Port Canaveral, a departure port of an MSC Caribbean and Antilles Cruise, is located just 45 miles east of Orlando and is known for its Space Coast. On the Merritt Island peninsula you can discover the phenomenal Kennedy Space Center. Here the NASA’s space vehicles are developed, tested and blasted into orbit. Set up a bit like an Orlando theme park, the vast Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex will enthrall anyone with the slightest interest in space exploration, with everything from enormous rockets and the history of the moon landings, to IMAX movies and a space shuttle launch simulation on offer. Many of the visitors who flock here are surprised to find that the land from which rockets are launched is also the home of sizeable Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge framed by several miles of rough coastline.

While the name Ocho Rios means eight rivers in Spanish, a truer reflection of its name (considering the city has four rivers) may stem from its earlier Spanish name of Las Chorreras, referring to its waterfalls. In either case, it’s precisely its existing rivers, beautiful waterfalls and crystalline sea that promise to awe visitors to Jamaica who have a passion for the lush outdoors. For an unforgettable experience on an MSC Caribbean and Antilles cruise, try one of the many outdoor MSC excursions offered on the city’s rivers, such as kayaking, bamboo rafting and tubing, or try climbing one of its famous waterfalls. A must-see attraction is Dunn’s River Falls, where a guide will lead you up along an almost 600-foot stretch of naturally terraced river bed as part of a human chain. Once up on top, enjoy a breath-taking panorama worthy of photos, and explore a craft market and numerous shops. Or ascend Konoko Falls to admire the tropical gardens with sinuously shaped flowers and a mini zoo of exotic birds and reptiles, before embarking on a gastronomic farm-to-table experience and traditional Jamaican buffet lunch in the hills of Claremont at the organic Murphy Hill Farm, on an exclusive Martha Stewart excursion for MSC. Music lovers can’t help but pay tribute to reggae legend Bob Marley. Journey to Bob Marley’s Nine Mile, a nearby mountaintop village, to see the birthplace and final resting place of the star. The MSC excursion includes a visit to a small Ethiopian-style church housing the marble mausoleum in which Marley’s remains have been entombed along with his guitar. And James Bond fans can take heart in the fact that it was here in Jamaica in the 1950s and 1960s that author Ian Fleming created 007 and wrote every one of the 14 books featuring the stealth secret agent from his villa at nearby Oracabessa Bay. Scenes for the 1962 movie “Dr. No” and the 1973 film “Live and Let Die” were filmed in and around Ocho Rios.

Christopher Columbus called the Cayman Islands, with their tranquil blue waters, “Las Tortugas” for its abundance of turtles. Located between Cuba and Jamaica, the Cayman Islands are comprised of three Caribbean islands: Grand Cayman, Little Cayman and Cayman Brac. Beautiful landscapes, bountiful wildlife and colourful streets embody this British Overseas Territory, with George Town, its capital, located on Grand Cayman, the largest and most populous island. When you arrive in George Town on an MSC Caribbean and Antilles cruise, you’ll discover that wildlife conservation is at the core of Grand Cayman’s offerings. For the chance of a lifetime to swim, feed and interact with stingrays, book an MSC excursion to Stingray City, where you’ll get an up-close experience with Cayman’s most graceful marine creatures. On yet another MSC excursion to the Cayman Turtle Centre, encounter the green turtles that return each and every year to lay their eggs on one of the beaches, visit the turtle hatchery, snorkel alongside yearlings in the Turtle Lagoon and meet the island’s endangered blue iguanas. For a special experience, ride horses bareback into the Caribbean Sea at Barker’s National Park on an exclusive Martha Stewart excursion curated just for MSC Cruises, followed by lunch at Vivo café, a spot beloved for its mostly vegan cuisine, with organic ingredients sourced straight from local farms. To learn about Cayman’s past and culture, explore Cayman Heritage House and visit the sumptuous Government House, the governor’s residence built in 1964 located in front of Seven Mile Beach, one of the most prestigious beaches of Grand Cayman, in the heart of West Bay. Shopaholics will also delight in this destination. The Cayman Islands are entirely duty free. You just have to choose what catches your fancy among the myriad of watches, liqueurs, jewellery and porcelain on offer.

A forty-kilometre-long island directly off the coast from Playa del Carmen, Isla Cozumel is a renowned cruise-ship call: nearly every day, up to ten cruise ships dock at one of the island’s three dedicated piers, all just south of the only town, San Miguel. A holiday to Mexico with MSC Cruises will present you with restaurants, souvenir shops and jewellery stores, all along the malecón(Av Rafael Melgar) in downtown San Miguel. If you fancy a museum, the attractive Museo de la Isla de Cozumel has small displays of the flora, fauna and marine life of the island, as well as a good collection of Maya artefacts and old photos. If you’re not a diver, there’s a certain appeal in wandering the relaxed inland blocks of San Miguel, away from the piers, spotting Maya ruins and birds (the Maya called the island cuzamil – “land of the swallows”) in the dense forests and being the only person on the windswept eastern beaches. Midway across the island, San Gervasio is the only excavated Maya site on Cozumel. With several small temples connected by sacbeob, or long white roads, it was one of the many independent city-states that survived the fall of Chichén Itzá, flourishing between 1200 AD and 1650 AD. As part of a larger nature reserve the site is worth a visit for the numerous birds and butterflies you can spot early in the morning or late in the day. Another place to visit is Xcaret, a surprisingly pleasant theme park: it offers all the Yucatán’s attractions in one handy place, with a museum, a tropical aquarium, a “Maya village”, a beach, some small authentic ruins, pools and more than a kilometre of subterranean rivers down which you can swim, snorkel or float. On the other hand, neighbouring Xplor is dedicated to ziplines and other outdoor adventure.

Port Canaveral, a departure port of an MSC Caribbean and Antilles Cruise, is located just 45 miles east of Orlando and is known for its Space Coast. On the Merritt Island peninsula you can discover the phenomenal Kennedy Space Center. Here the NASA’s space vehicles are developed, tested and blasted into orbit. Set up a bit like an Orlando theme park, the vast Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex will enthrall anyone with the slightest interest in space exploration, with everything from enormous rockets and the history of the moon landings, to IMAX movies and a space shuttle launch simulation on offer. Many of the visitors who flock here are surprised to find that the land from which rockets are launched is also the home of sizeable Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge framed by several miles of rough coastline.