Photo Review- 1st Timer on Journey: Questions Were Asked, Answers Were Learned!

[Familygoboston]

Feb 12 Panama Canal Transit

 

Bridge of the America's and Fuerte Amador on the Pacific Ocean

 

After passing the Miraflores locks and it's very busy visitors center, we rounded the break water, entered the Pacific and anchored in Fuerte Amador with Panama City glittering white and gold in the distance. We watched the sunset from the deck of the Journey while the crew busied themselves preparing for White Night.

 

Heading under the Bridge of the America's

 

 

 

 

 

A backward look at the Miraflores locks and Bridge of the Americas

 

 

 

 

 

Sailing past the Gehry designed Biodiversity Museum in Fuerte Amador

 

 

 

 

 

Panama City from our anchorage at Fuerte Amador

 

 

 

 

 

Sunset in Fuerte Amador,as the crew prepares the pool deck for White Night

 

 

 

 

 

[Familygoboston]

Feb 12 Panama Canal Transit

 

White Night

 

We had really spent too much time enjoying the sunset...White Night was being set up and we needed to shower, dress and head up on deck or miss it!

 

Luckily, our new friends saved a spot at the table for us and we joined them for our first "White Night" party. What a wonderful event! It's not just a party on the deck- tables and chairs are moved out onto the deck for dining, white flags flutter in the breeze. The crew not only made a dinner buffet, with the officers making crepes suzette, but then they assembled for the crew parade!

 

Set up for White Night on the pool deck

 

 

 

 

 

Chefs at the grills and woks

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Officers making Crepes Suzette

 

 

 

 

 

Crew parade

 

[Familygoboston]

Feb 12 Panama Canal Transit

 

White Night

 

Eric arranged for local Panamanian folk entertainers to perform on board for cultural enrichment. After the parade, Eric and his cruise staff entertained and the band played dance music, mostly reminiscent of a 1980's wedding; but the crowd was loving it! There truly is something for everyone at White Night.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited March 13, 2016 by Familygoboston

[wendilyn5]

Thanks so much for this great review! We are sailing on July 3rd. Can you tell me the dining hours for the different restaurants?

Thanks!

Wendy

[Familygoboston]

Panama Canal Cruises 101

 

Here is what I learned...or how to pick a PC cruise and excursions

 

A lot of folks consider a Panama Canal transit a "bucket list" adventure...and it was for us. DH loved it, while I was a little overheated and "locked out" by the 6 th lock 8 hours later! But it is an amazing (even Azamazing!) thing to do, and I'm very glad I got to experience it. Before we booked, and even after- I had lots and lots of questions (surprise, surprise!:rolleyes:) I found a couple of excellent destination Experts on a user generated content site related to this one. Several responded by email to my many, many questions! there are lots of "ways to see" and "parts" of the Panama Canal and it took me a while to sort out how to get the most out of our experience.

 

Here is what I learned:

 

There are several ways to experience a transit of the canal:

 

Full Transit: A cruise ship that travels from one side of the canal to the other, from Pacific to Caribbean or the reverse.

 

Partial Transit: Some cruise ships travel through one set of locks (usually the Gatun Locks on the Caribbean side) and then turn around in the Gatun Lake, returns through the same locks back to the Caribbean. These ships usually dock in Colon, which at this time is not a port to "walk around and visit" but a jumping off point for other canal related tourism.

 

Day Cruises: Local companies in Panama offer Full or Partial transits on small tour boats with dozens of people on board. You can travel to Panama and book a day tour to do either for a lot less than a cruise ship trip.

 

An example of a day cruise transit

 

 

 

View from land: There are 3 visitors centers that for a small entrance fee allow visitors to see the ships transiting the canal from the shore. These Visitors centers usually offer interpretive films, exhibits and large covered platforms to watch ships coming through the canal. (the Gatun Visitors Center on the Caribbean side, the Miraflores Visitor Center on the Pacific side, and the new Canal Expansion Observation Center on the Caribbean side, which IS open even as the canal expansion is still under Construction.”

 

 

Which Side of the Ship Should I Book my Cabin??

 

It's important to remember that there are TWO lanes of the canal (for panamax cruise ships- the new one isn't open yet) There is no way to know ahead of time which "lane" your cruise ship will be assigned. It's possible that the canal operations and visitor observation centers, which are in the middle of the two lanes could be on either Port or Starboard side depending on which lane the ship uses during the transit. However, for a transit from Colon to PC (Caribbean to Pacific) the national park, town of Gamboa, and views of Panama City in the distance will be on your PORT side. A transit from PC to Colon (Pacific to Caribbean) the national park, town of Gamboa, and views of Panama City in the distance will be on your STARBOARD side. The Culebra cut and both bridges are visible from both side of the ship. In general, the best, most panoramic spot to see everything will be up on the sun deck. Meaning that which side will be mainly a matter of personal preference and probably won't affect your cruise all that much!

 

The sundeck is probably the most panoramic place to observe the transit

 

 

 

Which excursions things to add to the full or partial transit?

This was something I really struggled with...here are my thoughts...

 

Gatun Lake Observation Centers, Past and Present: Seeing the new locks under construction (I'll be posting that next) was very interesting, and well worth doing since you cannot see the new locks during a full or partial transit. If you pick one that does both the OLD and NEW observation centers, I think the old center would be a bit redundant, you are just seeing the lock operation from the point of view of a spectator, with some narration. If you get a private guide to do this, you could just do the NEW observation center and see something new, leaving more time for something else. it only takes about an hour to get to the Gatun Locks by car from Panama City- even though it took 8 hours to transit the same distance in the ship!

 

Miraflores Observation and Panama City Tour: The observation center is newer and more interesting, but again, a bit of a redundancy since you've just transited that place. A Panama City tour is well worth doing because it's a very interesting place, changing quite rapidly! (see more below)

 

Embera Indian Tours: Our friends who did this raved about the experience. It's pretty remote, you get wet and you have to be able to transfer in and out of a canoe. Friends said the village experience was very authentic feeling. (This is an independent tour)

 

Railroad Tours: We didn't look into these, but my destination experts told me that you travel by rail from one side to the other (Caribbean to Pacific or reverse) I would imagine this might interest railroad enthusiasts. (independent tour)

 

Wildlife Tours: Several are offered. If your transit includes time in other Central American wilderness areas like Costa Rica and/or Nicaragua, you may want to save the wildlife for the places where there aren't the "canal", "city" and "aboriginal people" tours

 

Panama City Tours: We found PC very interesting. There are a few things to consider when deciding how to explore such a big place.

 

There is the Old City (ruins) of Panama Viejo- this is like an archaeological type tour, walking among the old ruins of the original Spanish settlement. It's often included with Casco Viejo or other PC touring options.

 

Another area is Casco Viejo the Old Colonial City, which is being actively restored and is home to resaurants, shops, galleries, craft markets, private homes, government buildings and churches. Walking is the best way to explore.

 

There is also the Old American Canal Zone to see, which includes the lovely neighborhoods where Americans once lived while administering the Panama Canal. People who have a connection to that period of time, or served in Panama might be interested in seeing these buildings and parks. Otherwise it looks like an upscale neighborhood, which is what it is today! Usually, this will be a drive around tour (or part of one)

 

The modern city of Panama features lots of new hotels and business towers. You can drive around this area or explore on foot. The free Azamara shuttle put passengers right at a modern mall in this area. There is a very attractive waterfront walking path fronting this area.

 

Lastly, Fuerte Amador is home the new biodiversity museum, as well as an upscale marina with some restaurants by the water. Much of it was still under construction when we visited. You could potentially walk around here from the tender drop off, except that it might be hot and was under construction when we visited with little walking space among the traffic. The construction is designed to create a pedestrian arcade.

 

NOTE: my guide book and our guide did not recommend walking from one to another neighborhood in PC- there are neighborhoods between sections that are not safe for visitors, it is best to take the shuttle bus, a taxi or private guide rather than walk from one part to the next. Walking within the sections mentioned above felt safe to us, with the usual precautions.

 

As a visitor to Panama City, (or Colon as a jumping off point to tour in Panama) there is a lot to do and see! It was really important for us to pin down what most interested us and plan our day around that. We decided to forgo wildlife tours until an extended stay in Costa Rica after the cruise (and both Quepos and Golfito stops offer great wildlife touring on the cruise) We struggled with the idea of going on the Embera Indian tour Saltaire set up for our Roll Call, but decided focus on "canal" and "city" tourism on this trip and do cultural touring on another visit to Central or South America.

 

In our case, I tagged along on a private tour with Rudi that Burning 29 had set up to take her group to the New Gatun Expansion Locks Observation Center, to see the new expansion locks construction site. This was a priority for them and DH, and Rudi could do that for us, along with a ride through the different areas of the Panama City (and Colon) and a walking tour of Casco Viejo (which was one of my "must do's"). With a private guide we were better able to "mix and match" components of the shore excursions offered on board, avoiding redundancy. Also, being a small group, we could fit in a lot more touring in a small amount of time.

 

These are all things I had to consider, and I hope I've laid them out in a way that seems clear, so readers contemplating what to do when docked/anchored in either Colon or FA can prioritize what is most important to them!

 

In my next several posts, I will have photos of our tour, which will hopefully illustrate the many of the different areas and what there is to see!

[Familygoboston]

Thanks so much for this great review! We are sailing on July 3rd. Can you tell me the dining hours for the different restaurants?

Thanks!

Wendy

 

They might be a little different for each itinerary, but you can find them here on the back page of any of the Pursuits. You can find them all here-

 

http://www.goseeittravel.com/azamara-pursuits-2016

 

Thank you for following along! It has taken longer than I hoped because our daughter was home on spring break, but next week, I've got lots of peace and quiet to finish up the review.

[excitedofharpenden]

 

Unfortunately,on this ship there is no open forward space that does not have a large plastic windshield. Along the sides there is no plastic, but from the front we were experiencing the canal and locks through the plastic shield. Unless you are tall like DH who can lift his arms and get shots from above, it's not the best for photos. I'm thinking of larger ships I've been on, where there is a large helipad open to the front.

 

In fact there is one spot on the ship where you can see forward without looking through glass, but if I told you I'd have to kill you;)

 

Phil

[Grandma Gilly]

Loving your reports. We have been fortunate enough to do two complete transits of the Panama Canal. The first time we were up on deck, listening to the commentary when a very old boy, who was travelling with his 70 year old son, piped up "I've been waiting all my life to do this and now I can't hear a damned thing".

We still laugh at this.

Gill

[Familygoboston]

In fact there is one spot on the ship where you can see forward without looking through glass, but if I told you I'd have to kill you;)

 

Phil

 

Sadly Phil, I think the space you are thinking of has been turned into a private space for spa suite guests and people who purchased thallo pool passes. It was specifically mentioned in the Pursuit on the day we transited as being available to only those guests :( I guess you could purchase the pass or get a spa suite if you had a PC transit cruise in order to use that space.

 

It's on the last page of Feb 12- which also lists good places to see the transit. DH got lots of great shots from the Sunset verandah also!

 

http://www.goseeittravel.com/azamara-pursuits-2016

[Familygoboston]

Loving your reports. We have been fortunate enough to do two complete transits of the Panama Canal. The first time we were up on deck, listening to the commentary when a very old boy, who was travelling with his 70 year old son, piped up "I've been waiting all my life to do this and now I can't hear a damned thing".

We still laugh at this.

Gill

 

Thats funny! I did enjoy Chuck being on deck, felt like I could ask a question, or even latch onto the answer of someone else's question and learned a lot!

 

I found myself wishing for a good cruising guide. Before our last river cruise, I bought a cruising guide with a mile by mile map (well really, it was km by km) and it had little write ups about each landmark, town, bridge Etc. I didn't get one for PC, but the Panama Canal did give every passenger a very good map with an explanation of the expansion, but it didn't list the bridges. It's huge, or I would scan it and put it up on line. It's probably available on line from the official Panama Canal site.

Edited March 14, 2016 by Familygoboston

[midwestchick]

In fact there is one spot on the ship where you can see forward without looking through glass, but if I told you I'd have to kill you;)

 

Phil

 

Do tell...I promise not to tell. ;)

[Familygoboston]

Feb 13 Panama City

 

Why did it take 8 hours to sail when it only takes an hour to drive?!

 

The bags were all packed and ready to roll, 7 AM meet up with our tour group. Although the tender was not yet running, the crew set it up as soon as we arrived and we were out on the tender and headed to shore with the security guard, podium and umbrella! We met Rudy right at 7:30, where he waited for us right by the tender drop off.

 

Rudy and Patty run a small tourist business with casitas for rent and tours of the city and wilderness. Rudy, a professional guide, had a modern air conditioned van and not only showed us a great deal of the city, but also gave us context for what we were seeing. He was also very adaptable; checking in and adjusting what we would see based on our interests. For example; our group had no interest in seeing the Gatun Locks Observation center at the old locks, as we had just passed through them. That gave us a lot more time to see Panama City!

 

Link to Rudy here: http://www.rudystours.com/

 

Rudy and Patty

 

 

 

 

 

What a busy day! Rudy was fantastic and we covered the high lights of the whole city between 7:30 AM - 3 PM, as well as the hour long ride each way to the new Panama Canal Expansion Observation at Gutan Locks. (Did you get that? ONE HOUR...that's all it took to get across Panama by car. The same trip we took the day before on the ship, that took eight hours! Is it any wonder that I was a little "locked out" by the end of the full transit!?)

 

On the way out we drove by the Former "Canal Zone" held by the Americans and saw the various administration and housing areas.

 

The former canal zone administration building.

 

 

 

 

 

We continued on a very good road out to the Caribbean side about 1 hour away, (only one HOUR!) where Rudy drove us through Colon to get a view of the city. Rudy was honest about what we are seeing, but he was hopeful.

 

He told us there are only about 200,000 people in Colon vs 2 million in Panama City. Colon residents are mostly descendants of Afro Caribbean people who settled there as laborers during the original canal construction. Rudy told us there is still a lot to do to improve Colon, and that due to long held prejudices, unemployment in Colon stands at 40 %, compared to 3 % in Panama City. Gangs are a problem and the government is trying to move out gangs and relocate squatters to newer housing being built outside of Colon. The hope is to use the profits of the Panama Canal administration to employ the residents of Colon who are currently working on the canal expansion to restore the city as a charming colonial era cruise port.

 

 

 

A mix of housing that has been improved and some still awaiting renovation in Colon. But the colonial architectural bones of the city are there.

 

 

 

 

Apartments in Colon

 

 

 

 

 

Private Buses used for transportation around the city

 

 

 

After a ride through Colon, we made our way to Canal Expansion Observation Center

[Familygoboston]

Feb 13 Panama City

 

Canal Expansion Observation Center (which is ACTUALLY on the Caribbean/Atlantic side, but we drove over there from Panama City- it only takes one hour *one hour!!*)

 

We were the first ones to arrive at New Visitors Center built to observe the the Gatun Locks expansion.

 

 

 

http://www.visitpanama.com/what-to-do/canal-expansion/

 

Ticket prices:

 

 

GEEK ALERT! You know who they are...they are gonna wanna see this!

 

We enjoyed a panoramic view of the new locks under construction from a large shaded viewing platform/walkway. There was a narration, but our guide was also there to explain the details of the new locks system.

 

Ships waiting in Gatun lake waiting for the old locks

 

 

 

 

 

The new locks under construction

 

 

 

 

 

 

The interesting parts for our group (or at least the ones who were engineers!) was seeing the new technology innovations being employed for the new lock system. One difference is paired sliding doors, which will allow them to use just one door at a time and work on the other door while continuing to operate the locks.

 

Double sliding doors and maintenance building "pockets" where they can be worked on, while the other door is operational

 

 

 

 

 

Another innovation; 3 gravity fed basins will feed the locks and be recycled back into the basins to preserve about 2/3 of the water used to raise and lower the ships.

 

A long look back towards the control tower and the wider canal.

 

 

 

 

Here is a little time lapse video I took of the work happening at the new lock expansion site. You can see the 3 large basins of water above the canal that will be gravity fed in and out the canal. This is meant to save fresh water that is lost from the lake into the ocean during transits.

 

 

There is no "set" date for opening, but there was a film which depicted various parts of the project and showed pop ups with progress (pop- 95% done!, Pop- 97% done!) They are currently testing the locks and when they are ready, they will open the land bridge to Gatun Lake and larger ships will be able to move through.

 

This ends the technical portion of my report...I've done my very best (referring often to my notes) to present it despite my utter lack of technical abilities! But even this non techie found it very interesting!! And there is more to the visitor center. (coming up!)

Edited March 14, 2016 by Familygoboston

[Familygoboston]

Feb 13 Panama City

 

Canal Expansion Observation Center

 

And even non techies will enjoy the Canal Expansion Observation Center because there some other activities there- a nice nature trail, an outdoor restaurant, gift shop and interpretive area describing the geology and history of the canal (more pictures in the next post)

 

The nature trail has interpretive plaques, and a few rather steep stairs, so it may not be accessible to all. It is only about 1/2 mile loop and worth seeing the flora and views, and for some canal visitors it might be the only part of "wild Panama" they get to see.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There are also outdoor photo panels near the large cafe describing the archaeology, wildlife and showing photos of various stages of canal construction.

 

 

 

 

There is a 100 + seat theater with 2 films (English and Spanish alternate) about the canal construction and the history of the Canal Zone. It's very well done, and once ships start moving through the locks, I imagine this visitor center will be quite full!

[Familygoboston]

Feb 13 Panama City (now we went BACK to PC by van...it only took, repeat after me...one hour! So if you are counting- that's Pacific to Caribbean by car one hour; Caribbean to Pacific by car another hour. Two hours round trip by car...by boat, 8 HOURS ... one way!)

 

 

New Panama City

 

 

Rudy took us on a driving tour of the new city, and told us about how the return of the canal to Panama in 1999 has sparked government investment in infrastructure, which in turn has attracted development from private (mostly foreign) concerns. The city is booming, and there is lots of construction, and money in the city. We saw expensive cars and yachts, homes in the new area can run form 1/4 of a million to many millions of dollars depending on the size and location. There are jobs for anyone who wants to work. The downside, is that folks living in redevelopment areas are often not able to stay in their old neighborhood.

 

Most of the new buildings are housing or banks.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I think we saw the yacht that goes with this car in Fuerte Amador!

 

 

 

 

 

Our guide also told us that there is a booming middle class

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Near the new boulevard parkway, is a long pedestrian walkway along the shore. (on the left just out of sight in this photo)

 

Edited March 14, 2016 by Familygoboston

[Familygoboston]

Feb 13 Panama City

 

 

Panama Viejo

 

We stopped very briefly to see from the van where the oldest part of the city in ruins, is preserved as a park and museum. It's called Panama Viejo or old Panama. If I were to return to Panama I would spend part of day here...it looks very interesting, and we generally enjoy these types of sites.

 

http://www.panamaviejo.org/

 

 

This is the original Spanish Settlement, thought to be the first European settlement on the Pacific coast of the Americas, which was destroyed by the British Privateer, Henry Morgan in 1671, and caused them to move the settlement to a more strategic spot, the Casco Viejo which still exists today.

 

Remains of the old Catherdral

 

 

 

View of new Panama through the ruins

 

 

(Can I editorialize here? Yes I can it's my review, lol! Learning a bit about the culture and history of a place before I leave is one of the most important preparations I make. It's more than deciding what excursion to do or what sights to see for me. It's about understanding what is culturally important and why, it's learning what questions to ask and how to be culturally sensitive to things that the local folks might be sensitive about. Also, it's about knowing what is significant when I see it! I like to read a bit so that not only do I know what I am seeing, but I know what I want to see and do!)

 

We passed this area where the neighborhood has obviously not been redeveloped. These are the areas between areas we visited, which is why it is suggested that you take a cab, or use a guide to travel from area to area, rather than walk.

 

 

 

 

Our next stop was the Casco Viejo, also known as the "old quarter" or Casco Antiguo ...

[Familygoboston]

Feb 13 Panama City

 

Casco Viejo

 

Once we arrived in Casco Viejo, Rudy parked the car and we proceeded on foot. Our first stop was SuperGourmet sandwich and empanada shop on Calle Santa Barbara. We enjoyed our lunch surrounded by locals and American ex-pats and retirees.

 

 

 

 

 

Many places in Casco Viejo that has been beautifully restored.

 

 

 

 

 

Many have not yet, although the law requires that the facade is maintained, even on otherwise empty lots. Our guide explained that in order to encourage development, banks offered super low interest rates on properties in Casco Viejo for anyone who will operate a business there. Additionally, the government will waive taxes on the property for 10 years while investors renovate the buildings and build their businesses.

 

 

 

 

 

Workers were actively improving the area during our visit.

 

 

 

 

 

"My eyes fill with love when I see your smile"...

 

[Familygoboston]

Feb 13 Panama City

 

Casco Viejo

 

Suitably fortified with epanadas, we moved on with the rest of our tour. Rudy walked us all around Casco Viejo. We started by seeing the 1600's era Santa Domingo Convent. This arch in the courtyard was significant because it had stood for nearly 300 years (despite being in a geologically active area) and this fact was used as proof that Panama would be a good and stable place to build a canal. (it wasn't, the arch fell later and was rebuilt!)

 

 

 

 

 

Our next stop was French Square...named in honor of the French who made the first attempt to build a canal in Panama. This bust of De Lesseps is one of the tributes to the man whose attempt to build a sea level canal was doomed, but who laid the ground work for the eventual successful attempt by the United States.

 

 

 

 

 

There was also a tribute to Dr Findlay, whose work to understand tropical diseases helped inform the United States policies to protect workers during construction of the canal.

 

 

 

 

 

The waterfront here was at low tide

 

 

 

 

 

Our next stop was the Bougainvillea covered walkway filled with artisans and folks selling to tourists. The colorful back drops are an embroidered art form called mola- in which the native Kuna women create panels for their clothing by layering and snipping colorful cloth.

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Kuna woman sells her Molas to tourists at the Bougainvillea Walk

 

[Familygoboston]

Feb 13 Panama City

 

Casco Viejo

 

Our visit to Plaza Bolivar included seeing the San Francisco Church

 

 

 

 

 

Now we were in an area almost completely renovated buildings and home to many government buildings.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The private home of former President Arias's family's home

 

 

 

 

 

The current Presidential White House

 

 

 

 

There were still a few places needing a bit of renovation...but though they may be showing their age, they maintained their sense of humor!

 

 

 

 

 

Most of these decorations were out for Madi Gras celebrations, which had just concluded earlier in the week.

 

[Familygoboston]

We walked through Plaza Herrara, and visited two churches near there.

 

Iglesia de la Merced

 

 

 

 

 

Interior of La Merced

 

 

 

 

 

Interior of Iglesia San Jose, famous for being spared by Privateer Henry Morgan because it's gold leaf altar was painted black by a priest, who avoided having it pulled apart.

 

 

 

 

We walked back to the Plaza De Catedral, where we had started and prepared to drive back to our ship. Even on the way back Rudy took us through China Town and some other areas where ordinary Panamanians were shopping and getting ready for their weekend.

 

Journey at anchor in Fuerte Amador

[Wandering Words]

:confused:Familygoboston - so enjoying your brilliant review, the photo's are fantastic and your style of writing is most entertaining, can't wait to read the next instalment. So sorry we did not get chance to meet you on this trip

 

Sue & Lester

 

Ps Was that Martha & Rusty you were dancing alongside at White Nights?

[Familygoboston]

Feb 13 Panama City

 

So here are my thoughts on Panama City...I can see this becoming a very big "new" destination. You could stay in the city and do "canal tourism" as well as wildlife tours because it seems as if nothing is more than 1 hour away!

 

Obviously, there are some top hotels and restaurants because you can bet the folks driving that Maserati and the owners of the yachts in Fuerte Amador are going to be looking for good restaurants! Our guide explained that the canal business had created stability and infrastructure needed for foreign investment. There are many people from the North America who are retiring in Panama City, and our guide said that wealthy residents of other South American countries with less stability, were investing their money in banks and real estate in Panama.

 

After returning from the tour, we were hot and our feet were tired, so went to the pool for a dip. Around this time of day, the Patio Grill has a wonderful nacho bar..which we enjoyed several afternoons!

We took a short nap and watched the sail away from our balcony at 5:30 PM

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We decided to have dinner at the Windows Cafe and enjoyed the French Buffet, on the Sunset Verandah. The evenings entertainment was a ventriloquist, who was very funny and we enjoyed the show.

[Familygoboston]

Valentine's Day at Sea!

 

Our clocked went back an hour last night, so we woke refreshed at an entirely reasonable time! (love that "fall back"!)

 

We headed to the gym for a workout at 8 and by 9 we were at the Windows Cafe for breakfast.

For new folks; you should know there is smoothie bar. You can order at the window, or if you know what you like, you can ask your waiter to bring you one. This is of course included in your cruise fare. You can also ask for eggs made to order at the buffet and a waiter will bring them by when they are ready!

 

At 10 AM we went to the Captains talk. Capt Johannes is affable, self deprecating and entertaining! He showed lots of before and after photos of the revitalization project and when you see them you realize just how massive it was! Truly, from my point of view as a cruiser, I only noticed that the laundry was still out of service and we did notice tiny blue painter tape here and there indicating a "punch list item" that still needed attending to. Occasionally we would see painters in the hallways or stairs painting at night, but that did not seem unusual, since something is always being painted on a ship! Having organized a few construction projections of our own, what was accomplished in 12 days was a massive undertaking and the results look spectacular, and for this cruiser at least, there is very little that was not already back working at peak efficiency.

 

(parenthetical story...one night on the Sunset Verandah, our waiter had a small blue bandaid on his finger and I had to ask - "are you on the punch list too? What needs fixing?" )

 

Capt Johannes Tysse

 

 

 

 

 

After the talk we headed to the pool- the shady chairs were the hot commodity on a blistering hot Valentines day. We found two together overlooking the ocean, and we enjoyed the pool, the guitarist playing live music, a cool smoothie and a nice lunch pool side.

 

After lunch we attended to some business. The Costa Rican immigration authorities would be requiring a face check of each passenger before disembarking in Golfito. Because we had an 8 AM privately arranged tour in Golfito, we needed to contact the other participants and let them know that guests services ok'd our group lining up earlier than our deck numbers might indicate. I contacted a few folks in person and left a note at the cabin for another party of 4. I was very pleased that our private excursion was treated the same as a ships early excursion and that we would be allowed to pass through immigration when we needed to meet our guide on time.

 

 

We had another quiet evening to enjoy, and we decided to return to the Sunset Verandah for dinner. Each woman was given a red rose as she entered the dining room, and there is nothing more romantic than enjoying Valentines Day on a ship, dining overlooking the water!

 

[Familygoboston]

:confused:Familygoboston - so enjoying your brilliant review, the photo's are fantastic and your style of writing is most entertaining, can't wait to read the next instalment. So sorry we did not get chance to meet you on this trip

 

Sue & Lester

 

Ps Was that Martha & Rusty you were dancing alongside at White Nights?

 

How did we miss you!? I hope I've got all the right names on all the right places! I've been googling the pictures to make sure ;) What did you do in Panama City?

 

I'm not sure about Martha and Rusty, I saw them around the ship (I think they had their name tags on quite a bit) and they seemed to be enjoying the Sunset Verandah many of the same nights we did, but we never met them!

[Wandering Words]

How did we miss you!? I hope I've got all the right names on all the right places! I've been googling the pictures to make sure ;) What did you do in Panama City?

 

I'm not sure about Martha and Rusty, I saw them around the ship (I think they had their name tags on quite a bit) and they seemed to be enjoying the Sunset Verandah many of the same nights we did, but we never met them!

 

We had to cancel as DH needed surgery - he's all fixed now and we're looking forward to being back on the Journey in Nov - Chennai to Singapore

 

Hopefully catch you on a future cruise