Fort Lauderdale Manaus/Amazon

Originally a fort built by the U.S. Army in 1838, during the Second Seminole War, Ft. Lauderdale has little left of its warlike past. Instead the city welcomes visitors with broad beaches and an easy pace of life, plus convenient air and water connections that make the city a perfect place to begin or end a cruise.

Island of celebrity hideaways and posh bungalows, considered by many to be the most elite and glamorous of all the Caribbean isles, St. Barts is home to 22 incredible beaches. Anse de Flamanes presents camera-ready scenery, Baie de St-Jean serves up beachside bistros, and Anse de Grand Cul-de-Sac offers an array of watersports.

Volcanic in origin, this overseas region of France is a tropical paradise of stunning beaches and rain-forested mountains. Known as the “isle of flowers” to the indigenous Arawak, it is today renowned for its culinary offerings and remains ever-enchanting with colonial architecture and glorious gardens. Adding to its mystic allure is the still-smoldering Mount Pelée that erupted in 1902, wiping out the capital of St. Pierre (today in Fort-de-France), often called the Pompeii of the Caribbean.

Nearly 2.5 million rare Red-legged Kittiwakes spend summer amid the soaring cliffs of St. George Island, one of the largest colonies in the northern hemisphere. But it was the fur seal that put the Pribilofs on the map. Searching for a new source of furs, Gavrill Pribilof discovered St. George in 1786. Thankfully in 1984, the US ended all seal hunting here except for subsistence use.

Just off the coast of Venezuela sit the Caribbean isles of Trinidad and Tobago, birthplace of steel pan and calypso music, chutney and limbo. On Trinidad, see the Emperor Valley Zoo, Botanical Gardens, Asa Wright Nature Center and impressive colonial houses, known as the Magnificent Seven. Off the coast of Tobago lies Buccoo Reef, a natural wonder viewable by glass-bottom boat.

First settled by Jesuits in 1661, Santarem quickly became a focus of American interest during the rubber boom of the early twentieth century. Today, Santarem remains one of Brazil’s most important trading centers, and is imbued with the energy of a growing city. Be sure to view the “Wedding of the Waters,— the unique merging of the Tapajos clear water with the Amazon’s muddy water.

The “mouth of the Valeria River, the colorful Caboclo village contains a few wooden houses and an abundance of local wildlife, including monkeys, birds and several varieties of flora. As Crystal remains anchored off-shore, canoes bearing the local inhabitants will glide through the river’s waters, providing a fascinating display of the colorful culture of the Amazon region.

The capital of the State of Amazonas, the belle époque splendor of Manaus is still evident in the graceful mansions and the Teatro Amazonas opera house. This city, resting on the Rio Negro, was created by the rubber boom of the mid-19th-century, when steam navigation opened up the Amazon to entrepreneurs and the social elite. Today, stroll down the Parisian-styled boulevards and Italian piazzas, or watch the fisherman at Municipal Market unload their catch of the day on the river’s edge.