From Canada to the Caribbean, These Are the Best Cruises That Sail Out of Florida

Florida ports serve as the embarkation point for more cruises than anywhere else in the world. The best cruises from Florida—particularly out of Miami, Port Everglades (in Fort Lauderdale), and Port Canaveral (near Orlando)—make it easy to visit islands throughout the Caribbean and Bahamas as well as destinations farther abroad.

In addition to serving as the launching point for numerous blissful sailings, Florida provides cruise passengers with the option of tacking on time at the beach or the theme parks, making it an idyllic place to start or end your next cruise.

While the Caribbean is by far the most popular destination for cruises from Florida, sailings through the Panama Canal (typically in spring and fall) and longer winter sailings such as multimonth world cruises and itineraries to South America also embark from Florida ports. Some routes travel from Florida up the Eastern Seaboard to Canada and across the Atlantic as cruise ships reposition for the spring and summer to the Mediterranean.

Here are our picks for the best cruises from Florida.

Photo by Don Riddle/Courtesy of Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection

Bahamas with Ritz-Carlton

Suggested itinerary: five-night Bahamas from Fort Lauderdale, from $5,100 per person

For those looking for a quick and luxurious getaway, the Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection has a series of five-night round-trip itineraries to the Bahamas in fall 2025 that take place on the line’s glamorous, 448-passenger superyacht Ilma. Bring the kids, as the ship has a for-a-fee Ritz Kids Club, where your progeny will be entertained with crafts and other activities while you sip craft cocktails by the pool. A super fun aspect of this yacht is its big floating platform with a pool at its center. You can walk off the ship, step onto the platform, and take a dip in the sea. In Nassau, take advantage of such shore experiences as golfing at the Ocean Club at Atlantis or flying in a seaplane over the sapphire waters of the Exumas.

Panama Canal with Azamara

Suggested itinerary: 15-night “Central American Tapestry Voyage” from $5,169 per person

Next January, start the New Year right on Azamara Cruises’ intimate 680-passenger Azamara Onward, sailing from Miami through the Panama Canal to Lima, Peru. You’ll stop in Mexico for access to ancient Mayan ruins on the Yucatan Peninsula, cross the engineering wonder that is the Panama Canal, and be treated, during one of the line’s complimentary AzAmazing cultural outings, to a private folkloric performance amid the ruins of the Panama Viejo archeological site in Panama City. In Ecuador and Peru, in addition to shore excursions to learn hat making and ceviche making, respectively, there are opportunities to leave the ship and fly off to a four-day exploration of the Galápagos and a two-night trip to Machu Picchu, meeting the ship at a later port. Onboard, embrace the Azamara Onward’s social, country club–like atmosphere.

Photo by VRX Studios/Courtesy of Oceania Cruises

Comprehensive Western Caribbean cruise with Oceania

Suggested itinerary: 12-night “Mesoamerican Majesty” at the end of January, from $4,799 per person

Set sail on the newest ship in the Oceania Cruises’ fleet, Allura, exploring the Western Caribbean. This comprehensive itinerary gets you to Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala, Belize, Jamaica, and the Cayman Islands. A source of pride for this upscale cruise line is its culinary program, which includes a cooking school with expert instructors. That theme continues on land with chef-led small-group excursions such as, in Costa Maya, Mexico, learning about uses for el maiz (corn). You’ll watch a local chef demonstrate how to make corn tortillas. On the 1,200-passenger ship, indulge in truffles and foie gras in a restaurant named for legendary chef Jacques Pépin.

Photo by Natasha/Unsplash

Eco-friendlier cruising with Silversea

Suggested itinerary: 10-night Caribbean cruise from Fort Lauderdale, from $10,000 per person

This winter, sail to San Juan and St. Barths, among port calls on a 10-night sailing on Silversea’s ultra-luxurious Silver Ray, where everyone stays in a suite with butler service. The ship’s resort-style pool is a stunner, situated off to one side of the vessel for unobstructed views of the passing sea. Tromping off to world-class beaches in high style is one thing, but behind the scenes, this 728-passenger ship is prepared for the future: It has a hull designed to reduce friction to save fuel and a large-scale hybrid power source, combining cleaner burning liquified natural gas (LNG), marine oil, and batteries. Hydrogen fuel cells supplement the setup.

Courtesy of Disney Cruise Line

Family-friendly Mexican Caribbean cruise with Disney

Suggested itinerary: 7-night western Caribbean cruises, from $7,157 for an adult and two kids sharing a cabin

The big news out of Disney Cruise Line in December 2024 was the arrival of the 4,000-passenger Disney Treasure, the sixth ship in the fleet, which will be running on cleaner-burning liquified natural gas and cruising the Eastern and Western Caribbean. If you have youngsters who are fans of the Disney Pixar animated feature Coco, the sailing in the Western Caribbean is the way to go. From Port Canaveral, sail for seven nights to Mexico, the Cayman Islands, Jamaica, and the cruise line’s own Bahamas island CocoCay. The ship has a Coco-themed restaurant inspired by the movie and its characters. There’s also a not-to-miss “Tales of Moana” live show, the first stage adaptation of the movie, featuring dozens of performers of Hawaiian heritage and a 15-puppet version of goddess Te Fiti from the movie. Adult-only areas of the ship include a Haunted Mansion–themed bar based on the Disney theme parks’ attraction.

Photo by Ivan Sarfatti

Choose-your-own Caribbean adventure with Explora Journeys

Suggested itinerary: 7-night “A Journey of Coral Kingdoms and Pirate Lairs” itinerary, from $4,050 per person; or 14 nights from $7,650 per person

Switzerland-based luxury line Explora Journeys, with its resort-like ships Explora I and Explora II, each carrying about 740 passengers, cleverly does nonrepeating itineraries, so depending on how much time you have, you can cruise for a week and fly home from the Caribbean or stay on board another week and return to Miami, without repeating ports of call. One option, for instance, sails from Miami to St. John (USVI), Guadeloupe, Barbados, Dominica, St. Maarten, and San Juan. If you stay on back to Miami, you can also hit the beautiful beaches in Anguilla, Antigua, St. Barths, and Tortola (BVI). The ships are posh playgrounds designed for couples and multigenerational families, with four pools (one for adults only), activities such as pickleball, 18 restaurants and lounges, and a cushy club for kids ages 6 to 17.

We recently reviewed what it’s like sailing on the Explora I.

Eastern Seaboard and Canada with Viking

Photo by Elyse Turton/Unsplash

Suggested itinerary: 14-night “Canada & East Coast Explorer” itinerary, from $6,495 per person

Viking sails from Fort Lauderdale to Toronto during spring and fall on its state-of-the-art, 378-passenger expedition ship, Viking Polaris. On this itinerary, you’ll spend time in Charleston, New York, Quebec City, and Norfolk, Virginia, while visiting wild areas along the Canadian coastline. That might include kayaking or hiking Nova Scotia’s Cape Breton Island, searching for seals and birdlife on the uninhabited Brion Island, exploring the rugged beauty of Trois-Rivieres in Quebec, or sailing through the legendary lochs and canals of the St. Lawrence Seaway. The ship, with its sleek Scandinavian decor, is designed to combine traditional cruising and expedition adventures, with guests boarding Zodiac boats from an enclosed marina, called the Hangar. A pair of six-passenger submarines allows for underwater views.

This story was originally published in February 2024, and was updated on April 9, 2025, to include current information.