Star of the Seas - Eastern Caribbean: St. Thomas & Samaná

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

   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

5. Day 5

   Samaná

   Dominican RepublicPort

   Samaná sits on a green peninsula on the Dominican Republic's northeast coast, and its season is defined by whales: thousands of North Atlantic humpbacks come into Samaná Bay to calve and mate between January and March, with the boats leaving from the town itself. Outside those months it is a quieter, far less built-out stop than Puerto Plata.

   • Humpback whale watching in Samaná Bay, January to March
   • El Limón waterfall, usually reached on horseback
   • Cayo Levantado, the island beach in the bay
   • Los Haitises National Park mangroves and caves by boat

   Getting ashore

   Ships generally anchor in the bay and tender to the Samaná waterfront, putting you on the malecón on foot.

   Best months

   Jan-Mar for the whales; Dec-Apr is otherwise driest, and Aug-Oct is hurricane season

6. Day 6 · At sea

7. Day 7

   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

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)