Aruba, Curaçao, Bonaire and St. Lucia, a different island every morning.
The Southern Caribbean is the deep end: Aruba, Curaçao and Bonaire (the ABC islands, south of the hurricane belt), Barbados, St. Lucia, Antigua, Grenada, Martinique and Dominica. Sail it in 7 nights from San Juan with a port nearly every day, or 8 to 11 nights from Fort Lauderdale and Miami with sea days to settle in, on Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, Princess, Holland America, Virgin, Norwegian, Carnival and Windstar. SmartCruiser shows every Southern Caribbean sailing with taxes and fees included and puts the ones with SmartCruiser bonus onboard credit at the top.
Three ways to go south
Pick one and the list below filters to it. The islands are the draw; the question is how many sea days you want.
From San Juan
- 7 nights, five or six islands: St. Thomas, St. Maarten, Antigua, St. Lucia, Barbados, Aruba or Curaçao
- Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, Carnival, Norwegian, Virgin, Windstar and Seabourn
- Fly in two days early for Old San Juan; no passport needed for US citizens on a round trip
Best for: island collectors, repeat cruisers, a week with no wasted days
8 to 11 nights from Florida
- Fort Lauderdale and Miami on Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, Princess and Holland America; two sea days down, two back
- Aruba, Curaçao and Bonaire, often with Grand Turk or St. Kitts on the way
- The ABC week most people mean when they say Southern Caribbean
Best for: people who like sea days, winter escapes, the ABC islands
Aruba, Curaçao & Bonaire
- Dutch Caribbean: Willemstad’s painted waterfront, Eagle Beach, the best shore snorkeling in the region at Bonaire
- Dry, breezy, outside the hurricane belt, so September sailings are a safe bet
- Search the itineraries that name Aruba and you get them all
Best for: snorkelers and divers, hurricane-season travelers, beach people
Southern Caribbean deals: SmartCruiser picks first
Every Southern Caribbean sailing from every line, priced live with taxes, fees and port expenses included. The picks at the top are sailings where booking with SmartCruiser gets you something extra: instant savings, bonus onboard credit, a Special SmartCruiser rate, or a senior, resident or police & fire fare that beats the public price. Below them, every other sailing with full sorting.
SmartCruiser picks
Sorted by what you save, biggest firstEvery Southern Caribbean sailing
Stack any filters, then pick a sortPrices are per person, double occupancy, in US dollars, and include cruise fare, taxes, fees and port expenses as published by the cruise line at the moment you load this page. Fares are capacity controlled and change daily; the fare is confirmed when you book. Flights, hotels and transfers are extra unless the line’s offer says otherwise. SmartCruiser instant savings and bonus onboard credit are provided by SmartCruiser on top of the cruise line’s price and are not available when booking direct; amounts are per stateroom, vary by stateroom category and are shown for the lowest category offered. Special SmartCruiser rates are pricing SmartCruiser holds on that sailing for its clients, with extra onboard credit; you book your own stateroom and travel on your own. Senior fares apply to guests 55 and over; resident fares need proof of residency in a listed state or province at check-in; police and fire fares apply to active or retired police, fire and EMT personnel with ID. Qualifier-fare savings are measured against the best fare the cruise line offers the general public for the same stateroom category on the day the list was pulled, updated weekly.
Where you start
San Juan puts you in the islands on day one; Florida and New York give you sea days. Pick a port and the list above filters to it.
Which line for the Southern Caribbean?
Port-heavy weeks and small harbors reward the right ship. Our one-line take, with a link to each deals page.
When to go
The ABC islands sit outside the hurricane belt and get 300 days of sun, so this is the Caribbean that works in September too.
Southern Caribbean cruise questions we answer every day
Do I need a passport?
Bring one. On a round trip from San Juan or Florida, US citizens can technically sail with a birth certificate and photo ID, but the Southern Caribbean visits five or six foreign countries, and if you miss the ship in Barbados or need to fly home from Aruba you need a passport. Everyone else needs one regardless.
Why go south instead of east or west?
Islands you have not seen, a port nearly every day, and islands outside the hurricane belt. The water is the clearest in the Caribbean at Bonaire, the beaches the widest in Aruba, and the Pitons at St. Lucia are the best view from a ship anywhere in the region.
What should I do in the ABCs?
Aruba: Eagle Beach or Palm Beach, or the Natural Pool by jeep. Curaçao: Willemstad on foot, then Cas Abao beach or the Blue Room cave. Bonaire: rent a truck and snorkel from the shore at 1000 Steps or Klein Bonaire; it is a marine park and the reef starts at the beach.
Is 7 nights from San Juan too much port?
It is a lot: five ports in a row with early mornings. Most people love it; if you want a slow morning, pick a ship with late departures or the 8 to 11 night Florida version with sea days. Either way, two nights in Old San Juan before you sail makes the trip.
Are taxes and fees included in the prices here?
Yes. Every price on this page includes cruise fare, taxes, fees and port expenses. Flights, gratuities, drinks packages and excursions are extra, and we tell you the total before you book.
What do the SmartCruiser picks mean?
They are sailings where booking through SmartCruiser gets you something you do not get booking direct: instant savings, bonus onboard credit, a Special SmartCruiser rate we hold on that sailing, or a senior, resident or police & fire fare that beats the best public price.
Talk to a Southern Caribbean specialist
Tell us which islands you have not seen and we find the sailing that gets them all, priced on every line with the San Juan hotel before. Monday to Thursday 9 to 6, Friday 9 to 5, Saturday 10 to 6 ET.