Transatlantic Voyage to the Islands of Caribbean - M233031 Braemar departing 3 Dec 2023

Southampton offers fast and efficient check-in areas, spacious departure lounges with seating areas, café-bars and smart washrooms. If you wish to travel by car and park for the duration of your cruise, you can pay for and reserve parking in advance directly with the relevant company. Alternatively, if being dropped off or collected by taxi or private car, they can drive right up alongside the terminal building.

Since their discovery in the early 15th century, the Portuguese Azores have played an important part in oceanic navigation. They were a logistical point for the discovery of new worlds; a port of call for ships engaged in trade between Europe, America and India; and a place to lay anchor for the galleons bringing the wealth of the Americas back to the old world.

Adjust to the easygoing pace of St Kitts’ dignified little capital, then check out its imposing cathedral before lingering over the purchase of attractive batiks. Ascending past the lush sugar-cane fields to take in the sweeping views from the 17th century Brimstone Hill Fortress – the ‘Gibraltar of the West Indies’ whose ramparts recall Anglo-French battles fought here long ago.

Basse-Terre is a commune in the Guadeloupe department of France in the Lesser Antilles. It is also the prefecture of Guadeloupe. The city of Basse-Terre is located on Basse-Terre Island,

Discovered by Columbus on a Sunday (hence its name), Dominica was once inhabited by fierce Carib Indians and is still home to 3,000 of their descendants. Arriving at Roseau you’ll definitely find the welcome friendlier today! And to travel from the capital into the island’s exotic tropical interior – which soars to 4,700 feet – is to discover a wonderful environment of dense (and now protected) rainforest, deep lakes, glittering waterfalls and fast-flowing rivers quite unlike any of its neighbours.

What St Lucia’s little capital may lack in sophistication it more than compensates for in its colourful Creole mood. Wander amid the lively street market before exploring this most scenic of the Caribbean islands, whose green mountains are draped in lush vegetation, and whose landmarks include the twin peaks of the Pitons rising sheer from the sea, and the steaming sulphur springs of the ‘drive-in’ La Soufriere volcano.

At the head of the idyllic island chain of the 30-or-so Grenadines, scenic St Vincent packs into its 18 x 12 miles an extravagant canvas of lush tropical valleys and mountains, home of hummingbird and hibiscus, breadfruit and bamboo, limes and mahogany. In the little capital of Kingstown, the animated markets, dramatic coastal views from historic Fort Charlotte, and luxuriant Botanical Gardens (oldest in the Americas) will detain you – while beyond await Soufriere’s towering volcano and the lovely 60 ft waterfall of Baleine.

An island that blends the exotic mood of the Caribbean with a hint of home (it was British for over 350 years). Here rum punch and calypso meet afternoon tea and cricket in perfect harmony, and Bridgetown’s Trafalgar Square is older than our own. With over 30 miles of beaches, 3, 000 hours of sunshine a year, welcoming ‘Bajan’ smiles, excellent shopping in the port and flying fish for lunch, Barbados is for many British visitors the quintessential Caribbean island!

An island that blends the exotic mood of the Caribbean with a hint of home (it was British for over 350 years). Here rum punch and calypso meet afternoon tea and cricket in perfect harmony, and Bridgetown’s Trafalgar Square is older than our own. With over 30 miles of beaches, 3, 000 hours of sunshine a year, welcoming ‘Bajan’ smiles, excellent shopping in the port and flying fish for lunch, Barbados is for many British visitors the quintessential Caribbean island!

Grenada is the ‘Spice Island’ of cinnamon, nutmeg, mace and vanilla plantations, and dense with lush rainforests, and was the setting for the film Island in the Sun. St George’s must surely be the Caribbean’s prettiest capital, almost Mediterranean-looking with its picturesque buildings (some dating from the 18th century), steep cobbled streets and stepped alleys rising as if part of a terraced amphitheatre set amid the wooded hillslopes that surround the harbour. Lovely Grand Anse beach – within easy reach – is not to be missed.

Martinique’s lively, unmistakably French capital is, like the island itself, a flamboyant fusion of Gallic sophistication and Creole exuberance. It was, after all, the birthplace of the Empress Josephine! Its many bistros, restaurants and boutiques will provide temptations in plenty, while to visit St. Pierre, engulfed a century ago by volcanic Mont Pelée, is to recall an epic moment of island history.

Whatever rugged Antigua may lack in tropical scenery the island more than makes up for with what are some of the best watersports conditions found anywhere in the Carribbean, and 365 beaches (‘one for each day of the year’ say the Antiguans) to enjoys! For many, too, the great bay of stunning English Harbour and historic Nelson’s Dockyard (Britain’s West Indies naval base now restored to its 18th century prime) will prove a magnet.

The world’s smallest island shared between two nations – its 16 miles square (and more developed) southern part is Dutch and the northern, French – hilly St Maarten in the Windwards is a dual personality setting of absorbing contrasts. Philipsburg, built on a sand bar, is the old capital and still preserves some attractive colonial architecture, though the island’s enticing beaches, excellent restaurants, and shops stocked with duty-free bargains will probably detain you longer!

Grand Turk Island is the capital island of the Turks and Caicos archipelago, and a sun-drenched paradise. With pristine beaches and clear, turquoise sea, Grand Turk is a haven for diving, snorkelling, fishing, kayaking, boat cruises or simply relaxing in the sun. The island is dotted with the remains of salt ponds and windmills from the island’s sea salt industry, active from the 17th to 20th century.

Cockburn Town, the historic centre of the island, is a sleepy place that is still home to wild horses and donkeys. Along the waterfront, the town has buildings that are two centuries old, with bleached wood and limestone facades and gardens filled with fragrant bougainvillea.

The 19th century Grand Turk Lighthouse can be found on a rocky bluff to the north, while the Turks & Caicos National Museum, housed in Guinep House, was built with timbers salvaged from ships wrecked on the coral reefs. It displays the remains of a Spanish sailing ship that sank offshore in the early 16th century. Excavated in the 1980s, the exhibits include sailing artefacts.

Grand Turk is also home to some breath-taking natural wonders, and the Columbus Landfall National Park – which stretches along the western side of the island – offers some of the island’s finest beaches, largest corals and diverse fauna and flora.

During your visit you can sightseeing elegant buildings of Parliament Square, shop on the immaculate waterfront Bay Street for duty-free bargains (don’t miss the world’s largest Straw Market located here), test superb coral-sand beaches – and end the day on glamorous Paradise Island, with its glittering casino and nightlife.

Havana, the capital city, major port, and leading commercial centre of Cuba, is famed for its colonial history and vibrant culture.The city is home to exquisite Spanish colonial architecture, classic American cars, irresistible rhythms of mambo and a confusing jigsaw of grand avenues and cobbled streets.

A stroll around Habana Vieja, Old Havana, quickly reveals the audacious Latin atmosphere within the imposing coastal fortifications and intimate, traffic-free squares. At its centre, the buildings reflect the city’s vivacious architectural mix: the Castillo de la Real Fuerza, the iconic National Capitol Building, the Baroque Catedral de San Cristóbal, and the Plaza Vieja are all worth the effort to uncover.

The art culture is one of the city’s biggest revelations, and Cuban creativity is accessible through the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes, the Fusterlandia public art project and the Fábrica de Arte Cubano, which champions the movement of Havana’s more contemporary art scene. Show lessThe city is awash with experimentation, exemplified by the explosion of uber cool cafes and Bohemian bars.Columbus believed this was the most beautiful land he’d ever seen, and it’s hard not to agree given Cuba’s 2,000 miles of tropical coastline, lush mountains and some 300 beaches that melt into azure seas.

Havana, the capital city, major port, and leading commercial centre of Cuba, is famed for its colonial history and vibrant culture.The city is home to exquisite Spanish colonial architecture, classic American cars, irresistible rhythms of mambo and a confusing jigsaw of grand avenues and cobbled streets.

A stroll around Habana Vieja, Old Havana, quickly reveals the audacious Latin atmosphere within the imposing coastal fortifications and intimate, traffic-free squares. At its centre, the buildings reflect the city’s vivacious architectural mix: the Castillo de la Real Fuerza, the iconic National Capitol Building, the Baroque Catedral de San Cristóbal, and the Plaza Vieja are all worth the effort to uncover.

The art culture is one of the city’s biggest revelations, and Cuban creativity is accessible through the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes, the Fusterlandia public art project and the Fábrica de Arte Cubano, which champions the movement of Havana’s more contemporary art scene. Show lessThe city is awash with experimentation, exemplified by the explosion of uber cool cafes and Bohemian bars.Columbus believed this was the most beautiful land he’d ever seen, and it’s hard not to agree given Cuba’s 2,000 miles of tropical coastline, lush mountains and some 300 beaches that melt into azure seas.

Havana, the capital city, major port, and leading commercial centre of Cuba, is famed for its colonial history and vibrant culture.The city is home to exquisite Spanish colonial architecture, classic American cars, irresistible rhythms of mambo and a confusing jigsaw of grand avenues and cobbled streets.

A stroll around Habana Vieja, Old Havana, quickly reveals the audacious Latin atmosphere within the imposing coastal fortifications and intimate, traffic-free squares. At its centre, the buildings reflect the city’s vivacious architectural mix: the Castillo de la Real Fuerza, the iconic National Capitol Building, the Baroque Catedral de San Cristóbal, and the Plaza Vieja are all worth the effort to uncover.

The art culture is one of the city’s biggest revelations, and Cuban creativity is accessible through the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes, the Fusterlandia public art project and the Fábrica de Arte Cubano, which champions the movement of Havana’s more contemporary art scene. Show lessThe city is awash with experimentation, exemplified by the explosion of uber cool cafes and Bohemian bars.Columbus believed this was the most beautiful land he’d ever seen, and it’s hard not to agree given Cuba’s 2,000 miles of tropical coastline, lush mountains and some 300 beaches that melt into azure seas.