On the island of Hispaniola, Columbus founded the first Spanish colony in America. Santo Domingo, the present capital of the Dominican Republic, is the oldest European-founded city in the New World. "Old" in the New World still means relatively young - it corresponds to Renaissance visions of the ideal and was the model for many cities in Latin America. A visit to the historic old city is like a journey through time: the splendid stone buildings are remnants of the era of colonial conquests and have been protected as UNESCO-designated World Heritage Sites. After breakfast, disembark the ship to explore the city before heading home or continuing on your independent journeys. 

La Romana is on the southern coast of the Dominican Republic. It is 80 miles east of Santo Domingo and 48 miles west of Punta Cana. Its location within a 50-minute drive of Punta Cana offers some opportunities for shore excursions to attractions in that famous resort destination including dolphin encounters. The flowstone cave Cueva de las Maravillas (Cave of wonders)  a national park located approximately 7 miles west of La Romana. It was previously known as the Cueva Jaguar until 1949, and it is well known for its ancient paintings by the Taíno Indians.

Today, relax aboard your ship as you cruise to your next destination. Just enjoy sunshine and sea with fitness, cosmetics, a massage or a good book in a teak chair.

Port Antonio was once the world's banana capital, but has since been discovered and rebranded as a relaxing destination, with vacation properties found near the clear deep waters of the Blue Lagoon. The pretty little town, surrounded by sugar cane fields and banana plantations, impresses with its delightful beaches. The Rio Grande is the island's largest river and channels its course over 60 kilometers in green solitude through the jungle and into the sea. Historically, bananas and other fruit were carefully transported on bamboo rafts along the waterway to the port. Today the rafts have been equipped with bench seats and are used for excursions.

The El Morro fortress - once almost completely destroyed by the pirate Henry Morgan - towers high above the bay of Santiago de Cuba. This city is an architectural gem, and proud not only of its reputation as the birthplace of the revolution, but also of its musicality. If you go for a walk, sooner or later you will find yourself in an authentic Salsa bar. The whole city has music in its blood, and nowhere else do people make so much music or dance so much. The rhythms of the Salsa, Son and Rumba are just as thrilling in clubs, bars and schools as they are in the famous Buena Vista Social Club.

Today, relax aboard your ship as you cruise to your next destination. Just enjoy sunshine and sea with fitness, cosmetics, a massage or with a good book in a teak chair.

Lots of colonial flairs, the UNESCO World Heritage city of Trinidad, and the Valley of the Sugar Mills or Guided walk through Cienfuegos.* In the evening Cuban legends to the beat of Salsa and Son.

Cienfuegos, whose name literally translates as "Hundred fires," is also known as the Pearl of the South. The city owes its grand, romantic architecture to the French colonists who first settled there. The beautiful old town of Trinidad de Cuba is a true gem, with lovingly restored colonial facades, sleepy lanes and a turquoise sea. This friendly town, with its important past as the center of sugar cane cultivation, has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site for many years, along with the cultivated landscape of the Valle de Los Ingenios, or "Valley of the Sugarmills."

Breakfast. Discover colonial Cuba: Guided walk through Old Havana with lunch at Palacio Felix Varela or similar. Afterward, return to the hotel by Coco Taxi. Evening ride in nostalgic vintage cars and private dinner in an exclusive location

Arrive in Havana and explore the city before boarding your ship. Overnight at Gran Manzana Kempinski Hotel.