16 Night Cruise sailing from Valparaiso to Los Angeles aboard Star Princess.

Venture high in the Andes to see the awe-inspiring Incan city of Machu Picchu. Explore the Costa Rican rainforest, hike a Nicaraguan volcano, then get a taste of Mexico in Acapulco and Cabo San Lucas.

Santiago (Valparaiso), Chile
A bay bordered by steep hills, stately old Victorian homes, cable cars - no, it's not San Francisco, California. Welcome to Valparaiso. Founded in 1536, and named after the birthplace of conquistador Diego de Almagro, Valparaiso is Chile's oldest city. It is also the gateway to Chile's central valley and the capital of Santiago. With a population of over 5 million people, Santiago sprawls at the feet of the snow-capped Andes. The Maipo Valley, Chile's internationally renowned wine district is a short drive to the south.

Lima (Callao), Peru
In 1535, Francisco Pizarro labeled the open plains where Lima now stands as inhospitable. Despite the verdict of the great conquistador, Lima became the center of imperial Spanish power, a "City of Kings" where 40 viceroys would rule as the direct representatives of the King of Spain. With independence in 1821, Lima became Peru's capital. Near Lima, one of the world's most desolate deserts is home to the famed drawings of Nazca. These drawings inspired Erik von Daniken's best-selling book "Chariots of the Gods." With mysteries seeming to be part of Peru's history, perhaps these "drawings" are in fact "the largest astronomy book in the world."

Puntarenas, Costa Rica
To Spanish explorers, the rumors of gold and vast riches could only mean that this section of Central America was the costa rica - the "rich coast."

Hailed as the Switzerland of the Americas, Costa Rica occupies a unique position, lying between two oceans and two continents. On both coasts, tropical rainforests rise to the mountains of the interior, many of which soar over 13,000 feet above sea level. In the west, a seemingly endless succession of white-sand beaches forms the nation's Pacific coast. Puntarenas is your gateway to Costa Rica's wonders--and to its capital city of San Jose.

Acapulco, Mexico
Mexico's first great seaside resort boasts rugged headlands, an azure bay, and miles and miles of white sand beaches. Acapulco offers a lively scene, with activities ranging from a host of watersports to romantic carriage rides, mariachi bands, and colorful handicraft markets. No visit to Acapulco would be complete without a visit to the cliffs of La Quebrada, where world-famous cliff divers perform acrobatic feats as they plunge 130 feet into the blue Pacific.

Los Angeles, California
The City of Angels always hovers between dream and reality. Once a near-forgotten colonial outpost, the pueblo metamorphosed into an agrarian paradise before reinventing itself as a movie colony. Perhaps no other city owes so much to the technological innovations of the 20th century, from the automobile to the airplane. Little wonder that LA is oft described as the "dream machine." In LA, reinvention is a way of life. Yet this talent for change has created a city with a rich ethnic diversity and a sizzling culture. LA is the source for trends that migrate across the country and then the world. Where else can you enjoy a Thai taco or munch on a kosher burrito? Or travel from downtown's high rises to the beaches of Malibu, shopping in Beverly Hills along the way?