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EXPLORA I · Caribbean & Central America

14 nights, San Juan to San Juan

December 20, 2026 – January 4, 2027 · 14 nights · 12 stops · round-trip

Explora's name for it: An Extended Journey into Island Bliss & Lively Celebrations

Fourteen nights, round trip from San Juan, twelve stops, and only one true sea day, the night Explora runs fireworks. That pace tells you what this sailing is: a tour of small Caribbean islands strung close together, not a long-haul crossing. Explora ties up at the Old San Juan piers themselves, so the walled colonial grid starts a few steps from the gangway. From there the route works the Leewards and the Virgin Islands, then loops north for an unusual interruption: a full day in Miami, where the free Metromover loops the bay and skyline at no cost, before turning back through the Dominican Republic and the islands. The standouts are the small ones. St Barths keeps big ships out by design, so you tender into Gustavia and the harbor never crowds. Jost Van Dyke is four miles of beach bars and no traffic lights. From Road Town you can ferry thirty minutes to The Baths on Virgin Gorda, a better sight than anything on Tortola.

This itinerary rewards a traveler who wants beaches, tender calls, and short walkable towns over big monuments. Several days turn on a single choice: at Basseterre the railway and Brimstone Hill sit on opposite sides of St Kitts and each eats most of the day, so you commit to one. If you want dense history or a fast pace, look elsewhere. Tendering also means weather can shorten a stop, as it can in Gustavia when swell runs. And the Miami day is a mainland stop that sits oddly inside an island run, so know that contrast is part of the deal.

Explora I is all-suite and all-oceanfront throughout.

San Juan (open port guide)San JuanBasseterre (open port guide)Road Town (Tortola) (open port guide)Gustavia (open port guide)Road Bay (open port guide)Miami (open port guide)Puerto Plata (open port guide)Catalina Island (open port guide)Cruz Bay (Saint John) (open port guide)At Sea - FireworksJost Van Dyke (open port guide)Charlotte Amalie (Saint Thomas) (open port guide)Charlotte Amalie (Saint Thomas)

The itinerary, port by port

12 calls over 14 nights, round-trip from San Juan. Open any port for my full day-ashore guide, what to see, when to go, and how the day actually runs.

Getting there: Flights to San Juan (SJU) are already bookable for these dates. I watch the fare for booked clients so you book at the right moment. When to book your flights →

  1. Embark
    San Juan

    San Juan's old quarter is a walled Spanish colonial town on a headland, founded in the early 1500s, with two stone forts run by the U.S. Port guide →

  2. 2
    Basseterre

    Basseterre is the Georgian-era capital of St Kitts, a small twin-island Caribbean nation where the cruise pier puts you a five-minute walk from a colonial town center built around a circular junction… Port guide →

  3. 3
    Road Town (Tortola)

    Road Town is the capital of the British Virgin Islands, and your ship lands you at its doorstep on the south coast of Tortola. Port guide →

  4. 4
    Gustavia

    Gustavia is the harbor capital of St Barths, a small French island that has deliberately kept large cruise ships out, so only luxury lines anchor offshore and tender in. Port guide →

  5. 5
    Road Bay

    Road Bay is Anguilla's main harbor, sheltering the small fishing village of Sandy Ground on a wide curve of pale sand. Port guide →

  6. 6
    Miami

    Miami is the busiest cruise port in the United States, set on Dodge Island in Biscayne Bay a mile or two off downtown. Port guide →

  7. 7
    Puerto Plata

    Puerto Plata is the Dominican Republic's north-coast amber capital, a town of faded Victorian gingerbread houses sitting under the green wall of Mount Isabel de Torres. Port guide →

  8. 8
    Catalina Island

    Catalina is a low-key island an hour off the Southern California coast, where the small port town of Avalon ends at clear, kelp-forested water that draws snorkelers and glass-bottom boats. Port guide →

  9. 9
    Cruz Bay (Saint John)

    Saint John is the quietest of the U.S. Port guide →

  10. 10
    At Sea - Fireworks
  11. 11
    Jost Van Dyke

    Jost Van Dyke is a four-mile sliver of the British Virgin Islands with roughly 300 residents, no traffic lights, and a beach-bar culture that built the BVI's reputation. Port guide →

  12. Disembark
    Charlotte Amalie (Saint Thomas)

    Charlotte Amalie is the capital of the U.S. Port guide →

Fares on this departure, decoded

Reading the fare fine print is the job. Here's what this sailing currently carries:

Invitation to Discover More
Explora's discovery fare, available across most of the calendar. Onboard credit where the offer applies.
Founders Fare
A founding-era fare on a selected set of sailings. Onboard credit where the offer applies.
Air-Inclusive Fare
A fare that folds airfare into the voyage price on a smaller set of sailings.

The ship and your suite

This sailing is aboard EXPLORA I, all-suite, every suite with a private ocean-front terrace. Suites run from the entry Ocean Terrace to the Owner's Residence; the right tier depends on how you travel. Compare suites → · What's included →


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