2025 Ports of Call

Ft. Lauderdale, FL

Fort Lauderdale has a little bit of everything: smooth, white sandy beaches, endless shopping on Las Olas Boulevard, and the Atlantic Ocean welcoming you to swim almost year-round. Once a spring break town, Fort Lauderdale is now known as the “Venice of America” for its intricate system of canals and lush tropical landscape. Head to Hugh Taylor Birch State Park for trails and biking blanketed by mangroves. Travel down the Florida Everglades on an airboat tour, complete with alligator and flamingo sightings. Or beat the heat with a trip to the Museum of Science and Discovery in downtown Fort Lauderdale, where kids and adults alike will learn something new. 

Aside from being a city full of fun experiences, Fort Lauderdale is also home to one of the biggest cruise ports in the world: Port Everglades. On cruises from Fort Lauderdale, you can sail to the idyllic beaches of the Bahamas and more stunning tropical locations scattered throughout the Caribbean.

---

Cozumel, Mexico 

Cozumel, an island in the Caribbean off the eastern coast of Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula, draws scuba divers, snorkelers and seekers of sand and sun who are attracted by the reliably sunny and tropical climate. The island and its environs also offer all other manner of on- and around-the-water attractions, many of which are quite unique, such as underwater sculpture gardens, a submarine excursion to see a shipwreck and a sailboat-racing experience that's second only to the America's Cup. For visitors who are intrigued by Mexico's Maya culture, there are several archaeological sites in and around Cozumel, including the UNESCO-inscribed Chichén Itzá and, on Cozumel itself, San Gervasio, once a site where women made offerings to the goddess of fertility and childbirth. When you're done sightseeing, there's shopping for traditional Mexican crafts, jewelry and leather goods, including custom-made sandals, and excellent food (the seafood, of course, is stellar).     

---

Costa Maya, Mexico

Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula is, in some ways, a world apart from the rest of Mexico, thanks in part to its geography. That's never deterred visitors from coming here, however; Costa Maya, like the larger resort towns on the Yucatán, attracts scores of visitors each year. Eager to enjoy the sun and fun, they are also keen to explore the region's cultural attractions, including dozens of Maya sites, some of which were only recently rediscovered, excavated and opened to the public. In addition to seeing the pyramids, temples and ceremonial centers of Maya sites like Chacchoben and Kohunlich, modern-day visitors to Costa Maya can experience the Western Hemisphere's longest reef and cenotes, the sinkhole-formed pools that dot the region. Freshly caught fish and seafood dominate the menus here, as is to be expected, and restaurants are mostly casual in ambiance, with friendly, welcoming service. Shoppers will likely be drawn to Costa Maya's many jewelry shops, where you can buy rare gems set into stunning souvenirs or more affordable pieces that are believed to have healing properties. 

---