27-Night Panama Canal from Honolulu

Honolulu is the capital of Hawaii and the primary cruise hub for the Hawaiian Islands, serving as both the embarkation point for inter-island Hawaii cruises and a port of call on transpacific and repositioning itineraries. Ships dock at Honolulu Harbor's Aloha Tower or Pier 2, both within the downtown waterfront area and a short distance from Waikiki.

A tender port on the Big Island's sunny Kona Coast, ships anchor in Kailua Bay with views of Hualalai volcano. Popular excursions include snorkeling at Kealakekua Bay, visiting a Kona coffee farm, and exploring Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.

Los Angeles cruise port is in San Pedro, a harbor neighborhood at the southern tip of the city, about 25 miles from downtown LA and 18 miles from LAX. The port is called the World Cruise Center, and it's the main departure point for Mexican Riviera, Hawaii, and Pacific Coast itineraries.

Stretched along Banderas Bay with the Sierra Madre mountains rising directly behind the shoreline, Puerto Vallarta draws about 290,000 residents year-round and far more during the winter cruise season. The city has managed to grow as a tourist destination while keeping its Mexican identity intact, particularly in the Zona Romantica and the malecon (boardwalk) areas where local life and tourism coexist on the same streets.

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.