Lisbon, Portugal. A French-speaking guide and a driver welcome the group at the airport for a panoramic tour of the city, then the transfer to the hotel. The cobbled lanes of the Alfama, the Belém Tower, the Jerónimos Monastery, the miradouros, the yellow trams and the views over the Tagus.

Lisbon, Portugal: embarkation. Breakfast at the hotel, then transfer to the port to board the Norwegian Star. Departure at 6:00 p.m. (B, D)

At sea. A full day aboard the Norwegian Star. All meals are served on board. (B, L, D)

Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Canary Islands. Arrival at 10:00 a.m., departure at 11:00 p.m. Founded in 1478, Las Palmas is now a cosmopolitan city where Spanish history and culture can be read in the streets. The scenic road through the Angostura valley starts from town. (B, L, D)

Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Canary Islands. Arrival at 7:00 a.m., departure at 5:00 p.m. Tenerife is the largest of the Canaries, and more than half of Santa Cruz's perimeter is shoreline. The yellow sand of Las Teresitas on one side, the quieter black sand of Las Gaviotas on the other, and the island's interior to explore. (B, L, D)

Funchal, Madeira. Arrival at 10:00 a.m., departure at 8:00 p.m. The mountainous island of Madeira has been an established European destination for years: beaches, landscapes shaped by lava and dense forests. Madeira wines are tasted on the spot. (B, L, D)

At sea. A full day aboard the Norwegian Star. All meals are served on board. (B, L, D)

Agadir, Morocco. Arrival at 8:00 a.m., departure at 5:00 p.m. The city was rebuilt almost entirely after the 1960 earthquake, and it became the country's beach destination. The boardwalk, the pizzerias, the beach and the Moroccan street scene all fit in the same port. (B, L, D)

Casablanca, Morocco. Arrival at 9:00 a.m., departure at 7:00 p.m. The cityscape sets the old and the new side by side. The central market first, a kaleidoscope of colour, then the Hassan II Mosque, the third largest mosque in the world, where you enter barefoot. (B, L, D)

Tangier, Morocco. Arrival at 8:00 a.m., departure at 7:00 p.m. At the mouth of the Mediterranean, this northern Moroccan city drew artists and writers for decades. The Rolling Stones lived here, and the Beat Generation writers William S. Burroughs, Allen Ginsberg and Jack Kerouac stayed here. Narrow streets lined with cafés, and a medina not to be missed. (B, L, D)

Melilla, Spain. Arrival at 8:00 a.m., departure at 5:00 p.m. A Spanish city on the North African coast, where European and Moroccan influences meet. The fortified old town, the modernist architecture, the squares and the views over the Mediterranean. (B, L, D)

Motril, Spain. Arrival at 7:00 a.m., departure at 8:00 p.m. On the Costa Tropical, Motril is surrounded by mountains and tropical plantations. Beaches, a Mediterranean feel, and Granada with the Alhambra within driving distance. (B, L, D)

Seville (Cadiz), Spain. Arrival at 9:00 a.m., departure at 10:00 p.m. Thirteen hours in port, enough to go up to Seville, the capital of Andalusia, and see its cathedral, one of the largest in the world. Tapas, orange blossom in the medieval lanes and the Plaza de España. (B, L, D)

At sea. A full day aboard the Norwegian Star. All meals are served on board. (B, L, D)

Barcelona, Spain: disembarkation. Arrival at 7:00 a.m. Disembarkation, transfer to the hotel and a free day in the city. (B)

Return to Montreal. Breakfast at the hotel and transfer to the airport for the return flight to Montreal. (B)