Blount Small Ship Adventures has announced four new Caribbean cruises, bringing the total number of itineraries in that destination to six. The cruises depart between late December 2010 and early April 2011. Clients who book a 2011 Caribbean program by Aug. 15, 2010, receive a 10 percent discount.

The new itineraries aboard the Grande Mariner or Grande Caribe are the eight-day Journey Through Central America cruise, the nine-day Gems of the Virgin Islands sailing, the 10-day Caribbean Spectacular: St. Maarten to Antigua itinerary, and the 12-day Bahama Beachlovers: Caicos to Nassau voyage. The line’s existing Caribbean cruises are the 12-day Best of Belize and The Barrier Reef itinerary and the 12 –day Cultures & Cays: Belize and Roatan voyage.

In the Western Caribbean, Blount’s Belize, Roatan and Guatemala itineraries include an onboard naturalist who accompanies travelers on their exploration of the reefs, lagoons and caves. Discussions about the marine wildlife, guided kayaking and snorkeling, and nature hikes are included. In Guatemala, Blount cruises the gorges of The Rio Dulce, tours the 400-year old Castillo San Felipe and offers optional visits to the Mayan Ruins.

In the Eastern Caribbean, the nine-day Virgin Islands program visits St. Thomas, St. John and Tortola, as well as places like Norman’s Island, believed to be the inspiration for Robert Louis Stevenson’s novel “Treasure Island.” The 10-day St. Maarten and Antigua cruise features the French and Dutch sides of the island and visits St. Barth’s and St. Kitt’s. In Deep Bay, passengers can snorkel to the wreck of The Andes, a barque from Trinidad that sank nearly 100 years ago. And on the Caicos-to-Nassau program, passengers visit beaches from Mayaguana to Plana Cays, which some say was the first landfall of Christopher Columbus in the New World. For more information, call 800-556-7450 or visit www.blountsmallshipadventures.com.