7 Night Southern Caribbean Cruise

San Juan, the capital and most populous city of Puerto Rico, is the oldest city on US territory. It is the Caribbean commercial hub, best known for its beautifully restored historic district of Old San Juan. It is situated on a rocky peninsula girded by thick walls jutting into the crashing Atlantic surf. With its 400 restored buildings from the 16th and 17th century Spanish colonial period, this area is steeped in history. Read more about San Juan, Puerto Rico

Virgin Gorda (‘Fat Virgin’) is the third largest and the second most populated of the British Virgin Islands. The main business centre is Spanish Town, to the SW of this elongated island. Ships tender to port. The European discoverer of the islands was Columbus who, it is claimed, gave the name ‘Fat Virgin’ as the profile of the island looked like a woman lying on her side. Read more about Virgin Gorda, Virgin Islands (British)

Basseterre is located on the SW coast of St Kitts Island in the Leeward Islands group, and is one of the oldest towns in the Eastern Caribbean. Subsequently, it is very well known for its variety of architectural styles and fascinating buildings, set against dense tropical forests and a huge dormant volcano. The domed colonial Treasury Building, or customs house, is a reminder of the value of these islands as sugar colonies. Take a stroll around Basseterre and wander around the Circus, a diminutive roundabout, modelled after Piccadilly in London. Read more about Basseterre, Saint Kitts and Nevis

The city of Bridgetown is the capital and largest city of the island country of Barbados, a major tourist destination in the West Indies. The city has numerous attractions, landmarks, monuments, museums, and art galleries of an international standard. It is also a starting point for visiting many other popular cities on the island. This historic city and its nearby Garrison are recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, so be sure to take a virtual tour to explore the area. Read more about Bridgetown, Barbados

Castries is the capital of the volcanic island country of Saint Lucia, part of the Lesser Antilles in the eastern Caribbean Sea. Its popularity stems from the tropical weather (the dry season runs from December through May), scenery, and numerous beaches. Saint Lucia's population is predominantly of African and mixed African-European descent, and while the official language is English, French-Creole is spoken by 95% of the population. North of downtown and across the harbour is Vigie Peninsula, host to the island's largest duty-free complex, where many tourists spend the entire day. Read more about Castries, Saint Lucia

St John’s, the capital of the nation of Antigua and Barbuda (two islands) in the Caribbean, sits on the NW coast of the tropical island of Antigua that is home to magnificent beaches. St John's was hit significantly by Hurricane Irma (Sep 2017) but tourist infrastructure remained intact. St John’s reflects its British heritage with such edifices as Fort Barrington overlooking the shoreline, and 17th C Fort James. The national sport of cricket (think Sir Vivian Richards, Anderson "Andy" Roberts, and Richard "Richie" Richardson) highlights its predominantly British culture. Read more about St John's, Antigua and Barbuda

The island is shared in two parts as: the northern part Saint-Martin (a French overseas collectivity) and southern part Sint Maarten (of the Kingdom of the Netherlands): hence its name St-Martin / St Maarten. It lies in the NE Caribbean, located 300 km E of Puerto Rico. This tiny island is an extremely popular holiday and duty-free shopping destination famous for its variety of 37 palm-treed beaches that include salt-water ponds. For 13 weeks in late 2017 the island was off limits to cruise ships, until facilities were rebuilt following the island’s destruction wrought by Hurricane Irma. Read more about St Martin (Philipsburg), Guadeloupe

San Juan, the capital and most populous city of Puerto Rico, is the oldest city on US territory. It is the Caribbean commercial hub, best known for its beautifully restored historic district of Old San Juan. It is situated on a rocky peninsula girded by thick walls jutting into the crashing Atlantic surf. With its 400 restored buildings from the 16th and 17th century Spanish colonial period, this area is steeped in history. Read more about San Juan, Puerto Rico