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.

Your ship departs promptly at 4:00 pm, so we recommend arriving at least 2-3 hours early to smoothly navigate check-in and boarding. All ship amenities are open and ready, so kickstart your vacation with a refreshing drink or a delicious snack.

Ernest Hemingway made wild, colorful Key West his home, and you will want to do the same. Home to modern-day adventurers, artists and poets, the island's charming Old Town teems with restaurants, bars and unique shops. Add pristine coral reefs, coconut palms and a laid-back attitude that's truly contagious, and it's easy to see why so many visitors to Key West never leave.

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.

San Juan, Puerto Rico: Puerto Rico is one of the largest islands in the Eastern Caribbean. Discover the classic signs of a vacationer’s paradise on one of our many cruises to Puerto Rico: gorgeous landscape with lush green mountains, underground caves, balmy waters, white-sandy beaches, delicious rum drinks and so much more. Spend an afternoon snorkeling during your cruise to Puerto Rico and discover the beautiful marine life of the Caribbean Sea while swimming among the fish, coral communities, mangrove forests, and seagrass beds. Or take an evening sail around Old San Juan for amazing views of the 500-year-old walled city as the sun casts gorgeous light on the turquoise waters.

Old San Juan is one of the first cities to be established in the New World. Explore the historical forts that were built to protect the island during Spanish occupation. Navigate through the tunnels, dungeons, and barrack of San Cristobal, San Felipe del Morro, San Juan de las Cruz, and the city walls. Stroll the blue-toned cobblestone streets and uncover various UNESCO sites, museums, historic churches, restaurants and much more along the way.

Take a tour of the Bacardi headquarters and learn about the process of rum making from barrel to bottle. Get a glimpse into the history of the world’s most awarded rum and sample the final product while you’re at it. Visit Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico for the most gorgeous fine art collections on the island, including paintings, sculptures, and carvings as far back as the 17th century.

From roadside stalls serving up delicious local snacks like alcapurrias to the finest restaurants with the freshest seafood on menus, enjoy the fusion of Spanish, Taíno, African, and US influences and flavors of San Juan’s rich culinary traditions. Cruise to San Juan and discover an island with a fascinating history that is one of the most stunning examples of colonial life in the Western world.

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.

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.

Your cruise may have ended, but the adventure continues. Take advantage of the fantastic activities in the area. If you're flying out, please keep your departure flight time in mind and plan accordingly.