twangster Posted November 15, 2019 Author Report Share Posted November 15, 2019 Day 16 - Sea Day Back in familiar waters. Captain reports we are on schedule for a 7am arrival. Solarium roof was open again. Enough pictures of that. Typical sea day except it involved packing. Ugh. The cruise is nearly over. TNF by the pool. The football feed we are receiving has no vocals, just game noise. Even the commercials have no vocals. Oh well, it works. Skigoofy, JLMoran, The Cruise Junkie and 2 others 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KathyC Posted November 15, 2019 Report Share Posted November 15, 2019 Boy that trip went fast! Safe travels home, and thanks for another amazing live blog! RWDW1204 and twangster 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpeedNoodles Posted November 15, 2019 Report Share Posted November 15, 2019 7 hours ago, twangster said: Our bus dropped us off at the other end of the cruise terminal. The cruise terminal in Cartagena is kind of unique. It includes an eco park. Giant anteater. There are two aviaries within the park. Oh, my heart!!! During my zoo keeping time, I was privileged to care for half a dozen toucans, and they were, by far, the most enjoyable birds that I ever worked with (even though one of them had a habit of rapping me in the back of the head if I wasn't quick enough with his grapes), and anteaters were a dream of mine to care for, but we never acquired one. I love all of those toothless wonders DDaley, JLMoran, Sweety and 3 others 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Tule Posted November 15, 2019 Report Share Posted November 15, 2019 Cartagena, Colombia added to the bucket list JLMoran, KristiZ, twangster and 1 other 2 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sweety Posted November 15, 2019 Report Share Posted November 15, 2019 Another cruise added to my list. @twangster strikes again. Where is hubby's credit card? twangster and JLMoran 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted November 15, 2019 Author Report Share Posted November 15, 2019 Day 17 - Ft. Lauderdale After 4,890 nautical miles we have arrived into Port Everglades terminal 18. That's a new personal best for a single sailing and longer than my transatlantic last year. Nice sunrise for our arrival. Our cruise... Windjammer open from 5:30am to 8:30am, Dining Room 6:30am to 8am. I was told to go with the last luggage tag number 31 leaving at 9:45am to meet my shuttle to Port Miami. Big Tule, JLMoran, The Cruise Junkie and 4 others 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ellcee Posted November 15, 2019 Report Share Posted November 15, 2019 Gorgeous pictures, thanks for sharing! twangster 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Cruise Junkie Posted November 15, 2019 Report Share Posted November 15, 2019 Great Blog As Always @twangster!! I Cant Wait For Your Next One. twangster 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted November 15, 2019 Author Report Share Posted November 15, 2019 A word about Voom. Vision uses the older satellite technology but having said I was able to make long phone calls and stream content using Surf and Stream. While it isn't as snappy as the new technology used on newer ship, it worked fine for me with the understanding this is satellite based internet and not the internet I have at home. Voom results for the cruise: Date Download Upload Latency 10/30/19 21:45 2.074 2.779 557 10/31/19 8:58 3.726 4.233 584 11/1/19 10:11 3.474 3.447 587 11/3/19 10:33 2.752 2.566 552 11/4/19 9:04 3.576 2.243 578 11/5/19 8:42 2.645 2.998 671 11/6/19 8:05 2.631 2.573 675 11/7/19 15:25 3.316 2.303 709 11/8/19 14:58 2.192 2.496 674 11/9/19 11:37 2.22 2.095 676 11/10/19 7:08 2.523 3.065 664 11/12/19 9:00 1.641 2.676 663 11/13/19 7:44 1.13 2.016 669 11/13/19 9:07 2.504 2.676 670 11/14/19 8:40 2.557 2.799 666 Lovetocruise2002 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted November 15, 2019 Author Report Share Posted November 15, 2019 Cruise Summary This was another bucket list cruise that lives up to that reputation. It introduced me to several new destinations that each warrant a return visit. Puntarenas and Cartagena stand out as top ports while the transit of the Panama Canal completely lived up to all my expectations. Simply wow. This is my second time on Vision of the Seas and she fulfilled everything I needed for this cruise. An issue with my cabin temperature was fixed within two hours on day one and I had no issues for the remainder of the cruise. The crew were fantastic in all respects. The only thing I can think to complain about was the lack of enough tenders in Cabo San Lucas. Using the four dual purpose lifeboat/tenders from the ship simply wasn't enough and it impacted out useable time in port. The ship offered a lot of excuses for this but at the end of the day if they can't figure out how to execute tendering in Cabo they should drop the port. Fortunately I've been there before and it wasn't the reason I booked this cruise. Seeing the operation of the Panama Canal locks firsthand and up close was amazing and I'm glad I experienced the original Panama Canal. It's not an experience I'll soon forget. When I return I'll spend more time down low watching all the action from lock level. My decision to save money by booking an ocean view cabin worked out fine. Looking back I don't think I missed out by not having a balcony or suite. Even if I had a balcony I wouldn't stay out there for the canal transit as there is too much to see on both sides of the ship. Balconies were more than twice the price of my cabin so not only did my savings cover my stay on the Queen Mary, excursions and airfare but also left enough to pay for my next two cruises. I have a few other bucket list type cruises in the future but I'll be looking out for another Panama Canal cruise after those. I hope you enjoyed following along and I thank you for viewing. ashonthesea, Lovetocruise2002, USCG Teacher and 17 others 7 9 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RWDW1204 Posted November 15, 2019 Report Share Posted November 15, 2019 Thank you for your story. twangster 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carlos A. Posted November 15, 2019 Report Share Posted November 15, 2019 5 hours ago, twangster said: The only thing I can think to complain about was the lack of enough tenders in Cabo San Lucas. Using the four dual purpose lifeboat/tenders from the ship simply wasn't enough and it impacted out useable time in port. The ship offered a lot of excuses for this but at the end of the day if they can't figure out how to execute tendering in Cabo they should drop the port. Fortunately I've been there before and it wasn't the reason I booked this cruise. I hope you enjoyed following along and I thank you for viewing. This was a great blog! Thank you!!! I really enjoyed it. NCL Bliss also tender in Los Cabos, how do they manage the tendering of double the passengers than VOS? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted November 15, 2019 Author Report Share Posted November 15, 2019 1 minute ago, carlosalonsor said: This was a great blog! Thank you!!! I really enjoyed it. NCL Bliss also tender in Los Cabos, how do they manage the tendering of double the passengers than VOS? They buy every local tender boat - literally all of them, for the day. Cabo isn't set up for big ships so when one is in port it consumes all available resources. JLMoran and Carlos A. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovetocruise2002 Posted November 15, 2019 Report Share Posted November 15, 2019 Loved the blog @twangster. This is a bucket list cruise for me even before you blogged it but now I know who to go to when I actually book this one. twangster 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FionaMG Posted November 15, 2019 Report Share Posted November 15, 2019 Thanks so much for sharing your impressions and all of the amazing pics. DH went through the canal on numerous occasions back in the days when he worked on the old Sitmar line but I have never been and it's bucket list for me too. Aiming for three years from now to celebrate a landmark anniversary. twangster 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PRebecca Posted November 15, 2019 Report Share Posted November 15, 2019 Had 0 interest in a Panama Canal sailing till reading this! Thanks for your blog!! Would love to see in person! DDaley and twangster 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted November 16, 2019 Author Report Share Posted November 16, 2019 Follow up on the transfer to the Port of Miami. Royal offered this for free. I left my cabin around 7:30am to let my cabin attendant prep it for the next guest and hung out in the Schooner Bar. Voom worked until 9am when they cycled it for the next cruise. Around 9:45am I got off and made my way through CBP. No facial recognition in terminal 18 yet. Outside I went to the right where buses for airport transfers purchased from Royal meet. They put me on the Miami airport bus and around 10.40am we left terminal 18 in Port Everglades. We stopped twice at Miami airport at two different terminals where the bulk of folks got off. We then proceeded to the port. First stop terminal A and Navigator where two guests got off. Next stop terminal G for Empress where 6 guests got off. It was pretty close to noon when we reached Empress. Painless check in and onto the ship. Beverage in hand at 12:23pm. Lyft was $36 and Uber was $39 so with tip that was roughly a $40 savings. I really appreciated this extra effort from Royal. Loyalty pays. SpeedNoodles, GregD, Big Tule and 6 others 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JLMoran Posted November 17, 2019 Report Share Posted November 17, 2019 Just an amazing live blog, @twangster! Thanks so much for sharing. I’ve mulled over whether I might want to do this kind of trip some day, and while it’s still in the “some day” bucket it’s a solid, “Yeah, I’d definitely like to experience this.” The part of me that’s always enjoyed taking things apart and figuring out how they work is busting at the seams to get a close look at those locks. twangster 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SolariumSnoozer Posted November 17, 2019 Report Share Posted November 17, 2019 As always @twangster thanks for taking the time out of your cruise to share it with us. Your pictures lived up to your reputation and I truly enjoyed your blog. Definitely a cruise to add to the bucket list. twangster 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eaglesfaninfl Posted November 17, 2019 Report Share Posted November 17, 2019 Thanks so much for doing this blog. We are scheduled to do a cruise in March 2021 from Tampa to Gatun Lake and back on Celebrity Constellation. Your pics and commentary showed us we made the correct decision! twangster 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guy Gadwa Posted November 17, 2019 Report Share Posted November 17, 2019 I finally got time to review your fantastic blog. We returned from a 12 day cruise on Serenade on Nov 8th. Needless to say, your blog got me out of the “post cruise blues”. We are looking forward to making this trip some day. Once again, thanks for sharing your experiences!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zurc Posted March 22, 2022 Report Share Posted March 22, 2022 @twangster, I know this thread has “a few years” on it, but just wanted to say thanks for your wonderful pictures and commentary. I’ve booked a Westbound Panama Canal cruise for April 2023 (Galveston to LA). Reading this thread has been so helpful (especially vantage points transiting the canal). My itinerary also has Cartagena, and I can’t wait, as your photos showed the beauty of the old town. Do you know whether Royal always has a commentator on board for the full transits? sure hope so. Thanks again for your details and photos. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted March 22, 2022 Author Report Share Posted March 22, 2022 11 minutes ago, Zurc said: @twangster, I know this thread has “a few years” on it, but just wanted to say thanks for your wonderful pictures and commentary. I’ve booked a Westbound Panama Canal cruise for April 2023 (Galveston to LA). Reading this thread has been so helpful (especially vantage points transiting the canal). My itinerary also has Cartagena, and I can’t wait, as your photos showed the beauty of the old town. Do you know whether Royal always has a commentator on board for the full transits? sure hope so. Thanks again for your details and photos. There was a commentator on board for my transit. He provided a lot of useful information. Zurc 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zurc Posted March 22, 2022 Report Share Posted March 22, 2022 10 minutes ago, twangster said: There was a commentator on board for my transit. He provided a lot of useful information. Yes, When I read those posts about him (loved that he had extensive experience working at the canal), I was hopeful that this would be a regular feature on Royal ships. Keeping my fingers crossed . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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