Come Sail a Way with us LIVE as the Westerdam meets the Sail a Way Gang

[kazu]

:) That's what I wanted to know. I don't have anything formal in black or white. I'm bringing mint green.

 

 

I wouldn't worry about it. It's not mandatory that you be in black or white. I saw a number who weren't

[Cruiser Andi]

It's in the high 80s today. Bugs really haven't been a problem so far but I am prepared if they do cause trouble.

 

 

 

No hot water in our cabin again this morning. They sent a steward to verify before they would order a fix. Trust me, when you leave a shower with your teeth chattering there is nothing that needs verification.

 

 

Thank you for the reply.

 

Maybe they are making everyone take cold showers since it's so hot out. It's just their way of keeping everyone cool.

 

All kidding aside, here's hoping they get it fixed soon. Very frustrating. And if it's happening to at least two of you in the "gang", how many others must be affected?

[PathfinderEss]

Hopefully Vict0rian will stop by and tell us more about the wine :)

 

I'll second that.:)

[kazu]

So, before we entered the Panama Canal, we had our first port after HMC which was Cartagena. We had just a short time in this port - from 7 to 1:00 pm so we wanted to try to make the best of it.

 

I arranged a private tour with Marelvy (pronounced mar (as in the sea) and Elvis (without the S) aka tourincartagena.

 

We met in the Pinnacle Bar at 7:00 am and were met by her assistant who escorted us to her van. The port area here is very pretty. They have a visitor's centre with swans, flamingos and various birds. It is a bit of a walk though for anyone who has mobility issues. Our guide told us not to use the shuttle but it might not be a bad idea to consider doing it and make arrangements if anyone in your group has issues.

 

Cartagena was a very important port for the Spanish. They brought all their booty to this port and it was shipped to Spain from here. It was key that they protect the port from pirates so the city was walled with spots for canons to stop attacks from sea.

 

The pirates figured out the only way to invade by land so, as a result, a massive fortress was built to protect Cartagena by land. It is the largest fortress in the Americas and while I haven't seen every fortress in Europe, it certainly is the biggest I have seen so far. You don't even realize how big it is

until you start driving. It is absolutely huge and majestic.

 

 

 

This is a view of part of the city from La Popa. I had no idea that Cartagena had so many high rise buildings. Not at all what I expected.

 

 

Marelvy said it was very unusual for two HAL ships to be in port, so of course, I just HAD to take a picture

 

 

There are 54,000 motorbikes in Cartagena. Way too many and many are used as public transport. So, those that are can only be used on alternate days and every other Friday no motorbikes are permitted. Thankfully the motorbikes are not allowed in the old part of the city.

 

The older part of the city is very beautiful, very Spanish style with the mosaics with the street names on the corners of the buildings. There are vendors galore wherever you go, but they are not pushy and a polite gracias no ends any discussion.

 

There were a lot of convents in Cartagena - many of them have now been turned into other buildings - including the 5 star Sofitel hotel!

 

to be continued..

[kazu]

CARTAGENA continued..

 

We explored a lovely church, the old city and saw the most interesting pieces of antiquity. The natives here were working with gold long ago. 400 B.C. I saw on some signs - and some older. They even did filligree work! They didn't value gold as we do and instead would trade it for other goods.

 

The aristocracy and chiefs wore it. The work is absolutely exquisite.

 

 

this church was simple but oh so beautiful

 

 

 

and what a lovely spot the history ishoused in. Along with the all important banos, it is just beautiful.

 

 

 

 

Like many Spanish countries that are Catholic, they have a procession from La Popa where the Virgin is brought down the hill and then returned to the Convent later. What they use now is much lighter but this what they used originally. It is all gold and very beautiful. sadly, tapatalk will not upload this picture. I will try later and get this posted.

 

Great time in Cartagena.

 

edited to say - our guide did a great job of beating the tours to every spot so that we weren't crowded nor rushed. Very appreciated.

Edited April 18, 2015 by kazu

[PathfinderEss]

Wonderful photo's Kazu. Sounds like your tour was very nice. Always nice to have those all important Banos. Beautiful Church, always amazes me with all the gold trapping's but these countries people are so poor.

[cruz chic]

It's in the high 80s today. Bugs really haven't been a problem so far but I am prepared if they do cause trouble.

 

No hot water in our cabin again this morning. They sent a steward to verify before they would order a fix. Trust me, when you leave a shower with your teeth chattering there is nothing that needs verification.

They had to do that with my a/c problem on the noordam. I guess we aren't bright enough to confirm these things. Good luck.

[innlady1]

It's in the high 80s today. Bugs really haven't been a problem so far but I am prepared if they do cause trouble.

 

No hot water in our cabin again this morning. They sent a steward to verify before they would order a fix. Trust me, when you leave a shower with your teeth chattering there is nothing that needs verification.

 

Oh, no....that is not good, sapper. I hope they get it fixed for you. Inexcusable really. :eek:

[innlady1]

Loved the photos and the explanations, Jacqui! Thanks much for taking us along.

[POA1]

sorry, but quote doesn't seem to be working in TapaTalk. Not sure why?

 

It's a bug. It also happens on the web version as well, not just Tapatalk. In any case, it's not you. :)

[Debz62]

I am horrified that you have experienced such appalling behavior from so called grown ups. Your children are a delight and we are all enjoying having them with us.

 

.....no hot water again though!

 

Lizzie, I must ask...what floor is your cabin on and are you the only ones without hot water? Are you in a suite? Certainly after having this happen the second time HAL will give you something more for the inconvenience of it all.

[qsuzi]

Oh, no....that is not good, sapper. I hope they get it fixed for you. Inexcusable really. :eek:

 

I wonder how many total cabins have been involved and if this is a continuing issue from prior cruises. And/or is it temporary fixes with the same problem coming back in the cabins having problems.

Edited April 19, 2015 by qsuzi

[cruisevers]

I wonder how many total cabins have been involved and if this is a continuing issue from prior cruises. And/or is it temporary fixes with the same problem coming back in the cabins having problems.

 

Selfishly, I do hope they get it fixed before we board her for Alaska. That's just sad you are having to put up with that! If HAL doesn't make it right people like me going on their first cruise with them will rethink booking again with HAL!

[1of4]

We have left Costa Rica and are heading to Corinto, Nicaragua somebody asked about the heat. As someone who lives with snow 6 months of the year, it is difficult to imagine this heat no less prepare for it. The humidity is so thick it appears like fog. The air in Columbia and through the canal was truly heavy with humidity.

 

I have to say, after the few negative experiences we have had about having DD and DS with us we have had more than a few people come to our table in the dining room and express how happy they are to see children, how they love watching them, how nice it is to see young people get dressed for dinner and what an invaluable education this trip is. We were ready for our early set dinner as we all had showers when we returned from our tour with Kazu. More on that in a minute. So we went to the Ocean Bar for happy hour. DD and DS had a mocktail each but the bartender rang it through as a virgin daccari as mocktail are excluded from happy hour. We finished our drinks and got up to leave and two women at a table we walked by told us how much they enjoyed watching the children.

 

DH, DS and DD went zip lining as part of our tour today while I went to the butterfly viewing. It was much more than butterflies as they had lizards, frogs and even snakes. :eek: I am so NOT a snake person! ! The ground was dirt trails on some pretty uneven soil so we had to be careful. Even the guide said it was hot for him and he lives there! After the butterflies we went back to the zip line place to collect the 5 brave souls who were all beaming. My 3 just loved it. After lunch we dropped people at the river for a boat excursion while the rest of us went back to the ship.

 

Although nothing like Lizzie68 or Sapper1, our shower is a bit tricky and we have to be careful as it will go from a good temperature to either freezing or scalding hot with no warning. DD nearly burned herself.

 

Well I am rambling on so time to be quiet and let others chime in!

[dobiemom]

I love how alot of members of the Sail a Way Gang are posting here. Keep the stories coming! :)

 

ETA: Also enjoying Scrapnana's blog. :)

Edited April 19, 2015 by dobiemom

[ger_77]

Jacqui et al, I can't tell you how much I'm enjoying reading about all of your antics. Photos, food porn, etc., it all makes for a great time that makes me wish I was onboard with you! I'm thinking though, that you may want to reclassify this is the Sail-Away Gang's Cold Water Cruise after all the difficulties with the water temp!

 

I hope all the wrinkles are ironed out soon so everyone can just relax and take full advantage of the wonderful holiday time on and off the ship.

 

Smooth Sailing ! :) :) :)

Gerry

[erewhon]

Thanks for all your interesting posts and photos.

 

1of4, Am horrified that some fellow passengers have been so nasty to your children.

[kazu]

well, my email is not co-operating. an hour wasted. thank heavens it's unlimited internet. That, or someone has three replies :) LOL

 

so here is something to keep you all going tonight and salivating.

 

 

yes, it's signed by Noel and the Captain :)

 

will be sending it to the site that can't be named.

 

The dessert was fabulous. have to download that from the camera and I don't know how good the pic is. I will take a look and if it is good enough I will post. Let's just say that RuthC would have been a VERY happy camper.

[kazu]

I will recap today's tour tomorrow with luck. Timing is going to be tough as we are in Corinto and then have the Master Chef's Table tomorrow night. I didn't want to take many pics at the Captain's table, but I will most likely at this. Be prepared for more food porn.

[kazu]

well, my email is not co-operating. an hour wasted. thank heavens it's unlimited internet. That, or someone has three replies :) LOL

 

so here is something to keep you all going tonight and salivating.

 

 

yes, it's signed by Noel and the Captain :)

 

will be sending it to the site that can't be named.

 

The dessert was fabulous. have to download that from the camera and I don't know how good the pic is. I will take a look and if it is good enough I will post. Let's just say that RuthC would have been a VERY happy camper.

 

 

Neglected to say that DH and I did a good job of sampling as we each had the different option. I, of course had the escargots and they were delicious. He had the other appetizer and said the same.

 

His Beef melted in his mouth and my lobster and seafood was absolutely delicious. We both thought that the other one made a mistake and should have ordered the other.

 

DH never eats dessert at night - or very rarely at least. He likes his in the morning but he couldn't resist taking a taste of the wonderful creation that was brought to us and ate the entire thing :) It had a top of carmelized sugar with filligree work and inside was delicious chocolate. yummy.

[1of4]

Another beautiful sunrise! This morning the seas are still calm as we make our way towards Nicaragua.

 

I forgot to mention last night that one of two Club Hal staff was sent home yesterday from Costa Rica. Apparently she had not been feeling well for the last 2 days so went to a hospital when we docked yesterday. The hospital told her to get home without delay. She was packed up and gone by the time we returned from our tour.

 

The Club Hal staff are amazing and love what they do. Our prayers go out to her for a speedy recovery.

Edited April 19, 2015 by 1of4

[kazu]

Oh dear 1of4 I am sorry to hear about the Club HAL staff member. I have seen them out and about with the children and they are fabulous with them.

 

My prayers are with her for a speedy recovery as well.

[kazu]

DH is still sleeping so I will have to wait to download pics - LOL

 

So here's a little recap on yesterday in Costa Rica.

 

I had 23 of us booked with Odyssey tours in 3 vans. The company does NOT get 5 stars from Kazu sadly as #1 they were late, #2 one of the vans air conditioning didn't work well so we shuffled some passengers (our guides might not have liked it that we did that but too bad so sad, no one is going to be uncomfortable) and #3 they added a couple to our tour at the last minute without telling or asking. From a private tour standpoint, that is a huge no no.

 

Fosterb also had a private tour booked with a different company. Their start time was earlier than ours and his tour I found out last night was also late. They waited for 30 minutes and then he went off and found two other guides and off they all went.

 

When we were waiting for our tour, we saw his guide with the sign up.. We didn't know at the time (only found out when I got back to the ship), but this guide was in for a long wait.

 

I guess promptness is not a Costa Rican tradition.

 

Off we went with our first stop at a bridge where you could see crocodiles and with a nice smoothie stand there. You could have your smoothie with milk (which made it like a milk shake) or with water (which made it a smoothie). All with fresh fruit of course. I had to try one and boy was it good. Many of us did and I think we all enjoyed it.

 

Then we were off to drop those that were zip lining at the zip lining station and use the washrooms for those of us that needed to.

 

The rest of us were headed to the Butterfly Garden. I know, it sounds strange but it's like an eco conservatory. Outside of course. There they had samples of different species from the frogs including the poisonous ones. One so deadly that you could die in 4 hours despite it's small size to the macaws, etc. Then you went through this netting where you saw so many different butterflies, truly beautiful. They had cocoons in little boxes that you could see. This was the nursery. Some had just hatched and our guide showed them to us and released them. One of the incredible ones was the Owl Butterfly - when they mate they look like the head of viper so they are left alone. A good thing since they mate for 33 hours! Females only mate once (no wonder!)

 

On to the snakes and the boa constrictor had just given birth to 46 little ones so we got to see one of the charming little ones and one of our roll call members looked like Cleopatra when she had it positioned on her hat.

 

It was a unique experience and very enjoyable - after that we picked up the zip liners and were able to see 4of4 finishing his zip line as well as 2of4. too cool!

 

Off to lunch which was the typical "married" style as they are called. (in the old days of working, those men who were married had lunches of rice, beans, meat, etc. and the single men had a sandwich - so it's called a "married lunch".)

 

Lunch was included in the cost of the tour and we had our choice of beef, fish, sea bass and chicken. Many had the sea bass and it was good.

 

We then proceeded to the river so that those that wanted to do the river cruise could and the remainder returned to the ship. Since we had done that before when we went to Limon we opted not to so I hope someone that did it does report back. I was a little nervous about leaving so many behind, but I saw them arrive from my balcony and waved to Mumsysailor.

 

(had already left a voice mail with a roll call member on that part so I had to call and say cancel the message - LOL)

 

Costa Rica is a peaceful country and disbanded their armies 40 years ago. They do have the protection of the U.S. Coast Guard on both sides. Instead of spending their money on armies, it is spent on health care and education.

 

Their health care is well known and many come here to have procedures done. Their education is very cheap for post secondary school and they have a 96% literacy which is pretty impressive.

 

Despite the hiccups we had a good day, but Kazu doesn't like hiccups so I have a feeling she wouldn't want to use this company again. There was just a bit of disorganization to me, but I am fussy.

 

Today we go with Julio Tours and he has been very efficient so hopefully things will go as I am used to.

[qsuzi]

We have left Costa Rica and are heading to Corinto, Nicaragua somebody asked about the heat. As someone who lives with snow 6 months of the year, it is difficult to imagine this heat no less prepare for it. The humidity is so thick it appears like fog. The air in Columbia and through the canal was truly heavy with humidity.

 

I have to say, after the few negative experiences we have had about having DD and DS with us we have had more than a few people come to our table in the dining room and express how happy they are to see children, how they love watching them, how nice it is to see young people get dressed for dinner and what an invaluable education this trip is. We were ready for our early set dinner as we all had showers when we returned from our tour with Kazu. More on that in a minute. So we went to the Ocean Bar for happy hour. DD and DS had a mocktail each but the bartender rang it through as a virgin daccari as mocktail are excluded from happy hour. We finished our drinks and got up to leave and two women at a table we walked by told us how much they enjoyed watching the children.

 

DH, DS and DD went zip lining as part of our tour today while I went to the butterfly viewing. It was much more than butterflies as they had lizards, frogs and even snakes. :eek: I am so NOT a snake person! ! The ground was dirt trails on some pretty uneven soil so we had to be careful. Even the guide said it was hot for him and he lives there! After the butterflies we went back to the zip line place to collect the 5 brave souls who were all beaming. My 3 just loved it. After lunch we dropped people at the river for a boat excursion while the rest of us went back to the ship.

 

Although nothing like Lizzie68 or Sapper1, our shower is a bit tricky and we have to be careful as it will go from a good temperature to either freezing or scalding hot with no warning. DD nearly burned herself.

 

Well I am rambling on so time to be quiet and let others chime in!

Love your posts. I'm sure you are so proud of your lovely family.

[Lizzie68]

I took some great pics of the dessert at the Captain's dinner but have no idea how to post photos. Will get some help later.. The creation was a masterpiece and looked just way too good to eat.... but I did!