Caribbean from Port Canaveral (Orlando)

Port Canaveral, a departure port of an MSC Caribbean and Antilles Cruise, is located just 45 miles east of Orlando and is known for its Space Coast.

On the Merritt Island peninsula you can discover the phenomenal Kennedy Space Center. Here the NASA’s space vehicles are developed, tested and blasted into orbit. Set up a bit like an Orlando theme park, the vast Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex will enthrall anyone with the slightest interest in space exploration, with everything from enormous rockets and the history of the moon landings, to IMAX movies and a space shuttle launch simulation on offer.

Many of the visitors who flock here are surprised to find that the land from which rockets are launched is also the home of sizeable Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge framed by several miles of rough coastline.

A forty-kilometre-long island directly off the coast from Playa del Carmen, Isla Cozumel is a renowned cruise-ship call: nearly every day, up to ten cruise ships dock at one of the island’s three dedicated piers, all just south of the only town, San Miguel.

A holiday to Mexico with MSC Cruises will present you with restaurants, souvenir shops and jewellery stores, all along the malecón(Av Rafael Melgar) in downtown San Miguel.
If you fancy a museum, the attractive Museo de la Isla de Cozumel has small displays of the flora, fauna and marine life of the island, as well as a good collection of Maya artefacts and old photos.
If you’re not a diver, there’s a certain appeal in wandering the relaxed inland blocks of San Miguel, away from the piers, spotting Maya ruins and birds (the Maya called the island cuzamil – “land of the swallows”) in the dense forests and being the only person on the windswept eastern beaches.
Midway across the island, San Gervasio is the only excavated Maya site on Cozumel. With several small temples connected by sacbeob, or long white roads, it was one of the many independent city-states that survived the fall of Chichén Itzá, flourishing between 1200 AD and 1650 AD. As part of a larger nature reserve the site is worth a visit for the numerous birds and butterflies you can spot early in the morning or late in the day.
Another place to visit is Xcaret, a surprisingly pleasant theme park: it offers all the Yucatán’s attractions in one handy place, with a museum, a tropical aquarium, a “Maya village”, a beach, some small authentic ruins, pools and more than a kilometre of subterranean rivers down which you can swim, snorkel or float. On the other hand, neighbouring Xplor is dedicated to ziplines and other outdoor adventure.

Christopher Columbus called the Cayman Islands, with their tranquil blue waters, “Las Tortugas” for its abundance of turtles. Located between Cuba and Jamaica, the Cayman Islands are comprised of three Caribbean islands: Grand Cayman, Little Cayman and Cayman Brac.

Beautiful landscapes, bountiful wildlife and colourful streets embody this British Overseas Territory, with George Town, its capital, located on Grand Cayman, the largest and most populous island.

When you arrive in George Town on an MSC Caribbean and Antilles cruise, you’ll discover that wildlife conservation is at the core of Grand Cayman’s offerings. For the chance of a lifetime to swim, feed and interact with stingrays, book an MSC excursion to Stingray City, where you’ll get an up-close experience with Cayman’s most graceful marine creatures. On yet another MSC excursion to the Cayman Turtle Centre, encounter the green turtles that return each and every year to lay their eggs on one of the beaches, visit the turtle hatchery, snorkel alongside yearlings in the Turtle Lagoon and meet the island’s endangered blue iguanas.

For a special experience, ride horses bareback into the Caribbean Sea at Barker’s National Park on an exclusive Martha Stewart excursion curated just for MSC Cruises, followed by lunch at Vivo café, a spot beloved for its mostly vegan cuisine, with organic ingredients sourced straight from local farms.

To learn about Cayman’s past and culture, explore Cayman Heritage House and visit the sumptuous Government House, the governor’s residence built in 1964 located in front of Seven Mile Beach, one of the most prestigious beaches of Grand Cayman, in the heart of West Bay.

Shopaholics will also delight in this destination. The Cayman Islands are entirely duty free. You just have to choose what catches your fancy among the myriad of watches, liqueurs, jewellery and porcelain on offer.

Reggae, rum, beautiful beaches, spicy cuisine and lush, green countryside have long lured visitors to Jamaica and particularly the city of Falmouth, one of the Caribbean’s best-preserved Georgian towns located on the island’s northern coast.

On an MSC Caribbean and Antilles cruise to Falmouth, you’ll have the opportunity to observe how the oldest buildings in the city centre – the clock tower, the Victorian market, the courthouse and Vermont House, all dating from the late 18th and early 19th centuries – stand in contrast to the newly built port.

During colonial times, Falmouth was a flourishing port. Ships loaded with sugar and rum would sail to Britain and return bringing slaves from Africa. Today, Falmouth has become famous for the different varieties of rum produced in the distilleries scattered around the city.

To get a glimpse of plantation life, and taste some rum in the process, join an MSC excursion to the Good Hope Estate, with its impressive Great House and colonial village. Originally established in the mid-1700s to serve as a sugar plantation, the estate spans a total of 2,000 acres and is home to several buildings, most of which have been lovingly restored to their former glory.

Or combine nature and history on a relaxing guided bamboo rafting trip along the Martha Brae River, passing clusters of whispering bamboo and ferns along the 3-mile journey. During this MSC excursion, you’ll visit St. Peter’s Anglican Church, one of the oldest and largest in Jamaica, before reaching the charming village of Martha Brae. It was founded by a plantation owner in 1762 when he sectioned off part of his estate.

Beyond Falmouth, venture out on an MSC excursion to Ocho Rios and Dunn’s River Falls, where you’ll be guided up the 600-foot cascading falls in an unforgettable experience. Or take a chairlift up 700 feet of mountainside through the tropical forest canopy for an exhilarating bobsled run full of twists and turns down the mountain.

For the equestrians among you, ride bareback into the Caribbean Sea on an MSC excursion that takes you along the scenic Jamaican coastline before plunging into the water for a refreshing swim with your horse.

Proclaimed a pirate republic by the early 1700s, Nassau once sheltered more than 1,000 pirates, outnumbering the hundred inhabitants of the town.

While its pirate history runs deep, today Nassau, located on the island of New Providence, is the capital and commercial centre of the Bahamas and the archipelago’s largest city. AS you arrive on an MSC Caribbean and Antilles cruise, take in Nassau’s charming colonial-style buildings and pastel-coloured wooden shops that alternate with Georgian-style structures. Founded by the British in 1670, Nassau stretches from the harbour to Bay Street, the main drag through town that is replete with shops, souvenirs, restaurants and entertainment. At Straw Market, where typical Bahamian souvenirs are sold, be prepared to bargain – it’s a tradition that is almost a duty.

A popular tourist area is Cable Beach, a 4-mile stretch of beach and resorts on the north central coast of New Providence, 3 miles from Nassau. Paradise Beach, on Paradise Island, is one of the best beaches in the area.

For a nearly private beach experience, take an MSC excursion to Blue Lagoon Island, a private island with one of the most secluded beaches in the Bahamas, or opt for a VIP beach cabana experience at the offshore picture-perfect oasis of Balmoral Island.

Book an MSC excursion to Atlantis Resort on Paradise Island, where you can enjoy a diverse choice of attractions. These range from Aquaventure, an exhilarating 141-acre waterpark where you can ride swells of rapids and fly down 7-story slides, to the Dig, a faux archaeological site that recreates the ruins of ancient Atlantis, or Predator Lagoon, home to sharks, rays, barracudas and sawfish.

For something special, take a bush medicine gardens and tea tour, an exclusive Martha Stewart & MSC Cruises excursion, to learn about local traditions and botany. Then sip afternoon tea and dine on scones and dainty finger sandwiches at the lavish Graycliff Hotel, a landmark property that since 1740 has housed pirates, privateers and prisoners alike.

Don’t miss the magnificent views of Nassau, Paradise Island and a good portion of the Bahamas from the top of Queen’s Staircase at Fort Fincastle. Watch as water cascades alongside the his-torical staircase, comprising 65 steps hand-carved out of solid limestone rock by 600 slaves between 1793 and 1794.

Port Canaveral, a departure port of an MSC Caribbean and Antilles Cruise, is located just 45 miles east of Orlando and is known for its Space Coast.

On the Merritt Island peninsula you can discover the phenomenal Kennedy Space Center. Here the NASA’s space vehicles are developed, tested and blasted into orbit. Set up a bit like an Orlando theme park, the vast Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex will enthrall anyone with the slightest interest in space exploration, with everything from enormous rockets and the history of the moon landings, to IMAX movies and a space shuttle launch simulation on offer.

Many of the visitors who flock here are surprised to find that the land from which rockets are launched is also the home of sizeable Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge framed by several miles of rough coastline.