14 Night Caribbean - Southern Cruise

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.

St. Maarten cruise port is one of the busiest in the Caribbean, with ships docking at the A.C.

Basseterre cruise port in St. Kitts uses the Port Zante terminal, a purpose-built cruise facility in the heart of Basseterre, the capital of St. Kitts and Nevis. Port Zante includes two dedicated cruise piers capable of berthing the largest modern ships plus a marina, restaurants, shops, and the Amina Craft Market.

Martinique gives you something most Caribbean ports can't: an actual piece of France in the tropics. This is a French overseas department, so the bakeries are real, the wine is good, and the Creole cuisine draws from both metropolitan French technique and Caribbean soul.

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.

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.