Leaderboard

Also forgot to mention, they held a Veteran’s Day event on board in the Promenade. They sang the national anthem, and had one of the casts from Grease sing ‘Hallelujah’ with lyrics changed to honor our servicemen and women. The moment of silence was deafening. Both my husband and I are veterans, and found it to be very touching and moving. (Also on board was a 92 yo WWII vet!). Thanks to RCI for taking the time to honor our vets!

With that we were now up to the level of Gatun Lake. Moving around the ship I wanted to see how it looked from different areas around the ship. Looking back from where we came it was clear how the original locks were augmented with the Pacific access channel for the new locks to the right. In the case of the new locks there are still three steps but they are all done in one lock complex so they bypass Miraflores Lake. The Solarium roof was once again open. Next we pass under the Centennial Bridge.

Our cruise across the Panama Canal continues as we sail through Gatun Lake. A channel was created in sections of the lake. The ship following behind us is seen here navigating the channel through the lake. It occurs to me before the lake was created this would have been the top of a hill that you could climb up, assuming you could make it through the dense jungle. Through a clearing to starboard we could make out another bridge in the distance. This section of the lake opens up and there were several ships at anchor waiting their turn to use the Gatun Locks around the corner. Central America themed items for sale during the transit.

Approaching the Gatun locks. The men in a row boat get ready once again. Bill Benny our commentator talks about the signal on the lock that was used in the days before radios. It's still maintained and is in operation today. If the arrow is pointed straight up the lock is not ready, do not approach. If the arrow is pointing towards the 2 o'clock position it means the locks are being prepared and should be ready in approximately 10 minutes. If the arrow is horizontal and pointing to the right it means enter the right lock. In the position displayed here it means approach and tie up with the locomotives. Massive rubber wheels protect the corners of the locks. To our right that orange tanker is progressing into the new locks. We begin to move towards and line up with the lock wall. Tugs push us towards the lock was so that locomotives on the port side can be connected. With the locomotives connected on the port side and tugs pushing us on the starboard side we move forward. The locomotives on the starboard side return from their last ship and get ready to send their cables to the ship.

While creating the man made Gatun Lake solved the largest span between the oceans it didn't quite reach all the way to the Pacific. The 8.75 mile gap required another solution - digging. Enter the Culebra Cut, also known as Gaillard Cut. The volume of earth removed from this section of the canal is staggering. At one of the narrowest spots you can see the terracing of Gold Hill and Contractor's Hill from the original days of canal construction. This area was known for its landslides dumping massive amounts of earth back into channel of the canal as it was being excavated. While the effort to construct the entire canal is impressive the amount of effort to create the Culebra Cut is mind blowing. Spoils removed from the cut were hauled away in train cars used in other areas of the canal or dumped in the jungles. The earthen Gatun dam that creates Gatun Lake was created from this excavation. Tugs are always at the ready in case a ship suffers a breakdown or mechanical issue that could be devastating to canal operations. If a ship lost propulsion or ran aground and closed the canal that would cost a fortune in lost revenue. Consequently tugs always escort ships through the Culebra Cut and they are ready to spring into action should a ship start to get into trouble. The canal is quite deep to accommodate the draft of the biggest ships that can use the canal so you can imagine how landslides were an issue over a hundred years ago and even to this day in places. Looking at the vegetation and how thick the jungle is you can imagine what it would have been like when workers first arrived to begin working on the cut. Efforts continue to ensure run off from the rainy season is managed in a controlled fashion.

With the Miraflores Locks complete it was time to proceed. The ship before us is already halfway across Miraflores Lake. They begin to let the cables to the locomotives go as we slowly move forward. As we make our way across Miraflores Lake that ship is nearly through the Pedro Miguel lock that comes next. Tugs at the ready to push us around. Two people in a row boat... Our narrator over the P.A. system informs us they had studies done to evaluate replacing the people in a row boat with various other ways to accomplish the same goal. At the conclusion it was determined this remains the most flexible means to get the job done. It simply works. Looking at the countryside you get an idea of just what they had to deal with over one hundred years ago when they started building the canal. At this point we could clearly see the Centennial Bridge, the next bridge we would pass under and channel forward into the Culebra cut. As we approach the Pedro Miguel lock the doors begin to open

One of my dilemmas as I thought about how to capture this day was where to go on the ship for the best pictures. I captured the timelapse on my GoPro while I waited on deck 10 forward for the morning approach and the first set of locks. However I didn't want to stay there the whole day guarding my GoPro. At the same time I really wanted a full transit timelapse so I cheated a little bit. Vision of the Seas has a TV channel dedicated to the forward facing bridge camera. It's channel 41 on the TV system. Hmmm. What if I used my other phone to capture a timelapse of channel 41? The full transit in 21 seconds.

Bill Benny our guest commentator had suggested we keep an eye out on the port side after leaving the Gatun locks. This small inlet to the left was the area to look out for. This small canal that forks to the right is the only visibly remaining sign of the French effort of late 1800's. That was the original width they were planning to make the canal. It's become overgrown a little and in their defense he pointed out that ships were not that big back at the time. He doubts anyone involved with the design or building of the original canal would have any idea how big the ships that use the canal today have become.

Once through the Culebra cut we enter an arm of Gatun Lake where it begins to widen. A railway runs along the canal that in places is visible. At this point we are roughly halfway across Panama. Screen capture from the MarineTraffic.com app:

DAY 2: Perfect day at Cocoa Cay DRINK COUNT Specialty Coffee Frozen mojito Bahama Mama x4 Shot of rum 3 glasses of champagne with dinner Disarono on the rocks 1 terrible drink from the mechanical bar (it must have ran out of limes and couldn’t muddle ??) 12 drinks total THRILL PARK got off ship about 0900, waited about 15 minutes to ride Devil’s Peak No big wait on any other of the rides in the tower Headed over to Slingshot and waited about 15 minutes The rest of the slides wasn’t much of a wait. Great day! Nearly “perfect” UNLIMITED DINING PLAN this is the only not so perfect thing about Cocoa Cay. So apparently Captain Jacks on Cocoa Cay IS NOT included with the UDP! I ordered some chicken wings for the brusband thinking it would certainly be covered and well within the food credit... but alas no ? Seems a little weird to have a charge for something like that. Also, surprisingly Wonderland was rather a miss for us. They waiter recommended we let them pick some of the favorites for appetizers and we pick the mains. We really liked only 3 of the 7 appetizers served. They weren’t bad, just not delicious. Perhaps if we had just chosen which ones we would have preferred based on tastes, this would have been a better experience. The brusband got the pork belly and I the beef short rib. Both were good. The view and the experience in the venue was worth it since I don’t think there is another view like that on the ship. But the food was hit or miss for us. Perhaps if you’re bringing young’s ones who are picky eaters, this may not be worth your money if they don’t like it. The other thing with dinner, they came out to sing ‘Happy Birthday’ to my Colombian, and forgot his name ?? And not in a casual... mumble mumble something close kinda way... but as in they still tried to sing it with no clue. (They literally may have said the words mumble mumble... I’m still not sure) Lol It was no big deal... but the waiter seemed so embarrassed for clearly not knowing his name (in spite of just confirming with us both right before), that he FORGOT to pour whatever hot sauce goes on top of the chocolate dome ? By the time we got his attention, the sauce had cooled. He still tried pouring it, and what came next was a sad awkward moment coupled with fear and false hope. He poured ALL of the contents over the dessert and when nothing really happened... he pleaded with it. Then he tried covering up for the poor performance by saying.., I’m sure any minute now it will start melting. We were left with a half melted, Frankenstein of a dessert ?? No big deal; it was still rather delicious.

I wanted to start this blog by sharing our Open Water Diver Certification process on board Harmony OTS, Nov 2019. Hopefully this will help answer any questions or concerns. This will be partly live since we are still on board; if you have any questions you want me to relay, let me know! (We disembark on Nov 16, 2019) We signed up for the excursion about a week prior to the cruise. I asked a bunch of questions, and THAT same day the excursion team reached out to the dive team. All my questions were answered that same day (appreciated the quick responses!). They also included copies of our medical questionnaire (see pictures) and asked us to send them back. The same day I sent them back, they responded with my PADI redeem key so I could start my eLearning modules. I HIGHLY recommend getting them done early (obviously...) this was a last minute decision (largely thanks to @twangster and noting some advice he posted. I owe you a beer on our next cruise...provided I get certified... ??) Since it was a last minute decision, we spent most of the morning of our embarkation (both before and after we were on the ship) frantically trying to finish ?? Ultimately it didn’t seem like a huge deal if we hadn’t, since all open water stuff was going to be done the following day. They didn’t seem too concerned that some of our modules appeared as not complete (even though they were), they just softly reminded us to finish them and encouraged us to get them done ASAP. There are NUMEROUS glitches with the PADI eLearning app (known as “PADI Library” in the Apple store). We found the iPad to be WAY easier to use vs. just an iPhone. Even with the large screen of the iPhone 11 Pro... it still was difficult to navigate, watch videos, take exams, etc. Once on board, we showed up before 3:pm to prove all our pre-cruise requirements were completed, our medical questionnaire, doctors note (if needed), and PADI folder were all filled out. I would HIGHLY suggest you review the medical requirements and get all issues signed off by your MD well in advance. We had to show back up at 6pm to fit our gear (and buy what we didn’t have). They (Francois and Kelly) seemed really friendly, and probably would have let us borrow equipment had we pressed the issue, but we wanted to just buy our own anyway. If you’re smarter than we are, I would suggest going to your local PADI (or dive) shop, try on products there, and buy them in advance. Ultimately the masks they offered ranged in price from $20-120 , but they had limited options for colors, styles, brands etc. This is like going into your local bowling alley and seeing all the pretty, fancy pro gear, and then going online and seeing about 8 million different options than what was offered. You may not only save some money, but also have something that fits better or you like more. That was it for day 1!! They were supposed to have us do our confined water dives on Perfect Day, but the pool was down for maintenance apparently. This meant we got a free day in Cocoa Cay! BUT it meant we had to use the on board pool (and NOT the aqua pool like I’ve heard they used in the past) for our initial confined dives. This meant our first sea day was an almost all day practicum day and only in 4.5 ft of water ? Day 2 (our 3rd cruise day and first sea day). We met at 6:30am at the dive shop. We grabbed our gear (prepared and fitted previously) then prepped it like they taught us, and went into the pool. There are 7 in our class and they said that is about typical for on board certification. People ranged from having previous dive experience to having none. Overall our class went until about 10:30am. At that time one of our classmates apparently gagged on something and threw up in the pool ?? Whatever, lol ? happens. Rolling with the flow of the ocean is what cruising is all about. They did have to clean out the pool which meant lessons were over for the morning. This was kinda a hindrance since we need to come BACK this/that evening at 4:30pm for more training. As of writing this (I’m sitting in the hot tub in the solarium relaxing until evening class), things haven’t been too crazy difficult or hard. Super basic skills (removing mask and regulators, practicing emergency procedures etc) were all we completed. (But according to our instructors we are doing relatively well!) I’ll keep you all updated with the thing that happen next and relay any lessons learned I thought might be useful!

I wanted to see what it was like looking out my deck 3 cabin window as we descended. They were both pretty wet from the humidity but I managed to get some pictures working around the water droplets on the outside. Not bad for concrete work that is over a hundred years old in the Panama humidity.

Pictures don't do it justice. I've taken a series of video clips that I plan to stitch together that will hopefully capture the day. Until I get that video put together here is a clip that should give you a better idea of what it's like to move between the lock chambers, how close the ship is to the walls of the lock and an up close look at the locomotives.

The canal has its own fire department. A Southbound container ship is locking opposite us. As we are getting ready to drop the container ship was being lifted. The high walls of the containers created a reference point so you could see just how quickly it was lifted. Soon enough it was on its way while we were now closer to the level of lock. From deck 5 you really feel the canal, like you can reach out and touch it.

Add me to the list of people spending money after a Twangster live blog. The canal is now at the top of my future-cruise-scheduling list! Watching the locks looks so fun and interesting. Thank you!

Here is a timelapse up to this point:

The third and final bridge over the Panama Canal is the Atlantic Bridge. This bridge was completed August 2019.

With that we've been lowered from 85 feet above sea level and we are now in Caribbean Sea at the level of the Atlantic ocean. The gates close behind us and get ready to do it all again for another ship. From the aft looking towards the left you can see the new canal locks through the trees.

A tanker ship is now opposite us locking in the Southbound direction. Another benefit of being down on deck 5 is the ability to move around and experience different areas of the process. Having cleared the lock chamber the gates behind us close and we get ready to repeat the process again.

On our left the Gatun Dam makes all of this possible. The earthen dam is very wide. It took a tremendous amount of earth removed from Culebra cut to build enough land over 90 feet tall to create the lake. It is said that there is enough earth in the dam to build a wall 5 feet tall and 1 foot wide around the circumference of the planet at the equator. The concrete structure in the middle is simply the spillway that can be used to release excess water when required due to heavy rains. This is what keeps the lake at 85 feet above sea level. To our right that orange ship we saw in the new locks on the Pacific side has reached the new locks here on the Atlantic side. We will use the original Gatun locks. A Southbound tanker clears the locks and begins to make her way across Gatun Lake.

WTG on your NED! My cancer surgery was Jan. 2017 and my oncologist keeps giving me good reports. Wishing you the best!

We took 4 cruises before we had kids (1989-1993) when we were in our 20’s. All were RCI. (I took 2 booze cruise type cruises for college spring breaks on an old military supply ship turned cruise ship lol) We took a very long break while our kids were young plus we live on a horse farm and it’s not easy (or cheap) to find farm sitters. In 2011 we came back with our kids and did Oasis. Super fun! We wouldn’t cruise again until 2017. I was diagnosed with stage 4b cancer in 2015 and that cruise in 2017 (again on Oasis) was to celebrate 6 months of NED (no evidence of disease) and my 50th birthday. Since then we sailed Oasis a third time in 2018, Freedom in 2019, Mariner 3 weeks ago and have Symphony booked for May 2020. After our Freedom cruise, we achieved Diamond status. I’m now down to 2 horses. Our oldest is 26 and engaged and out on her own. Our youngest is sophomore in college. Hubby sold our business back in 2012 and now is semi retired. I have learned the hard way that life can be taken very quickly. I’m not as picky about farm sitters and have let go of my anal retentiveness when it comes to my animals. They are still alive when I get home! Lol Getting ready to book 2 cruises (another quick Mariner next October and a Mediterranean probably for 2021) over Black Friday. We have a wedding now to pay for so the Mediterranean may have to be pushed to 2022. Paying off my car this month and youngest daughter’s last month freed up a nice sum that we are putting some towards wedding and some towards us. I also may take in an additional boarded horse to help fund the addiction. Through my cancer journey I also found out I have a hereditary cancer gene (Lynch Syndrome) and have an 80% chance of developing another cancer so we are YOLO’ing as much as we can. **edited to add that we do live in Florida and can drive to ports although Miami is a bit far. (5 hours). When we flew to San Juan for our Freedom cruise we drove 2 hours to Orlando and flew Southwest. About $650 total.

Great for hanging a multi shelf organizer.

Allure of the Seas is headed to Texas, bookings will opening soon!

Well... today is the day! We were prepared in the usual fashion of pre-cruise excitement. For us, that means I obsess over the minutia, while typically missing the bigger picture of intentionally needing to relax ?? Our nails freshly manicured, our tans freshly sprayed, and our nose hairs freshly waxed, I was starting to feel better prepared! (Too TMI with the nose hairs? ... I’ll rein in the descriptors... But man... getting old sucks sometimes). We are sailing out of Orlando today on Harmony of the Seas. Of COURSE I’m up at 5am eagerly anticipating embarkation on one of our favorite ways to vacation. I’ll try to keep this as ‘live’ as possible! (Hence the Ron Burgundy question mark at the end of the title). I just wanted to post some tidbits that we are learning along the way. We are doing a lot of firsts on this cruise! This is our first junior suite, our first time purchasing The Key, our first time booking UDP, first cruise ship escape room, first time maybe eating in CK, first sailing out of Port Canaveral, and first time in Harmony OTS. We originally booked a New Zealand cruise during our Cuban cruise on Empress last year. We saved and saved, but ended up canceling around June due to scheduling conflicts. This cruise was a spur of the moment purchase in our desperation to take a reprieve from work... so we just said “the heck with it” and went all in with the bells and whistles (well... all the bells and whistles as far as we can afford...I’m the cheap one in the marriage by the way). Thanks for joining!

Someone else found it on social media and posted it to CC, I'm just sharing it here.

Just got off the Anthem of the Seas from our 11/2-11/9 trip for my daughter's Sweet 16 and our 20th Anniversary cruise. It was a great cruise, lots of fun, and a lot to discuss. i will start from the beginning. Embarkation Day- EASIEST embarkation we have had in 16 cruises. We got to the port around 10:00 am. By the time we got our bags out of the car, we were in the terminal at 10:15. We got right up to an agent who checked our set sail passes and passports. They had to retake my wife's picture, as well as my daughter's friends picture. The whole process took about 5 minutes. We were ushered to a seating area and told boarding would begin between 11-11:30. At 10:35, they made an announcement that boarding will begin, and we were on the ship by 11am. I went right to customer service to get an extra key made for our room and my daughter's room. That took about 5 minutes. I met the other 3 up in the Windjammer for lunch, and then we went off to explore the ship. It is HUGE! Well laid out and easy to navigate though. Our luggage was at our room at 1pm, so we went an unpacked and got ready for the Muster station meetings at 2:30. Our room, 11586, was a great room and great location mid ship. Our group met at Chops Steakhouse. The muster drill took all of about 20 minutes, very easy. We then went and booked the IFly for Friday afternoon. We took a nap and woke up in time to get ready for our 8pm dinner in Chic. We did classic dining time so that the 4 of us could have a meeting place every night and sit and enjoy dinner together. Sea Day- Our day at sea started out uneventful- the weather was starting to warm up as we got down toward the Carolina's. Then, we had to make a U-Turn for a Coast Guard Helicopter evacuation. We went an hour and half northwest toward shore to meet up with the helicopter. Apparently, someone fell from the 16th floor of the seaplex to the 15th floor and was in critical condition. The captain was pushing 25 knots, and the boat was rocking. The whole process took a couple of hours, but the rescue was successful. We started back south toward Port Canaveral and all was well. We enjoyed the day by the pool, walked through the promenade shops, etc. The kids spent most of the day at the teen club and wandering around the ship. I will continue later or tomorrow when I get more time!

https://www.marketwatch.com/story/this-is-the-no-1-cruise-line-for-your-money-2019-11-12

Thank you both for your service and kudos to Royal for honoring all veterans!

Looking back towards the locks in the distance you can see the new locks to the left and the original locks to the right. New locks: Original locks:

Yet another tanker was locking opposite us as we moved forward. Finally back at sea level as we prepare to let go the cables from the locomotives another tanker is approaching heading South. They were pumping the Southbound ships through at this point.

Wow! So many sights, there's definitely value in this sailing! Loving all the pictures!

At this point I decided to move down to deck 5 to get a closer look at the lock. Down here you get a much better feeling for just how tight a fit we are. This spot near the control tower for the Pedro Miguel lock is the narrowest part of the original canal. While the lock chambers are 110 feet wide, this section is 109 feet wide. Our commentator Bill's last position with the Panama Canal Company was working in the control room at this lock. Earlier in his time at the canal he was also a mule driver, something many canal workers did back in the day. Looking straight down. It was really great to see the operation from this very close perspective. A lock gate in the opposite lock. These are called miter gates. Close up look at the lock walls. On the other side of the ship you could clearly see we were nearly up to the level of new Pacific access channel.

Speaking of our announcer we are lucky to have Bill Benny on board. He worked for the Panama Canal Company for 30 years. Along our transit he provided a wealth of information that really made the experience a lot better.

Fellow homeschooling family too! I don't work a 9-5 either. I do transcription work at night a few hours a week for fun money. We live below our means so we can spend life doing things and experiencing life and adventure with our three boys! Because we home school our vacation time is not restricted and we can find some great deals not only with cruising but with vacationing in general (ie hotel rates, theme parks, flights) So we tend to vacation on the off season or shoulder seasons. So we like to chose times such as second/third week of September (when most people are in traditional school and back to work after labor day) , first week of December (just after thanksgiving rush and just before Christmas craziness) and this next cruise will be in January (well after new years but before spring break crowds).

That's a big one. We are the same way, we don't have fancy things, we like vacationing. My brother calls me Jay-cation ?

Help! I cant find Matt's post. I'd love to check out the tip. Both my husband and I severed in the Marine Corps.

A little bit about the Panama Canal. In order to make it from one ocean to the other the ship needs to reach the man made Gatun Lake that lies in middle of Panama. That involves three canal locks that are used to lift the ship a total of 85 feet (~26m) to reach the level of Gatun Lake. Once across Gatun Lake another series of three steps in canal locks lower the ship back to sea level. From West to East we will go through the Miraflores locks, across the small Miraflores Lake and then into the Pedro Miguel locks. Once through those locks we will be at the level of Gatun Lake. On the Atlantic side of Gatun Lake the Gatun Locks will lower us in three steps to the Caribbean Sea and Atlantic Ocean. Miraflores Locks There are two steps in these locks. These tugs are an important part of the canal operation. Ships our size are assigned two tugs. Two people in a row boat... They bring "messenger" lines over to the ship that will be used to haul the steel cables from the locomotives over to the ship. Ship lines are not used in the transit. The crowds at the front of the ship do become somewhat thick. An opportunity to meet new friends. The Miraflores locks will lift us two of the three steps required to reach the level of Gatun Lake. The locomotives on each side will help guide the ship into the lock channel and keep the ship centered. These have been upgraded over the years but their function remains the same as it was in 1914 when the Panama Canal first opened. The locomotives are nicknamed "mules" and operating under guidance from the control room, the onboard seamen and the pilot they keep the ship moving centered in the lock chamber. The ship uses it's own propulsion to move forward. As the ship moves forward we approach the lock door that hold back massive volumes of water. Behind us a set of lock doors will close creating a chamber for us to ride in. Once the doors behind the ship close the lock is flooded with water. The spray seen here is normal leakage, the chamber is actually filled from below. As the chamber fills we can sense we are gently rising. It's a subtle rise that can be hard to notice. The water line against the lock doors can be used to see how far the water has risen. With our first lift complete the lock doors in front of us open and we advance into the next lock chamber. The ship before us is already moving into Miraflores Lake. The orange ship in the new locks has already reach the level of Gatun Lake and is starting to move forward to continue the transit. The Borinquen Dams separate the new Pacific access channel where this ship is from Miraflores Lake. These Miraflores locks were originally completed in 1913. A visitors center allows people to view the locks (and us) in operation. One more lift to go to reach the level of Miraflores Lake.

Empress, but I'm sworn to secrecy and can't say anymore.

First day travel— We booked a room on Cocoa Beach in the Courtyard by Marriott. Arriving a day earlier, I had the preference of staying in Orlando (more bang for your buck IMO)... but the Colombian side of my husband was wanting to stay closer to the port... and I’ve learned just to not argue with that side (sorta like disagreeing with Pablo Escobar...). No problems with our flight. I usually make fun of my little Colombian when he books travel because he loves to book our flights with a few hours layover so we can relax in the lounge and eat/drink... the analytical and practical side of me just wants to get to where I’m going ? If we have a layover it’s nice to use a lounge, but I won’t go out of my way to add time onto a travel day. With me booking, I gave us about a 50 minute layover (which in hindsight ALSO wasn’t the best). But we were still able to pop into the Delta lounge and grab some drinks and a hot meal. Arrived in Orlando airport and dang... I always forget how big and weird this airport is! We made our way to grab our bags and hopped into the USO for a bottle of water and to see if they had any recommendations for shuttles to Cocoa Beach. (My plan was just to book the Uber, but no harm in asking) For our vets out there... if you need a moment to relax at MCO... I DEFINITELY recommend stopping by! This is probably one of the nicest USO’s I have ever been in. All of the shuttles they recommended (Go Port was one) had already had their last shuttle out. (We arrived MCO at 7pm). Back to square one booking an Uber... but at least we were able to get some waters/soda/snacks for the road! Here’s my first tidbit: don’t let the Uber driver convince you to cancel your ride. Booked the Uber, we were waiting outside the rideshare pickup area, and we get a message from the driver. He messaged that he was “unable” to pickup at the airport due to “not having a permit”, and we would need to cancel the ride. (He most likely just saw the distance and didn’t want to make the long drive). Knowing we would likely get hit with a charge if we did, and confirming with the airport security the no permit was necessary, I knew the guy was either just scamming, or at a minimum being dishonest. We simply told him he didn’t need the permit, and if he didn’t want to perform the ride, he needed to cancel. He eventually did. We got another one shortly after (within about 10 minutes). The ride to Cocoa Beach wasn’t bad. We were both tired after a long day of traveling. The hotel is ok, but not worth the price tag IMO. (We had an AMEX travel credit of $200 which is the only reason I agreed to the $300 price tag of staying here vs. Orlando). Ultimately we thought my gut was right, hotel room is a little dingy. But they did have a beautiful pool area, the bar had good food, and I even caught a glimpse of a fire pit where people were enjoying drinks and community. If you have the time to just shuttle to the port the next morning, and cost is a factor, I would say just stay in Orlando. There were plenty of nice hotels right next to the Airport that were really affordable. That’s it for day 1 travel day! I’ll let y’all know how embarkation day was when it’s over!

So many cruises, so little time.

@Lovetocruise2002 You can see, we were able to break through... lol... but instead of having a nice chocolate sauce at the bottom (like we saw on other people’s plates), we had to crack it open like a dinosaur egg and eat the chunks ??

Reaching Gatun Lake there was an opportunity for some ship activities. Bill Benny our guest commentator hosted a brief presentation followed by a question and answer session that lasted over 50 minutes. This was invaluable and I learned so much during this event. It's really quite something that Royal was able to find a resource like Bill to take the cruise with us. One question was "How much does it cost for Vision of the Seas to use the Panama Canal?". I'll get into that later in another post. Anyone who has sailed across the international date line or the equator will know there are ceremonies that mark the occasion. Our cruise director staff put together a spoof on this concept for our Panama Canal crossing. Basically 'court' was held and various crew members who were charged with various 'crimes' were handed down their sentence. On the far left is Enzo our Activities Manager. Steve our Cruise Director took delight by ordering an extra pie for Enzo. This progressed with the Staff Captain eventually being called before 'the court'.

That is correct. We always have our cc set up and then just review the charges throughout the cruise to ensure no issues.

That is a fantastic picture!

You can always see your charges throughout the cruise (on TV or asking at the desk). additionally, they provide a statement on the last evening and the charges will be applied to your card if you authorized that type of set up. D

The fact that those little engines are called mules doesn't surprise me in the least ..... considering canal boats from the 1800's were pulled by mules. Cumberland, MD, where I am, is the western terminus of the C & O Canal National Historic Park

I noted our seamen in the bow looked different. That's because the ship crew who normally handle the lines got the day off. When transiting the Panama Canal local seamen come on board to handle the lines. In the last photo of my above post you can sort of see there is a split or fork in the channel. As we moved forward it became clearer the path to the left are the new locks for neo-Panamax larger vessels. The fork to the right leads to the original locks for vessels meeting the original Panamax standard. Here is a neo-Panamax ship being helped into position to enter the new locks. An old locomotive possibly from the Panama railroad that used to run between the coasts. The new locks on this side of the canal. Those pools of water in the foreground are part of the water conservation approach used by the new locks. As we continue on towards the right and the original locks we can begin to see the Miraflores locks around the bend.

Day 11 - Panama Canal This is going to take a few posts, bear with me. In the early morning light you could see a virtual fleet of ships at anchor waiting their turn. Panama City was becoming visible through the morning fog. I was surprised by the number of high rise buildings. We continued to glide through the flotilla of ships until we approached the Bridge of the Americas. This bridge is the lowest of three bridges that now span the canal. This is the original and lowest of the three. The NCL Bliss as the largest cruise ship to ever transit the Panama Canal squeaked under but only at low tide. Vision was built within Panamax standards so there is no question we'll slide under quite nicely. Once past the Bridge of the Americas our adventure really begins.

A little late, but agree, LIKE A BOSS!!