The humble beginnings of the City of Vancouver, in the settlement of Gastown on Burrard Inlet, rose out of the old growth forests and the sawdust of the old Hastings Mill. Its location between the Pacific Ocean and the snow-capped coastal mountains creates one of the most idyllic settings of any city in the world. As a world-class city it has the best of both worlds, intermingling urban sophistication with a sense of wilderness and outdoor adventure. Whether you are exploring Vancouver's diverse downtown core, strolling through the giant trees of Stanley Park or taking in the 20 miles (30 km) of uninterrupted waterfront trails along the seawall, you are bound to fall in love with Canada's third largest metropolitan center, which is consistently ranked as one of most livable cities on earth. In 1886, the Canadian Pacific Railway reached Vancouver, completing Canada’s 'National Dream' of a connection between east and west, and opening up new trade routes between Asia and Europe. The city was named for British captain and explorer George Vancouver.

Threading the island-studded Puget Sound by ship into Seattle is a scenic pleasure no matter what the weather. Picturesquely sited between the snow-capped Olympic Range to the west and the Cascades to the east, Washington State’s “Emerald City” is a handsome, prosperous city that welcomes visitors with abundant parks and green spaces, waterfront walks and a wealth of museums and cultural attractions. Seattle Center is a cluster of these including the iconic Space Needle, the Pacific Science Center, the blown glass sculptures of Dale Chihuly, a children’s museum and the one-of-a-kind Frank Gehry-designed EMP Museum of popular music and culture. The Pike Street Public Market is a must visit, to explore its multiple levels, a warren of shops and restaurants draped over the steep bluffs above the Sound.

Stunning structures in the Inner Harbor area such as the Parliament Buildings and the Empress Hotel indelibly impress visitors with Victoria’s English heritage. And indeed the city’s foundation by the Hudson’s Bay Company in 1843 set the imperial British tone that is reinforced today by stately homes and charming tearooms, the elaborately formal Butchart Gardens, colorful horse trolleys and red double decker busses. Yet the city also boasts a wealth of First Nations heritage and the second largest Chinatown anywhere. During the Gold Rush era, fully half the population was Chinese, and incredibly narrow Fan Tan Alley allows visitors to recapture that feeling. Thunderbird Park displays the iconic totem poles of the Coast Salish, and further cultural artifacts and natural history features are displayed in the impressive Royal BC Museum. A host of museums and galleries vie for attention, from general interest to specialized collections such as the BC Aviation Museum, the Maritime Museum or the center displaying some 160 works of Canada’s famous wildlife painter Robert Bateman. Culinary curiosity can be satisfied in the dim sum palaces of Chinatown, any number of sedate Edwardian tearooms, or even the august surroundings of the Legislative Dining Room in the Parliament Buildings. For those planning a day in Victoria, the challenge is the city’s embarrassment of attractive and interesting riches from which to choose.

Voted "Best Pacific Island" by readers of Conde Nast Traveler, the sights of Maui do not disappoint. Named for an ancient Hawaiian god, Maui is a tropical paradise graced with long stretches of white sand beaches, magnificent waterfalls and the mist-shrouded Iao Valley. Maui is also home to the 10,023-foot Mount Haleakala, the world's largest dormant volcano and a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. In 1790, after a fierce battle in Iao Valley, King Kamehameha took control of Maui and made Lahaina the new capital of the unified Hawaiian Kingdom. For nearly five decades, Lahaina served as the center of government for Hawaii. Today, the historic whaler's port of Lahaina offers excellent shopping venues, restaurants and entertainment, as well as one of the largest Indian Banyan trees in the world.

“The Big Island” offers plenty of popular attractions from Punalu’u Black Sand Beach at sea level to the observatory on the peak of Mauna Kea at almost 14,000 feet! Downtown Hilo makes the most of its history with nostalgic shops like Hilo Hattie’s, famous for its vivid floral shirts, or the Mauna Loa Macadamia Nut factory. Other choices include the 80-foot Rainbow Falls at Wailuku River Park, serene Liliuokalani Japanese Gardens or a trip to the active Kilauea caldera in Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park, where sea-run lava flows are busy making new beach-front real estate for Hawai’i.

Home to the state capitol and the majority of Hawaii's population, the island of Oahu is a vibrant mix of natural, cultural and historic wonders. In Honolulu, an array of cultures blends harmoniously, allowing each to retain its distinct flavor. The downtown sector combines Hawaii's royal history with the modern-day action of a major metropolitan center. Waikiki Beach, with its impressive hotels and glittering atmosphere, is a famous tourist hub and resort destination of international renown. Honolulu is also the location of Diamond Head, Oahu's famous volcanic landmark, and Pearl Harbor, the largest natural harbor in Hawaii and the only naval base in the United States to be designated a National Historical Landmark.

The Garden Isle is a relaxed reminder of old-time Hawai’i. Villages like Hanapepe invite you to get your toes in the sand at one of the island’s many beaches, or step up to a roadside truck or stand for a refreshing, neon-tinted “shave ice.” Natural splendors abound on Kauai, including sprawling Waimea Canyon, the “Grand Canyon of the Pacific,” the dramatic fluted cliffs of the NaPali Coast or the Kilauea Point Lighthouse, standing proud on the northernmost point in the Hawai’ian Islands.

Lanai is the sixth largest of the Hawaiian Islands, and has a small population of about 5,000 permanent residents. Sometimes called “the pineapple island” because, for most of the 20th century, virtually the whole island was one huge pineapple farm operated by the Dole company. Since 2012, 97% of Lanai’s land is owned by Larry Ellison, co-founder of the Microsoft corporation. He has invested substantial funds into restoration and infrastructure improvement, and has stated that he intends to make the island the first economically viable, 100% green community. He also owns the two Four Seasons luxury resorts on the island. Manele Bay is divided into two parts, known and White Manele and Black Manele. White Manele, or Hulupo’e Bay, is the location of the star attraction, a wide beach of golden sand. It attracts swimmers and snorkelers and is famous for frequent visits by spinner dolphins and humpback whales. Offshore, the bay supports rich and varied marine life, and is an ideal snorkeling site. One notable feature is Puu Pehe, or Sweetheart Rock, looming 80 feet above the sea about 150 feet offshore. The “Black Manele” section is lined by tall sea cliffs called Pali Lei noHauni, offering panoramic views from their tops. Elsewhere on the island, Kaunolu Village is a National Historic Site noted for its ancient Hawaiian ruins and petroglyphs.

The island of Hawaii, called the Big Island, is the largest, youngest and most changeable of the Hawaiian Islands. It was the last in the chain to be formed and is still creating and re-creating itself. Lava flowing to the ocean in a sustained, years-long eruption of Kilauea, the world's most continuously active volcano, has added 300 new acres of topography, while it has demolished some of the island's most treasured landmarks, including a 200 year old black sand beach. It was on this island that the Polynesian voyagers are believed to have first set foot in Hawaii about 500-750 CE, and it was here that Kamehameha the Great was born and died, and Captain James Cook was killed.

The International Date Line is an imaginary line of navigation on the surface of the earth running between the North Pole and the South Pole to demarcate a change from one calendar day to another. It passes across the middle of the Pacific Ocean approximately along the 180th degree of longitude, but deviating at various points to include overlapping areas governed by some island groups and territories to maintain internal uniformity. It is located halfway around the globe from the Prime (Greenwich) Meridian at 0 degrees longitude. Traveling from east to west, the local time gains one hour (clock set back one hour) for each 15 degrees of longitude traveled. This would amount to 24 hours gained for one circumnavigation, unless the calendar date was changed one day forward upon crossing the halfway point. Likewise, when traveling west to east, the calendar date is changed one day backward when crossing the date line. Seabourn voyage itineraries are based upon days actually spent on board, and the dates are noted for convenience, including days lost or gained in crossing the International Date Line. Departure days and disembarkation days are always quoted in local time and date.

Tiny Fanning Island, lost in a vast ocean halfway between Hawaii and Tahiti, is rarely visited by anyone. Meet the friendly locals, enjoy a refreshing coconut milk drink while combing its pristine beaches, or dream away under a palm tree.

The International Date Line is an imaginary line of navigation on the surface of the earth running between the North Pole and the South Pole to demarcate a change from one calendar day to another. It passes across the middle of the Pacific Ocean approximately along the 180th degree of longitude, but deviating at various points to include overlapping areas governed by some island groups and territories to maintain internal uniformity. It is located halfway around the globe from the Prime (Greenwich) Meridian at 0 degrees longitude. Traveling from east to west, the local time gains one hour (clock set back one hour) for each 15 degrees of longitude traveled. This would amount to 24 hours gained for one circumnavigation, unless the calendar date was changed one day forward upon crossing the halfway point. Likewise, when traveling west to east, the calendar date is changed one day backward when crossing the date line. Seabourn voyage itineraries are based upon days actually spent on board, and the dates are noted for convenience, including days lost or gained in crossing the International Date Line. Departure days and disembarkation days are always quoted in local time and date.

One of the largest coral atolls on earth with a total circumference of 200 km, Rangiroa is a part of the island group called the Tuamotus. Its central lagoon is so large that is actually has its own horizon. Pearl cultivation is practiced here, yielding the prized black pearls, and surprisingly, it also supports a winemaking endeavor for the commercial market in Tahiti. The vines are planted on the small motus right alongside coconut palms.

Bora Bora, has long been noted for its stunning beauty. A tiny island, less than 20 miles in circumference, Bora Bora is dominated by the castle-like Mount Otemanu and Mount Pahia, two volcanic peaks with lush tropical slopes. A protective coral reef encloses Bora Bora, and the lagoon is dotted with colorful motus, or islets. Perfect white-sand beaches give way to brilliant turquoise and sapphire-colored waters, and locals in the small village of Viatape sell colorful fabrics, sculptures carved from native wood and precious black pearls.

Huahine Iti is the smaller of two islands that make up Huahine atoll, encircled by a fringing coral reef in the Society Islands. This is the tropical paradise you imagine when someone says “Tahiti.” It is unspoiled and pristine, drop-dead gorgeous and full of interesting things to explore. Aside from the shining white beaches, vivid green forests and candy-blue waters, the island’s Fa’Una Nui area is festooned with archaeological ruins of maraes and ancient stone fish traps. There is a small museum displaying artifacts found amid the ruins. The main tourist attraction on Huahine is a bridge over a stream where sacred, yard-long eels bask in the clear running water, waiting for you to feed them. If you aren’t an eel-type person, maybe visit a vanilla-orchid farm, or find a shop and feast your eyes on brilliantly colored pareus or dusky South Pacific pearls.

The islands of French Polynesia are acclaimed as the most beautiful in the South Pacific. Tahiti is the largest of the Polynesian islands and home to the capital city of Papeete, a delightful blend of cultures. Papeete, meaning the "water basket," was once a gathering place where Tahitians came to fill their calabashes with fresh water. Today, it is the gateway to the country, and boasts romantic resorts, fine dining, vibrant markets, pearl shops, and boutiques. Tahiti's mountainous interior is adorned with deep valleys and scenic waterfalls, while the rugged coastal lands are home to fields of tropical flowers, and glorious white and black sand beaches.