a rich historic past and a beautifully renovated downtown. The first permanent settlement was established in 1698, and since then the city has been governed under five flags – Spain, France, Britain, the Confederacy, and the US. Your tour of the city will include the Historic Pensacola Village, which contains 19th-century buildings with indoor and outdoor exhibits. The Pensacola Museum of Art, which is housed in the city’s former jail, contains works by artists of the 20th and 21st century. You'll also explore Tarkiln Bayou Preserve State Park, home to rare and endangered plant and animal species.

Overnight at Yorktown (BLD).

Considered the jewel of the Gulf Islands National Seashore, Horn Island is a 13-mile-long isle with lagoons that attract over 280 bird species as well as pine and palmetto forests. Of all the Gulf Islands, West Ship is the most historic of these barrier islands. Fort Massachusetts is the dominant feature, a fort dating back to the Civil War and used as the headquarters for the prisoner-of-war camp on the island.

Overnight at Yorktown (BLD).

This morning, you'll disembark the Yorktown in New Orleans, one fulfilling cruise journey richer.

Meet your professional driver for a private airport transfer. 

Depart from International Airport. End of itinerary.

Overnight at Depart (Int`l Airport).