Eurodam: 21-Night Panama Canal

Seattle cruise port is the primary departure point for Alaska cruises out of the United States, with ships running the Inside Passage route from late April through early October. The city has two cruise terminals about three miles apart on the downtown waterfront.

Vancouver cruise port is the main gateway to Alaska, and nearly every Alaska cruise that runs the full Inside Passage route starts or ends here. The terminal is at Canada Place, a distinctive sail-shaped building right on the downtown waterfront.

San Diego is a major cruise port on the Southern California coast, about 120 miles south of Los Angeles and directly on the Mexican border. The B Street Cruise Ship Terminal and adjacent Broadway Pier sit in downtown San Diego along the Embarcadero waterfront, within walking distance of the Gaslamp Quarter, Seaport Village, and the USS Midway Museum.

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.

Known as 'One Happy Island,' Aruba docks ships at the port in Oranjestad, just steps from the colorful Dutch colonial architecture and Royal Plaza Mall. Eagle Beach and Palm Beach offer powdery white sand, and the island sits outside the hurricane belt.