Panama Canal, Central America cruise ports

Belize City is the country's chief seaport, so snorkeling and diving is big here...bring a suit! Travel to a city previously inhabited by the Mayan people at Altun Ha, ancient temple of the Sun God. Or visit the Belize Zoo or Baboon Sanctuary. Gales Point is a great place to view manatees!

Once the port where the wealth of the New World flowed back to the Old, Cartagena also served as a notorious base for privateers and pirates. Today, you can stroll the tree-lined Spanish colonial artistry of old in the streets and see the works of the Gold Museum. The port is also a great place to find bargains on emeralds.

The second-largest city in Costa Rica, Puerto Limon will leave you with a lifetime of memories. Soak in the distinct Caribbean flavor of the city's world-famous Carnivale de Limon. See the wonder of the sea turtle nesting grounds in Tortugero. Delight in the dolphins at Manzanillo National Park. Or, if ultimate relaxation is your goal, sprawl luxuriously on any of the area's lavish sand beaches.

Colon is one of Latin America's busiest commercial centers. Since 1953, it has had a free trade zone, where merchants can import and export goods without paying duties. The main streets of Colon are often crowded with sailors, traders, and tourists. The city has many bars, nightclubs, and gambling establishments. Colon also has duty-free shops, which sell many products at low prices.

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.

Puntarenas is a paradise of sand beaches, pristine rainforests, and tranquil turquoise seas. Guests will find themselves in a watersport-lover's paradise, with fun-filled options ranging from water skiing to scuba diving readily available throughout the province. Puntarenas boasts mild weather and tropical sunshine, offering languid days to spend relaxing in the surf and sand.

The Panama Canal is the ultimate cruising draw of this corner of the world. <p>This legendary short-cut, linking the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, neatly avoids the 8,000-mile detour around the tip of South America at Cape Horn which adds an incredible 21 days on to journeys. <p>Little wonder then that since its opening in 1914, this famous canal has always been in such demand from cargo vessels as well as cruise ships, who have proudly proclaimed their ‘Panamax’ status signifying they can squeeze through this waterway’s narrowest points.

The festive strains of a marimba band are never far away in Puerto Quetzal, your gateway to Guatemala's authentic Amerindian culture. Enjoy an excursion to Antigua, the former colonial capital, celebrated for its European flavor and magnificent architecture.

San Juan del Sur is a tranquil fishing village nestled at the head of a horseshoe-shaped bay on the Pacific coast of southern Nicaragua. The lovely bay is peppered with small, private yachts and commercial fishing boats. The inhabitants of San Juan del Sur make their living fishing, diving, and catering to the visitors drawn to the bay's beautiful white-sand beaches, smooth waters, and ecological richness.