Day 1 : Los Angeles

Sprawling between the mountains and the beaches, Los Angeles is quintessential California. Whether your taste runs to fashionable Beverly Hills, the mega-entertainment of the movie studios, or the sizzle of homestyle Mexican food on Olvera Street, the city of angels is worth exploring.

Day 2 : At Sea

Day 3 : Cabo San Lucas/MEXICO

Sail past Los Arcos, the soaring rock archway at the extreme southern tip of Baja California that guards Cabo's perfect harbor. This idyllic bay once sheltered treasure ships from the Orient, and pirate brigs bent on those treasures. Now Cabo caters to an international vacation set, and has a strong artistic tradition famous for its black-coral jewelry.

Day 4 : At Sea

Day 5 : At Sea

Day 6 : Huatulco/MEXICO

Day 7 : At Sea

Day 8 : Puntarenas/COSTA RICA

Day 9 : At Sea

Day 10 : Panama Canal/CRUISING

Spend an unforgettable day cruising the Panama Canal, a fifty-one-mile waterway through the rainforest that is one of the world's engineering masterpieces. The ship glides down the canal with inches to spare, through locks that raise and lower it like a toy. Along the way it crosses enormous Gatun Lake, and the amazing Gaillard Cut, blasted out of a solid mountainside.

Day 11 : Cartagena/COLOMBIA

Charming Cartagena is one of the most fascinating towns in South America. The old city, almost completely surrounded by lagoons, bays and the Caribbean Sea, is still girded by its 17th-century fortifications. Once these guarded the gold and treasures of the New World, bound for Spain; now they shelter ornate churches and convents, the dramatic Palace of the Inquisition, and other historic gems.

Day 12 : At Sea

Day 13 : At Sea

Day 14 : At Sea

Day 15 : New Orleans

Unique in all the world, the lacy Creole look and carefree bon temps atmosphere of the Big Easy set it apart. Walk the balconied streets of the French Quarter to Audubon Park, sip chicory coffee and bite into a snowy beignet at Cafe du Monde, or recapture the antebellum gentility of Creole mansions and plantation homes in the surrounding parishes.