11 Nt Panama Canal & Southern Caribbean

Fort Lauderdale cruise port, officially Port Everglades, is one of the busiest cruise ports in the world and the closest major competitor to PortMiami, just 25 miles to the south. It sits on the southeastern coast of Florida across the cities of Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood, and Dania Beach.

Cartagena de Indias is a Caribbean port city of about 1 million people on Colombia's northern coast, and one of the best-preserved colonial cities in the Americas. The walled old city (Ciudad Amurallada) is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, built by the Spanish starting in the 16th century to protect the gold and silver being shipped back to Europe.

Aruba's capital sits just 15 miles off the Venezuelan coast, and it's one of the southern Caribbean's most popular cruise stops for good reason. Five berths across three air-conditioned terminals handle up to five ships at once, with water depths of 32 to 36 feet.

You've probably seen photos of Willemstad even if you don't realize it: that row of pastel-colored Dutch colonial buildings along the Handelskade is one of the most photographed waterfronts in the Caribbean. It's been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1997.

A diver's and snorkeler's paradise, Bonaire is surrounded by a protected marine park with over 80 marked dive sites accessible from shore. The island's laid-back atmosphere and flamingo sanctuary at Goto Lake offer a quieter Caribbean experience.