Cruise Program

Caribbean Transatlantic – Brittania P&Q Cruise

Your cruise begins with three days to discover the delights Britannia has to offer. With so much to do and see, Madeira will steal up on you in no time. Experience the stunning views and vibrant culture or check out the atmospheric caves and gilded chapels.
After five more days on board, you’ll enter the blissful state of the Caribbean at cosmopolitan St Maarten, where you can wander through the narrow streets, full of Caribbean ‘gingerbread’ houses and leafy courtyard cafés. Or take a tour to the French side of the island, St Martin, for a little ‘je ne sais quoi’. Soak up the natural beauty of Dominica, an island of untamed rainforests, bubbling sulpher springs and coral reefs, where you might even spot a whale if you’re lucky.
Then, on to St Lucia where a tour to the dramatic Soufrière volcano shows off the island’s full beauty, dominated by the twin peaks of Les Pitons. Admiring lush gardens, watching hummingbirds, lazing on beaches, watching dolphins, or visiting the rainforest is mandatory here. (Oh – and shopping!)
One of the Caribbean’s prettiest harbours awaits in Grenada. Spend a day exploring its waterfalls, rainforests, volcanic craters and beaches – especially Grand Anse – just around the bay from St George’s.
Finally it’s beautiful Barbados where, hard as it may be, it’s time to fly home.

Main stops of your itinerary:

Madeira - Portugal
When you embark on one of our Madeira cruises it will become clear why this destination is known as the Garden Island - it is simply awash with colour from a breathtaking display of sub-tropical plants and flowers. So it is hardly surprising that large and colourful flower markets are one of the most arresting features of Funchal, Madeiras capital.
Cruise visitors here will discover that the market town is easily walkable although, the further inland you explore, the steeper and narrower some of the streets become. Locally made wicker furniture, lacework and tapestries all make good buys along with the ubiquitous Madeira wine.
Funchal is also the base for tours to the islands botanical gardens; the fishing village of Camara de Lobos where Churchill went to paint; Camacha, the wicker centre; the levada walks, part of an ancient irrigation system; and to Reids Hotel for traditional afternoon tea, making cruises to Madeira a must see.

St Maarten – Leeward Islands
Half French and half Dutch, St. Martin/Sint Maarten is one of the Caribbean’s most diverse and interesting islands.
Ships dock at the Dutch capital Philipsburg, a delightful warren of narrow streets called steegjies, where you will find interesting shops and leafy courtyard cafés. Start your exploration at Wathey Square, which is home to a fine collection of traditional West Indian ‘gingerbread’ houses as well as a colourful market.
If you would prefer to enjoy a little French ‘je ne sais quoi’, take an island tour to the pretty French capital Marigot, worth visiting for its colourful markets, lovely café-lined waterfront and the chic boutiques of Marina Port La Royale, where you can pick up unusual jewellery and leather goods. Or spend your day on a catamaran trip from Philipsburg for fabulous deep-sea snorkelling with lunch

Dominica
This lush island is right on the whales Caribbean migration path so be sure you take a boat trip out to spot them on their way north. And, even if you do not see whales, there are plenty of playful dolphins that usually tag along in the boats wake.
But, by passing Dominica by, the whales do not know what they are missing. It is an island of breathtaking natural beauty with crater lakes and waterfalls, forests and gorges, many with evocative names like Boiling Lake and Valley of Desolation.
Offshore, there are coral reefs teeming with fish of all colours, shapes and sizes to amaze swimmers, snorkellers and scuba divers. You are also welcome to visit the last surviving community of Carib Indians, the original inhabitants of the entire Caribbean, who still follow the old ways - fishing, carving and basket-making.

St Lucia – Windward Islands
St Lucia has a fascinating if bloody history with the French and British spending years fighting over it. One look at this luscious island will show you why.
Cloaked in verdant rainforests, its skyline dominated by the dramatic twin peaks of Les Pitons and its gardens a riot of hibiscus and bougainvillea; St. Lucia is the epitome of a Caribbean paradise.
Here you can watch parrots and hummingbirds skim through the trees, bask on beautiful beaches, visit charming fishing villages, view stunning volcanic scenery and glory in the Caribbean’s best botanical gardens.
If it is your first visit, an island tour to the dramatic Soufriére volcano will show you the island’s full beauty. Boat trips to spot dolphin and whales are also available, as are biking, jeep and hiking tours of the rainforest. But do leave time to explore the shops of Castries, where you can pick up bread, wine and even ketchup made from bananas.

Grenada – Windward Islands
Sailors through the centuries have rated it one of the worlds prettiest harbours and it is hard to disagree. Horseshoe-shaped and set in a volcanic crater, Grenadas capital and cruise port St Georges is flanked by two forts, with colourful French colonial style buildings ranged along the front.
It is the perfect entrance to one of the Caribbean's most scenic islands. Only 12 miles by 21, it is awash with waterfalls, mountain valleys, rainforests, lakes and volcanic craters. The beaches are to die for, especially Grand Anse - a two-mile stretch of pure white sand just around the bay from St Georges.
Grenada is also the island you can smell before you can see it. The ‘Spice Island’ grows more spices per square mile than anywhere else on the planet with nutmeg its signature seasoning.
In fact, gentle haggling with spice vendors is part of the fun of cruising to this laid-back Caribbean island.

Barbados
Watching the Atlantic surf crash down on the rugged east coast of this richly diverse island and, for a moment, you may feel you could be on the Cornish coast but the moment you hear the waves of gospel singing emanating from a tiny local church you realise you could not be anywhere else but Barbados.
While, over on the sheltered west coast, the glorious beaches are pure Caribbean. And there are more beaches and a lot more bars, cafés, restaurants and clubs creating a vibrant 24/7 lifestyle on the south coast, too.
In the capital and cruise port, Bridgetown, there are intriguing signs of its British colonial past while, across the island, you are really spoilt for choice. You can enjoy every watersport under the sun; stunning nature walks and bike rides; or maybe a trip to the uniquely magnificent Harrisons Cave underground complex of caverns, waterfalls, stalactites and stalagmites.