Fort Lauderdale is a coastal metropolis in southeast Florida’s panhandle, nestled between the blue exotic Everglades and turquoise waters of the Atlantic Ocean. The United States’ top cruise destination welcomes 11 cruise lines, 33 cruise ships and more than four million tourists annually. Fort Lauderdale is famed as the birthplace of “Spring Break’, which originated in the 1930s and has shaped the city as one of America’s party capitals.

The small private island Half Moon Cay has already been awarded several awards as the best private island in the Bahamas. You can explore the island, for example, on the back of a horse. Moreover, this small piece of land offers many other activities such as windsurfing and watersports, the water park or a walk along white sand beaches.

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What better way to see the Panama Canal than by cruising through it? Sail in the wake of history as your ship navigates the locks which have been in service more than 100 years and are still functioning flawlessly today. Plagued by difficulties during construction, the final lock system was so effective, it has remained virtually unchanged throughout the years. The entire Panama Canal crossing takes 8 to 10 hours.

Gatún Lake makes up a major component of the Panama Canal. Located near the Atlantic side of the canal, a series of lock separate it from the Caribbean Sea. The man-made lake was created during the construction of the canal by damming the Chagres River, and it plays an important role in restoring the water lost during boat transit from the canal.

Located on the Pacific side of the Panama Canal, Colon is home to a gleaming, modern, tourist-friendly port. Passengers will find plenty of opportunities to shop and eat near the cruise terminals, or to take a shore excursion to see some more scenic parts of Panama. Before the completion of the Panama Canal, the overland rail route played an important role in transporting goods between the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. Passengers today can still take a historic train ride on the Isthmian Railway from Colon to Panama City.

Puerto Limon is a bustling, industrial port city that serves as a gateway for many cruise ship passengers to Costa Rica’s natural wonders. The Veragua Rainforest is an easy day trip outside of the city, and visitors can explore it by foot on its hiking trails, by boat on a jungle canoe tour, or from above on a zipline canopy tour. Passengers preferring to stay close to port may prefer the waterfront park Parque Vargas, or learn about local history in the Museo Etnohistoric de Limon.