St. Maarten, Antigua, San Juan & Puerto Plata 8 Nights • Fort Lauderdale, Florida • CELEBRITY ECLIPSE

In the 1800s, William Lauderdale built a fort. Today, 16 million visitors come each year for miles of broad white sandy beaches, dozens of lush green golf courses, and Caribbean cruises from Fort Lauderdale. Stroll the famous beachfront promenade, just 15 minutes from the port, and plunge into the warm Atlantic.

Head downtown to Las Olas Boulevard, paralleling New River, to sip lattes in outdoor cafés, shop chic boutiques, and catch concerts at the performing arts center. Stop at Stranahan House, the city's oldest structure, built in 1901 as a trading post and preserved as a museum, or explore a whole village of historic buildings at History Fort Lauderdale. Join a Segway tour along the river or a waterborne cruise of Millionaire's Row.

During your cruise to Fort Lauderdale, head out to the Everglades and enjoy Flamingo Gardens, home to pink flamingos, snarling alligators, black bears, and Florida panthers—plus exotic trees, butterfly gardens, and native flowers.

You'll find great shopping on Fort Lauderdale cruises. Look for high fashion at Galleria Fort Lauderdale, north of the port and blocks from the ocean. Head west to Sawgrass Mills for 350 designer outlets, specialty shops, and eateries. Spend a relaxing day in downtown Hollywood, south of the port, for quaint shops, sidewalk cafés, and events in the park.

Discover Floribbean cuisine, a fusion of old Florida favorites with new Caribbean influences. Local seafood includes lobster, grouper, mahi-mahi, pompano, snapper, tuna, and stone crabs.

Florida dominates production of citrus fruits. Before you cruise from Fort Lauderdale, take advantage of anything orange—juices, sauces, marinades, marmalades, dressings, soups, and cakes. Try authentic key lime pie, which is sweet, tart, creamy, and yellow—not green—in a Graham cracker crust.

Philipsburg, St. Maarten

In the 17th century, Dutch and French soldiers decided to share this little island, and today it remains happily split between France (Saint Martin, north side) and the Netherlands (Sint Maarten, south side).

Cruise to St. Maarten and explore the dozens of alluring beaches that ring the island. At Orient Beach, sunbathers bask and beachcombers stroll on the white sands, while divers and snorkelers

explore the sunken shipwrecks and marine life just offshore. You'll really get blown away at Jet Blast Beach (officially Maho Beach), next to the airport.

Embrace all the beauty of the island on a tour to the French capital, Marigot, where you can explore the quaint streets and cafés, open-air market, and 18th-century Fort Louis. Take a scenic cruise of Simpson Bay Lagoon, site of luxurious villas and megayachts. More tours show you charming Grand Case and Orient Bay.

Both Philipsburg and Marigot are celebrated culinary capitals, and locals do enjoy outdoor cooking. Try the barbecued ribs and chicken. Leading French chefs flock to Marigot, where they give their sophisticated cuisine a Caribbean twist.

Shoppers find electronics, rum, cigars, jewelry, and designer brands in the hundreds of duty-free and tax-free stores on Philipsburg’s mile-long Front Street.

Cruise to Antigua, named by Christopher Columbus in 1493, and discover 365 Caribbean beaches—one for every day, every type of beach—hidden among the countless cliffs and bays. The lush rainforest, dramatic landscapes, and turquoise waters tempt eco-adventurers from swimmers to hikers to zip-line flyers

Swim and snorkel with gentle stingrays—even feed and pet them—and snorkel the coral reefs that ring the island and teem with life. Take a scenic catamaran sail. Stop at Paradise Reef and peer below the surface of the clear Antiguan waters. Lie on a golden beach and sip a rum punch or enjoy some lobster on your St. John’s cruise.

Antigua and neighboring Barbuda form an independent country in the British Commonwealth. The English settled here in 1632 and imported slaves to build sugar plantations. They became independent in 1981. The capital and largest city, St. John's, is one of the more developed and cosmopolitan municipalities in the Lesser Antilles.

Antigua’s hotels and resorts serve excellent European cuisine, featuring the fresh catch of the day. Go native and try the local fungi (like polenta, paired with salt fish), callaloo (a popular West African / Caribbean dish), and hearty pepper pot.

When it's time to go shopping, find Caribbean fashions, local crafts, and designer fashions in the duty-free shops of St. John’s. Browse luxurious Heritage Quay or quaint seaside Redcliffe Quay.

Puerto Plata was inhabited by the Taino people for centuries before Christopher Columbus arrived and founded the city in the early 1500s. By the 20th century, Puerto Plata had emerged as the Dominican Republic’s main tourism hub. You can paddle through a manatee reserve or zipline over treetops. Go for a swim at the awe-inspiring 27 Waterfalls complex. Hike through the lush, protected jungle of El Choco National Park, enjoying the park’s two lagoons. Swim with dolphins at World Ocean, the largest manmade dolphin habitat in the world, or grab a kayak and head out on the water at Manatee Reserve. Nature, adventure, history – Puerto Plata has it all.