MSC World America - Caribbean

Where this cruise calls, day by day

6 ports and 2 sea days over 7 Nights.

1. Day 1

   Miami, FL

   United StatesDepart

   PortMiami is the busiest cruise port on earth and behaves like it: a lettered row of terminals strung along Dodge Island - A for Royal Caribbean, B for Norwegian, C for MSC, D through F for the Carnival brands, V for Virgin. Traffic funnels in over the Port Boulevard causeway or through the tunnel under Government Cut, and on a Saturday with six ships turning around, both back up.

   • Ocean Drive and the Art Deco district in South Beach, 20 minutes across the causeway
   • Wynwood Walls and the warehouse murals around it
   • Calle Ocho in Little Havana - a cortadito and the domino tables at Maximo Gomez Park
   • Vizcaya Museum and Gardens, a 1916 bayfront villa in Coconut Grove

   Getting ashore

   Terminals A-G and V sit on Dodge Island, reached by the Port Boulevard causeway or the PortMiami Tunnel; Miami International is about 8 miles west, usually 20-30 minutes but longer on a heavy turnaround morning.

   Best months

   Nov-Apr (Aug-Oct is peak hurricane season and August ashore is punishing)

2. Day 2 · At sea

3. Day 3

   Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve

   BahamasPort

   Ocean Cay is a rehabilitated industrial site - an artificial island dredged in the 1960s for aragonite sand, stripped of its mining plant by MSC and replanted. Eight beaches ring it, ships dock at a deep-water pier, and MSC frequently stays into the evening so passengers can watch the lighthouse light show after dark. MSC ships only; lunch is included, while cabanas, excursions and drinks are charged.

   • The lighthouse light-and-music show on evening calls
   • The marine conservation centre and coral restoration work
   • Bimini Beach and South Beach among the eight strands
   • Snorkelling inside the marine reserve

   Getting ashore

   Ships dock at the island's own pier; the beaches are spread out and shuttles run the length of the cay.

   Best months

   Nov-Apr for calm, clear water; Aug-Oct is hurricane season

4. Day 4 · At sea

5. Day 5

   Cozumel

   MexicoPort

   Cozumel is an island 12 miles off the Yucatán that runs almost entirely on cruise traffic - three piers, up to six ships at once, and a downtown built to absorb them. Which pier you draw matters more than anything else: Punta Langosta puts you in San Miguel on foot, while Puerta Maya and the International Pier sit a few miles south and need a taxi. The reason to come is underwater, on the Palancar and Colombia reefs.

   • Snorkel or dive Palancar Reef
   • Chankanaab Park's lagoon and shore snorkelling
   • A beach club day at Mr. Sancho's or Nachi Cocom
   • San Gervasio Maya ruins in the island's interior

   Getting ashore

   All ships dock; Punta Langosta is a walk into San Miguel, while Puerta Maya and the International Pier are 3-4 miles south, about 10 minutes by taxi.

   Best months

   Dec-Apr is driest and calmest; Jun-Nov is hurricane season, and sargassum can wash ashore May-Aug

6. Day 6

   Costa Maya

   MexicoPort

   Costa Maya is a port with no town attached. The pier was built for ships, and the village behind it - saltwater pools, tequila stalls, a dolphin pen - is a purpose-built shopping compound. The actual settlement of Mahahual is a couple of miles up the road: a sandy malecón, beach clubs, and reef close enough to swim to. Most passengers skip both and head inland to Chacchoben or Bacalar.

   • Chacchoben Maya ruins, about an hour inland
   • Bacalar's Lagoon of Seven Colours (a long day, roughly two hours each way)
   • Beach clubs along the Mahahual malecón
   • Snorkelling the Mesoamerican reef from shore

   Getting ashore

   Ships dock at Puerto Costa Maya; Mahahual town is a 10-minute shuttle or taxi, or a hot 25-minute walk from the pier gate.

   Best months

   Dec-Apr is dry; sargassum is common Apr-Aug and Sep-Oct is the wettest, riskiest stretch

7. Day 7

   Roatán

   HondurasPort

   Roatán is a long, thin island sitting on the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef, and the day splits by pier. Carnival ships use Mahogany Bay at Dixon Cove, which has its own manufactured beach and a chairlift down to it; Royal Caribbean's Port of Roatán is in Coxen Hole, the workaday capital. Neither is really where you want to be - the reef at West Bay starts about twenty feet off the sand, half an hour west.

   • Snorkel the reef straight off West Bay Beach
   • West End village for dive shops and lunch
   • Gumbalimba Park's macaws and capuchins
   • A day pass at Little French Key

   Getting ashore

   Both Mahogany Bay and Port of Roatán are alongside berths, not tenders; West Bay Beach is a 30-45 minute taxi from either, and drivers negotiate hard.

   Best months

   Feb-Sep for the clearest water; Oct-Jan is the wet season, with November the heaviest month

8. Day 8

   Miami, FL

   United StatesArrive

   PortMiami is the busiest cruise port on earth and behaves like it: a lettered row of terminals strung along Dodge Island - A for Royal Caribbean, B for Norwegian, C for MSC, D through F for the Carnival brands, V for Virgin. Traffic funnels in over the Port Boulevard causeway or through the tunnel under Government Cut, and on a Saturday with six ships turning around, both back up.

   • Ocean Drive and the Art Deco district in South Beach, 20 minutes across the causeway
   • Wynwood Walls and the warehouse murals around it
   • Calle Ocho in Little Havana - a cortadito and the domino tables at Maximo Gomez Park
   • Vizcaya Museum and Gardens, a 1916 bayfront villa in Coconut Grove

   Getting ashore

   Terminals A-G and V sit on Dodge Island, reached by the Port Boulevard causeway or the PortMiami Tunnel; Miami International is about 8 miles west, usually 20-30 minutes but longer on a heavy turnaround morning.

   Best months

   Nov-Apr (Aug-Oct is peak hurricane season and August ashore is punishing)