25-night Caribbean cruise from Fort Lauderdale (Port Everglades) on Crystal Symphony
The Fort Lauderdale to Fort Lauderdale is a 25-night Caribbean cruise aboard Crystal Symphony, operated by Crystal Cruises. Departing Fort Lauderdale on January 15, 2027, the voyage visits 14 ports including Gustavia, Saint Barthelemy, Fort de France, St Georges, Grenada. Fares start from $13,900 per person.
Fixed editorial images from the places on this itinerary. They stay stable each time you return to this sailing.
Fort Lauderdale (Port Everglades)
With its heady mix of Creole culture and French sophistication, there is more than a pinch of je ne sais quoi in Fort de France. The capital of Martinique, and by far the biggest city in the whole of the French West Indies, if you are looking for Paris in the Caribbean, you’ll find it in Fort de France.
The island has been under French govern since 1638 when the first governor of Martinique Jacques Dyel du Parquet commissioned a fort (from which the city takes its name) to keep out invaders. Not even an unsuccessful attack by the British in 1720, nor the French Revolution in 1789, has been able to shake the French govern of the island and today the city’s French and Creole heritage are impossible to untangle. The colonial past is everywhere, take a stroll down the narrow streets and enjoy the remarkable architecture of the Schœlcher Library, St. Louis Cathedral and the Old Town Hall. Among the many legacies Dyel du Parquet left on the island is sugarcane. A drive through the tropical forests will not only reward you with trees bending under the weight of papayas, mangoes and bananas, but will also afford superb vistas of the elegant plant swaying in the breeze. The arrival and subsequent export of sugar brought the French bourgeoisie in their droves and many of their mansions are still standing. Josephine de Beauharnais, the Napoleonic Empress of “not tonight” fame, hails from the island and those interested will find her childhood home, La Pagerie in nearby Trois Ilets.
Fort de France
Thanks in large part to its French and West Indian influences, Martinique, a lush mountainous island in the Lesser Antilles with its dormant Mount Pelée volcano in the backdrop, exudes a cosmopolitan flair with a sophisticated culinary and cultural scene that draws travellers not only to its natural wonders, beautiful bays and beaches, but also to its heart at Fort-de-France, the capital. While French is the official language, most islanders also speak Antillean Creole. As part of the European Union, the island uses the euro as its currency.
When you arrive on an MSC Caribbean and Antilles cruise in Fort-de-France, you immediately notice the island’s steep hills, colourful colonial architecture, ornate balconies and tropical flowers. Book an MSC excursion to the Balata Cathedral, a miniature replica of the Sacré-Coeur in Montmartre, Paris, which offers a spectacular view of Fort-de-France and the bay.
Before Martinique came to be known by its current name, it was once called Madinina, the island of flowers. At Balata Botanical Gardens, discover 300 types of palm trees, take in views from the garden's suspension bridge and enjoy the tropical flowers in bloom across 16 acres of lush landscape.
Or try the island's best rum distilleries. MSC excursions will take you to the Depaz Distillery, in business since 1651, or the St. James Rum Distillery & Museum, where you will learn about the process of making rum and taste the traditional Rhum Agricole, made by using freshly squeezed sugarcane juice rather than the conventional molasses.
Afterwards, visit the ruins of the theatre in St. Pierre, the former cultural capital of Martinique that was tragically destroyed by the 1902 eruption of Mount Pelée. The modern-day town of St. Pierre is France's 101st “City of Art and History.”
Santarem
The first settlement in Santarém was a Jesuit mission built in 1661. The next arrivals consisted of a group of Confederate refugees. They came to Santarém after the American Civil War in the hope of creating a new slaving state. Few of them stayed very long, but they left their mark in certain family and trade names. In the 1920s, during the rubber boom, Henry Ford spent $80 million to establish an enormous rubber plantation for the production of automobile tires. The project ended in disaster when many of his workers died from malaria and Ford realized that there were too many obstacles to overcome.
Over the years, Santarém developed into one of the region's most important trading centers. Today, it is the third largest city on the Amazon after Manaus and Belém. One of Santarém's major attractions is the "Meeting of the Waters," where the crystalline blue waters of the Rio Tapajos flow side by side with the muddy-brown Amazon without merging (similar to the Negro and Solimões rivers near Manaus).
Points of interest include the Town Hall Museum with displays of pottery made by the Tupai Indians, the Municipal Market and the Casa da Farinha, an old manioc flour factory, where demonstrations can be seen on how to extract latex from rubber trees. Around Santarem there are lakes and lush forests that are home to numerous species of birds.
Your arrival into port already offers a good introduction to local color. Numerous river boats are tied up along the pier, some of them unloading goods and produce, others providing transportation for the local population to river communities for over 200 miles around, as well as long-distance services to Manaus and Belém.
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