7-night Caribbean cruise: Miami, Florida to San Juan, Puerto Rico on EXPLORA III
The A Journey through Secluded Isles & Caribbean Havens is a 7-night Caribbean cruise aboard EXPLORA III, operated by Explora Journeys. Departing Miami, Florida on February 5, 2027 and arriving in San Juan, Puerto Rico on February 12, 2027, the voyage visits 6 ports including Philipsburg, Sint Maarten, Gustavia, Saint Barthelemy, Basseterre, St. Kitts. Fares start from $6,040 per person.
Fixed editorial images from the places on this itinerary. They stay stable each time you return to this sailing.
Miami, Florida
Miami is called the gateway to the Americas, and it’s indeed a very glamourous global city to explore at the start or end of an MSC Caribbean and Antilles cruise. Home to many cultures, the city of Miami sizzles with flavours from the Americas, beginning with Cuba and the Little Havana neighbourhood - one of the most historically significant places, while Wynwood is famous for its wall art and Puerto Rican history.
Across Biscayne Bay lies the city of Miami Beach, home to the world-famous South Beach. An MSC-arranged guided private tour opens up a world of possibilities for you: enjoy the beach, take in the city’s Art Deco architecture and enjoy a drink on legendary Ocean Drive, where you can people watch, and perhaps spot a celebrity. If time permits, take a stroll on artsy Lincoln Road packed with street side cafes and shops.
Facing the MSC Cruises port in downtown Miami is Bayside Marketplace - a lively commercial centre that is a staging area for boat tours of Miami. Seeing the city from the water, with its impressive skyline and waterfront mansions, is an experience in itself. The downtown area also boasts the dazzling Performing Arts Centre, the Museum of Science, the Pérez Art Museum Miami (known as the PAMM), scenic Bayfront Park and the arena where the 3-time NBA champion Miami Heat basketball team plays.
Miami is renowned for its shopping. Hop on a tour to see the major city sights followed by retail therapy at one of Miami's largest and newest shopping malls: Dolphin Mall. With more than 240 retail outlets, you’re bound to need a bit of room in your luggage for your purchases. Luckily, there are several luggage stores at the mall to fill that need.
Head west past the city into untamed wilderness on an MSC excursion into the Everglades. At this national park where water is the central feature, unlike any other in North America, nature enthusiasts can hop on an airboat tour through the swampland and waterways to spot alligators and a variety of birds.
Philipsburg, Sint Maarten
Offering some of the best vistas in all the Caribbean, St. Maarten is the smallest inhabited island in the world shared by two nations - France in the north and the Netherlands in the south. Dubbed the true melting pot of the Caribbean, the 37-square-mile island is home to people of 47 different nationalities and more than 400 restaurants, featuring a hugely diverse variety of cuisine.
The island also has two capitals: Philipsburg on the Dutch side, and Marigot in the French part. Once you arrive on an MSC Caribbean and Antilles cruise in St. Maarten, explore how the two cultures have blended their very distinct characters on one of our MSC excursions.
Your St. Maarten cruise will dock in Philipsburg, founded in 1763 by John Philips, a Scottish captain in the Dutch Navy. Philipsburg, with its pastel-coloured West Indian houses, is known for its duty-free shopping along Front Street, the Great Salt Pond, which once made the island literally “worth its salt,” and attracted the attention of the French, and Fort Willem, built in 1801, with mag-nificent views of the bay and the surrounding islands.
From there, several MSC excursions take you on a hilly drive to the French side of the island to experience Marigot. Originally a fishing village on a swamp for which it was named, Marigot became the capital during the reign of Louis XVI. Fort Louis, which overlooks Marigot Bay and Anguilla, was built in the late 18th century to protect the town’s warehouses of salt, coffee, sugar cane and especially rum from the English. Today, Marigot showcases quaint colourful gingerbread-like houses, tasty sidewalk bistros and a waterfront market selling fruit and vegetables, spices, local meats and fresh fish from Creole huts worth exploring.
For something special, spend the day on the Dutch side of the island at the restored sugar planta-tion at Rockland Estate. Take in a history lesson at the Emilio Wilson Museum or a nature hike and 360-degree views from Sentry Hill. Participate in a hands-on cooking demonstration of authentic local cuisines with lunch at Emilio’s restaurant, in an exclusive Martha Stewart excursion curated for MSC Cruises.
Also at Rockland Estate, thrill seekers can book other MSC excursions on the Flying Dutchman, a fast and furious zip line ride that will have you whizzing down the line at speeds of up to 56 mph (90 km) per hour. Then take the Pirate Sky Ride cable car back up the top to the Crow’s Nest where several platforms encircling the mountain afford panoramic views of the neighbouring islands of Saba, Sint Eustatius, Saint Barthélemy and Anguilla. Then plunge down the mountain on a Schooner Ride inner tube along a specially designed track.
To experience one of the island’s hottest spots and most popular attractions, visit the famous Maho Beach, also called Airplane Beach. Don’t get too comfortable, though. This is because you watch as planes pass only a short distance above your head as they land and take off from Princess Juli-ana Airport’s short runway next door.
Basseterre, St. Kitts
Columbus discovered St. Kitts (short for St. Christopher) and Nevis on his second voyage in 1493. Arawak and Carib Indians who had moved up through the islands from South America already inhabited both islands. While European immigrants massacred many of them, the Caribs continued to stage fierce battles, which became legendary. In 1632, the West Indies' first British settlement was established on the island, which soon developed into an important colony thanks to its sugar industry.
France and England shared St. Kitts for some time, but the partition ended with the Peace of Utrecht in 1713. After being declared a British colony in 1783, St. Kitts and Nevis, along with Anguilla and the British Virgin Islands, were administered as a single colony until 1871 when the Leeward Islands Federation was formed. This continued up to 1957 when St. Kitts and Nevis were granted self-government, with Britain remaining responsible for external affairs and defense. Both islands became an independent state within the Commonwealth in 1983.
Basseterre, St. Kitts' capital, still shows signs of colonial architecture. However, its setting against the emerald green hills ensures a distinct Caribbean ambiance. Many travelers agree that Basseterre is one of the prettiest of the Caribbean's small capitals.
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Follow the entire sailing from its first day to its last, with the route and schedule in one view.
Day 1·Feb 5, 2027
Miami, Florida
Miami is called the gateway to the Americas, and it’s indeed a very glamourous global city to explore at the start or end of an MSC Caribbean and Antilles cruise.
EXPLORA III is the first LNG-powered ship in our fleet, underscoring our commitment to decarbonising marine operations. This innovation has the potential to reduce well-to-wake greenhouse gas emission by over 80%, significantly lowering our environmental impact.
A sanctuary of unparalleled comfort and space, EXPLORA III embodies effortless elegance, evoking the feeling of being aboard a private yacht
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