Odyssey of the Seas - Western Caribbean: Jamaica & Grand Cayman

Where this cruise calls, day by day

5 ports and 3 sea days over 7 Nights.

1. Day 1

   Fort Lauderdale, FL

   United StatesDepart

   Port Everglades is the easy one. Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International sits barely two miles from the berths - the shortest airport-to-ship hop of any major US homeport - and the eight passenger terminals are spread far enough apart that traffic rarely knots the way Miami's does. Check your terminal number before you set off; they are not close together.

   • Las Olas Boulevard for lunch, then the walk down to the beach
   • The Water Taxi loop along the New River and Intracoastal, past the yacht basins
   • Bonnet House Museum and Gardens, a 1920s estate hemmed in by condo towers
   • Hollywood Broadwalk, 20 minutes south, for a flatter and cheaper beach day

   Getting ashore

   Eight passenger terminals (2, 4, 18, 19, 21, 25, 26 and 29) ring the harbour on separate access roads, and FLL is about 2 miles out - often under 15 minutes door to door.

   Best months

   Nov-Apr (Aug-Oct is peak hurricane season)

2. Day 2

   Perfect Day at CocoCay

   BahamasPort

   Royal Caribbean's island in the Berry Islands, open only to its own ships and Celebrity's. Beaches, the freshwater Oasis Lagoon, the Splashaway Bay kids' area and lunch at the buffet grills come with your fare. Almost everything with a name attached does not: Thrill Waterpark, Coco Beach Club, the zip line, the helium balloon and every cabana are separate purchases that sell out weeks ahead.

   • Chill Island, the main swimming beach
   • Oasis Lagoon, the freshwater pool with a swim-up bar
   • Thrill Waterpark and Daredevil's Peak (extra cost)
   • Coco Beach Club and its overwater cabanas (extra cost)

   Getting ashore

   Ships dock at the pier - no tendering - and the island is walkable, with a free tram running the main spine.

   Best months

   Nov-Apr for reliable sun and calm water; Aug-Oct calls are the most likely to be swapped for weather

3. Day 3 · At sea

4. Day 4

   Falmouth

   JamaicaPort

   Royal Caribbean built this pier in 2011 beside a genuine Georgian town - Falmouth has some of the best-preserved 18th-century architecture in the Caribbean, most of it derelict. The port itself is a gated shopping village designed to imitate the town next to it. Outside the gate the vendor pressure is immediate and heavy, and most passengers leave on an excursion rather than explore.

   • Luminous Lagoon bioluminescence, on evening calls
   • Bamboo rafting on the Martha Brae
   • Dunn's River Falls, about 90 minutes east
   • Good Hope Estate for zip lines and ATVs

   Getting ashore

   Ships dock; the port village is at the gangway and old Falmouth is just outside the gate, but expect persistent hustling from the moment you step through.

   Best months

   Dec-Apr is driest; May and October are the two rain peaks, and Aug-Oct is hurricane season

5. Day 5

   George Town

   Cayman IslandsPort

   George Town has no cruise pier, and that shapes everything: every passenger from every ship arrives by tender at one of two small harbourfront landings. When winter northwesters blow up, calls are cancelled outright and the ship sails on. Ashore it is a tidy, expensive capital of banks and duty-free shops - the actual draw is offshore at the Stingray City sandbar and up the coast at Seven Mile Beach.

   • Standing waist-deep with the rays at the Stingray City sandbar
   • Seven Mile Beach
   • Cayman Turtle Centre in West Bay
   • Starfish Point and Rum Point on the north shore

   Getting ashore

   Tender port - 10-15 minutes to the George Town landings, with Seven Mile Beach another 10-15 minutes by taxi or public bus.

   Best months

   Dec-Apr is driest; Sep-Oct brings the most rain and hurricane risk, and winter swells can scrub the tender operation entirely

6. Day 6 · At sea

7. Day 7 · At sea

8. Day 8

   Fort Lauderdale, FL

   United StatesArrive

   Port Everglades is the easy one. Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International sits barely two miles from the berths - the shortest airport-to-ship hop of any major US homeport - and the eight passenger terminals are spread far enough apart that traffic rarely knots the way Miami's does. Check your terminal number before you set off; they are not close together.

   • Las Olas Boulevard for lunch, then the walk down to the beach
   • The Water Taxi loop along the New River and Intracoastal, past the yacht basins
   • Bonnet House Museum and Gardens, a 1920s estate hemmed in by condo towers
   • Hollywood Broadwalk, 20 minutes south, for a flatter and cheaper beach day

   Getting ashore

   Eight passenger terminals (2, 4, 18, 19, 21, 25, 26 and 29) ring the harbour on separate access roads, and FLL is about 2 miles out - often under 15 minutes door to door.

   Best months

   Nov-Apr (Aug-Oct is peak hurricane season)