Eastern Caribbean Holiday 9 Nights • Fort Lauderdale, Florida • CELEBRITY SUMMIT

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.

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.

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.

Come St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands

St. Croix for the powdery white beaches, clear blue waters, shipwreck diving, coral-reef snorkeling, birdwatching, and sea turtles. In ancient times, peaceful Arawak natives migrated here, fishing, farming, and painting caves. Then fierce Carib warriors replaced them. In 1493, Christopher Columbus landed at present-day Salt River Bay National Historical Park.

Danish colonial history lives in St. Croix's architecture and language. Ruins of its former sugar industry still dot the island—some sites open to the public. Today, locals process sugar in the form of rum, and two distilleries give tours, Cruzan and Captain Morgan.

The west-end town of Frederiksted unfurls at the foot of the cruise pier. You can't miss richly colored Fort Frederik on your St. Croix cruise. This bright red U.S. National Historic Landmark was built in the 1750s to ward off pirates.

On the north side, Christiansted preserves 18th-century Danish buildings, painted in pastel colors. Explore seven-acre Christiansted National Historic Site. Stroll nearby Cay Beach and imagine pirates anchored offshore. 

St. Croix is celebrated for its rums, fruits, and home-style cooking. Try the fish and fungi (say foon-ji). Cornmeal-based fungi can be soft and tender like mashed potatoes or firm like dumplings.

Discover duty-free treasures at the boutiques, galleries, jewelry stores, and workshops in Christiansted and Frederiksted. Find deals on rums, other liquors, electronics, and more. Bring home some St. Croix hook bracelets and colorful Caribbean fashions.