Panama Canal Cruise -- Cartegena Columbia

Tuesday 12/11

Hello everyone. Long time since I've checked in, but Royal Caribbean (RC) is giving me 24 hours of "free" Internet as part of my "Diamond Club" bennies package, and I wanted to use it after we did the transit through the Panama Canal, the highlight of the cruise. I put free in quotations because the free applies to only the "basic" Internet, and everyone says the basic is crap, so I was able to upgrade to the "deluxe" internet for just $7 for the day (normally $32.95).

We are currently pulling into Cartegena, and after going back and forth in my mind, I've decided to stay aboard the ship. Bummer. This was the one port of call I wanted to visit to see some emeralds. But I am still not up to strength and don't want to get caught short of wits and have to make a hasty decision to get back to the ship and end up in a rogue cab or something. Plus it's 90 degrees out with full sun. And honestly, there's nothing ashore that I need to buy. I did search for an "emerald museum" or "museum of natural history" in the city, but found nothing other than little boutique museums that are part of retail jewelry stores.  Most of these are described as tourist traps on Google. There's also a "Romancing the Stone"  1/2 day tour by RC, but I don't want to have to keep up with a tour. So I'm on the ship, and that is good enough. Just that I'm on the cruise is miracle enough, and besides I need to build my strength for touring New Orleans.

Anyway, the transit through the canal was completely awesome.  Not so much for the actual technology of rising and falling water, but the sheer size of project, built over 100 years ago and is still vital to the world. I can think of few things that rate that kind of permanence, save for maybe airplanes.

          We reached the first set of locks about 8 a.m., and hoards of people were gathered on the top forward deck to see the gates open and the ship enter the first of two locks, the Miraflores. Here's a couple of shots:

selfie

approaching the miraflores locks

entering the first miraflores lock

Then sail a bit further to the Pedro Miguel Locks, which altogether raised the ship 60 feet. We then sailed into the Culebra Cut, arguably the most difficult section of the canal to be built. The channel had to blasted through mountains and was widened in the ‘70s to accommodate larger ships.

A leisurely sailing through Gatun Lake leads us to our next and final set of locks, the Gatun Locks, a series of three, that lowers the ship 28 feet in each lock, for a total of 84 feet.

We are in the first of three locks making up the Gatun. Way in the background is the Centennial Bridge, completed in 2004

Traversing this set of locks puts us level with our exit point at the Atlanta Ocean (well, more precisely, the Caribbean Sea). But in a matter of about 8 hours, we have gone from ocean to ocean, crossing the continental divide in the process. Old Teddy Roosevelt was a visionary to be sure, but I don’t think he could have envisioned the importance of the canal to world trade.

OK, backing up a little bit, here's scoop since the last blog post 11/29

Saturday 12/1/18 Day 3 of Panama Cruise

BRAND NEW MONTH!

Greetings from Cabo St. Lucas, Mexico, where we are anchored offshore and passengers are being tendered to the shore. I am opting to stay on board and enjoy the ship's amenities. The temperature is 81 degrees under mostly sunny skies. It is the third day of our cruise and our first port of call. I am listening to a mariachi band murdering the Eagles' "Hotel California." on the pool deck. Glenn Frey surely must be rolling in his grave.

Let's back up to Thursday Nov. 29. After boarding the ship, we got our dining time straightened out to a 5:30 time slot every day. A little early; we usually like to dine at 6:00, but that time slot was full, so this was the next best option. Certainly better than the 8 p.m. that Royal Caribbean had slotted for us. I had a delicious dinner of broiled tilapia and a chocolate lava cake for dessert. I redeemed an e-coupon stored on my Sail Pass for a BOGO on a glass of wine and went with an amusing little Chardonnay. Decaf coffee with the dessert. We ate with four other diners at a table for six, and the company was fun and lively. We couldn't do a turn on the promenade deck due to high winds and waves. Julie went to an 8:30 show which was little more than a "pre-show" of attractions to come. Somewhere around 7:30-8:00, I hit a wall of exhaustion and went to our cabin and crawled into bed.

Fri. Nov. 30 -- day at sea

Woke around 6:30, dressed, and Julie and I did a morning spin on the walk/jog track on Deck 10. A bit windy and cool but not bad. I did 15 minutes and Julie about doubled that. We rendezvoused at the Windjammer Cafe for breakfast. I had a plate of fresh fruit, a couple mini bran muffins for starts. Then, a couple of poached eggs, bacon and a slice of toast. From there to the solarium (covered pool, adults only) where I changed into my swimsuit and had my first wonderful soak in a hot tub since the surgery. I limited time to 15 minutes because I didn't quite know how my body would react, but all was fine with no light-headedness. I hung out at the Solarium most of the day, taking a break for a light lunch in the Windjammer. I finished two books, one a paperback edition of John D. MacDonald's "Nightmare in Pink," the other a Kindle edition of "The Job" a crime suspense by Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg, part of the Fox/O'Hare series. Both very good. Made a big salad for lunch, but cancelled most of that out with a dessert sampler platter. Took a nap in the afternoon after some additional reading. I awoke when (sis-in-law) Julie entered the cabin; time to get into our dinner garb. We dined with an entirely different group; same table, just different people. I can't remember all these names! I had shrimp cocktail, battered cod, and a chocolate cake for dessert. One of our tablemates received a comp bottle of champagne for her crown/anchor points. She was in her 80s and traveling alone, so she offered to share the bubbly and I was the only taker, so I drank free champagne throughout the meal. We did a turn on the promenade deck, then returned to the cabin to get into more comfortable duds. Around 8 p.m., we headed to the theater for a performance by "The Alley Cats," a do-wop a' Capella group. They put on a very good show; good music and some fun interaction with the audience. Checked out the casino afterward, but they have $10 table minimums. Too rich for my blood. We both hit the sack around 10 p.m. We had to move the clocks forward one hour to be in sync with local time upon our arrival to Cabo St. Lucas the next morning.

Saturday Dec. 1

No morning deck walk today ... too stiff. Direct to the 'Jammer for breakfast. It’s pretty much the same every morning:

·       * A plate of fresh fruit, 2 mini muffins;

·       * Second plate: 2 eggs in a variety of forms;

·       * One serving of breakfast meat consisting of sausage links, bacon, ham. (I tried the chicken sausage this morning and it sucks).

·       * One slice whole wheat toast with butter and jam; and

·       * Coffee.

We pulled into the Cabo St. Lucas harbor about 10 a.m. local time, and tenders began shuttling passengers about 11 a.m. Stayed on board. Had lunch of a hamburger with half bun, and a hot dog, no bun, with kraut. I am watching out the window of the Centrum Deck 5 at one of the tenders making its 3rd attempt to dock with the ship because the sea chop is heavy enough that the he keeps missing his mark! I am headed to the cabin for an afternoon nap.

Dinner tonight was batter fried cod with rice. Shrimp cocktail for appetizer and chocolate torte for dessert. All delicious. Show tonight was comedian Mark Cordus who appears to be in his 60s and a career comedian. Though I have never heard of him, he is very funny and had good rapport with the audience. Back to cabin and off to bed.

I would be less than honest if I didn't say that I was having some physical challenges getting up and down and around the ship, even with the use of the elevators. The Vision of the Seas is technically one of Royal's smaller ships, but it is still plenty big. Bugs me that I can't move with the deftness and speed of past cruises, but I just have to be patient.

Sunday Dec. 2

I don't know what was up last night, but I peed about a gallon overnight and seems I was up every hour. Either my heart is getting better or the Lasix taken in the morning had a delayed reaction. Hope it is the former! Anyway, I feel a little better today and seem to have a little more spring in my step.

No deck walk today, just off to the 'Jammer for the usual breakfast (see Dec. 1). Have pretty much set up a daily routine now of the following:

·       * Breakfast;

·        * Change into swimwear and hang out at the Solarium. Dip in the whirlpool, shower off, reading and play Wizard of Oz on the Kindle;

·       * Lunch in the Solarium of big salad, lemonade or tea, and a dessert sampler platter with coffee.

·       * Afternoon nap.

·       * 4 p.m. adult beverages and snacks in the Diamond Club lounge.

·       * Dinner at 5:30.

·       * Show at 8:30.

·       * Bed usually by 10 p.m.

There are some minor variations, but that’s pretty much it. Pretty sweet, eh? I must tell you about the Diamond Club receptions, having reached Diamond status in the Crown and Anchor loyalty program. Only took 10 years! But now I am eligible to attend a daily reception where beer, wine, and cocktails are complimentary, and there is a buffet line set up with nibbles, including chocolate covered strawberries. Booze is call brand, too, not just generic rail. This little bonanza runs until 8 p.m., so I can even have a Bailey’s Irish Cream after dinner. Julie is not yet Diamond, so I can’t get her in, but she’s not a booze drinker anyway so the Diamond Club bennies are kind of wasted on her. OK, I know my cardio team back home would be aghast, especially on the Bailey’s Irish Cream. But fuck ‘em. I’ve worked 10 years for this, and this is the only time I plan indulge save for the occasional beer or wine. So I’m gonna get my $20-$30 worth of booze, damnit!

Finished another novel, this time a Kindle e-novel called "Devolution," by author Brian K. Larson. I'll have to email my buddy Brian Larson in California and let him know someone is using his name! The novel was just OK, not great. He is obviously a conspiracy theorist, but some of his observations about how the US/world economy truly operates are spot on. Of course, the free book is "bait" designed to get you to buy the other 10-plus books in the series. But at least this installment was a self-contained story.

Today's port of call is Puerto Vallarta, and once again I am staying aboard ship, as much as to avoid spending money on junk I don't need, but equal parts conserving my energy. At least at this port, we pulled up right to the dock. Julie went ashore and joined hundreds other in visiting Walmart ... that's right a giant Walmart Superstore just a stone's throw from the ocean's edge.

Walmart in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

We rendezvoused for dinner in the Aquarius dining room. I had tenderloin of beef, broiled potato wedges and a lemon curd tart for dessert, complimented with a glass of Chardonnay with the meal and decaf coffee for dessert. All delicious.

We did a turn on the promenade deck, then headed to the Masquerade Theater to listen to the musical styling of Jimmy Hopper. Don't worry if you've never heard of him; I hadn’t either. But he was a show lounge act in Las Vegas for a 6-day engagement which turned into 6 years he was so well liked. He eventually got to hobnob with some of the Vegas elite, including Sir Elton John, who came to see his act. He was backed by the full Vision orchestra, and did some more unusual numbers (for a solo singer) including Bohemian Rhapsody, nailing the Freddy Mercury voice to a tee. He also did a fine version of "The Prayer" ala Andre Boccelli. So he had quite the range. And quite the spikey hairdo, tats, and plastic surgery. Julie bought one of his CDs after the show and got him to sign it. Off to bed after this.

Jimmy Hopper

Monday Dec. 3

Had a much more restful sleep last night; no hourly peeing. Legs still puffy, however. Today is a sea day as we steam toward our next port of call. Up to the 'Jammer for my usual breakfast (see Dec. 1) Off to the solarium for a soak and reading the last novel I loaded onto my Kindle, an action sci-fi set in outer space as countries race to be the first to claim a new alien technology that cures all diseases. Should be a quick read. Sea bass for dinner tonight. A portion so small that I had to order a slab of prime rib on top of that. Brownie nuggets atop chocolate mousse for dessert. So much for a sensible dinner, at least for this evening! Tonight’s entertainment was violinist Gary Lovini backed up by the RC orchestra. Very entertaining. Julie and I have seen him before on a previous cruise, but he has added some new numbers to his repertoire.

Tuesday Dec. 4

Time change last night – one hour forward. Up to the ‘Jammer, and did something different today: a waffle topped with yogurt, sweetened strawberries, sliced banana, and granola. A couple slices of ham to balance off the sweet. All very good, but think I’ll go back to my regular. Off to the Solarium for a hot tub dip and then some reading. I finished the outer space sci fi, and am reading a paperback novel – My Nerdy Valentine -- that Julie brought along. It’s a sort of R-rated suspense thriller with some sex thrown in.

Tonight’s entertainment is a comedy duo. They are African American hipsters that I fear are a little too ethnic for the Caucasian demographics aboard the ship. They had their moments, but much of the material came a little too rapid fire for most folks, including me at times. 

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OK, that's it for now. We depart Cartegena 8:30 tonight, our last port of call before heading to New Orleans. I'll check back with you all then when we check into the Hampton Inn.

Love,

Bruce