Celebrity Apex - St. Thomas, St. Kitts & Puerto Plata from Port Canaveral

Where this cruise calls, day by day

5 ports and 3 sea days over 7 Nights.

1. Day 1

   Port Canaveral, FL

   United StatesDepart

   Canaveral is Orlando's cruise port, which is the whole point: most passengers arrive off a theme-park week or straight from MCO, about 45 miles and an hour west. The terminals - 1, 3, 5, 6, 8 and 10 - are modern and low-rise, wedged between a working cargo harbour and a Space Force launch complex. Launches are visible from the ship and worth checking the schedule for.

   • Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, half an hour north - the Saturn V hangar alone eats three hours
   • Cocoa Beach and the original Ron Jon Surf Shop, open around the clock
   • Jetty Park, where you can watch your own ship sail out from the beach
   • Historic Cocoa Village for a slower afternoon of shops and riverfront bars

   Getting ashore

   Cruise Terminals 1, 3, 5, 6, 8 and 10 are spread along the harbour with their own parking garages; Orlando International is roughly 45 miles west (45-60 minutes clear of traffic) and Melbourne is closer at about 35 minutes.

   Best months

   Nov-May (Aug-Oct is peak hurricane season; summer afternoons bring daily thunderstorms)

2. Day 2 · At sea

3. Day 3 · At sea

4. Day 4

   Puerto Plata

   Dominican RepublicPort

   Two purpose-built cruise terminals serve the same north-coast town: Carnival's Amber Cove, a self-contained resort compound east of the city, and Taino Bay, which opened in 2021 much closer in. Both are designed to keep you inside them, and many passengers never leave. Puerto Plata itself — Fort San Felipe, the gingerbread houses around Parque Central — takes a taxi and some initiative.

   • Mount Isabel de Torres cable car to the Christ statue and botanical gardens
   • Fortaleza San Felipe on the waterfront
   • 27 Charcos de Damajagua, a canyoning route of waterfall jumps
   • Playa Dorada or the beach at Sosúa

   Getting ashore

   Both are docked berths but neither is in town — Amber Cove is roughly 20-25 minutes by taxi from Puerto Plata, Taino Bay about 10.

   Best months

   Dec-Apr; the north coast is wetter than the south year-round and Aug-Oct carries hurricane risk

5. Day 5

   Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas

   U.S. Virgin IslandsPort

   The busiest shopping port in the Caribbean, and it feels like it — four to six ships on a peak day and duty-free jewelry stores stacked end to end along Main Street. What saves a call here is everything outside town: Magens Bay's long sheltered crescent, and the ferry to St. John, where about two-thirds of the island is national park.

   • Magens Bay
   • Ferry to St. John for Trunk Bay and Virgin Islands National Park
   • Coki Beach and Coral World Ocean Park
   • Skyride to Paradise Point above the harbor

   Getting ashore

   Most ships dock at Havensight, about a mile east of town — a mall at the pier, a cheap open-air taxi, or a 20-minute waterfront walk; Crown Bay is a similar distance west.

   Best months

   Dec-Apr dry season; Aug-Oct is hurricane season

6. Day 6

   Basseterre

   St. Kitts and NevisPort

   The pier lands you at Port Zante in the middle of Basseterre, a working Caribbean capital rather than a mall. What sets St. Kitts apart is the scenic railway: a narrow-gauge line built to haul sugar cane, now running double-decker cars around the north of the island for about three hours. Expect firm sales pressure from photo vendors with vervet monkeys at the scenic overlooks.

   • St. Kitts Scenic Railway
   • Brimstone Hill Fortress National Park (UNESCO)
   • Timothy Hill overlook across the Narrows
   • South Friars Bay and Cockleshell Bay on the southeast peninsula

   Getting ashore

   Docked at Port Zante with Basseterre at the gate; the southeast peninsula beaches are 20-30 minutes by taxi and the Nevis ferry takes about 45 minutes.

   Best months

   Dec-Apr; Aug-Oct is hurricane season

7. Day 7 · At sea

8. Day 8

   Port Canaveral, FL

   United StatesArrive

   Canaveral is Orlando's cruise port, which is the whole point: most passengers arrive off a theme-park week or straight from MCO, about 45 miles and an hour west. The terminals - 1, 3, 5, 6, 8 and 10 - are modern and low-rise, wedged between a working cargo harbour and a Space Force launch complex. Launches are visible from the ship and worth checking the schedule for.

   • Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, half an hour north - the Saturn V hangar alone eats three hours
   • Cocoa Beach and the original Ron Jon Surf Shop, open around the clock
   • Jetty Park, where you can watch your own ship sail out from the beach
   • Historic Cocoa Village for a slower afternoon of shops and riverfront bars

   Getting ashore

   Cruise Terminals 1, 3, 5, 6, 8 and 10 are spread along the harbour with their own parking garages; Orlando International is roughly 45 miles west (45-60 minutes clear of traffic) and Melbourne is closer at about 35 minutes.

   Best months

   Nov-May (Aug-Oct is peak hurricane season; summer afternoons bring daily thunderstorms)