Day 1 – Ft. Lauderdale, Florida

Departs 05:00 pm.

According to the popular 1960 beach movie, Fort Lauderdale is “where the boys are.” The city’s reputation as America’s Spring Break capital, however, has been replaced with the more favorable image of a prime family tourist destination, attracting more than 10 million visitors annually. The most popular beach resort in Florida is even more rightly famed as the “Yachting Capital of the World,” with more than 40,000 registered crafts calling its waters home. The city also prides itself on being the “Venice of America” with more than 300 miles of navigable waterways. Fort Lauderdale boasts world-class theaters, museums, sightseeing, and shopping. The city sits 24 miles north of Miami and is named after a series of forts built by the United States during the second Seminole War. The forts took their name from Major William Lauderdale, who was the commander of the detachment of soldiers who built the first fort. Look hard and you might find remnants of three of them today. More people seem to be interested in taking a water tour aboard the “Carrie B.”

Day 2 – RelaxAway Half Moon Cay, Bahamas

Arrives 10:00 am, departs 05:00 pm.

Day 3 – At Sea

Day 4 – At Sea

Day 5 – St. Maarten

Arrives 08:00 am, departs 04:00 pm.

St. Maarten offers a delightful case of split personality. Legend has it that a Frenchman and a Dutchman divided ownership of the island through a walk-off: Standing back to back, the two headed in opposite directions, walking around the island until they met. Perhaps the Dutchman paused for a refreshing brew. At any rate, the French ended up claiming 21 square miles of the island to 16 square miles for the Dutch. This lively tale says much about St. Maarten’s easygoing ways. No formal boundary exists between the Dutch and French sides of the island; a simple welcome sign tells you when you cross from one country to the other. But the differences are as noticeable as the spelling of the island’s name. The French spell it St. Martin. And it’s this split personality that lends so much to the island’s charms, including an international reputation for the finest cuisine in the Caribbean.

Day 6 – Martinique

Arrives 08:00 am, departs 05:00 pm.

To the Arawak, Martinique was their treasured “isle of flowers.” Lying in the Lesser Antilles between Dominica and St. Lucia, the island is a tropical paradise of dense rain forest, rolling savanna and stunning beaches. The rich volcanic soil nourishes banana plantations and pineapple fields as well as mangoes, papayas, lemons, limes, and West Indian cherries. Little wonder that Columbus praised Martinique as the “best, most fertile, most delightful, and most charming land in the world.” Martinique’s cultural heritage is as rich and bountiful as its soil. The island has been governed by France for over three centuries. Today an overseas department of France, the island boasts a culture that is a unique and zesty blend of French, Caribbean, African and Middle Eastern influences, resulting in that spicy combination called Créole. Créole culture is reflected in Martinique’s architecture, cuisine, language, and music. For years the mayor of Fort-de-France was the internationally acclaimed Créole poet Aimé Césaire. Five centuries after Columbus made his landfall, Martinique remains a rare flower in the Caribbean.

Day 7 – Scarborough, Trinidad and Tobago

Arrives 08:00 am, departs 05:00 pm.

Day 8 – At Sea

Day 9 – At Sea

Day 10 – Barra Norte Sea, Brazil

Day 10 – Crossing the Amazon River Bar, Brazil

Day 10 – Barra Norte River, Brazil

Day 10 – Cruising the Amazon River

Day 11 – Macapa, Brazil

Arrives 08:00 am, departs 11:00 am.

Day 11 – Cruising the Amazon River

Day 11 – Crossing the Equator

Day 12 – Santarem, Brazil

Arrives 08:00 am, departs 05:00 pm.

Day 13 – Boca da Valeria, Brazil

Arrives 08:00 am, departs 02:00 pm.

Day 14 – Manaus, Brazil

Arrives 10:00 am.

Day 15 – Manaus, Brazil

Departs 04:00 pm.

Day 16 – Parintins, Brazil

Arrives 08:00 am, departs 05:00 pm.

Day 17 – Alter Do Chao, Brazil

Arrives 08:00 am, departs 04:00 pm.

Day 18 – Crossing the Equator

Day 18 – Cruising the Amazon River

Day 18 – Barra Norte River, Brazil

Day 18 – Crossing the Amazon River Bar, Brazil

Day 19 – Barra Norte Sea, Brazil

Day 19 – Crossing the Equator

Day 20 – Devils Island, French Guiana

Arrives 08:00 am, departs 05:00 pm.

Day 21 – At Sea

Day 22 – At Sea

Day 23 – Barbados

Arrives 08:00 am, departs 09:00 pm.

Barbados is one of the few Caribbean islands solely colonized by one nation. It’s no wonder Bajans describe their country as being “more English than England sheself,” surnames like Worthing and Hastings abound. But look around and you know you’re not in England: rich and fertile tropical fields meet a glistening, azure sea. The soft pastels of old chattel houses blend with the vibrant reds, oranges, and greens of roadside fruit stands. In short, Barbados exudes a charm all its own. Perhaps it is due to Bajan culture, that celebrated blend of English tradition and the African heritage brought to the island by slaves imported to work the sugar plantations. The potent brew which results flavors every aspect of island life, from music, dance and art, to religion, language and food.

Day 24 – Roseau, Dominica

Arrives 08:00 am, departs 05:00 pm.

Day 25 – St. Kitts

Arrives 08:00 am, departs 05:00 pm.

Jagged volcanoes soaring above azure and turquoise seas, dense rainforests in myriad shades of green, rolling fields of sugarcane–welcome to St. Kitts. Along with its neighbor, Nevis, St. Kitts presents an exotic landscape more common to Polynesia than the Caribbean. The islands’ terrain, rich soil, and climate made them ideal locations for raising sugarcane. In fact, St. Kitts and Nevis were once the crown jewels of the Caribbean. During the 17th and 18th centuries, Spain, France and England vied for control of the islands, with the English finally winning out in 1787. Today, British and French heritage is evident on both islands. Basseterre, the capital of St. Kitts, boasts fine, restored colonial buildings. Impressive Brimstone Hill Fortress, called the “Gibraltar of the West Indies,” is one of the most impressive fortresses in the Caribbean.

Day 26 – San Juan, Puerto Rico

Arrives 08:00 am, departs 05:00 pm.

The oldest city under the American flag, San Juan vibrates to a lively salsa beat. There’s an unmistakable zest in the air here. Perhaps it’s the stunning natural setting: the verdant peaks, tropical forests, and gleaming white-sand beaches. Or maybe it’s Puerto Rico’s mix of cultures, the blend and occasional clash of four centuries of Spanish heritage overlaid with a century spent as America’s only Commonwealth. Whatever the reason, San Juan is one of the most enticing ports in the Caribbean, and it only gets lovelier with age.

Day 27 – At Sea

Day 28 – At Sea

Day 29 – Ft. Lauderdale, Florida

Arrives 07:00 am.

According to the popular 1960 beach movie, Fort Lauderdale is “where the boys are.” The city’s reputation as America’s Spring Break capital, however, has been replaced with the more favorable image of a prime family tourist destination, attracting more than 10 million visitors annually. The most popular beach resort in Florida is even more rightly famed as the “Yachting Capital of the World,” with more than 40,000 registered crafts calling its waters home. The city also prides itself on being the “Venice of America” with more than 300 miles of navigable waterways. Fort Lauderdale boasts world-class theaters, museums, sightseeing, and shopping. The city sits 24 miles north of Miami and is named after a series of forts built by the United States during the second Seminole War. The forts took their name from Major William Lauderdale, who was the commander of the detachment of soldiers who built the first fort. Look hard and you might find remnants of three of them today. More people seem to be interested in taking a water tour aboard the “Carrie B.”