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First of all sailing round the Caribbean can be done by day sails from protected anchorage to protected anchorage with only a very few 36/48 hour sails required and if you are patient and pick your weather window you can virtually guarantee good conditons. You will never be far from water diesel food and in most places a search and rescue service.
Sailing round the South Pacific then down to NZ or OZ is a very different matter. Several long pasages and although FedEx services the world, spares will be harder to find. Things like water capacity and food storage will be important as well as anti chafe measures. Yes people have done the coconut run in bog standard Beneteaus but I would want a a serious blue water boat with the capability to deal with some serious weather and sustained 50 knot winds.
I do not know much about BC down to the Panama Canal but my understanding is there are some stretches where access to shelter may be limited by difficult entrances.
I am not sure that your price range is too low. Sure a brand new Morris 38 Ocean will need little doing to it. IMHO you are more likely to be successful in a small simple boat that you can handle and fix yourself and one on which you have ALREADY BEEN THROUGH ALL THE SYSTEMS. Sure an Amel 54 with its electric furlers will take less effort to sail than a 30 footer with manual everything but you are 27 and should have the strength to sail a manual boat.
A successful long term cruiser put it succinctly " Go small, go simple, go now!"
Oh yes a partner in crime would be a good thing!
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