Norwegian Cruise Line Southern Caribbean

Puerto Plata is the Dominican Republic’s oldest city in the north and a tourism pioneer. Nestled by the ocean with a mountainous backdrop, the city offers a lively pier, which is known as the Malecon, colourful shops and opulent homes from the 1800s. The city is famous for Parque Independencia (also known as Parque Central), a park fringed by royal palms and Victorian architecture. In Puerto Plata, you can hop on a cable car for sky-high views, take a tour of the local cacao farms and buy some of the clearest amber in the world.

Most visitors arrive at the US Virgin Islands via St Thomas, and the place knows how to strike a first impression. Jungly cliffs poke high in the sky, red-hipped roofs blossom over the hills, and all around the turquoise, yacht-dotted sea laps. St Thomas is the most commercialized of the Virgins, with cruise-ship traffic and big resorts galore, but it’s also a fine island to sharpen your knife and fork, and kayak through mangrove lagoons.

Antigua’s capital, with some 45,000 inhabitants (approximately half the island’s population), lies at sea level at the inland end of a sheltered northwestern bay. Although it has seen better days, a couple of notable historic sights and some good waterfront shopping areas make it worth a visit. At the far south end of town, where Market Street forks into Valley and All Saints roads, haggling goes on every Friday and Saturday, when locals jam the Public Market to buy and sell fruits, vegetables, fish, and spices. Ask before you aim a camera; your subject may expect a tip. This is old-time Caribbean shopping, a jambalaya of sights, sounds, and smells.

Sint Maarten, the Dutch side of the island, is completely different from the French side. With its tourist-friendly nightlife, a slew of shopping centres including duty-free shops in capital Philipsburg, tacky casinos, numerous condo units and sprawling resorts, it can sometimes feel overdeveloped and artificial, but you’ll also find a few peaceful, picturesque beaches around Simpson Bay and Little Bay.

Mountainous St. Kitts, the first English settlement in the Leeward Islands, crams some stunning scenery into its 65 square miles (168 square km). Vast, brilliant green fields of sugarcane (the former cash crop, now slowly being replanted) run to the shore. The fertile, lush island has some fascinating natural and historical attractions: a rain forest replete with waterfalls, thick vines, and secret trails; a central mountain range dominated by the 3,792-foot Mt. Liamuiga, whose crater has long been dormant; and Brimstone Hill, known in the 18th century as the Gibraltar of the West Indies. St. Kitts and Nevis, along with Anguilla, achieved self-government as an associated state of Great Britain in 1967. In 1983 St. Kitts and Nevis became an independent nation. English with a strong West Indian lilt is spoken here. People are friendly but shy; always ask before you take photographs. Also, be sure to wear wraps or shorts over beach attire when you’re in public places.

Beyond its timeworn 15ft-thick walls, San Juan is far more than a collection of well-polished colonial-era artefacts – it’s also a mosaic of ever-evolving neighbourhoods such as Santurce, which has a raw vitality fueled by street art, superb restaurants and a bar scene that takes over the streets at night.

And then there are the beaches. Silky ribbons of sand line San Juan’s northern edge from swanky Condado to resort-filled Isla Verde. You can land at the airport and be splashing in the azure waters an hour later.

All Norwegian Cruise Line cruises to the Bahamas feature a whole day visit to Great Stirrup Cay, NCL’s idyllic island paradise reserved just for their guests. Stroll along soft, white-sand beaches and enjoy the many activities we have to offer. Snorkel and see underwater delights, kayak in crystal-clear water, then get revved up on a WaveRunner® adventure. The fun is endless here. Grab a bite at our new 8,500- square foot beach buffet and simply relax in your private beachfront cabana. This tropical paradise is just for you. Take advantage.

Disembark and transfer to the airport for your return flight.