Day 1 (NOV 24): Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Depart @ 3:00pm

Fort Lauderdale, known as the Venice of America, offers a blend of nautical charm and modern sophistication. Cruise down the Intracoastal Waterway, explore world-class shopping on Las Olas Boulevard, or experience the cultural explosion in the Riverwalk Arts & Entertainment District. This rapidly expanding port city is a captivating destination for any cruise itinerary.

Days 2-3 (NOV 25-26): Days at Sea

Day 4 (NOV 27): Philipsburg, Sint Maarten

This Leeward island has been famously bisected into French and Dutch territories since 1648, and is referred to both as Saint Martin and Sint Maarten. In their respective capitals—Marigot and Philipsburg—there are ancient stone forts and candy-colored buildings lining winding streets. 

Named for its founder John Philips, Philipsburg, the capital of the Dutch side, has some excellent international art galleries, thumping discos and popular casinos. Farther afield are beautiful beaches and a seemingly endless array of nature conservancies. With them come extensive opportunities for adventure—hiking, biking and zip lining—and amazing wildlife sightings in the sea, on land and in the sky.

On the French side, there are cafés serving café au lait andpain au chocolat and sidewalk bistros offering chilled rosé and savory crepes. A variety of luxury shops and cosmopolitan boutiques beckon to sophisticated shoppers who love a good bargain—the entire island has no sales tax.

Day 5 (NOV 28): Castries, Saint Lucia

Stunning mountain peaks, lush rainforest, and perfectly turquoise water. This Caribbean island offers a unique opportunity to immerse yourself in the raw power of Mother Nature at her finest. On a Cruise to St. Lucia, visit the only drive-in volcano in the world, explore the natural wonders of the wild or simply relax with a good book on an even better beach. St Lucia truly has it all.

Day 6 (NOV 29): Bridgetown, Barbados

Barbadians, or Bajans in local parlance, consider their island nation the most British of the Caribbean: Queen Elizabeth II is still head of state, and English products are stocked in many of its stores and restaurants. The less populated, rugged east coast of this coral island is strikingly beautiful and home to a number of different turtle species. The west coast, often nicknamed the "Platinum Coast," is where you'll find some of the island's most popular beaches and biggest mansions.

Day 7 (NOV 30): Day at Sea

Day 8 (DEC 1): Devils Island, French Guinea

Devil's Island, part of a three-island chain called Îles du Salut, in French Guiana, was home to one of the most infamous—and impregnable—prisons of the 19th and 20th centuries. Opened in 1852, it received worldwide renown in the mid-1890s when French military captain Alfred Dreyfus was sentenced to life imprisonment after being wrongly convicted of selling military secrets to Germany. Although Dreyfus's sentence was commuted after five years, more than 80,000 political prisoners and hardened criminals endured years of mistreatment and abuse among disease-ridden conditions. Few were able to escape, though Henri Charrière, author of the bookPapillon, allegedly succeeded by filling sacks with coconuts in order to float to the mainland. The prison was officially closed in 1953. In 1965, the French government transferred responsibility of the island to the Guiana Space Centre, and in recent years, tourism facilities have been added. Devil's Island and its two smaller neighboring islands receive more than 50,000 visitors each year.

Day 9 (DEC 2): Cruising the Amazon River

As you travel along the length of the Amazon, you'll call at villages that are not just geographically remote, but are far from contemporary culture as well. Some 400 indigenous peoples live in the Amazon, as they have for centuries. On the same journey, you can visit the 19th-century opera house at Manaus and the colonial-era churches in Santarém, Macapá and other cities. Biologically the basin is home to some 10 percent of all the world's known animal and plant species. From jaguars to macaws and pink dolphins to glass frogs, the Amazon is an area of astounding and unique biodiversity.

Day 10: Macapa, Brazil

Day 13 (DEC 6): Boca de Valeria, Brazil

Surrounded by the Amazonian rain forest, Boca da Valeria, a small Brazilian settlement of fewer than 100 people, boasts no tourism infrastructure. Yet the destination lures travelers by offering an authentic glimpse of the simple river life that the Amerindians have followed for centuries. Meaning "Mouth of the Valeria River," the remote fishing and trading village sits at the convergence of the Amazon and the Rio da Valeria. The local children guide visitors along a dirt footpath and pose for pictures in their native costumes, often with exotic animals in tow. Boca da Valeria, which is located between the towns of Parintins and Santarém, stands in stark contrast to nearby urban centers such as Manaus, where residents live with all the comforts, and complications, of contemporary life—but therein lies the appeal to the world adventurer.

Days 14-15 (DEC 7-8): Manaus, Brazil

These days, Manaus is downright huge—perhaps surprisingly, it’s Brazil’s seventh-largest city. A swank new soccer stadium was added for the 2014 World Cup, and a three-kilometer-long (two-mile-long), cable-stayed bridge opened in 2011 across the Rio Negro. The Ponta Negra suburb has modern high-rises, buzzing restaurants and beaches that rival those of any town on the sea. But within minutes, visitors can find themselves in the watery jungle, the source of the Amazonian specialties like pirarucu fish and acai berries on the menus of Manaus’s restaurants.

Day 16 (DEC 9): Parintins, Brazil

This cow town of sorts sits on an island in the Amazon River, inland from the Atlantic. Its claim to fame: the spectacular Boi Bumba festival, held over three days in June. The town’s 60,000 inhabitants spend the year preparing for the festival, building fantastic floats that depict giant pink porpoises, fierce jaguars and the like. Two rival camps, the red-colored Garantido and the blue-colored Caprichoso, compete in song and dance performances staged in a massive stadium glowing like a UFO that landed in the Amazon jungle. During the rest of the year, visitors are treated to samples of the big shows to come in June.

Day 17 (DEC 10): Alter Do Chao, Brazil

But Trinidad is best known for its carnival—matched only by Rio and New Orleans in its festive grandeur. Steelpan orchestras with as many as 100 members join a procession of outrageously costumed dancers. You’ll also hear calypso and soca, two styles of music that originated on Trinidad and Tobago.

Day 23 (DEC 16): Day at Sea

Day 24 (DEC 17): Willemstad, Curacao

Holland cruises to Curaçao take you to its historic center which is a unique mixture of Dutch architecture and Caribbean pastels, its gabled row houses overlooking Sint Anna Bay, a waterway dividing the city in two and connecting the Caribbean to the protected Schottegat Bay. The entire historic center of Willemstad has been recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Your stop in Curaçao highlights this multicultural melting pot which might include a stop at its floating market and a visit to a Curaçao distillery to taste the famous local liqueur. Natural wonders await as well: Some of the Caribbean’s most stunning diving and snorkeling spots are here. Finally, a meal in Willemstad will let you experience the diversity of the island through the surprising flavors of its cuisine, which reflects European, Caribbean and Latin American influences.

Day 24 (DEC 18): Oranjestad, Aruba

Located off the coasts of Venezuela and Colombia, the windswept Dutch island of Aruba feels like another world. When you take a cruise to Aruba, you can relax in the shade of a swaying Divi Divi tree on a pristine beach or explore untamed coastal cliffs in an exotic landscape filled with cacti. Just one day on an Aruba cruise can lead to a lifetime full of stories.

Days 26-27 (DEC 19-20): Days at Sea

Day 28 (DEC 21): Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Arrive @ 7:00am