AMERICA AND CARIBBEAN DISCOVERY

Southampton, UK, is a city and major port situated on the south coast of England, and is widely recognised as the capital of the country’s cruise industry. Each year more and more cruise liners take advantage of its superb cruise terminals. It is, of course, a gateway to Europe’s largest city, the enormous cosmopolitan city of London, with all the cultural and gastronomic attractions you'd expect from a world capital. Read more about Southampton, Great Britain

Funchal is the capital of Portugal’s Autonomous Region of Madeira an archipelago 880 SW of Portugal and 600 km NW of Morocco, in the north Atlantic. Funchal’s harbour offers plazas lined with shops, colourful houses spilling down hillsides, due to its almost amphitheatre-like formation, and a profusion of flowers. For a fine view of the magnificent bay, take the unique downhill basket sledge ride. Read more about Funchal, Portugal

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)

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. Read more about St John's, Antigua and Barbuda

Portsmouth is a sea port and the second largest town of Dominica, an island in the Lesser Antilles region of the Caribbean Sea. It lies on the Indian River in the north of the island, and importantly, is close to Cabrits National Park. The town is a staging point for bird-watching, hikes and safari tours across Dominica to the mountains, waterfalls, lakes and tropical rainforests. Read more about Portsmouth, Dominica

Kingstown is the chief port of the island of St Vincent and the capital of the St Vincent and the Grenadines island nation in the Southern Caribbean. Often referred to as the ‘City of Arches’, Kingstown is a lively town, and the close proximity of the wharf adds vitality, noise, and colour to the small but busy capital. Arches, cobbled streets, magnificent churches and historic stone buildings blend with the functional and the modern. Read more about Kingstown, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

St. George's is the capital of Grenada, British West Indies. The city surrounds a horseshoe-shaped harbour, and is an attractive colonial-era town with a distinctly Mediterranean feel that appears to spill down the hill side. Read more about St George's, Grenada

Located on the western tip of the island of Trinidad, between the rainforests and mountains of the Northern Range and the Gulf of Paria, Port of Spain is the country’s cultural, commercial and governmental centre. It is a busy and vibrant city with the tall buildings, neon lights and crowded streets, as well as a multicultural Caribbean character and a home-grown calypso soundtrack. Maracas Bay is a beach that fulfils the fantasy of the ideal Caribbean beach, but is just as famous for the scenic rainforest drive that must be made to reach it. Read more about Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago

Read more about Kralendijk, Bonaire, Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba

Read more about Willemstad, Curaçao, Curaçao

Cartagena is a large beach resort city on the northern coast of Colombia in the Caribbean Coast Region. While in recent years many new skyscrapers have been constructed, Cartagena's colonial walled city with its amazing architecture, such as The Vaults that were originally built as dungeons and from the top of which the Caribbean Sea is visible. There is also the Castillo de San Felipe, a fortress built in 1657 by the Spanish for protection against pirates. Read more about Cartagena, Colombia

Cristóbal lies at the northern entrance to the Panama Canal. It is part of the province of Colón, a port city at the entrance to Limon Bay, at the Atlantic (Caribbean) entrance of the canal. (Interestingly, Cristóbal Colón is the Spanish translation for Christopher Columbus.) The port, Old Cristóbal, was first built by the Panama Railroad Company in the 1850s, and dredged material became landfill for the present Cristóbal. Read more about Cristobal, Panama

Named one of the seven modern wonders of the world by the American Society of Civil Engineers, the Panama Canal is a 77 km ship canal in Panama that joins the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. Built from 1903 to 1914, nearly 850,000 vessels have passed through the canal. Interestingly, the 8-10 hour journey from the Pacific Ocean in the west and the Atlantic Ocean in the east is one from SE to NW. Read more about Panama Canal, Panama

Puerto Limon - aka Limon - is the capital of Limón Province in Costa Rica. It is the country's main Caribbean port, and most of its citizens are of African descent. Originally from Jamaica, these workers were brought to the area in the late 19th century to build the railroad line from San José to Limón. Read more about Puerto Limon, Costa Rica

Roatan (aka Ruatan, Rattan) is the largest of the Bay Islands, which are a part of Honduras, lying just over 48 km from the northern coast of the Honduran mainland. It is known around the world for its scuba diving. The reef surrounding the island attracts beautiful tropical fish and snorkellers alike. Read more about Roatan, Honduras

With acres of unspoiled coastal land, vast natural resources and rich historic and cultural influences, Costa Maya offers visitors true insight into the essence of Mayan culture and the heritage of the Mexican Caribbean. While the port itself is home to: a modern tourist shopping mall; a central plaza with saltwater pools and swim-up style bars; as well as stores selling a mixture of souvenir items, most visitors enjoy going further afield. Costa Maya has the highest concentration of Mayan archeological sites and the largest existing Mayan population in Mexico. Read more about Costa Maya, Mexico

George Town is located on the island of Grand Cayman, the largest of the three islands in the Cayman Islands of the British West Indies. It is the largest city and capital of the Cayman Islands. All three - Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac and Little Cayman - are coral outcrops surrounded by healthy coral reefs and dramatic walls close to shore, creating ideal conditions for the best diving and snorkelling found in the Caribbean. Read more about George Town, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands

Cozumel is a Caribbean island just off the Yucatan Peninsula in SE Mexico. It has grown steadily over the years since Jacques Cousteau first put the island on the map as a sea turtle sanctuary. While it has great beaches, friendly people and safe streets, with prices comparable to other Mexican tourist destinations, most visitors travel to Cozumel to see what is under the water. Read more about Cozumel, Mexico

Progreso, a small port city in Yucatan on the Gulf of Mexico, is best known for its 6km long pier where cruise ships regularly dock. With no resort developments and a tourist infrastructure that caters mostly to domestic visitors, exploring Progreso is a wonderful experience as it is still somewhat rustic and quaint. Its beaches are world class with palapa restaurants popping up everywhere. Read more about Progreso, Mexico

New Orleans (“N’awlins”) is a city and seaport in the northern Gulf of Mexico in the SE of the state of Louisiana, USA. Renowned for its lying below the level of the amazing Mississippi River, and the subsequent massive underground drainage system, it is surely one of the world's most fascinating cities. Steeped in a history of influences from Europe, the Caribbean, Africa and beyond, it has a brilliant mosaic of culture, architecture, food, and music. Read more about New Orleans, USA

New Orleans (“N’awlins”) is a city and seaport in the northern Gulf of Mexico in the SE of the state of Louisiana, USA. Renowned for its lying below the level of the amazing Mississippi River, and the subsequent massive underground drainage system, it is surely one of the world's most fascinating cities. Steeped in a history of influences from Europe, the Caribbean, Africa and beyond, it has a brilliant mosaic of culture, architecture, food, and music. Read more about New Orleans, USA

Miami, located on the Atlantic coast at the southern tip of Florida, where outdoor sports are open all seasons and dress is casual, is a melting pot of cultures. Miami and Miami Beach are in effect two distinctly different cities, as Miami Beach is almost exclusively tourist orientated, while Miami is a cosmopolitan city with a distinctly Latin American flavour. Don’t miss the South Beach section where fashion designer Gianni Versace lived and died that is one of the trendiest neighbourhoods in the world. Read more about Miami, USA

Port Canaveral is just north of Cocoa Beach and east of Merritt Island, and is one of the busiest cruise ports in Florida. It has warm, inviting beaches, rolling surf and year round sunshine. The city of Cape Canaveral is one of the friendliest communities in northern Brevard County. Read more about Port Canaveral, USA

The port city of Nassau, which dominates the entire island of New Providence, is the capital of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas, and interestingly is home to over 70 percent of the country’s population. It is well known for being an historical stronghold of pirates with connections to the infamous Blackbeard. A visit to the Pirates of Nassau Museum provides the details. Read more about Nassau, Bahamas

The British Overseas Territory of the Turks and Caicos Islands lies SE of Florida. The capital, Cockburn (‘Co’burn’) Town, is located on the largest island in the Turks Islands archipelago, Grand Turk Island. It is known for tourism as well as being an offshore financial centre. Read more about Cockburn Town, Turks and Caicos Islands

Montego Bay is Jamaica’s second city, and is known for its duty-free shopping. Its cruise line terminal at Free Port is situated on a beautiful peninsula jutting into a bay surrounded by picturesque low mountains. City streets are crowded, colourful and lively. Read more about Montego Bay, Jamaica

Ocho Rios lies on the north coast of Jamaica. As many believe that Christopher Columbus first set foot here, Columbus Park has been created, where visitors and residents alike can absorb the historical artefacts and the Spanish colonial buildings. Renowned for its most striking waterfalls Ocho Rios owes much of its fame to Dunn's River Falls, a much-photographed and much-climbed attraction. Read more about Ocho Rios, Jamaica

Amber Cove, located near Puerto Plata (aka Silver Port), on the north coast of the Dominican Republic, is a new $85 million port purposely developed for cruise passengers by Carnival Corp. It opened in mid 2015, and it will be the first time since the 1980s that a cruise ship has stopped at what is known as the Amber Coast, so called for its abundance of the translucent, burnt-orange stone. Cruise guests experience the natural beauty and wonder what makes the Dominican Republic such an attractive tourist destination. Read more about Amber Cove, Dominican Republic

Tortola is the largest and most populated of the British Virgin Islands, a group of islands that forms part of the archipelago of the Virgin Islands. Its capital is Road Town, situated on a pleasant harbour. Interestingly, Columbus noted the island during his second voyage. Read more about Tortola, 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. Read more about Basseterre, Saint Kitts and Nevis

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

Martinique is a Caribbean island that is an overseas department of France. It truly is a ‘little bit of France’, and visitors quickly become aware that very little English is spoken. On the other hand, it is intriguing in that it is one of the few islands where the lush countryside reflects the growth of sugar cane and bananas. Read more about Fort-de-France, Martinique

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

Toba, population 19,000, is located on the Shima Peninsula facing Ise Bay and the Pacific Ocean. It lies on the central east coast of Homshu Island. Much of the city is within the borders of the Ise-Shima National Park. Read more about Toba, Japan

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

Praia da Vitória (“Beach of Victory”) is a picturesque port in Portugal's Autonomous Region of the Azores. The Azores are an archipelago of nine volcanic islands in the North Atlantic, 1500 km west of continental Lisbon. An administrative division on the island of Terceira, Praia da Vitória occupies the northern coast of the island and extends halfway into the interior, having at its frontiers Pico Alto and the shield volcano of Santa Bárbara (960m). Read more about Praia da Vitoria, Portugal

Southampton, UK, is a city and major port situated on the south coast of England, and is widely recognised as the capital of the country’s cruise industry. Each year more and more cruise liners take advantage of its superb cruise terminals. It is, of course, a gateway to Europe’s largest city, the enormous cosmopolitan city of London, with all the cultural and gastronomic attractions you'd expect from a world capital. Read more about Southampton, Great Britain