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EXPLORA III · Caribbean & Central America

7 nights, Miami to San Juan

December 20, 2026 – December 28, 2026 · 7 nights · 7 stops

Explora's name for it: A Journey of Tropical Festivities & Dazzling Island Beauty

Seven nights, seven stops, Miami to San Juan, with no repeated calls and no sea days to pad the week. That makes for a full, port-dense run, so the appeal is variety more than down time. Ocho Rios berths you alongside, with the town center about a 15-minute walk and Dunn's River a taxi away; go early and book the first climb slot before several ships funnel onto the same staircase of rock. Jost Van Dyke is the opposite register: a four-mile sliver with roughly 300 residents, no traffic lights, and White Bay's beach bars about a 25 to 30 minute walk or a short water-taxi hop from the tender dock. San Juan closes it well, since Explora ties up at the Old San Juan piers themselves, so the cathedral and plazas sit a 5 to 15 minute walk from the gangway and the two stone forts a bit further uphill.

This route rewards people who like a new island each day and want to walk into most of them. It is less suited to anyone after slow sea days or a single deep stay, because the pace is constant and a few calls, like Jost Van Dyke, are essentially one relaxed afternoon in the water rather than a sightseeing day. If you want to do nothing, this is not your week.

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

Miami (open port guide)MiamiOcho Rios (open port guide)Catalina Island (open port guide)Jost Van Dyke (open port guide)Philipsburg (open port guide)Charlotte Amalie (Saint Thomas) (open port guide)San Juan (open port guide)San Juan

The itinerary, port by port

7 calls over 7 nights, Miami to 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 Miami (MIA) 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
    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 →

  2. 2
    Ocho Rios

    Ocho Rios is Jamaica's north-coast adventure hub, built around one famous waterfall you climb in a human chain and a cluster of rivers, gardens, and beaches within a few minutes' drive. Port guide →

  3. 3
    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 →

  4. 4
    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 →

  5. 5
    Philipsburg

    Philipsburg is the Dutch-side capital of Sint Maarten, a narrow strip of town wedged between Great Bay and a salt pond. Port guide →

  6. 6
    Charlotte Amalie (Saint Thomas)

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

  7. Disembark
    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 →

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.
Spontaneous Summer Invitation
A near-term fare on a small set of summer-season 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 III, 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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