17 Nights | WESTERN CARIBBEAN GEMS
You will visit the following 10 places:
Belize City
Belize City is the largest city in Belize and was once the capital of the former British Honduras. It is located at the mouth of the Haulover Creek, which is a tributary of the Belize River. The city is the country's principal port and its financial and industrial hub. Several cruise ships drop anchor outside the port and are tended by local citizens. It was also the capital of British Honduras (as Belize was then named) until the government was moved to the new capital of Belmopan in 1970.
Guadeloupe
Guadeloupe (sometimes known as the ''Butterfly Island''), a French overseas territory, is an island group in the southern Caribbean Sea. It is an archipelago of nine inhabited islands, including Basse-Terre, Grande-Terre, Marie-Galante, La Desirade, Iles des Saintes, Saint-Barthélemy, Iles de la Petite Terre, and Saint-Martin (French part of the island of Saint Martin). Guadeloupe is best known for its rich culture, volcano, beautiful scenery and wonderful beaches.
San Juan
San Juan, officially Municipio de la Ciudad Capital San Juan Bautista (Municipality of the Capital City, Saint John the Baptist), is the capital and most populous municipality in Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2000 census, it has a population of 658,304 making it the 42nd-largest city under the jurisdiction of the United States. San Juan was founded by Spanish colonists in 1521, who called it Ciudad de Puerto Rico ("Rich Port City"). Puerto Rico's capital is the second oldest European-established city in the Americas, after Santo Domingo, in the Dominican Republic. Several historical buildings are located in San Juan; among the most notable are the city's former defensive forts, Fort San Felipe del Morro and Fort San Cristóbal, and La Fortaleza, the oldest executive mansion in continuous use in the Americas.
St John's
The skyline of St. John's, the capital city and cruise ship port of Antigua and Barbuda, is dominated by the magnificently evocative white baroque towers of St. John's Cathedral. The towers are the first sight of Antigua for about half of the island's visitors each year, many of whom arrive by boat. The city is famous for its various shopping malls as well as boutiques throughout the city, selling designer jewellery and haute-couture clothing. There are also many independent, locally run establishments, selling a variety of fashions.
Sandals Regency St Lucia
One of the major tourist areas in St. Lucia, Castries, is a port of call for cruise ships. They dock at Pointe Seraphine, to the north of the harbour, which is also a duty-free shopping centre. Beaches are also a major draw for tourists, and there are several in or very near Castries. The city doesn't have a huge amount to offer visitors, and it's usually just a place that you'll pass through on your way to the more obvious attractions of Saint Lucia - but it's worth watching those marvellous cruise ships that visit Saint Lucia dock!
Havana
Havana, officially Ciudad de La Habana, is the capital city, major port, and leading commercial centre of Cuba. The city is one of the 15 Cuban provinces. The city/province has 2.1 million inhabitants, the largest city in Cuba and the second largest in the Caribbean region, after Santo Domingo. The city extends mostly westward and southward from the bay, which is entered through a narrow inlet and which divides into three main harbours: Marimelena, Guanabacoa, and Atarés. The sluggish Almendares River traverses the city from south to north, entering the Straits of Florida a few miles west of the bay.
Miami
Miami is a major city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625. The 42nd largest city in the United States, with a population of 433,136, it is the principal, central, and most populous city of the South {Florida} metropolitan area, the most populous metropolis in the Southeastern United States. According to the US Census Bureau, Miami's metro area is the seventh most populous in the United States, with an estimated population of 5,547,051 in 2009.
Riviera Maya
The Riviera Maya is a stretch of Caribbean coastline on Mexico’s northeastern Yucatán Peninsula. The Riviera Maya is a tourism and resort district in Mexico. It straddles the coastal Highway 307 along the Caribbean coastline of the state of Quintana Roo, located on the eastern portion of the Yucatán Peninsula. Historically started at the city of Playa del Carmen and ended at the village of Tulum, the Riviera Maya was originally called the "Cancun–Tulum corridor", but in 1999 it was renamed as the Riviera Maya with the aid of Lic. The Riviera Maya is famous for its large scale all-inclusive resorts and a historical tourism base of smaller boutique hotels as well as the many fine-dining restaurants available along the highway 307 and on or near the beaches. Luxury travel entities have been instrumental in increasing luxury villa rentals and yacht charters in the area however these only represent a small fraction of the total tourism accommodation available. A major attraction throughout the Riviera Maya are coastal and reef aquatic activities dependent on the coastal water and the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System (also known as the Belize Barrier Reef) which begins near Cancun and continues along the whole length of the Riviera Maya continuing southward to Guatemala. This barrier reef system is the second longest in the world. Activities at the most visited locations include jet-skiing, snorkeling, scuba diving, swimming in cenotes, swimming with dolphins, zip-lining, horse riding, sailing, and guided jungle tours.
Philipsburg
Philipsburg is the main town and capital of the country of Sint Maarten. The town is situated on a narrow stretch of land between Great Bay and the Great Salt Pond. It functions as the commercial center of Saint Martin island, whereof Sint Maarten encompasses the southern half. As of 2011, it has 1,327 inhabitants. Philipsburg also has a port that is visited by many cruise liners, ships like Celebrity Solstice, Crown Princess,Disney Magic, and since 2010, Oasis of the Seas & Anthem of the Seas.
Great Stirrup Cay
Great Stirrup Cay is a small island that is part of the Berry Islands in the Bahamas. Norwegian Cruise Line purchased the island from the Belcher Oil Company in 1977 and developed it into a private island for their cruise ship passengers. The northern part of the island has a sandy beach surrounded by rocks with snorkeling areas. The southern part features a helicopter airfield (with a sign reading "Great Stirrup Cay International Airport"), a large area without vegetation, and numerous concrete blocks. These are all remnants of a previous U.S. military installation and satellite tracking station. The island's lighthouse was originally constructed in 1863 by the Imperial Lighthouse Service. Great Stirrup Cay is adjacent to Little Stirrup Cay, Royal Caribbean Cruises' private island.
