Alaska Cruise on Queen Elizabeth from Seattle (USA)

Seattle (USA)

Seattle is a major coastal seaport city and the seat of King County, in the U.S. state of Washington. A major gateway for trade with Asia, Seattle is the 8th largest port in the United States and 9th largest in North America in terms of container handling. Seattle has a noteworthy musical history. From 1918 to 1951, there were nearly two dozen jazz nightclubs along Jackson Street from the current Chinatown/International District to the Central District. The jazz scene developed the early careers of Ray Charles, Quincy Jones, Ernestine Anderson and others. Seattle is also the birthplace of rock legend Jimi Hendrix and the rock music style. Places to visit: the Henry Art Gallery , the first public art museum in Washington. The Seattle Art Museum , the Frye Art Museum is a free museum on First Hill. Regional history collections are at the Loghouse Museum in Alki, Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park, the Museum of History and Industry and the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture. Industry collections are at the Center for Wooden Boats and the adjacent Northwest Seaport, the Seattle Metropolitan Police Museum, and the Museum of Flight. Regional ethnic collections include the Nordic Heritage Museum, the Wing Luke Asian Museum and the Northwest African American Museum. Seattle has artist-run galleries, including 10-year veteran Soil Art Gallery,and the newer Crawl Space Gallery.Other significant events include numerous art and entretainment, music, religious and ethnic festivals. Since the middle 1990s, Seattle has experienced significant growth in the cruise industry, especially as a departure point for Alaska cruises.

Ketchican (Alaska)

Ketchikan is a scenic town of approximately 14,000 people. Ketchikan´s economy is based upon tourism and fishing, and the city is known as the "Salmon Capital of the World". A stay in Ketchikan itself can be rewarding, however, as the city is the gateway to Misty Fjords National Monument, an area so beautiful, it is known as "The Yosemite of the North." With steep valleys formed by glaciers and lava flows left by volcanic activity, Misty Fjords offers gorgeous views of natural formations, all reflected in the calm waters of Pacific inlets. The Ketchikan Visitors Bureau, located near the cruise ship berth 2, publishes a comprehensive area guide that provides maps, contact information for tour operators and local attractions, sample itineraries and community information. Explore the surrounding area: set on the hillsides above the waterfront on a heavily forested, mostly wilderness island, the town of Ketchikan is worth visiting on its own merits.

Tracy Arm Fjord (Alaska)

Tracy Arm, a fjord not too far from Juneau, was completely packed with ice a little more than 200 years ago. It is named after a Civil War general named Benjamin Franklin Tracy and it has all: tidewater and elevated glaciers, breathtaking mountains and sheer rock walls that reach up over a mile high with waterfalls that tumble down to the emerald green water, and Alaska´s largest icebergs.  Watch for whales, bears, mountain goats, hundreds of harbour seals, and a variety of birds such as eagles, arctic terns, kittiwakes, and pigeon guillemots. The twin Sawyer Glaciers, North Sawyer and South Sawyer, are located at the end of Tracy Arm.

Juneau (Alaska)

Juneau is Alaska´s capital, however you can´t get there by road, only by air or by sea. Juneau is a main port for the Alaska Marine Highway, Alaska´s ferry system. Downtown Juneau is compact and highly walkable, The most popular activities in Juneau for visitors are flight seeing, charter fishing, visiting the Mendendhall Glacier, hiking and shopping. Look for local shop with a sign on the window that says "This store is owned by an Alaskan family", that sell awesome pins, beads, carving arts, all done by local artists or customizable gifts for travelers who don´t want a boring, touristy-looking T-shirt. Highlights in Juneau include Mount Roberts Tramway, the Red Dog Saloon, the Alaska State Museum, the Gastineau Salmon Hatchery, the Governor´s Mansion, the Alaska Gastineau Mill, and the Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center.

Sitka, Alaska

Sitka is thought to be the most beautiful of southeast Alaska cities. Nestled on the west side of Baranof Island, it is flanked on the east by majestic snow-capped mountains, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean. Their most valuable natural resource is, without a doubt, the people of Sitka, who share a pride in their home and a love of life in all its small-town splendor. The natural splendor of Sitka along with its diverse history and cultural heritage make Sitka a wonderful place to visit and explore. With views of island-studded waters and stately spruce forests reaching to the water´s edge, Sitka is considered Alaska´s most beautiful seaside town.  Sitka has the distinctive character of a place that has been settled for thousands of years.  These ancient lands, home to the Tlingit Indians, celebrated their life and culture long before Russians or Americans walked on the rocky shores and today Tlingit living culture is deeply rooted in this small seaside city.

Victoria (British Columbia)

The capital of the British Columbia, Victoria, has many historical buildings and some of the most fascinating museums on the west of Canada.The city has the mildest climate in the country, that allows the residents look outdoor pleasures during all the year.

Seattle (USA)

Seattle is a major coastal seaport city and the seat of King County, in the U.S. state of Washington. A major gateway for trade with Asia, Seattle is the 8th largest port in the United States and 9th largest in North America in terms of container handling. Seattle has a noteworthy musical history. From 1918 to 1951, there were nearly two dozen jazz nightclubs along Jackson Street from the current Chinatown/International District to the Central District. The jazz scene developed the early careers of Ray Charles, Quincy Jones, Ernestine Anderson and others. Seattle is also the birthplace of rock legend Jimi Hendrix and the rock music style. Places to visit: the Henry Art Gallery , the first public art museum in Washington. The Seattle Art Museum , the Frye Art Museum is a free museum on First Hill. Regional history collections are at the Loghouse Museum in Alki, Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park, the Museum of History and Industry and the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture. Industry collections are at the Center for Wooden Boats and the adjacent Northwest Seaport, the Seattle Metropolitan Police Museum, and the Museum of Flight. Regional ethnic collections include the Nordic Heritage Museum, the Wing Luke Asian Museum and the Northwest African American Museum. Seattle has artist-run galleries, including 10-year veteran Soil Art Gallery,and the newer Crawl Space Gallery.Other significant events include numerous art and entretainment, music, religious and ethnic festivals. Since the middle 1990s, Seattle has experienced significant growth in the cruise industry, especially as a departure point for Alaska cruises.

San Francisco

San Francisco is a major and bustling cosmopolitan city in California, surrounded by water on three sides, and the centerpiece of the Bay Area, well-known for its liberal community, hilly terrain, Victorian architecture, scenic beauty, summer fog, and great ethnic and cultural diversity. There is much to see: the San Francisco Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz island (once the most notorious prison in the world), Pier 39 on Fisherman´s Wharf, a lively bay area with shops, arcades, restaurants, cafés, fairground rides, ocean views and its own colony of sea lions, Lombard Street and the famous San Francisco cable cars, that run up and down the hills of San Francisco between Market Street and Fisherman´s Wharf, providing cheap and easy access to the whole of San Francisco. The Port is located in downtown San Francisco and offers many tourist attractions, including Hyde Street Pier, Fisherman´s Wharf, PIER 39 and access to Alcatraz.

Los Angeles

Los Angeles is the largest city in California and the second-largest urban area in the nation. It is located in the southern part of the state on the Pacific Ocean. It is a favorite vacation destination and attracts millions of tourists to the area each year from all over the world. Apart from the movie studios, points of interest include the J. Paul Getty Museum, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the La Brea Tar Pits (famous for Ice Age fossils), Disneyland (Anaheim), and the Santa Anita and Hollywood racetracks. Today, Hollywood is a part of Los Angeles.

Cabo San Lucas (Mexico)

Cabo San Lucas is a modern city with natural tourist attractions and interesting nightlife. It is located in the southern tip of the peninsula of Baja California Sur and bathed by the waters of the Pacific Ocean. the climate is warm. On the coast strong currents cause the erosion of rocks form rocky arches and cliffs that are the principal touristic attraction. From those formations stands out The Arch and Finistere, where the Pacific finds the warm waters of the Sea of Cortez. The region has a shelter for several species of marine life near a deep canyon that opens off the coast. You can also find here a port dedicated to coastal fisheries. Industrial development because this activity was boosted by the establishment of a packing of seafood. San Lucas has become in the favourite touristic spot due to it's extensive beaches and it's beautiful coastline. Fishermen recognize it as an exceptional place because the capture unique specimens can be captured. From the golf courses near the sea, at the same time as you can practice that sport, you will se the migration of the whales that on their journey pass very near the coast. The visitor will also have the possibility of staying in first class hotels, of visiting the elegant shops and various restaurants and night clubs like the famous Hard Rock Cafe and Planet Hollywood.

Puntarenas (Costa Rica)

Puntarenas (Pointsands, from "punta arenas", or "sand point" in Spanish) is the capital and largest city in the province Puntarenas, Costa Rica, at the Pacific coast. The eponymous and oddly shaped province has its largest section in the South, far from the capital. Some 100,000 live in the city and close towns. With beaches on the Pacific Ocean, it also attracts many tourists, especially surfers. It is also a possible stopover point for the tourist destination Monteverde, to the northwest. Its port, Caldera, is one of the main ports in the country. Also, regularly scheduled ferries carry vehicles from Puntarenas to the Nicoya Peninsula.

Panama Canal

The interest of establishing a short route from the Atlantic to the Pacific seas started with the explorers of central america at the beginning od the XVI century. The conqueror of Mexico, Hernan Cortes, suggested the construction of a canal through the isthmus of Tehuantepec. During the years they made a few attempts and projects, but all were neglected or forgotten. Fernando de Lesseps, constructor of the Suez Canal started building it but for economical and political reasons the project failed. Finally the United States took over the company in charge. The construction of the Panama Canal was one of the biggest engineering projects of all times. It was calculated that it would be completed in ten years; although in the summer of 1914 before provisions, it started to work. The construction involved not only the excavation of approximately 143 million m3 of earth, but also the entire sanitation of the canal zone (that was infested of mosquitos that spreaded malaria and yellow fever). The sanitation was done by the medical department of the United States Army, which nearly completely eradicated the diseases. The final cost of the canal was 336 million dolars. Panama has the control of the canal and complete sovereignty of the calle Canal Zone, since the 31st of december 1999.

Cartagena de Indias (Colombia)

Cartagena or cartagena de Indias is a city surrounded by the Caribbean sea. The port has one of the strongest forts in South America. An area system divides the city in three neighbourhoods: San Pedro with the Cathedral and many andalusian style palaces, San Diego where the merchants and the petite-bourgeoisie lived and Gethsemani, the most popular neighborhood. Cartagena offers the tourists ancient forts, palaces and churches. It is a walled town filled with exquisite Spanish 16th and 17th century architecture. You can visit beaches, excellent restaurants, practise snorkeling and scuba diving in the reefs, or enjoy the day doing great shopping.

Oranjestad (Aruba)

The flourishing capital of Aruba, dream of any shopper, although it is not a port free of taxes, they charge the minimum. The habits of Aruba have been influenced to a mayor grade than any of the other near islands, for those from south america, for as the life in America is distinctly latin.

Miami

Miami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county of Miami-Dade County. Miami is a major center and a leader in finance, commerce, culture, media, entertainment, the arts, and international trade. Miami is nicknamed the "Capital of Latin America", with a Spanish-speaking majority, and the largest city with a Cuban-American plurality. The Port of Miami, known as the "Cruise Capital of the World," has been the number one cruise passenger port in the world. It accommodates some of the world's largest cruise ships and operations, and is the busiest port in both passenger traffic and cruise lines. Going south you will find the Coral Gables, a select and elegant neighborhood with beautiful waterways, fountains and squares. It is recommended to take a guided tour that can pick the Old Town Trolley tours and you will have up to 90 minutes ride departing from Bayside. Miami Beach, between Biscayne Bay and the Atlantic are some of the most fascinating areas of the Great Miami. Here prevailing Art Deco buildings, the sophisticated atmosphere, and the best beaches...