Random pics.

Day two of three at sea.  So how are we doing?  Are we true "cruisers"?  Or have we become lazy travelers who like the convenience of unpacking one time?  I think it is safe to say we aren't true cruisers.  But we are getting lazier!!

So, here's a typical day at sea ... for us.  I actually have to start the night before.  In the evening the ship's daily newspaper, The Princess Patter, is delivered to our room.  The 4-paged paper consists of  the Officer's Daily Log on the front, dining and bar locations and hours on the back.  And tomorrow's daily schedule in the middle.   We usually review the show schedule and any other presentations that we may want to attend the next day.

When at sea, we're not concerned when we get up.  And with the heavy curtains drawn,  we've been sleeping 'til 7:30 or 8.  And we're in no hurry to get up.  We usually re-read the "paper", then get dressed and head to breakfast.  We have a couple of breakfast options 1) Room Service - we've done that a couple of days, usually when we're at a port.  2) Horizon Court - the cafeteria style dining room, and 3)Sit down breakfast served in the Bordeaux Dining room.

This morning we went to the Bordeaux dining room and were seated with 2 other couples, both originally from LA.  This is alway an interesting experience.  It can be pleasant and informative, or sometimes downright painful.  True "cruisers" love to talk about themselves.  And the conversation goes something like this:

Good Morning.
Good Morning. (me)
Where are you from?
San Diego, how about you?
LA originally, but now we live in our moterhome.  Well, actually a converted bus.  We cruise whenever our bus needs work, or we just want a change of pace.  Do you cruise often?
No, not really.  This is our fourth cruise in 11 years.  How about you?
Oh, we love to cruise!  This is our 16th cruise.  We're Elite level cruisers for Princess line.  That means we get free internet connection and laundry.  What about you?  Do you just cruise Princess?
We've cruised on Celebrity and Carnival.  This is our second Princess Cruise.
Oh, nice.

Seriously folks.  True cruisers are a cult!!!!  We're enjoying ourselves, but I don't think we'll EVER make that Elite level!  UPDATE 10/31/18 - We are now at the Elite level cruisers on Princess.  Not sure we've joined the "cult".  But we do enjoy the cruising experience, love the care and kindness of the crew and have made some wonderful new friends (who don't boast about their number of cruise days.)

So, after breakfast we usually head to the theater or lounge (at opposite ends of the ship) to catch either a port lecture, or some educational type lecture.  We've also made it to the gym, walked the promenade deck 10 times to get in a 3 mile walk.   There's been plenty of eating and drinking on this trip and we've been a bit lax on the exercise.

Today we headed to the theater after breakfast to catch the shopping presentation on Cabo San Lucas.  Oh my, it was all about diamonds and other jewels.  If you know me, you know we won't be doing that type of shopping in Cabo.  We're actually looking forward to some tequila and Mexican food!   So we made it through the 45 minute lecture and then headed back to our cabin (opposite end of the ship), got on our swim suits and then headed to the pool.  We found a couple of lounge chairs - in the shade - and settled in.

It's around noon, the humidity is becoming manageable.  It's been incredible on this trip, both in ports and on the ship.  The tropics are heading into their rainy season.  With humidity hanging in the 90's, rain would have been welcome.  But our rain gear has been unused this trip.  There are two pools on the Lido deck.  One covered, and one uncovered.  The uncovered pool is a bit more active.  The jumbo TV screen is located in that area and the Master's Tournament is being broadcasted.  We opt for the covered area.  It's actually a bit cooler.   The Lido poolside buffet is serving Mexican food.  I'm absolutely not hungry, but Tony wants to give it a try so he heads over while I catch a short poolside nap.

We end up spending a couple of relaxing hours poolside.  Jumping into the water occasionally to cool off, lounging port side to watch cargo ships sailing on the horizon, and looking for dolphins.  We saw lots of dolphins a couple of days ago.  And sea turtles.  The dolphins were active and gave us quite a show jumping and racing alongside the ship.  We don't see any dolphins today.  Hopefully we'll spot a few before we get to Cabo.

Now it's 2:30pm and we head back to our cabin to change.  Our cabin is the last port side cabin on the 10th deck.  In the past we've liked this location.  It's quiet, and we knew there was an aft balcony on this deck that was rarely used by cruisers.   The disadvantage of this cabin is that it is that all restaurants and the main theater are at the bow of the ship.  So any time we need to go back to our room, we walk the entire length of the ship.  Mmm, with all the eating and drinking we've done on this trip, that may not be a bad thing!  Another disadvantage is that the balcony is uncovered making it quite sunny during the last half of the day.  This really hasn't been an issue because the heat and humidity have prevented us from spending much sea time outside anyway.  Now that we're further north and out of the tropics, we hope to use it a bit more and hopefully catch a sunset or two before we reach San Pedro.

OK, back to our daily schedule.  There's another Cabo lecture at 3.  This one is not shopping oriented.  Prior to each port a lecture covering history, attractions, do's and don'ts is offered.  We've tried to attend all port lectures on this trip.  They've prepared us on what to expect in countries we knew nothing about.   So back to the front of the ship we go.   Then after the lecture we head back to the room to relax and get ready for the evening.  Phew!

Back in our room by 4, we catch a movie on TV and dress for the evening.  Tonight, dinner dress is smart casual, but just about any dress, excluding beachwear is is acceptable, and seen.   There are 3 formal dress evenings on this cruise.  About 15% of the guys, including Tony, are in Tuxes.  And most women are in cocktail dresses.  This has been one of the many packing delemas for me.  I ended up with 4 dresses.  I really only needed one with a change in jewelry.  Nobody really pays attention.

Shortly after 6 we head back over to the Princess Theater.   Tonight Gary Delane. a musical commedian is performing.  He was great!  The entertainment on this cruise has been excellent.  Most evening shows are backed by the ship's band, an amazing group of musicians.  And every evening a group called the Rapsody Trio (piano, base, and viola) plays classical music in the atrium.  On our way to dinner after the comedy show we usually find a place to sit in the atrium, have a glass of wine and listen to the trio.  By the way, the atrium is the center social area of the ship.  It's 4 floors high, with glass elevators and marble staircases between the floors.  On each floor there are lounge areas, shops, bars and service counters.  It is the hub of activity on the ship.

We usually eat dinner anywhere between 8 and 9.  If there's another show we want to catch, we'll eat a bit earlier to get back to the theater in time.  Otherwise it's closer to 9.  Good thing all eating establishments are at the front of the ship.  At least we have a little bit of a walk before crawling in bed and reading the latest edition of the Princess Patter.

Well, that's it.  A day at sea.  It's fun, it's relaxing.  But we're on day 3 and we're  ready to hit some terra firma.

Here are some pics

Day 8 - Nicaragua

Yesterday, when we returned to the ship, we weren't quite sure what we were going to do in Nicaragua today.  None of the ship tours really intrigued us.  But when we went to dinner, we shared a table with a couple of women who started telling us about their plans to get off the ship.  They reminded us that we would be at sea for 3 days.  That was enough to persuade us to book a trip.

We  ended up with an 8 hour tour from San Juan del Sur, our tendered port, to Granada, an historic town along the west shore of Lake Nicarua, also known as La Mar Dulce (The Sweet Lake).  It is the 18th largest fresh water lake in the world and has two volcanoes located in the lake.

There's alot of fairly recent violent history in this country - civil wars, and as recent as the 1980's, the Sandanistas attempted to overtake the government.  Initially the US supported them, but then changed position and supported the Contras.  But the people in power now are former Sandanistas - Ortega.  So with that being said, we never felt in danger.  Tony quickly befriended the bus driver and tour guide, and the bottom line is we all want the same thing - peace and prosperity.  One last cruise ship port trivia, Nicaragua is the poorest country in Central America.

After a two hour bus ride we boarded small outboard boats to tour La Isletas, The Little Islands.  There are 365 islands formed by the extinct volcano, Mombacho.   For years the islands have been inhabited by fishing families.  But recently some of the larger islands are being purchased and developed as vacation homes.  Check out the posted pics.  It was pretty cool.  The children of the island row their wooden boats  (chalupas) to school.  Only one island has electricity - until last week.  Now there are two!  The other 363 island have either solar power or nothing!

After our boat ride, we headed to the heart of Granada and toured a convent/museum and then headed to the town square for the obligatory shopping hour.  Tony & I headed to the Hotel on the square and had some local beer.  The town of Granada is very clean and colonial.  And no new buildings can be build unless they are colonial style.

We also had lunch at a local restaurant and then headed back to the bus for our 2 hour ride back to the ship.  On the way our bus stopped at a point where we could view both volcanoes in the lake.  And just  a few miles from port we were treated to a group of howler monkeys feeding in the trees along the roadside.

We're back on the ship, heading for Cabo San Lucas.  But first we have  three days at sea.  This will be the ultimate test to see if we are truly cruisers.

Here are today's pics:

Nicaragua

Picture update

So we broke down and purchased some internet minutes on the ship.  Because of speed, I've reverted to posting pics on picasa.  Here are those links:

Cartagena

Panama Canal

Costa Rica

Day 7 - Costa Rica

I'm sitting at an internet cafe in Puntarenas, Costa Rica and I would be sweating them off if I had a pair!


We just got back from our excursion. We bused up to Naranja to tour a coffee farm.  They showed us everything from planting the new plants to the roasting.  Lots of good information to support my coffee habit.  This plantation is ecofriendly and grows only arabic coffee.  What that means is the coffee beans are a bit smaller with more flavor.  And the smaller the bean, the more flavor.    The guide actually recommended drinking arabic coffee if you have an issue with the caffine because decaffinated coffee still has some caffine in it AND there are residue chemicals in the coffee from the decaffination process.  It was really informative.

After the coffee farm we headed over to Sorchi, the city of painted ox carts.  We got to tour the plant which is run entirely by a water wheel, the same way it was 100 years ago.  The carts are painted by local artists and still used in some Costa Rican farms.  Their original use was to hall coffee down the mountains to waiting ships.  It was pretty cool.  They also provided some fresh fruit for a snack.  Jen Charles, you are correct, nothing tastes like a Costa Rican pineapple.  I've had them in Maui, and these were much better!   And the papaya was delicious!!!!

So it took about 1.5 hours to get back to the ship.  We went to our room to drop our bags nd then headed back to town to spend some time at the internet cafe - and have a cold local beer.

After we're finished we'll head back to the ship, freshen up a bit and grab something to eat in the cafeteria. Tonight we're going to try to catch the movies on the lido deck under the stars.

Here are today's Pics:

Costa Rica Pictures

Day 6 - At Sea

A quiet day at sea.  We got up and actually head to the gym!  Then head to the cafeteria for breakfast!  Haha!!

By 10 were in the lounge listening to a lecture on future cruise venues - ah, no we didn't book anything.  We then catch a lecture on Puntarenas, Costa Rica, tomorrow's port of call.

Tonight is our 2nd formal night. Believe me, I won't have trouble finding something to wear.  I really overpacked for this trip!

That's it for today!   Will check in after tomorrow's excursions in Costa Rica.

Day 5 - Panama Canal

Today's the day. We transit the Panama Canal. Six locks, two lakes and 10 hours later  we'll be in the Pacific Ocean.

Here are a couple of Panama Canal tidbits:

The canal runs north/south.  I never realized that!

Engineering for the canal was begun in earnest in 1880 by the French.   The original plan was to make the canal sea level like the Suez Canal.  The rock landscape of Panama made that nearly impossible and the French abandoned the effort in 1903.  The US then purchased the rights to develop the project.  US engineers then redesigned canal to include 3 locks on either end.

It takes 10 hours to transit through the canal.

The cost for the Island Princess to transit the Canal was $483,000, roughly $250 per passenger.  That amount includes an additional $36,000 for a reserved time and another $30,000 for a daytime passage.

Each lock takes approximately 30 minutes from enter to exit. But only 5 minutes for the water level to change.

The actual 50 mile transit began around 7:30 am.  We were dressed and ready to begin the experience.  The Canal pilots boarded the ship - two for the bridge and 1 for the aft.  By 8:30 we were waiting our turn to enter the first lock.   Our room is at the aft of the ship. And we're able to see a lot of the action from out balcony. But we want to see the entering of the first canal from the bow.  So we head forward to the hot, humid and very crowded decks 14 and 15. It was difficult to see anything clearly and there is a blue glass preventing any good photos unless you could squeeze the camera between the glass frames.  After the first lock, hot and sweaty, we walk around to different areas of the ship to get different views and end up back in our room for some shade, water and air conditioning.  The Atlantic, or Caribbean side locks are one after another.  By 10:30 we were sailing into man made Gatun Lake, approximately 150 above sea level.

For the next 4.5 hours we slowly, very slowly sail throughout Gatun Lake. It's a very narrow channel and the ship is always escorted by a couple of Canal Pilot boats. During this time we break for lunch and grab a pizza at one of the restaurants. During lunch our table mates tell us about 2 observation areas just below the bridge on decks 10 and 11.  Most folks don't know about them and there's no plexiglass inhibiting the view.    We decide we'll head up there when we get to the first descending lock.

As we near the south end of the lake, we sail under Centennial Bridge, the only permanent bridge to span the Canal between the locks.  The south, or Pacific locks are in two locations.  The first one, Pedro Miguel separates Gatun and Mira Flores lakes.   So we head up to the newly discovered decks to view the transition of Pedro Miguel lock. It was great!  Minimal people, and a great view.   It was still hot and humid, but a much better than the higher decks.

Hot and exhausted from standing in the 90 degree weather with matching humidity, we head back to our room.  We can watch the view from the front of the ship on TV while seeing the action in the back from our balcony.

Mira Flores is approximately 1.5 mikes long so it doesn't take a lot of time to reach the 2nd set of the Pacific side locks. Roughly an hour later we're through the two Mira Flores locks and we are technically out of the Panama Canal. As we sail toward the Pacific, we sail under the bridge of the Americas and view Panama City on the skyline.  It was a hot and exhausting transit and a lifetime experience.  We feel like we were on a ten hour tour!

Back in our rooms we freshen up for dinner and catch one of the entertainment venues. Exhausted, we head to bed, and remember to turn our clocks back a hour. We're in mountain time now!

Here's a link to some Panama Photos.  I've reverted back to Picasa 'cause it's just the quickest to upload!
Panama Pics

Day 4 - Cartagena, Colombia

Sailing into Cartagena this morning was slow. The ship had to stay within a narrow shipping Chanel while sailing past a number of outlying islands. I have to be honest, I didn't do a lot of research for this trip, so I don't know a lot about our ports.

We decided to do a ship tour in this port. The city is very large (1,000,00) and spread out.  And with average temps hovering around 90 with humidity to match, getting into the air conditioned bus was ohh so nice.

We started out trip by climbing to the top of Castillo de San Felipe de Barajas, a fortress built by Spaniards in the 1600's for protection against pirates while shipping gold back to Europe.   It was a hot and humid climb, cooled only by an occasional hot breeze. But the view from the top was worth the climb.  From the fortress we drive over to the old town.  Our second stop, Las Bovedas, dungeons initially built for military purposes, and later a market for slave sales.   Unfortunately the building is now used for tourist shops. So shop we did.

Back in the bus we circle around to the other side of the old town.   Here we tour the Palicio de la Inquisition (torture museum), Petro Claver Church, the Naval Museum for a quick folklorico show, and then one more stop for emerald shopping.  Columbia is the major producer of emeralds. We don't buy any emeralds.  But we do buy two beers from a guy from Philly, and get to use his wifi for a few quick picture posts on Facebook.

We're back on the ship by 2:30 and grab a quick lunch. Then back to our rooms to freshen up and watch us leave the harbor of Cartegena.

Later this evening we head to the theater to catch the evenings entertainment. A vegas singer of Nat King Cole songs.  I have to say, the entertainment has been great on this ship.

After the show we head for dinner.  I had a great surf and turf. Tomorrow we begin our Panama Canal transit at 7 am. We don't want to miss that. So off to bed we go.

Will get pics posted later today   Look for a separate post with address.