Panama Cruise on Coral Princess
January 3-17, 2012
On January 2 we rented a car and drove to Fort Lauderdale. We stayed overnight at Comfort Suites and were transported to the cruise ship the next day. A cold front came through and it was quite chilly waiting for our van. We blamed it on all the Canadians that came down for the cruise.
The check-in process went very smoothly, and soon we found our room, unpacked, and made our way to the lunch buffet. We decided to take the steps instead of the elevator to help to make up for the excess eating that we knew would take place. Our room was on the fifth floor in the rear of the ship (aft) and the buffet was on the 14th floor in the front (forward). On the first trip we went straight up with a few stops to catch our breath. By the time we reached the top my heart was pounding so hard that I had to sit down for a few minutes. I decided that this was not going to work and devised an alternate plan. From then on we walked up to the 8th floor, walked over to mid ship, went up to the 11th floor, walked to the front, and went up the last two flights to the buffet. There is no 13th floor. That worked out much better!
The food was outstanding and the entertainment filled with variety and talent. On our days at sea we attended lectures, played cards and games, relaxed by one of the pools, took walks along the promenade, socialized with other cruisers, and enjoyed the delicious food that was available all around us. Sometimes we chose the buffet and other times we chose the sit down restaurants where the portions were more controlled. In the evenings we attended the entertainment and usually found an area where we enjoyed some form of music. Following is a description of things that we saw and did.
DAY 1 –Tuesday, January 3 - Fort Lauderdale
We spent the day exploring the ship and trying to find our way around. The Coral Princess is the same ship we took to Alaska in 2009, so it wasn't too difficult to get our bearings. It felt cool during the sail away party, but we knew warmer days were ahead. We chose anytime dining and were seated with Jerry and Shirley, a lovely couple from Victoria, BC. In the evening we enjoyed the first performance of the Princess singers and dancers and an introduction to the comedy of Jim McDonald.
DAY 2 –Wednesday, January 4 - At Sea
In the morning we attended a Port Enrichment Lecture by Jeana Rogers, who described and showed us with slides what we would encounter in Aruba, our first stop. She did an excellent job giving us the flavor of the island so we knew what to expect. The evening was the first of three formal evenings, but we opted to stay casual and go to the buffet. We were impressed with the variety and quality of food choices, place mats on the table, and outstanding service from the waiters. The Princess singers and dancers performed “Motor City” including music and dancing that we thoroughly enjoyed. We were amazed at the talent, energy level, costume changes that took place during the show.
DAY 3 –Thursday, January 5 - At sea
Jeana Rogers gave another excellent Port Enrichment Lecture about Cartagena, Columbia, our second port of call. The evening performance that we chose was a longer comedy act by Jim McDonald who had us laughing for over an hour.
DAY 4 – Friday, January 6 – Aruba
Since we had never been there before, the excursion that we chose for our stop in Aruba was a bus trip to see the island highlights. We drove through the heart of Aruba on the way to the California lighthouse where the S.S. California sunk. We had a chance to get a good view of the island and see Venezuela which was 17 miles away. We also saw Casibari Rock formations where the landscape was shaped by huge boulders the size of small houses. We climbed around and saw unusual rocks and plants. Another interesting area was the Fallen Natural bridge and Baby Natural bridge which was a good example of the natural beauty of Aruba. The final stop was a visit to Eagle Beach. We had the option of staying at the beach or going back to the ship. We decided to go back so we could have time to walk the streets of the city of Oranjestad where the cruise ship was docked. We had some difficulty understanding the guide, but one point of interest was that the only product cultivated on the island is Aloe. Everything else is imported. Today would have been a good day to speak and understand Spanish.
DAY 5 – Saturday, January 7 – Cartagena, Columbia
Although we had preconceived notions that we would feel unsafe in Cartegena, Jeana, the ship lecturer, assured us that we would be safe on our tour. Once again we decided on a tour that would give us a general view of the city of Cartegena. When we got on the bus there were headsets on our seats. Our guide, Emily, spoke English very well and by using the earphones we were able to clearly hear everything she said as we walked the streets of the city. Our first stop was Castillo de San Felipe de Barajas (Fort of San Felipe). We were able to walk up to the top and view the city. It was easy to see why the fort was impenetrable and amazing to think of how they built it so long ago. We then headed to Las Bovedas which were dungeons initially build for military purposes and now converted to boutiques and tourist shops. We were not impressed and quickly moved on to the Old City. There we walked through the walled city with narrow streets and Spanish colonial buildings. We stopped at the Palacio de la Inquisicion where instruments of torture from the Spanish Inquisition were on display. During the Middle Ages 800 people were tortured and executed for crimes the Church decreed were magic, witchcraft and blasphemy. It was a horrifying and eye opening experience. Our next stop was a church named the San Pedro Claver Sanctuary. Although it was very hot they had fans running and we were able to sit down and hear all about the Church during this era. After another walk through the city we returned to the bus and our final stop which was another shopping area in the center of the residential area of Bocagrande. There were mostly jewelry stores and local arts and crafts. It was interesting to look at, but we did not enjoy being badgered by the locals trying to sell their wares. We were happy to return to the air conditioned ship where we ate a late lunch and took a nap! In the evening we were entertained by The Amazing Gaetano, a magician and illusionist. It was a delightful and exciting performance.
DAY 6 – Sunday, January 8 – Panama Canal
The Coral Princess traveled through the Panama Canal, a 51 mile route, starting at 6 in the morning and completing at 3:30 in the afternoon. We were on the top deck at 6 am waiting for the adventure to begin. Jeana narrated throughout the day with so much information that we wish we could remember it all. The first series of locks (Gatun Locks) consisted of three levels raising us 85 feet from the Caribbean Sea to Gatun Lake. Each section was 110 feet wide and 1000 feet long. After we entered it took only 6 to 8 minutes to fill each lock. The gates opened and we moved on to the next section where the process repeated itself. There were machines called Mules on each side front and back that guided us to make sure we didn't touch the sides. There were only 2 feet of spare room on each side. It was so exciting experiencing it first hand. After completing the Gatun Locks we cruised through Gatun Lake, a large man made lake which took us to Gamboa more than half way through the country. From there we cruised through Gaillard Cut which was a very narrow passageway leading to the next series of locks on the Pacific side. Instead of three locks in a row there was one lock (Pedro Miguel), one mile of travel, and then two more locks (Miraflores). They originally planned to build it the same as the Atlantic side, but the ground was not solid enough so after constructing Miraflores on the Pacific side they moved up one mile and built Pedro Miguel where the ground was more stable. Going through the locks on the Pacific reversed to process of the Gatun Locks. We cruised in to Pedro Miguel, were lowered down 31 feet and continued one mile to Miraflores where we were lowered down 56 feet in two locks, and then cruised out into the Pacific Ocean. The Miraflores Locks transfer 26 million gallons of water in seven minutes. The fee for this journey was $300,000! Since 60% of the new builds are too large for the current canal they are in the process of building new locks on both ends. The new locks will be 70 feet wider and 400 feet longer at a cost of $5.3 billion. They expect to complete the locks by August, 2014 which is the 100th anniversary of the opening of the Panama Canal.
The evening entertainment was a production show by the Coral Princess Singers & Dancers called “Tribute.” They sang a wide variety of songs ranging from the Rat Pack (Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis, Jr) to the Beachboys and Supremes. Once again their talent and energy was impressive.
DAY 7 – Monday, January 9 – Puerto Amador
After passing through the Panama Canal we traveled a short way and anchored off shore at Puerto (Port) Amador which is near Panama City. We were taken to shore on small boats where we were met by the tour guide and bus. Our excursion was a drive inland to see the army base, Fort Clayton, and portions of Albrook Air Force Base. We then proceeded to the Miraflores Locks that we went through the previous day. We expected to get a more up close and personal view of the workings of the lock, but the tour took us to a visitor center where there was a film and a museum of the history of the locks. The last part of the tour was a drive through the old and new parts of Panama City where the guide identified many of the high rise buildings and told of the way of life of the Panama people. The city was much larger than we expected with a population of 1.2 million. After the bus dropped us off and before returning to the ship we walked around a duty free shopping area but did not see anything special.
The evening entertainment was Comedian/ Ventriloquist Michael Ziegfeld who did a wonderful performance and kept the audience engaged.
DAY 8 – Tuesday, January 10 – At Sea
During the day we attended a digital photography seminar and a lecture giving information about our next stop, Puntarenas, Costa Rica. In the evening the Coral Princess singers and dancers performed “Dance.” Once again their energy and talent were amazing. We thoroughly enjoyed the show.
DAY 9 – Wednesday, January 11 – Puntarenas, Costa Rica
Costa Rica which means rich coast is about the size of West Virginia with a population of 4 million. We chose a tour that took us inland to the small city of Esparza, population 5000. There we toured the Church of the Holy Spirit and heard the history of the area. In the central plaza there were children ages five to ten who entertained us with local costumes and dances. Of course there were hand crafted items available for sale. It was very hot and humid and the children did an excellent job. We then drove throughout the countryside passing watermelon and cantaloupe plantations and seeing other interesting flowers and trees. We stopped at several houses while the tour guide explained their way of life. Our next stop was a countryside market where we sampled coffee, juice, and fruits such as mangoes, pineapples and star apples. When we got back to the ship we had lunch and walked back into the town of Puntarenas. The people were very friendly and not pushy like in other areas. Lots of folks were enjoying the beach, and others were set up selling their clothing and jewelry. It was a pleasant stroll through town.
The evening entertainment was Hypnotist Gavin Hooper. We were underwhelmed with his talents as a hypnotist and entertainer. Just when things were getting interesting the show was over. The music that we listened to afterward was delightful so the whole evening wasn't a dud.
THURSDAY, January 12 to MONDAY, January 16 – Days at Sea
Our days at sea consisted of a variety of activities during the day and evening. We took our two mile morning walk around the promenade before breakfast each day and used the steps throughout the day up and down the ship hoping that it would help to make up for all the delicious food that we consumed. We attended different seminars and lectures that interested us and relaxed by reading and doing various puzzles and games. We slipped in a few afternoon naps so we would be fresh for the evening entertainment. In addition to the performances of the singers and dancers one night the crew showed off their talent and comedy. There was another comedian and juggler who was a success. The music venues throughout the ship had enough variety that there was something for everyone. We especially enjoyed the 50's & 60's Sock Hop.
TUESDAY, January 17 – Arrival at Los Angeles
The ship docked early in the morning. Since we had a flight to Tampa at 1p.m. we disembarked around 8:30, took a Princess bus to the airport, and began the air portion of our journey. We made it through security with no difficulty and soon were waiting for our flight. It was delayed by about 30 minutes but we made our connection at Phoenix and arrived at Tampa almost on time. Anna and Leo were waiting for us and we arrived home and back to reality before midnight. In the morning it was back to unpacking, doing laundry and planning and cooking meals. Anyone who has cruised knows what culture shock that is! It must be obvious that we really enjoy cruising!
