Cruising from Orlando to Antigua and Back Again

Comparative Snapshot of 9-Night/10-Day Caribbean Runs Including Antigua

*Pricing and dates fluctuate. Always verify before booking.
†The itinerary sold out in 2022 but is widely expected to return on a similar schedule.

Meet the Vessels

Carnival Mardi Gras – Zones, Roller-Coasters & Throwbacks

Carnival’s flagship tips its hat to the line’s original 1972 vessel by carrying the same name, but everything else feels next-gen. The new-build is carved into six themed “Zones,” each humming with distinct music, bars, and eateries—from Emeril’s Bistro 1396 to the jazzy Brass Magnolia. The head-turner is BOLT, the first actual roller-coaster at sea, whose electric go-cart-style cars race 187 feet above Deck 18.

Royal Caribbean Explorer of the Seas – Floating Resort Classic

Royal’s Voyager-class stalwart packs mini-golf, an ice-rink, and FlowRider surf stimulator into a single platform. On its 9-night Southern Caribbean Holiday sailing, guests depart Orlando at 4 p.m. after admiring the Saturn V rocket at Kennedy Space Center, then spend Christmas week island-hopping before ringing in the New Year beneath Antigua’s fireworks-flecked sky on Explorer of the Seas.

Norwegian Getaway – A Freestyle Prototype

NCL’s Breakaway-class ship pioneered “Freestyle Cruising,” refusing set dining times and encouraging flip-flops at dinner. The 9-night loop that sailed on 29 September 2022 showcased beach-laced ports, starting with Norwegian’s private Great Stirrup Cay and climaxing at St. John’s, Antigua, before returning to Port Canaveral.

A Narrative at Sea

Day 1 – Port Canaveral

Check-in opens around noon, but veterans arrive at 10 a.m. to beat the crowd, squeeze in lunch on board, and head straight to their cabin for the obligatory lanyard selfie.

Day 2 – Bahamas Warm-Up

Swaying palms and conch fritters on Nassau’s Junkanoo Beach or a clamshell cabana on a private cay establish instant “vacation mode.”

Day 3 – Sea Day #1

Whether it’s a sunrise jog on Deck 5’s promenade track or a mimosa brunch, the ship becomes your resort. Carnival fans queue for BOLT reservations; Royal Caribbean guests brave The Perfect Storm waterslides; NCL loyalists book a ribeye at Cagney’s.

Day 4 – Virgin Islands Vista

St. Thomas’s sky-ride gondola lifts you 700 feet for panoramas of turquoise harbors. A sunset departure spotlights the bay in molten gold.

Day 5 – Antigua, Jewel of the Leewards

Cruisers wake early because the ship docks at the base of St. John’s candy-colored waterfront. With 365 beaches—“one for every day of the year”—you may agonize over which stretch of sand to claim. Heritage buffs instead taxi to UNESCO-listed Nelson’s Dockyard, the world’s only working Georgian naval yard, then toast the view from Shirley Heights with a chilled Wadadli beer.
Adventure Option: sign up for a circumnavigation catamaran that pauses at three snorkel reefs and roasts fresh mahi on board.
Culinary Option: sample fungi (cornmeal polenta) and ducana sweet-potato dumplings at a local beach shack, finishing with a pepper-spiked rum punch.

Day 6 – Dutch-French Color Splash

Philipsburg and Marigot sandwich you between duty-free shopping and croissant cafés. Speed freaks head to Maho Beach to feel jet wash rumble across the sand.

Day 7 – Old San Juan & El Yunque

Trolley-hop the blue-cobblestone lanes of the 500-year-old walled city, then chase waterfalls in Puerto Rico’s rainforest before an early 3 p.m. sail-away.

Day 8 – Dominican Rhythm

Puerto Plata delivers amber-museum culture plus zippy jeeps up to the 27 Waterfalls of Damajagua or a cable-car ride up Mount Isabel de Torres.

Day 9 – Sea Day #2

The final exhale. Guests swaddle themselves in spa robes, scroll through professional photos, and set alarms for disembarkation.

Day 10 – Return to Orlando

Docking at 7 a.m., you can reach the airport by 10 a.m., but many linger for an afternoon rocket launch or a bioluminescent kayak tour on the Banana River.

What Makes Antigua the Star Stop?

• Beaches Galore: Darkwood for sunsets, Dickenson for water-sports, Half Moon for pink-tinged sand.
• History in Technicolor: The twin windmill towers of Betty’s Hope sugar estate chronicle the island’s bittersweet past.
• Rum Routes: Tour English Harbour Rum Distillery, then nurse a dark-and-stormy while overlooking sailboats that bob like bathtub toys.
• Aerial Thrills: Helicopter over neighboring Montserrat’s smoldering Soufrière Hills volcano.

Onboard Life: More than Buffets

• Roller-Coasters & Surf Simulators – you can literally race above the ocean or carve perpetual waves mid-ship.
• Broadway at Sea – Norwegian fields full productions of “Footloose” and “Jersey Boys,” straight from the Great White Way.
• Suite Perks – Royal Caribbean’s Explorer Class offers concierge lounges, priority theater seating, and Coastal Kitchen dining for suite guests.

Finding the Best Fare

Flash sales come and go, but the value of a nine-night itinerary often spikes when kids sail free or a BOGO60 promo drops. Royal Caribbean’s most recent Kids Sail Free and up-to-$750 instant savings blitz slashed holiday departures. Carnival typically bundles Wi-Fi and drinks during its “More Moments On Us” sale, while Norwegian wows bargain hunters with inside cabins from $199 during hurricane-season-adjacent weeks. Remember that airfare can be ignored altogether when you drive to Port Canaveral, a perk Cruise.com calls “the convenience of homeport cruising” for East-Coast families.

Pro Tips from Repeat Sailors

• Book dining and thrill-ride reservations the moment online portals open (usually 45–60 days out).
• Pack quick-dry reef shoes for Antigua’s Captain’s Coast snorkel drift, notorious for sea-urchin-peppered coral.
• Space nerd? Schedule your cruise to coincide with a Kennedy Space Center rocket launch—the fiery plume is visible right from the upper decks.
• Disembarkation morning: place luggage tags out by 11 p.m. the night before; self-assist guests can walk off earliest and beat I-95 traffic.

The Take-Away

Nine-day sailings from Orlando weave together the adrenaline of shipboard roller-coasters, the hush of Antigua’s powder beaches, and the cultural mosaics of six separate island nations—all without a single airport queue. By the time you see the Vehicle Assembly Building rising above Port Canaveral on Day 10, your camera roll will hold sunrise NASA launches, steel-drum sunsets, and just enough white-sand panorama to keep the office screensaver fresh until next year’s voyage.