Panama Canal Cruise

Tuesday, April 3 Cruise on the Rotterdam VI, Holland American Lines
San Diego to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico to Huatulco, Mexico to Puerto Chiapas, Mexico to Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala to Fuerte Amador, Panama to Cartagena, Colombia to Ft. Lauderdale, Florida

San Diego, California
We arrived into the San Diego Airport around 10:30pm on April 2. Very bumpy out of Austin but smooth sailing out of Denver. By the time we checked into the hotel it was midnight, California time; however, our clock was set on Austin time, 2:00am. We had no trouble hitting the sack.

We boarded the ship around 2:00pm....NO LINES! Unbelievable! We walked right through the metal detectors and were able to go right to our rooms. The most enjoyable boarding on a cruise ship that we have ever experienced. We immediately unpacked and took a stroll around the ship taking pictures of San Diego and the Bay. Gorgeous weather and scenery! Please pinch me....I can't believe we are going on a cruise through the Panama Canal. I have dreamed of this my whole life and have wanted to have this experience once in my lifetime....mark this one off the bucket list!

Leaving the San Diegeo Harbor was absolutely beautiful. We enjoyed striking up a conversation with two Australians, Roy and Pam...we became immediate friends. Dinner and another stroll...we were ready for bed. Was Austin time kicking in? For sure!

                                                  Our ship, The Rotterdam  VI

Terra Cotta Soldiers and over 2 million $$ worth of art were throughout the ship

Just 'laxing!

What a beautiful sunset the first night!

In 1872 Holland America Line introduced its first flagship, named for the city in which she was built and for the seaport that was the company's original home Rotterdam, Holland. The Rotterdam I held 396 passengers and crossed th Atlantic in a record 15 days (10 knots) Equipped with steam power, she was fitted with mast and sail, just in case.

                                                                     Rotterdam I
In 1886 Rotterdam II, offered the first leisure cruise from Rotterdam to Copenhagen with 2,850 passengers. In 1897 Rotterdam III, with a speed of 14 knots, was sold to the Danish in 1906 to be renamed C F Tietgen.

             Rotterdam   II                                                                                  Rotterdam III

In 1908 Rotterdame IV(serving 3,575 passengers) became the first ship to have a glassed-in promenade deck with a grand stairway making way for todays atrium. In 1958 Rotterdam V traveling at 26 knots deemed "The Grande Dame of Ocean Liners" sailed more than 1000 voyages including 29 times around the globe, retiring in 1997. She caused controversy when she was introduced with two diesel exhaust stacks instead of the traditional funnels.

Rotterdam                   Rotterdam
IV                                              V

In 1997 Rotterdam VI (our ship and the current Holland America Line flagship) serves 1,404 passengers after having renovation in 2007. Of all our cruises, this is our favorite. It is nice being on a ship with less passengers, plenty of activities and a calmer, more peaceful setting at sea.

                                  We avoided the elevators, climbing  seven flights of stairs  to the dining room
.

The next two days we were at sea. Beautiful skies, smooth ocean, happy people, great walking track, whales and dolphins swimming by the boat, great gym and suana, free DVDs, omg shuffel board...Larry loves beating me, basketball court...we tied each other in baskets, tennis court, table tennis, two pools, three hot tubs, a grand library with fasinating books, wonderful in-room music, fantastic computer classes, excellent helpful staff, a terrific 50's musical show, Academy Awards Movie: " The Artist" in the theater, breakfast in bed....We love the Lido Buffet...Chinese, Italian, American, Salad Bar, Cheese Bar, Bread Bar, Dessert Bar ...too much food. We are trying to stick with a salad and meat....and Larry has sampled the desserts over and over.Enjoyed catching Cher's Final concert Tour on the Big Screen at the back of the boat as the sun was setting. We had gone to see it in Greensboro, NC a few years ago so it brought back some good memories. Another great show tonight, a Las Vegas Comedian who worked with Johnny Mathas. Soooo funny!

Will be in Puerto Vallarta in the morning!

Friday, April 6, 2012 Good Friday Puerto Vallarta

1 Mexican Peso (MXN) = .08 USD so 13 Pesos =1 Dollar

                                                       A beautiful Puerto Vallarta Beach

Woke up to the engines backing up in the Banderas Harbor of Puerto Vallarte, Mexico. The bay is one of the deepest natural bays housing a wildlife preserve that have dophins, whales, and sea tutles. After breakfast (brought to the room), a quick shower and a walk on the top deck for pictures, we disembarked off the ship. The City is based below a great green range, the Sierra Mountains. We headed for the local bus, paid a buck each, and took off to the City Center and Isla Cuale which had a small museum and many, many craft shops.

                                                        Puerto Vallarta from the ship

After a quick peek into several shops, we mosied across the bridge and onto the paved beachside walkway .... bay to the left (dirty sea foam waves) and hotels and shops to the right with lots of tall palm trees swaying in the breeze. It was a beautiful day....89 degrees...not a cloud in the sky.

All kinds of shops and crafts on Isle Caule

 Many people were out walking and enjoying it. We stopped to take several pictures of the statues that are spaced along the walkway. One particular statue was washed out to sea during the last hurricane...a little boy riding a seahorse...so many locals missed it that the sculpter made another for all to enjoy.

Amazing statues were along the beach

A variety of sand castles popped up along the beach.

We stopped to reapply sunscreen and happened to be standing at a stage area with the bay and arches in the background. From here we could see a huge crowd coming our way with Roman looking soldiers on horses. The moving crowd engulfed us. They were putting on a reenactment of the death of Jesus Christ. It was very authentically produced for all to see. We watched before the group moved on to the next area to continue. Weren't we lucky to be able to see this on Good Friday?

Only Brazil has more Catholic residents than Mexico. Several Catholic Church steeples could be seen along the city scape as we walked.

                                                           Cathedral  Towers

Old town's cobbled streets are line with pretty white washed Spanish architecture. Many are decorated with elaborate iron balconies and flowing vines. The odors of the area led you to believe that the locals needed more banos...bathrooms. Many bedding plants had been mashed to the ground...making you wonder what had occurred there the night before with such such wide walkways. Boats painted with fancy designs were displayed along the walkway.... much like the Hokie Birds on display in Blacksburg.

We jumped on the local transportation back to the ship, paid the driver, and watched him put the coins   in an antiquated wooden box....his cash register.

 

 A young deaf man performed magic tricks for all to enjoy on our trip home. How smart he was to create an enjoyable job to delight others! We stopped to use the internet for a few minutes before boarding the ship. Great price....a buck for an hour! On board it is $55.00 for an hour with very scketchy connections.

Tonight....Donna Krall Concert under the stars on the back deck, a musical show called "It Takes Two", and a movie, "Blind". We may have to go home to get some rest!

Saturday, April 7...Day at Sea

Great buffet breakfast, walked the third floor track for three miles, nice ocean breezes. Sat on the bow of the boat in the wave pool to catch some rays. Great buffet lunch...salad for me and fish, steamship round, lamb chops, brocolli, fresh fruit and raspberry cream dessert for Larry...Everything was yummy. More sun, visit to the library, visit to the treadmill, bicycle, sauna and shower, dinnertime already...lobster, asparagus, scalloped potatoes and Larry had two scoops of chocolate ice cream and pie. Sunset...Movie tonight under the stars, "A Week with Marilyn" . We rated it as a double yawner...and went off to hear a three of the live music areas, a piano player in one area, a guitarist in another area, and a pianoman, chello, and sax trio yet in another. While listening, Larry beat me playing a game of electronic checkers. What a way to end the day?

Easter Sunday, April 8, 2012 Puerto Huatulco (Wa- tool- co), Mexico

Easter Decor in the Lido Dining Room

                                                          The  beach from the ship

                                                        Ship  pier to the village and beach

We docked in Puerto Huatulco at 10:00am. The area has nine unique ecological beach areas with golden sands. In one of the beach coves is the largest Club Med in the western hemisphere...we could hear the music blasting from there as the ship left the port. Larry and I dressed to tour the port town and then headed to the beach. It was really, really hot. Everything in the area has been built in the last ten years so the area was basically all new...investors were trying to develop a new resort area for Mexico. Some new structures on the hillside remain unfinished. Many taxi cab drivers and tour guides approached us...Having spent some time in Mexico, we had decided to just spend the majority of the day at the beach.

While we were shopping, this little girl was so funny!

The beach had a nice sandy area with numerous restaurants backing up to it with umbrella tables. Not much shade. The trees on the mountainside reminded us of East Timor....they were bare and brown unless they were watered. Areas that received water were green. A Mexican High School Band played music that was not typical Mexican sounds...drums, tubas, and other instruments...the kids were having a great time playing though. I went snorkeling.

With our ship in the background, I'm putting on my fins and mask in the lower right corner.

The water was too stirred up and cloudy probably due to the many local families that were swimming around in the water enjoying their Easter vacations. Much seaweed was floating in the water as well. Saw a couple of little fish that were mud brown.

A beach umbrella was a must if you were not in the water. We were so glad that we had not taken a tour in the heat. After a few dips in the bay to cool off, we walked back to the ship to have a lovely lunch and a swim in the pool.

                                                            So long to Puerto Hautulco

Tonight...Roast turkey dinner with a Steve Martin movie, "LA Story". What an incredible Easter! One I am sure that we will remember this one for a long time.

Monday, April 9, 2012 Puerto Chiapas, Mexico

We arrived in Port Chiapas at 8:00 am. Lush green palm trees and thatched huts dot the black sand beaches on one side of the ship while an industrial area flanks the other side. On one side of the pier there were plenty of shops to find local souveniers and crafts. On the other side of the pier was a swimming pool and restaurant with palm trees. Shade was a must today.

After looking around, we decided to go back on board and enjoy the Rotterdam pool. It was an extremely hot day and many passengers chose to take tour buses to outlying town. We were so glad to not have gone, many coming back reporting that it was so hot....even a guide fainted from the heat.

Larry and I walked our three miles around the third floor outside deck with views of the seas whipping by....as we have been doing daily. In the evening we had a delightful dinner of Weiner Snitzel in the air conditioned dining room. Afterwards we watched the Australian Insturmental Performer of the year, Bob Howe who played his sparkling guitar to tunes of the Beatles, Beethoven, Roy Orbison, and Benny Hill....very entertaining.

Tuesday, April 10, 2012 Guatamala

1 GTQ= .13USD so 7.76 GTQ = 1 US Dollar

We loved Guatamala. Clean... orderly shops...kind, gentle citizens....ocean breezes cooled us as we enjoyed a cool beverage at a local outdoor establishment. Easy access to and from the ship. Guatamala is the northern most country in Central America with varied landscapes of mountains that are sometimes volcanos (37 total with 4 being active), rainforests, crystal clear lakes and rivers. It is the most populated of all Central American nations and is the only one that is largely Indian in language and culture with descendents of the ancient Mayan civilization (1800 BC).

While Europe was still mired in the Dark Ages, the Mayan civilization was at its peak with great public architecture, an accurate calendar, an explosion of arts, commerce, mathematics and astronomy (first to map our solar system) and a well developed written language. Guatelmala has two coastlines, one on the Pacific Ocean (large barge type ships sat out of the harbor) and one on the Caribbean Sea so it can easily trade with the eastern and western worlds.

Catching up on the internet at a Guatamala Restaurant

After exploring the port areas we had a dip in the pool and enjoyed the Spanish sounds of Los Super Seven in the outdoor dining veranda and then went to watch a comedian/magic show. A renowned entertainer from Disney World, John Ekins....so funny.

Wednesday, April 11 and 12, 2012 Two days at sea

We love our days at sea. Great walk on the the outside deck today...wonderful breezes off the ocean with whitecaps. Tied Larry in two games of shuffle board...He was the winner in basketball today. Nice dip in the wave pool on the back of the boat...nice little waterfall to get under. Larry said he had the best lunch today...go figure...roast chicken, greens, honeydew...he must have been talking about the fried potatoes I never fix for him.I had a great salad....They have the grandest salad bar for lunch and dinner. Nap and a great computer class on security of your computer.

Larry and Roy (Australian buddy) swimming on the Rotterdam

Tonight...dinner...tiny fresh clams, great salad, honeydew, pineapple, strawberries and a movie, "Dolphin Tale", about the dolphin, Winter, that lost its tail in a crab pot. She lives down the street from our condo in Clearwater Beach in the Clearwater Marine facility . We enjoyed seeing the movie and the familar sights of Clearwater. We would rate this movie as a "Lassie Classic".

Evening of April 12, 2012 Fuerto Almador, Panama

The next day was a lazy day....we just relaxed in the sun and got ready to go into Fuerte Almador, Panama in the evening. As we approached land we could see Panama City....over a hundred high rises with a millon people. Panama is the fifth top area in the world for retiring. We saw dozens of big container ships docked in the harbour....waiting their turn to enter the canal.

Panama City...hundreds of skyscrapers

Panama means "abundant fish" so you can imagine how Larry wished he had his boat to go fishing. The ship docked around 5:00pm. Larry and I watched a fabulous sunset before getting on the tendor boat and riding to the island of Flamenco which had a large marina that docked lots of yachts.

Fantastic Panama Sunset

One of the tender boats that took us to shore

All kinds of cool boats were docked in the marina.

I'll take this one.

Our boat, the Rotterdam, all lit up at night.

We walked through many outside venues that lined the waterfront and down a nice walkway that connected with two other islands to the mainland...Isla Pesco and Isla Nacos. Larry enjoyed buying an authentic Panama hat at the local shopping center. Panama City was half an hour away...too far for a taxi ride with having to be back on ship by 11:00pm. We watched many raccoons climb over the rocked waterfront begging for food before boarding one of the six Rotterdam tendor boat to head back to the ship that was anchoring out further in the harbor. What a great evening out on the town!

Friday the 13th....Woooooo! of April - Passing through the Panama Canal

We were up bright and early...7:30 AM to watch us pass under the Bridge of the Americas, passing over the entrance to the Panama Canal and connecting Central America to South America (better known as a Panamerican Highway). We felt fortunate to have traveled the Pan American Highway through Costa Rica last year.

Excitedly we waited to see the Panama Canal...one of the most remarkable feats in the history of engineering was the building of the Panama Canal. It not only shortened the distance between many Atlantic to Pacific ports by 8000 miles, it cuts the total mileage from Great Britain to New Zealand by 1500 miles.

In 1904 the United States undertook the project after the French(1880) were unsuccessful . A lock canal was proposed, which meant that there must be water available at the higher levels to fill parts of the canal. This was accomplished by damming the Chagres River creating Lake Getun above sea level . The locks form a kind of "staircase" for taking ships through the canal. Within the locks, ships are hauled by electric locomotives called "mules" moving along the banks. The locks were completed August 15, 1914 and were managed by the US until 1999. It is 51 miles from the Pacific to the Atlantic on the canal. In 1963 with the installation of new fluoresent lighting, round the clock operations began. Panama took over full operation December 13, 1999 in compliance with the Torrijos-Carter Treaties. Beginning in 2007, an expansion program began to expand and construct two new locks to accommodate the larger ships that are being built today. We saw this massive project being underway with loads of equipment and workers undertaking the unbelievable task.

                     A Mule, one of six large engines that pulled the ship through the canal

Dump trucks lined up to work on the new canal being dug

Larry and I watched the ship pass through all threes locks: Miraflores Locks 8:10-9:10AM, Pedro Miguel Locks 9:35- 10:15AM, Passing through Gatun Lake and then Gatun Locks 1:20-3:15 pm. As we traveled northward the waters started to turn into the striking aqua color of the Caribbean Sea. Guess we can mark this off our bucket list! What a great experience!

We had dinner watching the Hall and Oates, "Our Kind of Soul Concert" on the back of the ship. What a gorgeous night! Balmy breezes, just perfect weather...unbelievable after experiencing the hottest day of the cruise. Afterwards we went to see Jack Mayberry, a comedian who has made over 20 appearances on the Tonight Show.

Saturday, April 14, 2012 Cartagena, Columbia

1 US Dollar =1700 COP Columbian $

We have stepped onto the soil of South America for the first time! Columbia is twice the size of Texas and is the second largest country in South America. It is the third largest Spanish country in the world. What a great day! After a quick breakfast, we walked down the plank to catch a taxi going to the old city of Cartagena. It was a great walled city built around 1533 to keep the pirates out. The extensive construction took more than a century and is a testament to its sound construction. You can walk along the top of the wall...its circumference is more than seven miles. Inside the wall we found three century old colonial balcones and mansions, reminiscent of the construction of mother Spain.

This colorful lady was selling bananas....carrying them on top of her head.

Cartagena was a magnificant city with many gorgeous verandas of trailing flowers....buildings of vivid colors and one way bricked streets. Today the traffic was unbelieable due to the visit of all the presidents and leaders of South America and North America having a summit. Yes, Obama was here. 10,000 police secured the city...one or many guarding every corner. We had to pass through several check points and walk through police checking bags. Our guide did a fantastic job getting us through all the excitement.

Passing through one of the many police check points set up to protect world leaders.

Cartagena had lots of beautiful statues, amazing art workand architecture on display throughout the walled city.

Before heading to the ship we viewed toucans, parrots, flamingos, a little white bunny, a red squirrel, monkeys, and a young fawn roaming freely. You could reach out and touch them...if you were brave enough to. These were really beautiful animals of Columbia.

                                    This dude was just strutting around at our feet...so cool!

We returned to the ship to see a local Columbian-Hispanic-Spanish Dancing Floor Show which was originally to be held in town at the same hotel Obama was staying. Colorful costumes, original music and enthusiastic young Columbians shared an hour of local music and dance. How fortunate we were to be able to see this excursion that was brought on board our ship!

The Rotterdam sailed out to the Caribbean Sea at 5:00PM past hundreds of high rises and the tremendous shipping port of Cartagena, Columbia. Shrimp Cocktail, Halibut, Asparagas, and Triple Berry Pie...YUMMY! Listened to the Motown Sounds of Bobby BrooksWilson, son of Jackie Wilson who sang "Lonely Tear Drops". He was a very talented young man and his sounds were awesome...our favorite entertainer on the whole cruise.We had great big smiles on our faces because of the wonderful experiences we had enjoyed all day long!

April 15 and 16th, 2012     Last two days at sea

We rocked and rolled all night long....great for putting you to sleep. This morning at breakfast the white caps were everywhere and many people refrained from being about on the ship because of the constant movement. Little white barf bags appeared for use at all the elevator doors. Two brave souls were swimming in the pool..(one was our friend from Australia, Roy). The pool looked like the ocean with huge waves. Larry and I settled into our cabin and watched a DVD. We were happy to have a second floor cabin...less motion from the ocean down there.

I have enjoyed reading three good books on this trip. Hoda by Hoda, (an autobiorgaphy about the commentator on the NBC Today Show with Kathy Lee Gifford), Hattie (a biography about the first US female tycoon), and Three Cups of Tea, by Greg Mortenson and David Relin (a biography of Mortenson who helped to build 55 schools in  forbidding terrains of Pakistan and Afghanistan, that gave birth to the Taliban during my lifetime...amazing.)

Our last day at sea was much, much calmer. We enjoyed soaking up the sun, going for a swim, walking, and playing shuffle board....I beat Larry...fair and square. The temperatures were so much more moderate than when we were in the Panama Canal. During the evening we learned to play a new electronic game that was a form of a pyrimid...very challenging. Had a lovely dinner of duck, lamb, and shrimp while watching a Beach Boys Concert on the big screen....went to the final show...a comic and singer....and then went to see the movie, "The Girl with the Dragon Tatoo". I was so glad that I had read the book  earlier because it took a lot of explanation of what was going on for Larry to follow it. I'm not sure that I would have understood this fast paced movie if I hadn't read the book.

Found a critter in our bed when we came back to the room!

The next morning.... our final breakfast in bed. We departed the boat about 9:00AM. NO LINES! Yippy! Just the best disembarking on a cruise ship ever! Several firsts on this trip...first time to cruise the Pacific, first time to visit South America, first time to take a Holland America Cruise...What a fabulous voyage! We traveled a total distance of 4495 miles with an average speed of 15.6 kts. This trip will be remembered as one of the best for the rest of our life.

We were guided to the Car Rental Van that took us immediately to the Budget Rental Service to pick up our prearranged rental car. Everything went as smooth as can silk. We drove from Ft. Lauderdale to  Clearwater Beach to spend a couple of days in the condo and then flew home to Roanoke Thursday morning to check on our SML house. Planning to drive to Oakton on Friday to visit with Kristy and Brian before attending Sonny and Ivy's 50th Wedding Anniversary Celebration on Saturday.

                                    What a good looking couple! Happy 50th Anniversary!

Yummy, yummy!

Can you tell who is missing?

Planning to head back to the condo on Thursday to spend a week before catching the Royal Carribean "Jewel of the Sea" on May 3 out of Miami. Life is soooo good!