Day 91: Panama Canal

We are wiped out tonight after a full day of transiting the Panama Canal. Not that we actually played a role, of course, but we were up at 5:30am and outside most of the day. At 7pm we are already in bed...with an alarm set for 9:30pm. Tonight is the Love Boat Disco Deck Party on the pool deck, and the weather looks like it will be perfect. 

Just as we walked in the Panorama Buffet around sunrise, a torrential rain moved in and we couldn't see anything outside the windows. Luckily, it was not a harbinger of things to come, and we were gifted with a full, vivid rainbow as soon as the rain stopped and the sun returned. Aside from a couple very light, very brief showers in the morning, the day alternated between sunny and partly cloudy. It was actually cool by Panamanian standards, which means it was pleasant for us unless we were in the sun for an extended period of time. In fact, it was the best and most comfortable weather we've enjoyed on any of our transits. 

We started the day significantly behind schedule. It seemed we were approaching the first Gatun Lock at glacial speed for nearly two hours. We got quite a kick out of the number of pilot boats that dropped off- and picked up- people, most of whom we suspected were line workers. We were standing on the Promenade Deck and couldn't hear the commentary that lecturer Bill Fall was making from the bridge (today was his 50th Panama Canal transit on a cruise ship!) but didn't want to give up the peace and space we had...and the ability to easily cross from one side of the ship to the other through the forward elevator lobby. We watched as the ship's photographer and videographer climbed down the Jacob's ladder onto a waiting pilot boat and eventually saw them standing along the locks, recording the ship's transit and taking passenger photos. 

 

The early morning downpour left us with a beautiful full rainbow

 

 

 

While we were still in the staging basin, workers kept boarding the Pacific Princess...

 

...and boarding...

 

...and boarding...

 

...and boarding (and waving to his peeps).

 

Here the ship's photographer is getting off the Pacific Princess to take photos from the sides of the locks  

 

Handing back the lifevest for the videographer 

 

He videographer disembarks the Pacific Princess 

 

Both of them standing on the pilot boat waiting to be taken to the locks. 

The Panama Canal workers are part PR people. Most of them waved and smiled for photos, and it caused me to recall that my very favorite photo of our first transit on the Royal Caribbean Radiance of the Seas in 2002 was of a mule driver bending down to look up out of his window and give me a big smile and wave. We saw who we call 'the rowboat guys' who attach a line from the ship to the line from the mules (the 55000 ton locomotive-type vehicles that hold the ship centered, forward and aft, in the locks). They are especially friendly and photogenic, and know that they are a novelty in the increasingly modernized Canal. 

Speaking of that, we clearly saw the entrance to the new Panama Canal, and even saw a NeoPanamax freighter transiting the Gatun Locks. The canal is on the east side of the original canal near the Gatun Locks but on the west side after the Culebra Cut through the Continental Divide. We saw the same freighter making its way out of the last set of locks at the end of our day as we passed under the Bridge of the Americas. 

 

The Atlantic side bridge (still unnamed) that is being constructed to cross both the original and new Panama Canal 

 

The bridge is massive to allow NeoPanamax ships to pass underneath; you can judge its size relative to the workers standing on it

 

A NeoPanamax ship entering the new canal

 

Retracting the over the side lights 

 

Tug keeping us lined up before we enter the first Gatun Lock and the Regent Seven Seas Navigator following us through the canal. 

 

 The 'rowboat guys' coming to collect the lines to connect the Pacific Princess to the mules 

  

 

 

A mule turntable

We alternated between the Promenade Deck (Deck 5), the walking track on Deck 10 and the Panorama Terrace at the ship's aft on Deck 9 while we transited the three Gatun Locks, and grabbed a quick, light breakfast while we were near the buffet. On our first transit, the Radiance OTS was the largest ship that had ever transited the Panama Canal and we were on only its second transit. We have a photo of me standing on the Promenade Deck reaching out over the side and touching the lock wall. There was only 2 feet of gap on either side of that ship. On the Pacific Princess we probably had 12 feet. It's the smallest ship on which we've ever transited the canal. 

 

There was a large gap between the sides of the Pacific Princess and the canal walls 

 

One of four makes holding the Pacific Princess in place in the locks

 

The bridge that crosses the original canal retracted when the lock is in use

 

Ladder in the lock wall. You can see where the lock height has been increased since 1914. 

 

The mule system is essentially a cig railaway ans the miles xant slip but it must be one heckuva ride anyway

 

Stairs to walk the length of the Gatun Locks

 

The Pacific Princess leaving the first Gatun lock and the Regent Seven Seas Navigator waiting its turn to enter

 

Mules pass as one mule returns to the first lock to assist the Regent Seven Seas Navigator 

 

A lock wall as seen from our cabin on Deck 4

 

Here we are exiting the second Gatun lock 

 

Panama Canal workers cross from one side of a lock to the other when the gates are closed

 

The NeoPanamax ship making progress

 

The Pacific Princess exiting the second Gatun lock

 

The Gatun Northbound Rear lighthouse

 

The Regent Seven Seas Navigator in the first Gatun lock

 

The Pacific Princess exiting the Gatun Locks

 

A mule turntable in operation

When the Pacific Princess entered Gatun Lake, we settled on the shady side of the Promenade Deck in loungers and watched as we passed by the 'islands' (actually the tops of the mountains that were covered with water when the Chagres River was dammed to form Gatun Lake and provide the water to operate the Panama Canal). We also kept an eye out for new NeoPanamax freighters, which are absolutely massive. 

 

Not islands...mountain tops

At noon we went to the Club Restaurant for a serious lunch and then returned to the Promenade Deck as we passed through the Culebra Cut (the hardest part of the canal to construct as it involved cutting through the rock of the Continental Divide) and under the Centenario Bridge. We had left the Gatun Locks nearly 2 hours behind schedule but time was continually made up as we transited the rest of the canal. We went through the single Pedro Miguel Lock about 40 minutes behind schedule. There was much to see between the Pedro Miguel Lock and the first Miraflores Lock as we crossed Miraflores Lake and made up even more time. We could see mule and tug boat maintenance warehouses and storage, and various canal offices off the port side. 

 

The Culebra Cut (the American Continental Divide)

 

The Centenario (Centennial) Bridge

 

 

The 'rowboat guys' coming out to catch thenlimes attaching the Pacific Princess to the mules in the Pedro Miguel lock

 

The large arrows used to direct ships to the correct side of the canal for their transit but now they are mostly

 for the tourists as the Panama Canal pilot is in constant communication with canal operations

 

 

 

The walkway on top of a canal gate retracted when the gate is open...

 

...and in place when the gate is closed

 

The infrastructure is showing its age in places

 

The Regent Seven Seas Navigator transiting the other lane of the Pedro Miguel lock

After that, it seemed like no time at all before we were entering the first of two Miraflores locks. There is a large visitors center located on the Miraflores Locks, and there was a crowd of people standing on several viewing decks watching us. The bridge gave a quick toot on the ship's whistle and the crowd went wild. It was quite fun to see, and the Pacific Princess eventually repeated it and the crowd went wild again. They were taking pictures of us and we were taking pictures of them and waving and it was the best part of the transit. We passed under the Bridge of the Americas exactly on time, and the Regent Seven Seas Navigator that had been following us all day was shortly behind us. 

 

The visitors center on the Miraflores Locks crowded with spectators who enjoyed our ship's horn 

 

The Pacific Princess videographer recording our transit of the Miraflores Locks 

 

The NeoPanamax ship finishing its transit of the Panama Canal

After a last look at the new canal, we turned to the east to view the huge metropolis that is Panama City. We had last been through the Panama Canal in 2007 and were shocked at how the city has grown. It's called the Dubai of South America for a reason. There are probably over a hundred stunning new skyscrapers, some with very unique architecture (a twisted green glass skyscraper...I'll upload a photo). We sailed past the freighters at anchorage on the Pacific side awaiting their turn to tranist the canal. While cruise ships reserve specific daylight times to transit, freighters may wait a few days at anchorage and then transit the canal at night. It operates 24/7/365. 

 

 

The Brudge of the Americas

 

 

Freighters on the Pacific side of the Panama Canal awaiting their turn to transit the canal

 

We just couldn't do a big dinner in the Club Restaurant tonight and went to the Bistro Trattoria that is the Panorama Buffet on World Cruise sea days. We ordered from a more limited menu and had just lasagna and dessert, and watched from the Panorama Terrace as the last light of the day faded and the lights of the Regent Seven Seas Navigator came on. After a quick nap, we'll be up partying in a couple of hours. 

While we have done full and partial Panama Canal transits, I am partial to full, westbound transits from Fort Lauderdale to California, probably because that how we did our first one. G likes the partial transits too, because, frankly, the Gatun Locks, three in succession, are probably the most impressive. But I think seeing the carved rock ledges of the Culebra Cut provides the best reminder of just what the builders went through over 100 years ago. Given the heat and rains and crocodiles and mosquitoes, it must have been horrendous work. 

Bill Fall told us that it costs $134 per passenger to transit the canal, plus the cost of the ship itself (based on displacement). Both G and I think it's the best excursion anywhere. :-)

 

Click here for more information on the original Panama Canal from Wikipedia

Click here for more information on the Panama Canal expansion project from Wikipedia

Day 90: At Sea

If anyone had happened to look at the Pacific Princess webcam last evening, they would have no doubt noticed that the Pacific Princess remained docked in Santa Marta, Columbia overnight, sailing at 6am today. Captain D announced yesterday afternoon that a medical evacuation needed to take place from the ship (our second in two days!) and the ambulance had not yet arrived. Then, later, he announced that the combination of high winds and nightfall had made sailing unwise and he had decided to wait until this morning. He assured us that left plenty of time to make our reserved transit time of the Panama Canal tomorrow. 

Beyond that, I don't have much to report. We have not yet celebrated my birthday yesterday; I simply haven't been in the mood. However, we are quite excited about our Panama Canal transit tomorrow morning. We attended lecturer Bill Fall's talk on the Panama Canal operation in the Cabaret Lounge this morning and listened to it again late afternoon when it was replayed on TV, and though we thought we knew how the Canal worked, today we learned how much we didn't know. We have heard that the webcams at http://www.pancanal.com have been a bit hit and miss lately, but in case they are working tomorrow, we are scheduled to enter the first Gatun lock around 6:45 to 7am EST. Certainly the ship's webcam will be working and will give a good bridge perspective of the transit. 

Hopefully I will feel chattier tomorrow night as there will be much to report. 

Day 88: A bye day in Aruba

We seem to get the worst news while in Aruba. First Sandy Hook and now the Fort Lauderdale airport shooting. I can't shake this awful feeling tonight and need a day or two away from writing newsy notes about cruise happenings. Life just isn't feeling very good tonight. 

Thanks for your understanding. 

Day 87: At Sea

The ocean swell today reminded us that we are, in fact, on a ship, but the weather remained brightly sunny despite an uptick in the wind. However, in our low, midship cabin we didn't feel it until we were out and about this morning. We opted for breakfast in the Club Restaurant because it was blueberry pancakes day, and we are running out of time to savor such treats. The fruits that the Pacific Princess took on board in Fort Lauderdale have been wonderful, and today we started breakfast with fresh papaya. 

At 9:30am we went to the Cabaret Lounge to listen to Bill Hall's lecture on Santa Marta, Columbia, where we will stop the day after tomorrow. We have been to Columbia before, but never Santa Marta, and wanted to get some ideas for how to spend a Sunday there.  Bill's slides and photos were very helpful to show us where- and where not- to go. At 10:15am there was a Cruise Critic Meet and Greet in the Club Restaurant and all but three of us were on for the entire World Cruise. People were most interested in hearing about the Nice event, which many had kept an eye on via Cruise Critic and the ship's webcam, because, obviously they had a World Cruise riding on the ship being repaired and operational. 

We went directly from there to the steakhouse for the British Pub Lunch and sat with Charlie and Marianne from Iowa who are doing their second World Cruise and heard about visa requirements and excursion planning. Though it actually has fewer port stops than our little junket did this season, none of them are repeated and it all sounds like a lot more planning work. I'm not sure I'm up for that sort of challenge!  While G had the fish and chips, I had just the ploughman's lunch, and then was starving again by 4pm. Seriously, did men work in the fields all day on a small hard roll, piece of cheese, tiny bit of pate, a few thin slices of deli ham and two sweet pickles?  How did they do it?

We both had busy starts to the afternoon; I went to the Cabaret Lounge to watch Christian and Caroline Heim's Performance about the mysterious loves of Beethoven's life. I was fully entranced by both her acting and his piano skills. While I loved the mathematical precision and order of Bach when I was still in school, I came to enjoy Beethoven's dramatic music more recently. The final piece Christian played was Beethoven's Ode to Joy, which was the recessional song at our wedding because both G and I love it so much. The Cabaret Lounge during their performances is more filled every day as word gets around about how enjoyable they are. 

I passed through the Casino Lounge to observe a few minutes of G's guitar lesson. He is enjoying it, too, but admitted to me that instructor/ Pacific Princess showband guitarist Michael may divide up the group into more and less advanced subgroups, and that he (G) would likely be in the latter. It reminded me of senior math in high school, where we were divided into groups we jokingly named bluebirds, redbirds and crows. ;-)  One side of the Promenade Deck was closed off due to the wind, but I sat on the other side for awhile until G's class was finished and he came looking for me. We decided to rest in the cabin instead of on deck; the wind and sea salt sprays were just a little too much. Our poor next door tablemate is getting married in Aruba tomorrow and was horribly seasick all day today. I even heard some World Cruisers bemoaning the bounciness. Let's hope it's the worst they'll encounter all 111 days (but I seriously doubt it). I passed the 'bow of the ship' test several times today, so it didn't even begin to measure up against what we encountered on (insert ominous tones here) The Crossing. 

We were ready for dinner in time to go to the PES Lounge beforehand, because it was Stilton night, and because I was hungry, and then went to dinner, where, thanks to the Stilton, I wasn't. Still, I made room for mango tamarind sorbet for dessert and it was so yummy!  We listened to Pacific Princess showband pianist Manny play some jazz tunes in the Casino Lounge before watching production show Do You Wanna Dance for the really and truly last time this season. Sigh. We love that show!

And that was our day. We felt a bit lethargic the entire day, and G observed at dinner that more than two sea days in a row kind of zap his energy. Instead of feeling rested, we end up feeling lazy. We compared the intensity of our season, at least in the Mediterranean, to the World Cruise (73 sea days, 38 port days) and decided that, even during those long stretches of port days when we felt run off our feet, it really is more to our liking (though I think perhaps 3 sea days instead of 2 every 12- night cruise might be even more to my liking). 

And now we know. :-)

Day 86: At Sea

Before I even get started tonight, I have more belated thanks to give and a couple of observations. These public thank yous are in lieu of- at least until we return home- personal emails. Time and internet on board do not allow me to respond right now; not even Mom gets emails from me while we're cruising (she got a new laptop for Christmas and is up and running again). She does, however, get a phone call when WiFi signals permit. 

First, to Ervin and Patty for a very sweet email sent over a month ago that still makes me smile when I read it. Thank you guys! I needed that!

And to Bob and Donna, for a funny email speculating that the Pacific Princess was late sailing from Port Everglades two days ago because we had not gotten off the ship yet. They figured we were being kept hidden by the Entertainment Staff and might be disguised as dancers in the production shows. I read that out loud to G and we laughed and laughed (because we may know their routines by heart but knowing and doing are quite different things). 

To Tarrell Dean for the excellent iOS advice. It takes a village to allow us to cruise as we do, and thanks for being part of the village. 

To Pam for her email of a few days ago bringing me totally up to speed on the NFL season as well as any sports analyst could. I would have used all 250 minutes of allotted internet per cruise to get that same amount of information on the ship and I read the email three times to take it all in. Thank you!

To those who offered seasick remedies during The Crossing...they were all appreciated and I tried many of them but I think the best remedy is to not cross the North Atlantic on a small ship in December. :-)

And, finally, to all who sent Christmas greetings. We had the best cruise Christmas we have ever had!

Two observations:  there are only about 40 feet distancing our new cabin to the midship elevators. I had left the cabin this morning to join G in the Panorama Buffet on Deck 9 and, before I reached the elevator, I had been greeted by name by crew and officers six times and had a brief conversation with Hotel General Manager (our Nice hero) Leonardo. I was telling Mom about this aspect of small ship cruising when I was in Fort Lauderdale last turnaround and I said there's no place like the Pacific Princess- and here we both said at the same time- except where you (Mom) live now. Both have the same intimate and friendly feeling. 

And my brief discussion with HGM Leo this morning was about the weather. I can't believe these two days we've had!  We've made the journey from Fort Lauderdale to Aruba many, many times in the past and have never had weather this perfect. There is not a bump in the water, and the weather is sunny and warm. Leo observed that wouldn't it have been great to have had this weather for The Crossing, and I have decided Leo is the master of understatement. 

All this and I haven't even started to cover our day yet. Yep, it's definitely a sea day. ;-)

As I said, I went to join G in the Panorama Buffet, but as soon as I walked in there, three waiters descended on me to let me know G had just left, deciding instead to go to the Club Restaurant. But by the time I arrived there, it was just after the closing time of 9:30am. I was offered breakfast (of course), but declined. I knew the galley was shutting down. Instead, after G finished eating we trooped back up to the Panorama Buffet where I had a slice of toast and cottage cheese. It was nearly 10am by then and I knew lunch was only a couple of hours away. 

I walked on Deck 10 and listened to an audiobook while G went to the veterans get together, and then we met up in the Atrium to make a poster to show when we are photographed going through the Panama Canal. I was surprised G wanted to participate...but maybe I shouldn't have been. He's been doing a few things (such as making Christmas decorations for our cabin door) against character lately. We worked quickly together...I used the provided stencils to trace the letters and when I finished with the top half, he started using a marker to color them in. I then glued on two flag photos, one of the US and the other of Panama and helped finished the coloring the letters on the bottom half and we were done just in time for lunch. Go us!  G used some magnetic clips we had been bequeathed by friend Sally when she disembarked and hung it on our cabin wall until we need it. I like it!

Lunch was simple and fast; I had a salad and calamari and skipped dessert, because I wanted to get to the 1pm lecture by Christian and Caroline Heim on Chopin, his life and love. In fact, today it was a performance with Caroline, an actress, portraying writer George Sand reading her letters to Chopin while Christian accompanied her playing Chopin's music on the piano. He played more familiar pieces, including a Polanaise that eludes me because it has a different tempo for the right hand than the left hand and my brain just won't do that (though I left inspired to try again). They received a well-deserved standing ovation at the end. For an afternoon lecture. Really. They are simply that good and are performing to a very appreciative audience. 

Finally, I was determined to spend some more time outside on this glorious (and I mean glorious) day. I sat in the shade in a lounger on the Promenade Deck and continued to listen to an audiobook...and fell asleep. That's becoming a sure way to take an afternoon nap. G came looking for me after his guitar lesson (and proudly announced that he can now play When the Saints Go Marching In which I recall learning to play on the steel drum so it must be a beginner staple) because he had left his key card in the cabin. I'm glad he did or I might have kept napping; I needed to return to the cabin and start gathering clothes and jewelry for our 107th formal night of the season.

G attended a Cruise Critic Meet and Greet in the Pacific Lounge at 4:30pm, though we were notified today that we will have a formal one announced in the Patter for tomorrow at 10:15am in the Club Restaurant. We went to dinner at 5:15pm, actually feeling a little hungry, which is a nice thing on a sea day on a cruise. At 6:45pm the Captain's Welcome Aboard Party and Champagne Waterfall kicked off in the Atrium.  We watched Maitre d'Oscar's antics at the waterfall but didn't stay for the introduction of officers (since we've already been introduced ;-)) and instead got good seats in the Cabaret Lounge for tonight's tribute show to the Rat Pack called, appropriately, The Pack. They were quite good, especially the vocalist who portrayed Sammy Davis Jr. We had wanted to go to Flags of the World trivia after the show but G was already nearly asleep (because he didn't get an afternoon nap) and I didn't want to go without him. However, it's a very clever idea for a trivia at the start of a World Cruise, isn't it?

Tomorrow is another day at sea. I don't believe I've ever been on a cruise that spent three days at sea to reach Aruba, but the extra day combined with the spectacular weather is allowing the the Pacific Princess to slowly cruise on a mirror smooth sea, and these are the easiest sea days we've had this season. Maybe that's why they've been so much fun. 

Life is good. :-)