12-DAY PANAMA CANAL DISCOVERY: COSTA RICA & GREATER ANTILLES

Fort Lauderdale is a city on the Atlantic coast of the U.S. in the state of Florida. As well as being a major yachting centre, it has a large and intricate canal system that results in its also being known as the ‘Venice of America’. Read more about Fort Lauderdale, USA

Half Moon Cay is a protected bay located on a private island about 1160 km south of Nassau, in the archipelago of the Bahamas. Visiting ships anchor in the cay and tender passengers to the pier. This exceptional cruise destination offers miles of crescent-shaped beaches dotted with coconut palms and surrounded by pristine blue waters. Read more about Half Moon Cay, Bahamas

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. Read more about St Martin (Philipsburg), Sint Maarten (Dutch part)

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. Read more about Castries, Saint Lucia

In the SE West Indies is Scarborough, the chief town, administrative centre, and deepwater harbour of Tobago, one of the two islands of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. Located on Rockly Bay and overlooking Scarborough Harbour, the town is steeply laid out on the bottom slopes of a hill 13 km from the island’s southwestern tip. On top of the hill is Fort King George (built by the British in the late 1700s), with a prison, barracks, officer’s mess, and many cannons. Read more about Scarborough, Trinidad and Tobago

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. Read more about Bridgetown, Barbados

Pointe-a-Pitre (“Headland of Peter”; population 172,000) is the largest city of Guadeloupe, an overseas region of France, located in the Lesser Antilles of the Caribbean. (The capital is Basse-Terre.) The inhabitants are called "Pointois". The port is on the island of Grande-Terre, facing west to nearby Basse-Terre Island. Read more about Pointe-a-Pitre, Guadeloupe

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. Read more about Basseterre, Saint Kitts and Nevis

Fort Lauderdale is a city on the Atlantic coast of the U.S. in the state of Florida. As well as being a major yachting centre, it has a large and intricate canal system that results in its also being known as the ‘Venice of America’. Read more about Fort Lauderdale, USA