From sun and sand to adventure and Arctic temperatures, Cruise Lines International Association's top five destinations for cruise travel in the 2017 summer season are:
1. Havana: As the Caribbean's largest island, Cuba provides travelers with a culturally-immersive vacation. Cruisers can learn to dance to live salsa music at the Cabaret Tropicana Night Club, see Spanish-inspired architecture, and visit museums and art galleries. Several cruise lines offer shore excursions including checking out UNESCO World Heritage Sites like Cienfuegos or Trinidad or touring the Malecon.
2. The Galapagos Islands: The Galapagos Islands boast plenty of opportunities for nature-lovers. Cruisers can photograph unique land and sea species and explore the landscape through catamaran tours, hiking and snorkeling excursions.
3. The Northwest Passage: Passage cruises lend themselves to bird watching and polar bear sightings while sailing the passage that connects the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. Cruisers on Northwest Passage-bound ships can visit the Pond Inlet above the Arctic Circle in Nunavut, Canada, where they might be able to see a once-in-a-lifetime narwhal sighting.
4. Africa: Travelers to Africa can take a shopping trip in Cape Town, hop on a safari, and visit the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront. Excursions on Africa-bound cruise ships may even include game drives that reveal leopards and elephants as well as trips to Manibia's dunes and sampling Africa's cuisine.
5. Belize: The coastal spot offers reefs and caves as well as a high concentration of ancient Mayan ruins to explore. Cruisers can take part in both onshore and off shore excursions with hikes through jungles, mountain biking through the rainforest and snorkeling along the coastline.
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