13 Night Caribbean - Southern Cruise

Miami cruise port, officially called PortMiami, is the busiest cruise port in the world by passenger volume. Millions of people pass through here every year, and nearly every major cruise line uses it as a home port.

Grand Cayman is the largest of the three Cayman Islands, a British Overseas Territory in the western Caribbean known for Seven Mile Beach, exceptional diving, and its role as a major offshore financial center. George Town serves as the cruise port, but there's no pier large enough for cruise ships.

Falmouth's historic port was purpose-built for mega-ships and sits in a town known for its well-preserved Georgian colonial architecture. Popular excursions include Dunn's River Falls, bamboo rafting on the Martha Brae River, and Montego Bay beaches.

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.

St. Lucia is one of the Caribbean's most topographically dramatic islands, defined by the twin volcanic peaks of the Pitons rising sharply from the southwestern coast. The Castries cruise port sits on the island's northwest side, with ships docking at either Pointe Seraphine (a duty-free shopping complex within walking distance of downtown Castries) or the La Place Carenage terminal on the opposite side of the harbor.

Pointe-a-Pitre is the economic capital of Guadeloupe, a French overseas department in the Lesser Antilles that gives you Caribbean beaches with French culture, cuisine, and infrastructure. The archipelago consists of two main islands shaped like a butterfly: Grande-Terre (flat, with beaches and sugar cane) and Basse-Terre (mountainous, with rainforest and a live volcano).

Tortola is the largest of the British Virgin Islands, a mountainous, lush Caribbean island where Road Town serves as the capital of this British Overseas Territory. The cruise port at Road Town Pier Park handles two large ships simultaneously (up to 180,000 GT).