Viking Vesta: 17-Night Panama Canal & The Pacific Coast

Fort Lauderdale cruise port, officially Port Everglades, is one of the busiest cruise ports in the world and the closest major competitor to PortMiami, just 25 miles to the south. It sits on the southeastern coast of Florida across the cities of Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood, and Dania Beach.

Cozumel cruise port is one of the busiest in the Caribbean, with multiple ships docking on the island every day during peak season. Cozumel is a flat, laid-back island off the eastern coast of Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula, and it's been a cruise staple for decades.

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.

Colon sits at the Atlantic (Caribbean) entrance to the Panama Canal, serving as the port of call for ships that transit the canal or stop before or after the crossing. The Colon 2000 cruise terminal and the nearby Cristobal pier handle the cruise traffic, both located away from the city center in secure port compounds.

Cabo San Lucas sits at the very tip of Mexico's Baja California Peninsula, where the Pacific Ocean meets the Sea of Cortez. This is a tender port: ships anchor in Cabo San Lucas Bay and passengers ride small boats to the marina.

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.