Los Angeles is a huge metropolis with Hispanic roots and Hollywood glam. San Pedro serves as the port of Los Angeles and the gateway to the numerous neighborhoods and districts of “L.A.” waiting to be explored. You can find restaurants, shopping and museums — all of world-class caliber. Plus, parks, hiking trails and walking tours, too. And beaches? There’s a whole coastline of choices — from Redondo and Santa Monica to the shores of Malibu.

The “Big Island” of Hawaii is the youngest and largest of the Hawaiian Islands, and the most varied in landscape—with striking black sand beaches and green sand beaches, tropical rain forests, ancient Hawaii heiau ruins, alpine terrain, and surreal lava rock landscapes. Hilo, the eastern side’s port city is where the seat of the Big Island’s government resides and it is a launching point for the myriad of Big Island attractions.

Home to nearly half a million people, Honolulu is Hawaii’s state capital and only major city. The city of Honolulu and the island of Oahu offer a wealth of historic, cultural and scenic attractions. Beyond the city lie tropical rain forests, the lush Pali Lookout and the North Shore known for its excellent surfing beaches.

Pago Pago Bay (pronounced “Pango Pango”) is one of the most dramatic harbors in the South Pacific, a region not unknown for dramatic landscapes. Eons ago, the massive seaward wall of a volcano collapsed and the sea poured in. Today, dramatic mountain peaks encircle the deep harbor. The capital of American Samoa, Pago Pago is more village than city. The town is dominated by looming Mt. Pioa, whose summit draws moisture-bearing clouds, earning it the nickname of The Rainmaker. Indeed, Pago Pago draws more than its fair share of rain; the island of Tutuila is a vision of deep, verdant green. Explore the ancient volcanoes and thriving coral atolls or get a taste of village life with a tour of the town.

The International Date Line is an imaginary line extending from the North Pole to the South Pole through the Pacific Ocean. It serves as the 180th meridian of longitude, and is used to designate the beginning of each calendar day. As you know, each adjacent time zone on the map has an hour time difference. However, at the International Date Line, +12 hours and -12 hours meet, bringing about a 24-hour time change. So while a person standing just to the west of the line may be celebrating Christmas Eve at 6 pm, someone just to the east will already be sitting down to Christmas dinner on December 25th. Therefore, when your ship crosses this line heading west, a day is added, and while crossing in an easterly direction, a day is subtracted. Crossing the International Date Line has long been a rite of passage for sailors, who often must participate in a line-crossing ceremony to become part of the sacred “Order of the Golden Dragon”, an honorary naval fraternity.

Apia is the charming capital city of Samoa. It is one of those increasingly rare, unspoiled Polynesian treasures. Here, friendly smiles welcome visitors to vibrant markets selling fresh local produce and traditional handicrafts.

The Fiji archipelago is at the crossroads of the South Pacific, with 333 islands for an exciting adventure or peaceful repose. The northwest region, where the sun shines almost every day and a tropical shower ends as quickly as it began, is home to the majority of the resorts. Built around a reef protected natural harbor, Suva, with its colonial buildings nestled alongside modern commercial venues, parks and a residential sprawl, is the home of nearly half of Fiji’s urban population. The people of Fiji are the most multi-racial and multi-cultural of all South Pacific island countries — this being reflected in churches of all denominations, mosques, temples and shrines. It is an exotic and fascinating culture filled with legends and rituals. Witness firewalkers, Kava Ceremonies, tribal drumming, dance and song.

Pretty Port Denarau is the hub for day tours to the Mamanuca and Yasawa island groups.

The International Date Line is an imaginary line extending from the North Pole to the South Pole through the Pacific Ocean. It serves as the 180th meridian of longitude, and is used to designate the beginning of each calendar day. As you know, each adjacent time zone on the map has an hour time difference. However, at the International Date Line, +12 hours and -12 hours meet, bringing about a 24-hour time change. So while a person standing just to the west of the line may be celebrating Christmas Eve at 6 pm, someone just to the east will already be sitting down to Christmas dinner on December 25th. Therefore, when your ship crosses this line heading west, a day is added, and while crossing in an easterly direction, a day is subtracted. Crossing the International Date Line has long been a rite of passage for sailors, who often must participate in a line-crossing ceremony to become part of the sacred “Order of the Golden Dragon”, an honorary naval fraternity.

Tahiti is not just an island – Tahiti has always been a state of mind. The bustling capital of Tahiti and her islands, Papeete is the chief port and trading center, as well as a provocative temptress luring people to her shores. Immortalized in the novel “Mutiny on the Bounty,” who could blame the men of “HMS Bounty” for abandoning their ship in favor of basking in paradise? And what would Modern Art be without Tahiti’s influence on Gauguin and Matisse? Today the island is a charming blend of Polynesian “joie de vivre” and Gallic sophistication. But venture out from Papeete and you find a landscape of rugged mountains, lush rainforests, cascading waterfalls and deserted beaches. Contrasting with other French Polynesian ports, Papeete’s coastline initially greets you with a vista of commercial activity that graciously gives way to both black and white-sand beaches, villages, resorts and historic landmarks.

Tahiti is not just an island – Tahiti has always been a state of mind. The bustling capital of Tahiti and her islands, Papeete is the chief port and trading center, as well as a provocative temptress luring people to her shores. Immortalized in the novel “Mutiny on the Bounty,” who could blame the men of “HMS Bounty” for abandoning their ship in favor of basking in paradise? And what would Modern Art be without Tahiti’s influence on Gauguin and Matisse? Today the island is a charming blend of Polynesian “joie de vivre” and Gallic sophistication. But venture out from Papeete and you find a landscape of rugged mountains, lush rainforests, cascading waterfalls and deserted beaches. Contrasting with other French Polynesian ports, Papeete’s coastline initially greets you with a vista of commercial activity that graciously gives way to both black and white-sand beaches, villages, resorts and historic landmarks.

French Polynesia is made up of some 130 islands, of which Tahiti is the best known. Just 12 miles across the lagoon from Tahiti lies Moorea. To discover the Polynesia of Melville, Gauguin and Michener, you must visit Moorea. This former haunt of Tahitian royalty is a place where you will still see fishermen paddling outrigger canoes, pareo-clad women strolling along the roads and children fishing from island bridges. It is an island of steep vertiginous mountains where most of its 14,000 people live along the narrow coastal shelf, with a backdrop of lush green mountains rushing upwards to fill the sky

Los Angeles is a huge metropolis with Hispanic roots and Hollywood glam. San Pedro serves as the port of Los Angeles and the gateway to the numerous neighborhoods and districts of “L.A.” waiting to be explored. You can find restaurants, shopping and museums — all of world-class caliber. Plus, parks, hiking trails and walking tours, too. And beaches? There’s a whole coastline of choices — from Redondo and Santa Monica to the shores of Malibu.