8-night Central America cruise: San Juan, Puerto Rico to Miami, Florida on EXPLORA III
The A Journey of Lively Caribbean Culture & Stunning Beaches is a 8-night Central America cruise aboard EXPLORA III, operated by Explora Journeys. Departing San Juan, Puerto Rico on January 13, 2027 and arriving in Miami, Florida on January 21, 2027, the voyage visits 7 ports including Philipsburg, Sint Maarten, Terre de Haut, Ile des Saintes, St Georges, Grenada. Fares start from $7,400 per person.
Fixed editorial images from the places on this itinerary. They stay stable each time you return to this sailing.
San Juan, Puerto Rico
Blessed with some of the oldest buildings in the Western Hemisphere, San Juan, Puerto Rico’s cap-ital, is romantically charming with its bright pastel Spanish colonial facades, wrought-iron balconies abloom with flowers, narrow cobblestone streets and beloved park squares. Once you arrive on an MSC Caribbean and Antilles cruise at the port, explore Old San Juan (Viejo San Juan), a UNESCO World Heritage district, widely renowned for the fortresses of Castillo San Felipe del Morro and the Castillo San Cristóbal.
The old town occupies the headland of a 2.5-mile-long island (connected by bridge to the mainland) that shelters San Juan Bay, for centuries a key port in the New World. It was originally known as Puerto Rico, or “rich port,” because its location made it the perfect stop for shipping.
Several MSC excursions offer walking tours that let you soak up amazing views of San Juan, while making cultural discoveries of a lifetime. Wander through the old town along the Paseo de la Princesa, San Juan’s oldest tree-lined avenue; head up its southern city wall, La Muralla, which until the late 19th century encircled all of Old San Juan with sandstone; and tour the 16th-century fortress of El Morro, with its six different lines of defence.
Take a coffee-tasting walking tour to explore Puerto Rico’s rich coffee culture, and learn how the island’s rich volcanic soil and climate have contributed to the rise of coffee as one of its main crops. Taste a delicious cup of freshly brewed Puerto Rican café con leche, learn about the island's historical ties with the caffeine-rich beverage, and explore how coffee and the church are connected on this MSC excursion through the streets of Old San Juan.
Or savour San Juan’s culinary delights, in a Martha Stewart excursion curated exclusively for MSC that will have you tasting local cuisine and drinks at five destinations along the route through the fortified colonial city. From Puerto Rican fritters at historic El Convento Hotel, to chocolate tasting at a fourth-generation chocolatier, you won’t want to miss this tour, which ends at La Casita de Rones for a rum lesson and a piña colada, the national drink of Puerto Rico.
With more than 80% of the world's rum coming from Puerto Rico, delve deeper into the spirit on an MSC excursion to Casa Bacardí in the town of Cataño. Discover the story behind Bacardí’s legendary cocktails, sniff the products on display and learn about the rum-making process including wood barrelling, ageing and finishing. For the grand finale, enjoy a fascinating mixology show.
Nature lovers will not want to miss a visit to El Yunque, the only tropical rainforest in the U.S. territory and one of Puerto Rico's finest spots of natural beauty. Marvel at its small horsetail waterfalls, giant ferns and tropical hardwoods.
For an enchanting experience, kayak into the enchanting bioluminescent bay at Laguna Grande of Fajardo on another MSC excursion. Under the blanket of the night sky and the lighthouse of Fajardo, paddle through the water and watch it glow with the bioluminescence of millions and millions of tiny organisms.
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.
Castries, St. Lucia
Travel on an MSC Caribbean and Antilles cruise to St. Lucia in the Lesser Antilles to see magnificent white-sand beaches, lush rainforests and the prized Pitons. These are spectacular twin volcanic peaks that are protected as UNESCO World Heritage Sites and appear as symbols on the nation’s flag.
Initially founded by the French in the 1664, St. Lucia changed hands between French and British rule so many times over the years that it was called the “Helen of the West Indies,” until the British took definite control in 1814. From architecture to cuisine, you’ll still find hints of French and British inspired heritage throughout the island, which declared its independence in 1979. This is particularly evident in Castries, its capital.
MSC excursions in St. Lucia offer something for everyone. Take a trolley through the busy streets of the city of Castries. Cruise by catamaran to the Pitons for scenic views of Petit Piton and Gros Piton, at an altitude of around 2,500 feet. Or breeze past banana plantations and visit picturesque Marigot Bay, named the most beautiful bay of the Caribbean by the late American novelist James Michener.
For something truly special, explore the world of batik prints at Caribelle Batik, then see the Pitons from land during a beautiful drive to the 18th-century Soufriere Estate for a lesson on coconuts and cocoa. When you get there, find out how coconuts are opened, roasted in a traditional oven and turned into copra (dry coconut) before being processed into everyday items such as soap, sun tan lotion and cooking oil. And learn how cocoa is fermented, dried on racks in the sun and crushed into powder to make cocoa sticks before being turned into chocolate.
Thirsting for adventure? Then get your adrenaline running and enjoy a bird's eye view while you zip from tree to tree. Drive past pools of bubbling lava and into the world's only drive-in volcano at the Sulphur Springs or snorkel within the marine reserve to discover a plethora of vibrant wildlife featuring a variety of corals, urchins and more.
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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·Jan 13, 2027
San Juan, Puerto Rico
Blessed with some of the oldest buildings in the Western Hemisphere, San Juan, Puerto Rico’s cap-ital, is romantically charming with its bright pastel Spanish colonial facades,…
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.
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