~ Visiting Haiti on board ss Colombia, you learn that the Haitian Revolution on the island of Hispaniola in 1791 led to the only successful slave revolt in Caribbean and American history. The name of the western part of the island was changed to Haiti ~ its old Taino name ~ and Haiti became the second nation in the Americas to gain Independence, after the U.S.A. ~

~ When ssc Island Dancer visits South Bimini, you go on an undersea adventure to look for the guardians of the fabled kingdom of Atlantis. You are looking for wild dolphins who sometimes swim and play with human visitors to their realm. ~

~ Before sailing from Miami to Isla Contoy and Isla Mujeres on board ssc Island Dancer you spend the day on South Beach, mingling with people at the Miami Beach Art Deco Weekend with its concerts, street fair and movies. ~

~ As ss Azure Sea sails toward Key Biscayne, you pass the photographers gallery, but today, instead of the usual photos, the walls are covered with wonderfully colored drawings and paintings, by various children and grown ups on board, of the highlights of your cruise to Bermuda’s Sandys Parish and St.George’s Parish. ~

~ When sv Tradewinds visits the island of Chimana Grande in Venezuela’s Mochima National Park the ship’s captain anchors in a large cove ringed by rocky cliffs. You take the ship’s dinghy to explore the small mangrove lagoon with its colourful marine life, then continue along the coastline to Playa El Saco with it’s palm-frond sun-shelters and open air restaurants. ~

~ ss Caribbean Star anchors off Ambergris Caye and you decompress on the beach, relaxing in your hammock with the muffled sounds of waves breaking on the reef offshore and the occasional screech of a seabird. Too bad you didn’t check to see where you slung your hammock ~ Beware of Falling Coconuts! ~ Lose Ambergris Caye …

~ Visiting Livingstone, Guatemala, on board Indigo Sails, you learn that every Maya child has a Nahual ~ an animal protective spirit ~ which helps the child communicate with Nature throughout his life. You also learn that the Guatemalan Maya have been vigorously protecting their culture from persecution since the days of Columbus up to the present day. ~

~ While mv Riviera is docked in Miami you are shown the Everglades by your Miccosukee Indian guide: When the airboat goes past Tear Island he reminds you that his tribe believe that they exist to protect the land and keep it healthy. The people of the tribe are brought up to live in harmony with Nature and to respect all living things, including the wildcats, raccoons, rattlesnakes, wild papaya trees, owls and purple gallinule birds who live in these grassy waters. ~

~ Your shore excursion to St.Lucia, when you visit onboard mv Riviera, is a performance of Derek Walcott’s masterpiece of poetic drama “Dream on Monkey Island”, at his open-air theatre on Pigeon Island, which is on the other side of the man-made causeway linking the two islands. ~

~ There are plenty of sites to see in Barbados for history buffs. While visiting the island onboard ss Caribbean Star find your way to National Heroes Square, (formerly known as Trafalgar Square), with its statue of Admiral Lord Nelson: Nearby St.Michael’s Cathedral has a Greek palindrome engraved on a font, translating to “Wash the Sin, Not Just the Skin”: Close by there is also the second oldest synagogue in the western hemisphere; originally built by Jews who fled Brazil, they were given permission to settle in Barbados due to the new “Freedom of Worship” policy declared by England’s Oliver Cromwell in the 1650s. ~