Southern Caribbean Seafarer

There is an abundance of things to see and do in the Ft. Lauderdale area: visit the newly redesigned Ft. Lauderdale Beach and cafes, stroll the historic Riverwalk, shop the luxurious stores on Las Olas Boulevard or adventure to the Everglades for an intriguing air boat excursion.

The Caribbean is full of tropical wonders and natural beauty. But there’s nothing like Half Moon Cay, our pristine private island paradise in the Bahamas. Cruise to the Bahamas with Holland America Line and discover the most stunning, highest-rated private-island experience in the region, Half Moon Cay. This island has won Porthole Cruise Magazine’s Best Private Island award 17 consecutive years, and was also named the best in Travel Weekly’s Readers’ Choice Awards. As soon as your toes touch that powdery white sand and your eyes settle on the perfect blue-crystal clear water, you’ll understand why this island is one of the most sought out destinations. Whether you are planning a romantic getaway or a family vacation, book a Bahamas cruise and explore Half Moon Cay’s beautiful beaches, exciting cruise excursions, exclusive beach cabanas and more.

Noted for being one of the Caribbean’s best-preserved Georgian towns, Falmouth boasts a rich 18th and early 19th century history. Explore Saint Peter’s Anglican Church, built in 1795; shop for local crafts at the Albert George Shopping and Historical Centre, and visit Greenwood Great House; built in 1760, this house was once owned by poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s family and today is home to the finest antique museum in the Caribbean.

Crystalline waters, snorkeling with tame stingrays, civilian submarines: This duty-free port has it all, plus Seven Mile Beach and a charming turtle farm. Sample shore excursions: Stingray City Cruise & Island Drive; Reef & Wreck Snorkel by Boat; Scuba Adventure; Nautilus One Semi-submarine.

Set on a peninsula that juts out into the Caribbean Sea, Belize City may no longer be the capital of Belize (that is Belmopan, since 1970), but it is the country’s largest metropolis. Established in the 17th century as a British trading post for lumber, the city, then known as Belize Town, was an important source of mahogany and logwood. Though the Spanish and English fought over the Central American territory, it became a British colony in 1862, and remained so until it gained independence in 1981. Many of the traditional colonial structures have survived, including the Government House and St. John’s Cathedral, as well as stately houses of the period.Haulover Creek, a tributary of the Belize River, divides the city into north and south sides; the famous Swing Bridge, a manually operated bridge from the 1920s, and much of the local boat traffic are found on this waterway. The north is where many of the cultural attractions are located, including the Museum of Belize and the Fort Street Tourism Village, a harborfront shopping and dining area catering to cruise-goers. Albert Street, on the south side, is considered the main downtown commercial area; it’s lined with stores, gift and souvenir shops, banks and restaurants.

A cruise to Cozumel will take you , anto an island in the Caribbean off the eastern coast of Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula. Cozumel is a popular destination as , drawsit draws many scuba divers, snorkelers and seekers of sand and sun who are attracted by the reliably sunny and tropical climate. The island and its environs also offer all other manner of on- and around-the-water attractions, many of which are quite unique, such as underwater sculpture gardens, a submarine excursion to see a shipwreck and a sailboat-racing experience that’s second only to the America’s Cup. For visitors who are intrigued by Mexico’s Maya culture, there are several archaeological sites in and around Cozumel, including the UNESCO-inscribed Chichén Itzá and, on Cozumel itself, San Gervasio, once a site where women made offerings to the goddess of fertility and childbirth. When you’re done sightseeing on your cruise to Cozumel, there’s shopping for traditional Mexican crafts, jewelry and leather goods, including custom-made sandals, and excellent food (the seafood, of course, is stellar).

One of the first things you’ll notice on your Key West cruise is the colorful gingerbread wooden houses and the amazing sunsets, and the constant crowing of roosters. Hundreds of the noisy birds—along with their quieter-clucking mates—roam the streets at all hours, and are nearly as synonymous with Key West cruises as its six-toed cats, the famous furry residents of Ernest Hemingway’s mansion in the Old Town district. They’re all part of the quirky charm of the United States’ southernmost point, whose compact 11 square kilometers (4.2 square miles) pack in everything from gorgeous historic architecture and spectacular fishing and sailing to a raucous party scene along famed Duval Street. All of which is truly enjoyed by vacationers who cruise to Key West, Florida.

There is an abundance of things to see and do in the Ft. Lauderdale area: visit the newly redesigned Ft. Lauderdale Beach and cafes, stroll the historic Riverwalk, shop the luxurious stores on Las Olas Boulevard or adventure to the Everglades for an intriguing air boat excursion.