Grand Amazon River Cruises

Iberostar's Grand Amazon cruise ship, which was launched in 2005, cruises on the Amazon River in Brazil. The three- and four-day voyages include shore excursions and can be combined into a weeklong journey.

The cruises depart from Manaus and stop at several points in the Amazon jungle. At each port of call, guests can take a variety of daytime excursions. The Iberostar Grand Amazon has more than 60 employees and 74 cabins, each featuring a bathroom, TV, phone, mini bar and balcony. The 2,100-ton vessel also has two restaurants and bars, two swimming pools, a theater, a gift shop, and an elevator between its five decks. There are nightly shows, theme parties, dance classes, fishing and ecological classes. Other amenities and services include a ballroom, a pharmacy, a fitness center, laundry, valet and paramedic.

Passengers can choose from both morning and afternoon expeditions, with choices of hiking in the jungle, fishing for piranha, visiting an indigenous village, seeing endangered pink dolphins, bird- and animal-watching from one of the ship's six motorboats or taking night excursions to spot alligators. Each trip takes about three hours except the early morning and late night excursions, which last around 60 to 90 minutes each. Excursions are led by experienced guides who are local young men, usually from an indigenous tribe, each trained in the area's history, flora, fauna and geology. All guides speak Portuguese, Spanish and English. For more information, visit www.iberostar.com