Oceania Sonata: 16-Night Panama Canal

Miami cruise port, officially called PortMiami, is the busiest cruise port in the world by passenger volume. Millions of people pass through here every year, and nearly every major cruise line uses it as a home port.

Grand Cayman is the largest of the three Cayman Islands, a British Overseas Territory in the western Caribbean known for Seven Mile Beach, exceptional diving, and its role as a major offshore financial center. George Town serves as the cruise port, but there's no pier large enough for cruise ships.

Cartagena de Indias is a Caribbean port city of about 1 million people on Colombia's northern coast, and one of the best-preserved colonial cities in the Americas. The walled old city (Ciudad Amurallada) is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, built by the Spanish starting in the 16th century to protect the gold and silver being shipped back to Europe.

Ensenada sits on the Pacific coast of Baja California, 80 miles south of the US-Mexico border. It's the closest foreign port to Southern California, which makes it the default quick-cruise stop for ships departing Los Angeles, Long Beach, and San Diego on 3-5 night itineraries.