Compare Journey on the Mighty Mississippi by Titan Travel vs Hawaii: Ocean and Islands Adventure by Discover Corps

Day 1 UK - Nashville
Titan’s VIP door-to-door travel service collects you from home, for your flight to Nashville. On arrival we transfer to the Opryland Resort (4T) for three nights.

Day 2 Nashville
The country music capital of the world and home to the Grand Ole Opry, Nashville is a must for any fan of music. Today we enjoy an orientation tour of Nashville and visit Studio B - where Elvis, Roy Orbison, Jim Reeves, Dolly Parton and many other celebrated stars recorded their first or early records - a real trip down memory lane. We continue to the Country Music Hall of Fame - packed full with little-known information and memorabilia and then we’ll explore more of the city known as the ‘Athens of the South’, for its full-scale replica of the Greek Parthenon. The remainder of the day is free.

Day 3 Nashville
Today is a full day at leisure to explore this exciting city further. There are so many fabulous museums to discover including the Musicians Hall of Fame and the Johnny Cash Museum or simply relax at your resort hotel and enjoy the multitude of facilities available. This evening you may wish to take an optional excursion to the mecca of Country and Western Music, The Grand Ole Opry, which is America’s longest running scheduled show. This excursion is bookable prior to departure (subject to availability).

Day 4 Nashville - Memphis
From Nashville we head south-west to another music mecca, Memphis. Closely associated with Elvis Presley and Graceland, the city was also the infamous location for the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr in 1968. On arrival, we check in at the Sheraton Memphis Downtown (3T+) or Doubletree Downtown Memphis (3T+), where we stay for two nights. We continue to Elvis Presley’s Graceland, the mansion he purchased at the age of 22. Preserved in the decorated style in which he left it, the house is tastefully presented and your visit includes a guided tour. There are many other fascinating displays including the Entertainer Career Museum, Automobile Museum and Elvis Discovery Exhibits.

Day 5 Memphis
After a short orientation tour of the city, the rest of the day is free.

Day 6 Memphis - Mississippi Cruise
This morning you are free to further explore the city of Memphis; perhaps visit the Memphis Rock ‘n’ Soul Museum or take a tour of the Gibson guitar factory. This afternoon, we embark the American Queen (5T), to begin our voyage along the mighty Mississippi. We set sail this evening.

Day 7 Mississippi (Greenville)
Today will be spent enjoying the sights and sounds as we sail down ‘Ol’ Man River’. Stop in Greenville, a city with many different cultural backgrounds, rich in customs and folklore, where historical sites take you back to a time when fortunes were made in cotton. The ‘Hop-On Hop-Off Steamcoach tour’ offers opportunities to visit the Greenville History Museum, Hebrew Union Temple and 1927 Flood Museum, all offering insights into Greenville’s past, or the Trop Casino for some light hearted entertainment.

Day 8 Mississippi (Vicksburg)
We arrive in Vicksburg, Mississippi today, a city that blends modern elements with the charm and elegance associated with the Old South. As you disembark here, join a narrated ‘Hop-On Hop-Off Steamcoach Tour’ of this city bursting with character. See the shopping district, The Church of the Holy Trinity, the Southern Cultural Heritage Center, Pemberton’s Headquarters and the Old Courthouse Museum - home to thousands of artefacts dating from pre-Columbian times to the Civil War. The last stop is Washington Street, for shopping or visiting the Biedenharn Coca-Cola Museum and the Lower Mississippi River Museum.

Day 9 Mississippi (Natchez)
Named for the Natchez tribe of Native Americans, who lived in the area prior to the arrival of Europeans, this charming city today is proud of its rich, vibrant history. The starting point for the Natchez Trace, continuing all the way to Nashville, Natchez became home to many antebellum homes and today numerous restored mansions are the highlight of this part of the South. On another ‘Hop-On Hop-Off Steamcoach Tour’, visit some of these grand homes, including Stanton Hall, built in 1857 and considered the grandest of the Natchez mansions.

Day 10 Mississippi (Baton Rouge)
We cross into Louisiana and its capital, Baton Rouge. Join another ‘Hop-On Hop-Off Steamcoach Tour’, including the USS KIDD and Veterans Memorial - the WWII Fletcher-class destroyer and the museum’s historic exhibits are a must for any military enthusiast. ‘Louisiana’s White House’ - The Old Governor’s Mansion is the next stop. The Main Street Market has many lunch options before continuing to Capitol Lake and the Louisiana State Capitol building. Take the lift up to the 27th floor for wonderful views over the city and the Mississippi. The last stop is Louisiana’s 160-year-old, Old State Capitol building.

Day 11 Mississippi (St Francisville)
Today we stop in the quaint town of St Francisville, located on a narrow ridge overlooking the Mississippi River. Today’s ‘Hop-On Hop-Off Steamcoach Tour’ makes stops at Grandmother’s Buttons or the West Florida Republic Park. Perhaps visit the Old Market Hall, Commerce Street or the Spring Creek Shopping Center, before you re-board the vessel.

Day 12 Mississippi (Nottoway)
Experience living history as you explore the largest remaining antebellum mansion of the deep south.

Day 13 New Orleans
This morning we arrive into our final port of call, New Orleans, and disembark near historic Jackson Square. We will be taken on a tour around the city, before checking in to our hotel, the Sheraton New Orleans (4T), where we stay for two nights. The remainder of the day is at leisure to perhaps stroll around the French Quarter, the perfect place to dine al fresco and absorb the character and atmosphere of this multi-cultured city.

Day 14 New Orleans
Today is also free in this lively bohemian city - the birthplace of jazz. Visit the Jackson Square Katrina Museums, or take a ride on the famous St Charles Streetcar. In the evening, venture to Bourbon Street to sample Creole and Cajun cuisine in one of the many restaurants, or stop in a bar and listen to the live traditional jazz drifting along the street.

Day 15 New Orleans - In flight
Transfer to the airport for your return flight to the UK.

Day 16 UK
Upon arrival your Titan vehicle will be waiting for the journey home.

Day 1: Arrive in Honolulu and Meet the Group

Meals: Dinner

Upon arrival in Hawaii’s capital, Honolulu, you’ll be be met at the airport and taken to your hotel just steps from the world famous Waikiki beaches. After a relaxing welcome dinner together, we’ll get to know one another and discuss the schedule for the week ahead.

Day 2: Journey to Oahu’s North Shore & Experience the Aloha Spirit

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

After breakfast, we’ll set out for Hawaii’s iconic North Shore, famous for its big waves and stunning landscapes. Spend the morning in the historic Waimea Valley with a local organization helping to preserve the valley’s cultural heritage and rainforests. Assist with a reforestation initiative, swim in waterfalls, and see why the ancient Hawaiians deemed the valley sacred centuries ago. In the afternoon, we’ll continue to Na Mea Kupono, an eco-farm that is home to Hawaii’s staple crop, taro. We’ll be hosted by this local family for a Hawaiin-style paina, or gathering, for our dinner as we learn more about their role in farming on the island.

Day 3: Climb Diamond Head & Sail out to Sea on a Catamaran

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Hawaii’s South Shore is crowned by the now extinct Diamond Head volcano. We’ll take a hike this morning to the top of the rim to get a panoramic view of Waikiki from above. For those who opt not to hike, we’ll have the option to visit the Bishop Museum, home of the royal Kamehameha family and now housing an array of artifacts covering Hawaii’s vast Polynesian heritage. After lunch in Waikiki, we’ll hit the sea on a catamaran ride over the turquoise Pacific waters.

Day 4: Fly to Maui & Explore the Tropical‘Iao Valley State Park

Meals: Breakfast and Lunch

Enjoy a free morning to explore Waikiki. Head to the beach for a surf lesson with the Waikiki beach boys, check out the area’s cafes and shops or simply relax on white sand beaches only steps from your hotel. We’ll take a short mid-day flight across the Hawaiian archipelago to the Valley Isle of Maui. After landing, we’ll head over to the towering emerald peaks of the ‘Iao Valley on Central Maui for a guided hike of the state park. A location revered by the ancient Hawaiians, the valley also served as the site of one of Hawaii’s most important battles as King Kamehameha I tried to unite the islands in the 1700’s. Later in the evening, unwind at our Kaanapali beachfront hotel.

Day 5: Snorkel off Lana’i & Lend a Hand Protecting Sea Turtles

Meals: Breakfast and Lunch

We’ll have an early breakfast before cruising to the scenic coastline of Lana'i island with the Pacific Whale Foundation. Spend the morning with breakfast on the boat (expect large boat with other travelers) and then 1.5 hours of snorkeling. Scout for wild dolphins, including acrobatic spinner dolphins, friendly bottlenose dolphins, and curious spotted dolphins. Conservationists from the Foundation will narrate your journey and take about everything from whale migration to plastics in the ocean to reef health.

We’ll return to Maui and, after lunch, spend our first afternoon volunteering alongside the Maui Ocean Center Marine Institute. Home to one of Hawaii’s largest sea turtle rescues and land based coral nurseries, we’ll join their staff on beach and marine debris cleanu , specifically collecting coral fragments. Take these pieces of coral back to the research center and aid in cutting them into smaller pieces to be grown at the center for a period of 8 months - something that would take the reef 20 years to regenerate! This coral is eventually placed back into the reef to bring back areas that are dead or dying.

Day 6: Maui Ocean Center Volunteering & Farewell Luau

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

After breakfast, we’ll spend another morning helping the conservation team at the Maui Ocean Center Marine Institute. On Maui and other Hawaiian islands, sea turtles are being threatened as their habitat is increasingly depleted. Green turtle populations are being impacted by events such as the 2018 hurricane that washed out the most important nesting beach for this species in the entire archipelago. We’ll continue to lend a hand on our projects while learning about some of the initiatives in place to preserve the fragile ecosystem both on land and underwater, including going out with the team to find turtles and tag them for research purposes.

Later in the afternoon, we’ll head back to the hotel where you’ll have some free time to enjoy the beach, swim in the ocean or venture into the coastal town of Lahaina. Tonight, we’ll enjoy a special farewell dinner together along with a traditional island luau.

Day 7: Depart Maui or Continue on for the Post-Trip Extension

Meals: Breakfast

Enjoy breakfast at the hotel and check-out of your rooms. The rest of the day is free to relax at the beach or explore nearby Lahaina until your flight home, or continue on to our optional post-trip extension along the gorgeous road to Hana.