14 Night Cruise sailing from Bridgetown roundtrip aboard Azura.

Cruise Overview:
In Barbados you'll join Azura to begin your tour of the Caribbean. Your first destination is cosmopolitan Curacao. Home to over 50 nationalities, this island combines the very best of its many cultures. Its capital, Willemstad, boasts Dutch and Spanish Colonial architecture spanning three centuries.

Next you will visit Aruba with its talcum soft beaches, world class shopping and glitzy casinos. This will be followed by St Vincent, Grenada and Barbados with its distinctly British feel and rugged coast that will remind you of Cornwall on a summer's day.

St Maarten will follow. This island is half French and Half Dutch and has a capital for each half with strong French influences being found in Marigot and Dutch influences in Philipsburg. You'll then visit Tortola, Guadeloupe and St Lucia before returning to Barbados.

About Barbados
Watching the Atlantic surf crash down on the rugged east coast of this richly diverse island and, for a moment, you may feel you could be on the Cornish coast but the moment you hear the waves of gospel singing emanating from a tiny local church you realise you could not be anywhere else but Barbados.
While, over on the sheltered west coast, the glorious beaches are pure Caribbean. And there are more beaches and a lot more bars, cafes, restaurants and clubs creating a vibrant 24/7 lifestyle on the south coast, too.
In the capital and cruise port, Bridgetown, there are intriguing signs of its British colonial past while, across the island, you are really spoilt for choice. You can enjoy every watersport under the sun; stunning nature walks and bike rides; or maybe a trip to the uniquely magnificent Harrisons Cave underground complex of caverns, waterfalls, stalactites and stalagmites.

About Aruba
Talcum-soft beaches, world class shopping, glitzy casinos, stunning sea views and tracts of desert landscape scattered with giant boulders and exotic cacti are all yours to enjoy when you visit popular Aruba, jewel of the 'deep' Caribbean.
And you will find most of these attractions without straying far from the capital and cruise port, Oranjestad, a waterfront city endowed with a cosmopolitan population - of Portuguese, Spanish, Venezuelan, Indian, Pakistani and African as well as Dutch origin.
This cultural mix makes Oranjestad heaven for adventurous foodies and a great place to `shop the world' as you can pick up Delft china, Dutch cheese, Danish silverware and Madeiran embroidery at low prices.
For local colour, visit Schooner Harbour, which is crammed with brightly painted boats and craft stalls, and Willemstad, famed for its 16th century Dutch houses.
And water babies will love Eagle Beach, Palm Beach and Baby Beach, all a short distance from the port.

About St. Vincent
Although he never landed on the island, Columbus sailed past in 1498 on 22nd January, which happens to be St Vincents Day in the Spanish calender, and so gave the island its name.
The Carib Indians were initially left to their own devices by the Europeans and external contacts were limited, however they did intermarry with the survivors of a slave ship that was wrecked on the coast. There's a strong British influence here as the islands official British roots go back to the mid 18th century.
Notable sights include La Soufriere a 4,000 ft volcano that last erupted at the end of the 1970's. In Kingstown the botanical gardens are well worth a visit, there's even a descendent of the original breadfruit tree planted by Captain Bligh.

About St. Maarten
Half French and half Dutch, St. Martin/Sint Maarten is one of the Caribbean's most diverse and interesting islands.
Ships dock at the Dutch capital Philipsburg, a delightful warren of narrow streets called steegjies, where you will find interesting shops and leafy courtyard cafes. Start your exploration at Wathey Square, which is home to a fine collection of traditional West Indian 'gingerbread' houses as well as a colourful market.
If you would prefer to enjoy a little French 'je ne sais quoi', take an island tour to the pretty French capital Marigot, worth visiting for its colourful markets, lovely cafe-lined waterfront and the chic boutiques of Marina Port La Royale, where you can pick up unusual jewellery and leather goods. Or spend your day on a catamaran trip from Philipsburg for fabulous deep-sea snorkelling with lunch.

About Tortola
If you want to experience the 'undiscovered' Caribbean, cruise to the unspoiled British Virgin island of Tortola. Rising to 1,709 feet at its highest point and famed for its rugged volcanic landscape, Tortola has proved difficult to develop as a major tourist haunt, and so has preserved its charm.
Its quaint capital, Road Town, is charming and compact. Just five minutes walk from the tender drop-off at Wickhams Quay you will find Main Street, home to a colourful crafts market and a range of small speciality shops selling Tortolan ceramics, Mexican glassware and unusual carvings sculpted from sea flotsam.
You will also find some of the loveliest and least crowded beaches in the Caribbean. At Cane Garden Bay you can tuck into a barbecued freshly caught fish; snorkellers will find the most eye-boggling marine life at Lower Belmont Bay, while those who prefer to stay dry can stroll through spectacular virgin rainforest at Mount Sage National Park.

About St. Lucia
St Lucia has a fascinating if bloody history with the French and British spending years fighting over it. One look at this luscious island will show you why.
Cloaked in verdant rainforests, its skyline dominated by the dramatic twin peaks of Les Pitons and its gardens a riot of hibiscus and bougainvillea; St. Lucia is the epitome of a Caribbean paradise.
Here you can watch parrots and hummingbirds skim through the trees, bask on beautiful beaches, visit charming fishing villages, view stunning volcanic scenery and glory in the Caribbean's best botanical gardens.
If it is your first visit, an island tour to the dramatic Soufriere volcano will show you the island's full beauty. Boat trips to spot dolphin and whales are also available, as are biking, jeep and hiking tours of the rainforest. But do leave time to explore the shops of Castries, where you can pick up bread, wine and even ketchup made from bananas.