Tours & cruises

BAHAMAS AND TURKS AND CAICOS

Family-friendly cruising

Carnival’s Fantasy, a family-friendly pleasure ship with a small water park and a mini-golf course, offers a seven-night getaway that stops in two Caribbean nations.

Itinerary: Charleston, S.C., to Grand Turk, Turks and Caicos; Half Moon Cay, Bahamas; Nassau, Bahamas; and back to Charleston

Dates: Sept. 11-18

Price: Starting at $519, double occupancy, including port charges, meals, a $160-a-cabin onboard credit and an upgrade within select categories. Discounts are available for passengers ages 55 and older, as well as those who have previously taken a Carnival cruise. The price does not include airfare or tax.

Info: Vacations to Go, Houston; (800) 338-4962, https://www.vacationstogo.com

ARIZONA

Rocks and the river

The 10-day “Grand Canyon Geology Trip” covers 280 Colorado River miles by powered pontoon boat and is interspersed with hiking excursions. It’s escorted by geologist and author Wayne Ranney, an expert on the Grand Canyon and the Colorado Plateau. He and other experienced guides lead participants through the entire canyon via its rapids, into tributary canyons and past signature rock formations.

Itinerary: Lees Ferry, Ariz., to Lake Mead through the Grand Canyon

Dates: Departs Sept. 12

Price: $2,995, including use of camping and boating equipment, guides, transportation to and from Flagstaff, Ariz., from put-in and end points, most meals and a souvenir cup.

Info: Canyoneers, Flagstaff, Ariz.; (800) 525-0924, https://www.canyoneers.com

---

FOR THE RECORD:
Japan tour: The Travel section’s Aug. 22 Tours & Cruises column reported that the price for the “Japan’s Scenic Vistas” tour, which begins at $2,525, based on double occupancy, included airfare. Airfare is not included. The column also gave incorrect dates for the tour departures, which are on numerous dates through Dec. 20. For information, contact Sita World Tours, (800) 421-5643. —

---

JAPAN

A lofty perspective

Sita’s six-day “Japan’s Scenic Vistas” itinerary takes travelers to high-up places where they can take in the country’s splendor. Stops include Mt. Fuji, the Tokyo Tower Observatory and the Mt. Komagatake Aerial Cableway. Other highlights include Ginza, a Lake Ashi boat cruise, the Golden Pavilion and Kasuga Shrine, home to 3,000 lanterns.

Itinerary: Tokyo to Mt. Fuji, Kyoto, Nara and back to Tokyo

Dates: Departures Sept. 18, Oct. 1, 9, 15, 22 and 29

Price: From $2,525, double occupancy (single supplement $580), including airfare, lodging, train tickets, transfers, daily breakfast, two lunches, guided sightseeing tours and entrance fees

Info: Sita World Tours, Encino; (800) 421-5643,

AUSTRIA, CZECH REPUBLIC AND HUNGARY

A trio of capitals

IExplore offers a nine-day European adventure called “ Budapest, Vienna & Prague Experience.” In Budapest, sample the cuisine and thermal spas between visits to St. Stephen’s Basilica, Heroes’ Square, Fisherman’s Bastion, the National Gallery, the market hall and Europe’s largest synagogue and its Jewish Museum; a private tour of the Opera House caps things off. In Vienna, pay homage at the homes of Beethoven and Schubert, visit Hofburg Palace, gothic St. Stephen’s Cathedral and, outside the city, Schönbrunn Palace and its Hall of Mirrors. In Prague, stroll cobbled streets, explore the Jewish Quarter (where Kafka was born) and see the famous clock in Old Town Square. Also in Prague is Troja Palace, the Cathedral of St. Vitus and the Basilica of St. George, each an important Christian site.

Itinerary: Budapest, Hungary; to Vienna, Austria; to Prague, Czech Republic

Dates: Depart any day.

Price: About $4,600, double occupancy (the cost for a solo traveler is about $8,000), depending on exchange rates. The price includes breakfast daily, hotel accommodations, private transportation, train tickets between cities, tour guides, most entrance fees and taxes but not airfare, lunches or dinners, porterage, tips or peak-season surcharges. Group discounts are available.

Info: iExplore, Chicago; (800) 439-7567, https://www.iexplore.com

THE SEYCHELLES

Indian Ocean hideaway

Cox & Kings’ tropical “Seychelles: Jewel of the Indian Ocean” tour takes travelers on a nine-day adventure to pristine beaches, azure waters and UNESCO nature reserves of the just-south-of-the-Equator nation. The itinerary can be customized. Cultural highlights include the British colonial capital city of Victoria, historic and scenic Mission Lodge and Craft Village, an artisan haven that was once a plantation.

Itinerary: Mahé Island to Praslin Island, La Digue Island and back to Mahé

Dates: Departs daily, depending on availability

Price: From about $5,400, double occupancy, including lodging, daily breakfast, intra-Seychelles flights, all transfers by road and boat and excursions. The price does not include international airfare.

Info: Cox & Kings, Tampa, Fla.; (800) 999-1758, https://www.coxandkingsusa.com

— Avital Binshtock

itinerary@latimes.com