Mexico, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia Cruise on Brilliance of the Seas from Los Angeles

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.

Huatulco (Mexico)

Surrounded by the Sierra Madre Mountains, Huatulco is billed as " Mexico's best kept secret". Virtually untouched, Huatulco's main attraction are its nine bays and thirty-six beaches, many of which are pristine, undeveloped and accessible only by boat. Travellers can explore and shop in the small communities of the Huatulco area, such as La Crucecita, Santa Cruz or old Santa Maria Huatulco. uxury resorts also provide a wide range of resteraunts and nightlife.

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.

New Orleans

New Orleans, with its richly mottled old buildings, its sly, sophisticated air, and its Hispanic-Gallic traditions, has more the flavor of an old European capital than an American city. In New Orleans youll find the roots of jazz and a blossoming culture unlike anything else in the United States, and a rich atmosphere with a mix of French sophistication, Creole, African-American, Caribbean, Irish, Haitian, German, and Vietnamese, all creating an energy that can be described as something greater than the sum of its parts.