Group Size: up to 78 participants across all sponsors Price: Starting from $7,999 per person, double occupancy Co-sponsored with: The alumni associations of University of Virginia and Miami University of Ohio; The Museum Travel Alliance and National Trust for Historic Preservation
Sailing from Barbados aboard the romantic Sea Cloud II, this Caribbean voyage connects six distinctive islands across the Lesser Antilles. From active volcanic landscapes and 18th-century fortifications to skilled artisans preserving maritime traditions, contemporary art studios, Indigenous communities maintaining ancestral practices, and botanical gardens guided by expert naturalists—this journey presents the Caribbean through multiple lenses of natural wonder, historical resilience, and living culture.
In Carriacou’s village of Windward, master craftsmen continue the centuries-old tradition of hand-building wooden schooners using techniques inherited from their ancestors. St. Lucia presents the world’s only drive-in volcano at Sulphur Springs, where you’ll walk among active geothermal vents and bubbling mud pools. Martinique reveals its complex history through the ruins of Saint-Pierre, obliterated by Mount Pelée in 1902, while contemporary artists transform the island’s dramatic past into thought-provoking street art.
Dominica’s Fort Shirley, a restored 18th-century British garrison, commands sweeping views over Prince Rupert Bay, while the island’s Kalinago Territory preserves the traditions of the Caribbean’s Indigenous navigators. Enjoy further exploration on Nevis, birthplace of Alexander Hamilton, and glamorous St. Barths, where local galleries display contemporary art alongside designer boutiques overlooking pristine harbors.
Schedule by Day
Click each drop-down below to view a detailed itinerary. For a full view, please select the "print page" button above.
Depart on a same-day flight from the U.S. to Barbados, and join an airport transfer to the port of Bridgetown to board the awaiting Sea Cloud II. Gather for dinner on board this evening.
Overnight:Sea Cloud II
Meals: D
After a morning at sea, we arrive at Carriacou, where you may choose between two excursions:
Option 1: Enjoy a visit to the historic village of Windward, where skilled artisans preserve the centuries-old tradition of hand-building wooden schooners. You will meet with one of these craftsmen to discover the time-honored techniques behind this maritime craft.
Option 2: Relax this afternoon on one of the island’s secluded beaches. This evening, gather aboard Sea Cloud II for the captain’s welcome reception and dinner.
Overnight:Sea Cloud II
Meals: B, L, R, D
Upon arriving ashore in Soufrière to the sounds of a welcoming steel pan band, our scenic island tour begins. An expert botanist will lead a visit through a lush botanical garden, explaining the cultural and medicinal uses of the local tropical plants. The tour continues to Sulphur Springs, the world’s only drive-in volcano, for a close-up view of its steaming vents and bubbling mud pools. The day concludes with views of the Diamond Waterfall. The water’s mineral content— sulphur, copper sulphate, and iron—paints the rock face in a shifting palette of yellow, green, and grey. This entire system is watched over by two mountain-like Pitons, which are the hardened lava cores of volcanoes that formed 200,000 years ago.
Overnight:Sea Cloud II
Meals: B, L, D
Today, you may choose a full-day or half-day excursion:
Option 1: Begin with a private visit to the studio of a contemporary street artist in the village of Trois-Îlets. Next is an exploration of the historic village of Saint-Pierre, the island’s former cultural capital, which was destroyed by the 1902 eruption of Mount Pelée. After a Creole lunch, join a botanist at the Balata Botanical Garden, the personal creation of landscape artist Jean-Philippe Thoze, who spent four years transforming his grandparents’ former farmland into a collection of 3,000 plant varieties from around the globe.
Option 2: Embark on a relaxed half-day tour of Fort-de- France, including the cathedral, a local market, and the Balata Botanical Garden.
Later, all guests gather on board for a tasting of fine Martinican rum.
Overnight:Sea Cloud II
Meals: B, L, D
On Dominica, known as the “Nature Island” of the Caribbean, you may choose a historical or a cultural tour:
Option 1: Join a guided exploration of the restored 18th-century British garrison, Fort Shirley. Learn the story of the 8th West India Regiment, composed of African slave soldiers who took control of the garrison. Their protest led directly to the British Mutiny Act of 1807 and the emancipation of all enslaved soldiers in the British Army. Then meet an expert for a walk through the island’s botanical garden.
Option 2: Enjoy a visit to the Kalinago Territory, home to an Indigenous community that successfully fought off European colonization for two centuries. Here, you can observe the making of their traditional crafts and meet residents to learn about how their culture has endured, followed by a gentle walk along the Emerald Pool Trail to its waterfall.
Overnight:Sea Cloud II
Meals: B, L, D
Arriving in Nevis, the tranquil “Queen of the Caribbean,” you may choose between two excursions:
Option 1: Enjoy an island tour beginning with a private, botanist-led visit to the Nevis Botanical Garden. Then stand before the Georgian-style house where Alexander Hamilton was born in 1757. Take a guided tour of Alexander Hamilton’s Birthplace House, followed by an inside look at the Nevis Heritage Village, a living museum of the island’s past. The tour concludes with an intimate, hands-on visit to the studio of a local master ceramicist.
Option 2: Board a short, guided ferry ride to explore the highlights of nearby St. Kitts.
Overnight:Sea Cloud II
Meals: B, L, D
How did a Swedish king leave his mark on a French Caribbean island? You will find the answer in the architecture and street names of Gustavia, the capital city named for Sweden’s King Gustav III after France traded the island in 1784.
A guided tour includes visits to several local galleries and the harborfront. We will also have a private, curator-led tour of Space Gallery, one of St. Barths’ premier contemporary art spaces, for a conversation about the island’s role in the global art world. The afternoon is at leisure for independent pursuits, from exploring boutiques to relaxing at a seaside café.
Overnight:Sea Cloud II
Meals: B, L, D
Our voyage concludes as we disembark in Phillipsburg, Sint Maarten, and transfer to the airport for flights home.
Meals: B
Pricing
More information on the cabin categories can be found on the ship webpage here.
Cabin Category
Double Occupancy
Single Occupancy
Category 1, Cabins (204-206)
$7,999 per person
$9,999
Category 2, Superior Cabins (207-210)
$9,999 per person
$14,999
Category 3, Deluxe Cabins (211-217 & 224-231)
$11,999 per person
$17,999
Category 4, Deluxe Cabins (218-223)
$13,999 per person
Inquire
Category 5, Deluxe Cabins (301-302)
$14,999 per person
Inquire
Category 6, Junior Suites (303-319)
$17,999 per person
Inquire
Category 7, Owner's Suites (401-402)
$19,999 per person
Inquire
Seven nights cabin accommodations aboard Sea Cloud II ■ Meals as indicated on the itinerary (B=Breakfast, L=Lunch, R=Reception, D=Dinner). Bottled water, soft drinks, juices, and coffee/tea with all meals; thoughtfully selected wine and beer with onboard lunches and dinners; complimentary open bar aboard Sea Cloud II throughout the cruise (including all standard spirits) ■ Enrichment program of lectures and talks ■ Escorted sightseeing, transportation, and entrance fees for all included visits ■ Airport/pier/airport group transfers for all participants on suggested flights ■ Taxes, service, and porterage charges; gratuities to local guides and drivers; customary shipboard gratuities
International airfare; passport/visa fees; meals not specified; alcoholic beverages other than what is noted in inclusions; personal items and expenses; airport transfers other than for those on suggested flights; excess baggage; trip insurance; optional Palermo prelude; any other items not specifically mentioned as included.
To reserve a space on this program, a $2,000 deposit is required per person. Final payment is due 120 days before departure (September 7, 2026) payable by cash, check, wire transfer, ACH, debit card, or American Express credit card. Participants will receive an invoice directly from the tour operator, Arrangements Abroad for all subsequent payments after the initial deposit.
Notification of cancellation must be received in writing by HAA from the participant. Cancellations received within 14 days of booking are eligible for a full refund, provided that initial deposits were made 121 days or more prior to departure. After 14 days, $1,000 per person becomes non-refundable.
The program terms and conditions can be found here and must be acknowledged upon registration.
Accommodations
Seven nights aboard Sea Cloud II
What to Expect
Activity Level 3
Busy pacing may include multiple hotel changes plus internal flights or long drives. May involve exposure to the outdoors, full days of touring, and walking up to two hours.
Busy pacing may include multiple hotel changes plus internal flights or long drives. May involve exposure to the outdoors, full days of touring, and walking up to two hours.