Grand World Voyage

Yokohama is Japan's premier cruise gateway and a captivating port city where nineteenth-century cosmopolitan heritage meets contemporary waterfront elegance, just thirty minutes south of Tokyo. Visitors should explore the historic Yamate Bluff district and lose themselves in Asia's largest Chinatown, savouring iconic iekei ramen and shōronpō soup dumplings. Spring offers the most enchanting experience, when cherry blossoms transform nearby Hirosaki Castle and the mild coastal air makes harbour-side strolling an irresistible pleasure.

Hakodate, Japan, offers an immersion in a culture where aesthetic refinement and daily life are inseparable. Essential experiences include exploring local food markets, tasting regional specialties at intimate eateries, and visiting the surrounding temples and gardens. The port is most rewarding May through October, when the climate is at its most welcoming for outdoor exploration. Cruise lines including Hapag-Lloyd Cruises feature this port on their most compelling itineraries. Whether you have a few hours or a full day, the port rewards exploration at every pace and in every direction.

Kodiak, Alaska's oldest European settlement and one of America's largest fishing ports, sits on an island home to 3,500 giant Kodiak brown bears—the densest concentration on Earth. Must-dos include floatplane bear-viewing at remote salmon streams, the Alutiiq Museum of indigenous culture, and sampling king crab fresh from the harbor. July and August offer the warmest weather and peak bear-viewing season.

Bergen, Norway's charming coastal city and historic trading hub, is known for its picturesque Bryggen Wharf and rich maritime heritage. Must-do experiences include sampling local delicacies at the vibrant Fish Market and exploring the medieval Hanseatic quarter. The best season to visit is during the summer months, when the city's lively atmosphere and stunning fjord landscapes are at their peak.

Sitka, set on the wild west coast of Baranof Island in Southeast Alaska, is one of the Pacific Northwest's most historically resonant ports — a place where Russian Orthodox onion domes rise above totem poles and the great temperate rainforest presses down to the water's edge. The Sitka National Historical Park preserves the site of the 1804 battle between Tlingit warriors and Russian colonisers alongside a magnificent collection of monumental poles. Whale-watching, sea kayaking among sea otters, and brown bear spotting in the surrounding wilderness define the outdoor experience. May through September offers the most accessible and luminous conditions.

Ketchikan clings to the forested shore of Revillagigedo Island in Alaska's southeastern panhandle — a town so narrow that locals joke it is three miles long and three blocks wide. Revered by the Tlingit people for millennia as a place of abundant salmon, it is today celebrated as the Totem Pole Capital of the World: the collections at Saxman Native Village and Totem Bight State Historical Park preserve the most significant concentration of these monumental artworks anywhere. Creek Street, a boardwalk of colorful historic houses built over Ketchikan Creek, should not be missed. Summer (May–September) brings the best weather, with salmon running in the creeks below.

Seattle, the Pacific Northwest's rain-kissed metropolis, commands one of America's most spectacular urban settings — a skyline of glass towers reflected in Elliott Bay with the white cone of Mount Rainier presiding over the horizon on clear days. Pike Place Market, one of the oldest and most vibrant public markets in the country, overflows with Dungeness crab, wild salmon, and blooms of tulips from the Skagit Valley. The neighbourhood of Capitol Hill pulses with independent bookshops and craft breweries; the Space Needle delivers sweeping views of the Cascades and the Olympic Peninsula. Summer, from June through September, offers Seattle's most generous sunshine.

San Diego is California's sun-blessed harbour city, combining the world-famous San Diego Zoo, a revitalised Gaslamp Quarter, and America's best fish tacos in a setting of perpetual sunshine. Must-do experiences include Balboa Park's museums, craft brewery hopping in North Park, and exploring the sea caves of La Jolla. Any season is ideal, with September and October offering the warmest seas and clearest skies.