Day 7
Ponta Delgada, The Azores
Arrive: 0800hrs
Depart: 2000hrs
Arriving in the verdant, mid-Atlantic Azores archipelago, there's a welcome opportunity to step ashore in historic Ponta Delgada. The city has been a stopping-off point for transatlantic sailors down the centuries.
Day 15
Willemstad, Curacao
Arrive: 0800hrs
Depart: 1800hrs
Columbus's first sun-kissed Caribbean call is relaxed Curacao's capital, Willemstad. Discover a UNESCO World Heritage site full of colonial charm.
Day 17
Cartagena, Colombia
Arrive: 0800hrs
Depart: 1700hrs
Cartagena is a Spanish colonial treasure on the Colombian coast. Visit Downtown to discover streets and squares lined by brightly coloured buildings and bougainvillea-covered mansions, elegant balconies and magnificent churches.
Day 18
Colon for Panama City
Arrive: 1200hrs
Depart: 2300hrs
As Columbus calls at Colon on the Caribbean side of the Panama Canal, there's a chance to cross by coach to the Pacific and visit Panama City itself. Alternatively, stay aboard as Columbus heads through the first stretch of the canal into Gatan Lake, a vast, manmade stretch of water that's also among the most important ecological zones in the Americas.
Day 29
Nuku Hiva, French Polynesia
Arrive: 0700hrs
Depart: 1800hrs
After a week of balmy days at sea, the breathtaking islands of French Polynesia are a colourful sight. Taiohae harbour, on tiny Nuku Hiva in the Marquesas Isles, is your first chance to absorb the atmosphere of this languid, tropical world.
Day 31-32
Pape'ete, French Polynesia
Arrive: 1900hrs (Day 31)
Depart: 2000hrs (Day 32)
Perhaps the most famous South Pacific island of all is idyllic Tahiti. Its capital, Pape'ete, is home to historic Le Marche market, the lush Vaipaha Gardens and a perfect lagoon, and seems to have appeared straight out of a Gauguin painting.
Day 33
Bora Bora, French Polynesia
Arrive: 0700hrs
Depart: 1800hrs
Today, legendary Bora Bora, a quintessential island paradise, with mountains, lagoons and sublime beaches, completes Columbus's trio of French Polynesian calls.
Day 38
Nuku'alofa, Kingdom of Tonga
Arrive: 0700hrs
Depart: 2300hrs
Columbus arrives at the tiny island of Tonga, today. Disembark to explore the colourful, charismatic capital, Nuku'alofa, home to a bustling main street, numerous churches, the Royal Palace and a lively market brimming with local produce, handicrafts and livestock.
Day 40
Suva, Fiji
Arrive: 0700hrs
Depart: 2300hrs
The largest city in the South Pacific and the capital of Fiji's 300-odd idyllic islands, Suva is a melting pot of Indo-Fijian and colonial influences. Uncover the history and culture of the islands at the Fiji Museum, which stands amid the landscaped lawns and beds of Turston Gardens. The ocean-going war canoes, in particularly the 13-metre double-hull Ratu Finau Tui Nayau, in the Maritime Gallery, are particular highlights.
Day 44
Tauranga, New Zealand
Arrive: 0600hrs
Depart: 1700hrs
Rotorua is one of New Zealand's most popular destinations. Join a shore excursion from Tauranga to discover its bubbling hot-springs, gushing geysers and the traditional Maori culture of the Te Arawa people. Visit the fascinating Agrodome for a display of sheep-shearing skills, see the traditional Maori village of Te Puia and the wondrous Thermal Reserve, with its boiling mud pools and geysers.
Day 45
Auckland, New Zealand
Arrive: 0700hrs
Depart: 1830hrs
Cross the International Date Line before you call in Auckland, the glittering 'City of Sails' on New Zealand's North Island. Step ashore to take in the Auckland Museum's priceless carvings and artefacts, or to enjoy a trip up the 328-metre Sky Tower, the country's tallest structure.
Day 47
Wellington, New Zealand
Arrive: 0700hrs
Depart: 2300hrs
Crossing the Cook Strait, Columbus makes her last stop in New Zealand in the cosmopolitan Kiwi capital, Wellington. See the city's striking modern architecture and colourful Botanic Gardens, and explore its host of bars, restaurants and cafes, before the ship heads west once more.
Day 51
Sydney, Australia
Arrive: 0700hrs
Depart: 2100hrs
Vibrant, fun-loving Sydney's iconic Opera House, Harbour Bridge and famous beaches are just a handful of the highlights of this wonderful city. Make the most of your visit and discover them, today.
Day 54
Airlie Beach, Queensland, Australia
Arrive: 0900hrs
Depart: 2300hrs
Today, Columbus anchors off Airlie Beach, the pretty mainland port across the water from the idyllic Whitsundays archipelago (named after the day Captain Cook arrived there in 1770). Spend a lazy day here, or take a boat to the islands, where the snorkelling and beaches are both world class, and where luxurious resorts offer visitors an array of additional comforts to complement your glorious surroundings.
Day 56
Yorkey's Knob for Cairns, Australia
Arrive: 0600hrs
Depart: 2000hrs
Continue your Australian exploration as Columbus stops in the beautiful anchorage of Yorkey’s Knob, about 40 miles north of Cairns. There will be opportunities to take a glass-bottomed boat to a coral cay - as this is the stopping-off place for the extraordinary Great Barrier Reef - or head inland on an excursion into the magnificent tropical rainforest of the Atherton Tablelands.
Day 60
Madang, Papua New Guinea
Arrive: 0700hrs
Depart: 1800hrs
Nestled into the north of Papua New Guinea, Madang is surrounded by towering rainforests, crystal-clear coastal waters and beautiful volcanic islands. Make the most of your time in this tropical paradise - it's your last chance to enjoy the beautiful landscapes of the South Pacific before Columbus cruises back over the Equator on her way to Japan.
Day 67
Yokohama for Tokyo, Japan
Arrive: 0700hrs
Depart: 1900hrs
The great Japanese port of Yokohama offers easy access to the vast mega-metropolis of Tokyo. Join an excursion to discover some the Japanese capital's extraordinary sights - from ancient shrines and tranquil parks to the neon signs and electronics emporiums of Akihabara Electric Town and the apparent chaos of Shibuya Crossing.
Day 69
Kagoshima, Japan
Arrive: 0800hrs
Depart: 2000hrs
Kagoshima, at the tip of Japan's southern island, Kyushu, is a tranquil counterpoint to the constant energy of Tokyo. This friendly, laid-back city lies beneath the cone of the Sakurajima volcano, on a beautiful bay. From here you'll have the chance to visit Nagasaki, the second (and last) city to feel the effects of an atomic bomb. Explore the city that provides the backdrop for 'Madame Butterfly', and where a Peace Park commemorates the world-shaping events of August 1945.
Day 72
Tianjin for Beijing, China
Arrive: 0600hrs
Depart: 2200hrs
Today Columbus docks in Tianjin, on China's northeastern coast, giving you the chance to visit China’s astonishing capital, Beijing. See Tiananmen Square, site of Chairman Mao’s Mausoleum and the Great Hall of the People, and explore the huge complex of imperial palaces that make up the Forbidden City. A little further south, in Tiantan Park, you'll find the Temple of Heaven, the Ming Dynasty shrine that was the heart of ceremonial life in the city for five centuries.
Day 75
Shanghai, China
Arrive: 0800hrs
Depart: 2030hrs
Spend the day in the great metropolis of Shanghai. Framed by a glitzy skyline of towering skyscrapers and the iconic, rocket-shaped TV Tower, China's most progressive city buzzes with futuristic energy. Yet beneath its gleaming facade there's a strong sense of old Shanghai. Explore the Old Town to see the bustling bazaars and markets, and take a stroll around the tranquil pools of the Yuyuan Garden.
Day 78
Hong Kong
Arrive: 0700hrs
Say goodbye to Columbus, her crew and your fellow passengers as she arrives in Hong Kong, today, and you disembark at the end of a wonderful cruise.