Cruise Description

14 Night Cruise sailing from San Juan roundtrip aboard Explora II.

Highlights of this cruise:

San Juan
San Juan is a major port and tourist resort of the West Indies and is the oldest city under the U.S flag. The metropolitan area known as San Juan has 3 distinct areas: Old San Juan, the New San Juan, and other outlying communities, the most important: Río Piedras, Hato Rey, Puerta de Tierra, and Santurce. The old part of San Juan was founded in 1521 and is now officially declared a National Historic Zone. Many 16th- and 17th-century buildings have been restored and refurbished in the original Spanish style. This part of the city boasts many shops, restaurants, art galleries and museums.

New San Juan is connected to the old town by a narrow neck of land, and modern architecture has flourished in recent years. In the sophisticated areas of Condado and Isla Verde, are glittering hotels; flashy, Las Vegas-style shows, casinos and discos. The Botanical Gardens are worth visiting. A bay cruise is also available, which offers excellent views of the city. El Yunque, east of the capital, is a 28,000-acre rainforest (with over 240 species of trees) and bird sanctuary. It is the only tropical rainforest in the US National Forest System and is located in the Luquillo Mountains.

Bridgetown
Barbados is an ideal Caribbean destination, whether you want to bake in the sun or spend your time discovering island life and culture.

The beaches along the West and South coasts are lovely. Because they're open to the public, though, they lack the privacy some visitors may seek. Elsewhere on the island, linked by almost 900 miles of good roads, are small villages, historic plantation houses, stalactite-studded caves, a wildlife preserve, and the Andromeda Gardens, one of the most attractive small tropical gardens in the world. Culturally, Barbados has retained a very British atmosphere: Afternoon tea is a ritual, cricket is the national passion, and a few luxury hotels request a jacket and tie at dinner.

But Barbados is true blue Caribbean as well, with classic sand beaches, and wild monkeys in the jungle.

Bequia
Bequia is located about 100 miles west of Barbados and 60 miles south of St. Lucia. The nine sqm island is part of the republic of St.Vincent & the Grenadines in the Lesser Antilles. A popular port-of-call for yachts from around the world, Bequia has lately become equally well known for being a first class diving destination.

Bequia is considered the perfect small Caribbean island: beautiful sandy beaches, lush green hillsides, attractive little villages, well run hotels and guest houses and hardly any traffic.

Bequia offers several ocean front bars and restaurants with the most popular being Frangipani Bar and Restaurant on Admiralty Bay. Adjacent to Frangipani's is a number of local establishments that one can enjoy as they make their way around the quaint ocean front walkway that encircles much of Admiralty Bay.