14 Day Southern Caribbean Cruise From Baltimore

Baltimore, a bustling city built on old tradition and civic pride, is an American success story. Since the redevelopment of the Inner Harbor in the late 1970s, Baltimore has set the standard for urban renewal and is now a major travel destination welcoming nearly 13 million business and leisure visitors each year.

The crown jewel of Baltimore is the Inner Harbor, a scenic and popular waterfront area with dozens of retail stores, restaurants and attractions. This, combined with Baltimore’s easy accessibility, makes the city unique. What most people don’t realize is that most sites and neighborhoods are within walking distance of each other, and this makes Charm City an ideal place for business as well as pleasure.

The fun and festive atmosphere of the harbor is enhanced by street entertainers, open-air concerts, fireworks, parades, paddle boats, cruise boats and an outdoor ice skating rink.

But there’s more to Baltimore than seen at first glance. Charming historic neighborhoods surround the Inner Harbor, each offering their own character, history and cuisine. Little Italy is a pasta lover’s paradise with outdoor movies on summer weekends, festivals of San Gabriel and St. Anthony, and two bocce ball courts. Fells Point is the oldest section of Baltimore and still has the feel of an old English neighborhood with cobblestone streets, unique shops and plentiful pubs and restaurants.

Come to Baltimore and experience her people and all she has to offer. You will leave satisfied and longing for the day that you can again visit this wonderful city.

Curacao, 35 miles north of the Venezuela coast in the southern Caribbean in the Netherlands Antilles, is 4 1/2 hours by jet from New York City and 2 1/2 hours from Miami.

The island is approximately 38 miles long and 2 to 7 miles wide.

Average daily temperatures hover near 80 degrees with your round tradewinds and only 22 inches of rain each year. The island is outside the hurrican belt. There are about 160,000 residents with as many as 55 different backrounds from all over the world living on Curacao and the island enjoys a well-earned reputation for religious and racial tolerance. Most people speak English, Dutch, Spanish and the native language, Papiamento.

Curacao’s history is as rich and varied as its people. Spaniards first came here in 1499 when Amerigo Vespucci, on his way to South America, left a few of his sailors, afflicted with scurvy, on the island to die. When he returned less than a year later, expecting to find them dead, he was astonished to see them alive and well, having been completely cured and because of this named the island Curacao based on the Portugese word for “the cure”.

Spaniards settled here in the early 1500’s, followed by the Dutch in 1634 who captured the island and founded a settlement with Peter Stuyvesant becoming governor in 1642. The Dutch established it as an important world port and filled its city streets and country landscapes with seventeenth-, eighteenth- and nineteenth- century colonial architecture, much of which remains standing today.

One of the Turks and Caicos Islands located between the Bahamas and the Dominican Republic.

The island’s pink beaches and green mountain peaks provide a breath-taking view. If you’re like most people, you’ll be quite taken with the picturesque fishing villages and quaint downtown area, not to mention the historical sites dating from the original 17th century British settlement.

South Friars Bay is one of the most popular beaches in St. Kitts. Its turquoise waters are relatively calm, making it a great choice for swimming and snorkeling, and it is home to a variety of beach bars and eateries as well. Nearby, South Friars’ salt pond and mangrove swamp serve as the habitat for vervet monkeys, several crab species, and a diverse bird population.

Thirty seven sandy beaches, sparkling Caribbean seas, soothing trade winds, fine dining and incredible duty free shopping combine to make St.Martin/St.Maarten a true vacationers paradise.

Destination St. Martin is proud to represent a number of smaller hotels on the French side of the island; generally not the type of places found in the glossy tourist brochures but rather more intimate yet immaculate properties which allow the visitor to experience true island life. Accommodations are available on the beach in the beautiful French village of Grand Case, in Nettle Bay near the town of Marigot and at popular Orient Beach.

The smallest island in the world ever to have been partitioned between two different nations, St. Martin/St. Maarten has been shared by the French and the Dutch in a spirit of neighborly cooperation and mutual friendship for almost 350 years.

The border is almost imperceptible and people cross back and forth without ever realizing they are entering a new country. The only marker is a monument between Union Road and Bellevue, testifying to centuries of peaceful cohabitation and the treaty that made the arrangement possible.

All the same, each side has managed to retain much of the distinctiveness of its own national culture. The French tend to emphasize comfort and elegance. The beaches are secluded, the luxury resorts provide lavish accommodations, and the restaurants offer some of the finest dining experiences anywhere in the Caribbean. The latest French fashions can be found in many of the shops, and the smell of fresh croissants and pastries mixes everywhere with the spicy aromas of West Indian cooking. Small caf’e9s and charming bistros add a decidedly Gaelic and cosmopolitan flair to the place. On the whole the atmosphere remains very relaxed.

Columbus called them Virgins. What he saw in the troika of St. Thomas, St. Croix and St. John that gave him this impression is not known for sure, but a visitor to any of the three would probably guess it was their natural, unspoiled beauty that inspired him.

But looks aren’t everything–there’s history too. In the 17th century, ownership of St. Thomas was hotly contested by many of the major European powers. Later, swashbucklers like Blackbeard and Drake made the island a base for their operations. And in 1917, St. Thomas and the other Virgins were acquired by the U.S. from Denmark.

Today, St. Thomas has many draws that make it one of the Caribbean’s most popular vacation spots–not the least of which is the fabulous duty free shopping. Some would contend that with sufficient purchases, one may actually cover the cost of the trip in savings alone. There’s only one way to find out–you gotta be there.