If you're looking for an unforgettable holiday in the sun from start to finish, voyages departing from Florida are a fantastic way to cruise. Florida is known as the sunshine state for good reason, and the ports of Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Jacksonville, Tampa and Port Canaveral are all popular starting ports for cruise lovers.
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Miami is known as the cruise capital of the world – from here you can set sail for Central and South America, and the electric-blue waters of the Caribbean.
If you've decided to book a cruise-and-stay holiday to extend your trip, then you’ll find plenty to do in Miami. The vibrant South Beach makes the perfect place to experience US beach culture and head off for a shopping trip. Later, how about a visit to the Florida Grand Opera, once the sun sets? Miami is a cultural melting pot, and one of the world’s best-known centres for Art Deco buildings. You could take a trip around the Art Deco district and the Wolfsonian Museum, or even just watch the city’s neon skyline come to life when night falls.
Orlando is the perfect destination for an unforgettable family holiday, combining tropical resorts, gardens and museums with huge attractions like Walt Disney World and Universal Studios. You'll find that it's easily accessible from both Port Canaveral and Tampa.
Port Canaveral's biggest tourism draw is nearby Cape Canaveral and the Kennedy Space Centre, but the area is also a great place to see some of Florida’s most endangered native wildlife. Tampa boasts both beaches and urban attractions too, and spectacular landmarks like the Sunshine Skyway Bridge and Busch Gardens amusement park.
There are plenty more fantastic places to see in Florida, with various attractions and landscapes to suit you and the kind of holiday you’re looking for. Fort Lauderdale is the yachting capital of the world, and offers its visitors more than twenty miles of beaches – along with some spectacular native wildlife to see on airboat tours of the Everglades.
Jacksonville is one of the state's largest cities, and it too offers a great choice of wildlife parks, zoos and gardens to explore – as well as museums, galleries and art centres.
Cruises from Florida call at a wide range of beautiful Caribbean destinations. St Kitts is a tropical paradise, offering its visitors magnificent beaches and secluded natural beauty – and must-see tourist sights like Brimstone Hill National Park. Travel to St Maarten on your cruise and you could experience a unique blend of colonial cultures, since the island features French and Dutch influences.
The iconic destination of Nassau in the Bahamas is also hugely popular on cruises from Florida, where you'll be spoiled for choice for beaches and reefs. Grand Cayman is a paradise for lovers of the life aquatic, where you can get up close with the underwater wildlife at Stingray City and Dolphin Cove. The popular port of Ocho Rios, meanwhile, boasts one of Jamaica's most memorable and most visited sites, Dunn's River Falls.
Florida is also your gateway to a number of key ports in Central America, especially destinations like Cozumel in Mexico – an absolute paradise location for keen divers. Belize is another hugely popular tropical destination, with some beautiful historic attractions in the heart of the city like St John’s Cathedral – the oldest Anglican church in Central America. Elsewhere you could tour the caves here, or just relax on the bright white beaches overlooking the turquoise sea.
Some cruises from Florida can even give you the chance to take the Panama Canal and journey up towards California, or down South America's western coast – for a full tour of the sights and experiences around the heart of both Americas.
Brazil's legendary capital Rio is an extremely popular port of call for cruises from Florida. You could relax on Ipanema Beach or take a trip up spectacular Sugarloaf Mountain and see Christ the Redeemer – or time your visit for the world-famous carnival, and see just how much this city loves to party.
Peru's capital Lima offers both ancient and modern treasures, from Incan archaeological finds and the Historic City Centre to the Magic Water Circuit and Parque Reserva. In Chile's colourful Valparaiso, don't miss the World Heritage Site Historic Quarter or the huge amount of vivid street art that adorns the homes and shops here – and even ride a 100-year-old hillside tram for a fantastic way to see the city.
Many ships sail the Caribbean in the winter months and move across the pond to the Mediterranean for the summer season. This means that in spring and autumn you have the opportunity to enjoy a transatlantic one-way cruise from Florida either to the UK or to a European port such as Barcelona. We will be happy to arrange a one-way flight to go with your cruise.
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