April 2018 WBPC on the Wonder, 'Don't Worry, Everything is Under Control' 'COMPLETED'

[Chrissy-Mickey]

Thank you for sharing the adventures of your wonderful family.

 

[Lesley Wake]

My Dad refused to fly in the night before (I know, I know), his plane was scheduled to land at MCO at 11. The plan was for everyone to meet up at the airport and take Disney transportation to the port. Since I had already booked Tony Hinds to take us to and from the resort, I tried to convince my parents just to let him take us the rest of the way to the port but they insisted on the Disney transportation in case there were any flight delays.

Of course, gotta make things difficult! At least you made it to port just fine!

Then we headed up to check out Edge. Edge is the tween club for ages 11-14. Both of my kids are 10.5 and the youngest in their grade so used to hanging out with other kids. I told them they may not be allowed in Edge but they wanted to check it out anyway. While were there one of the counselors asked their names and ages and said that there were only 50 Edge aged kids on board so they had a list of all the 10 year olds if they wanted in. The kids were thrilled. I had to sign a waiver and they got Edge stickers added to their key to the world cards. It was really nice for the kids to be able to bounce between both spaces, DD tended to gravitate more to Edge and DS more to the Lab as the trip went on.

That is really nice that they let the kids access to the Edge. I'm sure they appreciated having more options. I also love that you gave them so much freedom, and those texts about ice cream were super cute!

He did not like that DH was not sporting a Captain Hook pin, he drew a line in the sand and told him he was not allowed to cross it. After our fun encounter we hopped on the tram to the Family Beach. It was a very pleasant morning, I think the high that day was only 80 degrees. It was also half empty which was glorious. We found some shaded loungers, dropped our stuff, and headed out to explore. DH and the kids headed right to the water. My Dad went with DD who wanted to do the Pelican Plunge Slide. My Mom went off exploring somewhere. I sat in the loungers for a bit and just relaxed. When I got hot I went over to the water to dip my toes in, it was COLD. I could not believe all the people who had been brave enough to get in. I pulled a chair up to the waters edge and sat down with just my toes it, it was perfect. Soon my Mom joined me. Not long after, DS showed up with a drink in his hand my Dad had bought for me. Doesn't get any better than that. I spent the whole morning parked in that chair while the kids swam. DS found a friend and the 2 of them played happily in the water. DD went back and forth between the slide and the swimming area. DH swam for awhile, then he and my Dad sought the refuge of our shaded lounge chairs.

Sounds like a lovely relaxing morning!

As for me I had some coffee, but nothing to eat because we had something really special planned. At 11 o'clock the 4 adults in our group were scheduled for brunch at the adults only restaurant, Palo. would you believe I did not getting ANY photos. we started with bellinis and mimosas, ate some yummy cheese, and appetizers from the buffet, then had some eggplant and chicken parm from the menu. I think my Dad ordered the eggs benedict and my Mom one of the pizzas. We finished with an assortment of desserts. Our server also brought us a molten chocolate cake which was divine. After our long brunch we headed for a walk around the ship.

Oooh, yum! I would love to do a Palo brunch but am worried I won't be able to on my cruise next year. It is only a 4-night cruise, with 1 at-sea day, so only 1 brunch morning

They needed a 'Betty Checker' to check the numbers, before I knew what was happening MY name was flashing across the screen. In addition to checking all the balls to make sure none were missing, they made me do the Chicken Dance, then a nice looking gentleman in a tux presented me with a Diamond Charm Necklace and a goody bag.

That's super nice that you got a gift for helping out!

Olivia was startled and embarrassed and started to tear up. Once Jose had the tray safely set down at the server station he came over and patted her on the back saying 'Don't worry Princess, Everything is Under Control.' From that moment on he said that phrase at least once a meal.

So sweet of Jose to reassure her! I'm sure she was mortified-I would have been too!

 

[darnheather]

I am so glad to have foundyour trip report. We are booked on the 2019 WBPC and I have been reading everything I can find. You sound like you had a great time. Can't wait to read the rest of your trip report. BTW I had to laugh when I saw your cabin number. We have 6046 booked for next year.

See you there! If you would like information on tastings etc that are scheduled pm me.

 

[xavier2001]

Ok, 2 things I forgot before I continue on.

1. I'm thinking the picture of DD and Chip and Dale must have happened on Castaway Cay night because her hair is not yet braided, the more I think about it the more I think we ran into them in front of the D Lounge before we did Animation drawing, I did not include the meet and greet in my notes so hopefully my memory is not spotty.

2. I almost forgot, between Palo Brunch at 11 and the Stitch meet and greet at 3, I went to the salon!! I had been meaning to get my hair cut before we left but with all the other things I was juggling it just didn't happen. As you can see from the Captain Hook photo above my hair was out. of. control. I knew I couldn't wait until we got back as it was driving me crazy. I also had a Disney gift card on my account from a Christmas gift so I decided to treat myself. I had heard not so nice reviews about upselling so I went in prepared. It all started very well with a very nice hair wash and scalp massage. Then while the stylist began to cut my hair, the selling began. First it was the $27 dollar shampoo she washed my hair with, which was a bargain compared to the $49 bottle of conditioner. Then she tried to talk me into getting my hair colored. Then my teeth whitened. Then, because I was a captive audience, she brought over this kit full of vitamins and supplements for a 14 day cleanse. Who wants to do a dietary cleanse while on a cruise!? She was not pushy about any of it but definitely was trying to get me to buy some products. In the end I politely declined, got a nice haircut (which you will see in later photos), and opted not to go back to the spa the rest of the cruise.

Ok, uploading photos for Day 4!!

 

[xavier2001]

Day 4- At Sea

I did not sleep very well this night, the seas were a little rockier, and while the motion did not bother me there was some strange creaking the ceiling. I think had I been asleep it wouldn't have bothered me, but since I was up it was annoying. I woke up not feeling so great, a mild sore throat and just tired. DH and DS were up early and headed off to breakfast while I tried to sleep and DD was sawing logs. She got up eventually and headed off to Cabanas with DH for her breakfast. I had them bring me back an apple and a Diet Coke as that was all that sounded good.

At 10 we all headed to the Walt Disney Theater for the 2nd of Captain Ken Puckett's lectures. This is the only one the kids and I made it to. He was talking about our transit through the canal. It was interesting information, but hard to stay awake d/t his calm, quiet voice and the fact that I was tired. In addition to talking about the transit, he was talking about the costs involved, I was astounded to learn how much Disney pays to transit the canal each year:

After the lecture the family wanted to play some Tripoley, a game the kids had recently learned. We looked for a quiet spot and found a nice table in the Crown and Fin. One suggestion to Disney is to carve out a space for some game tables as it was often hard to find a spot to play.

We played for awhile until we were interrupted by a Trivia activity going on and everyone decided they were hungry. I still wasn't feeling great, was really cold, and didn't feel like sitting through a big meal on a rocking ship. My parents, DH, and DD headed to Tritons, DS decided he just wanted a hamburger, so he and I headed to Deck 9 where he got a hamburger and I sat in the warm, fresh air. The fresh air was definitely helping me feel better, I ate some pizza after which I felt much better, pizza is one of my comfort foods. At some point he went to get changed and went swimming while I lounged and watched Finding Nemo on Funnelvision. I think at some point DD joined Andrew in the pool and DH came and sat with me. Not sure what the parents were up to this afternoon.

Mid afternoon I decided to try to nap and headed to the room. I turned on the Pixar channel and dozed off for awhile, at some point the kids came back and got showered and ready for dinner. We were in Tianas tonight, I think with their standard rotational menu. My notes say the menu wasn't my favorite but dessert was excellent. I wish now I remembered which dessert I got. I know it wasn't the beignets because that was later in the trip. We also had a visit from Tiana and from Louis, and enjoyed some nice, albeit loud music. The kids really enjoyed this dinner.

After dinner, DS went to play, DH went off to read in the Quiet Cove, and DD and my parents went to the 8:30 show, which was an Acapella group. As for me, I was beat and knew that tomorrow would be an early morning, so I took some Benadryl and went to bed. I watched more of the Pixar channel while I drifted off to sleep. DH said the kids were back by curfew time and we all got a good night sleep.

 

[xavier2001]

Oooh, yum! I would love to do a Palo brunch but am worried I won't be able to on my cruise next year. It is only a 4-night cruise, with 1 at-sea day, so only 1 brunch morning

Are you sailing on the Dream with a Nassau stop, I think sometimes they do brunch that day as well but I'm not 100% sure on that. I prefer the brunch to dinner, although we did both this cruise.

 

[mmmears]

I'm really enjoying your trip report - thanks for sharing! I would love to take a PC cruise some day.

 

[Chipmunkmaniac]

so happy about this TR. Doing the Panama in October

 

[darnheather]

We were in Tianas tonight, I think with their standard rotational menu. My notes say the menu wasn't my favorite but dessert was excellent. I wish now I remembered which dessert I got. I know it wasn't the beignets because that was later in the trip. We also had a visit from Tiana and from Louis, and enjoyed some nice, albeit loud music. The kids really enjoyed this dinner.

I've read many times now that the music is very loud here. Is it every night? Is throughout the meal or just for a short time? My DD can be very sensitive to loud noises and I don't want her meal ruined. She has "mufflephones" which are basically earmuffs which suppress sound. Trying to decide if they are worth packing.

 

[xavier2001]

I've read many times now that the music is very loud here. Is it every night? Is throughout the meal or just for a short time? My DD can be very sensitive to loud noises and I don't want her meal ruined. She has "mufflephones" which are basically earmuffs which suppress sound. Trying to decide if they are worth packing.

My son is the same way, and I was worried too. They play music only 2 of the nights, the rotational menu night, and Mardi Gras night. It was loud but not overwhelming, he brought his noise canceling headphones but only used them during Muster. He avoids the big dance party/pirate party stuff, that’s overwhelming to him. Maybe because in the restaurant you are sitting and not crowded he did much better.

 

[Lesley Wake]

Are you sailing on the Dream with a Nassau stop, I think sometimes they do brunch that day as well but I'm not 100% sure on that. I prefer the brunch to dinner, although we did both this cruise.

They are, oooh, I didn't know that! I don't plan on doing any excursions (this trip is a try-out to see if I like cruising), so that day would be perfect! Fingers crossed!

 

[darnheather]

My son is the same way, and I was worried too. They play music only 2 of the nights, the rotational menu night, and Mardi Gras night. It was loud but not overwhelming, he brought his noise canceling headphones but only used them during Muster. He avoids the big dance party/pirate party stuff, that’s overwhelming to him. Maybe because in the restaurant you are sitting and not crowded he did much better.

Thank you SO much! Muster for us has always been in AP and can be a bit overwhelming for her but her sister is great at distracting her with small puzzles or games. She does so-so at the big parties outside but the inside parties are a no-go. Even trick-or-treating was nearly a disaster last cruise. I think I'll try to find some videos for her to watch so she can be prepared ahead of time.

 

[xavier2001]

Day 5- Cartagena, Colombia

Today was an exciting day as it was our first port. One of the reasons we chose the Panama Canal was all the sea days, but were also excited to be visiting ports we have never travelled to before. My expectations of Cartagena were not very high, from the research I did people talk about how HOT it is and how the vendors are VERY aggressive about trying to sell you things. DH also told me early on that he was not going to get off the ship in Colombia for various reasons. We had a few arguments about it pre-cruise but in the end I realized it was his vacation too and there was no use dragging him along against his will as it would probably but a damper on the fun.

Since none of us have ever been in South America we knew we wanted to do something to see some of the culture of the city/country. I looked at the Disney options and was not overly impressed. So I started searching the internet and came across this website: http://cartagenatour.com/_index.php . After reading the reviews on trip advisor I contacted Dora inquiring about a tour. She got back with my right away and we had a very pleasant email exchange. In the end I booked a private tour to see the sights of Cartagena (prounounce the g as an h, it has a very Spanish, exotic flare that way). I booked months ahead and when we finally met Dora she told me I was the first of her groups to book, bonus points to me!

So after crashing early last night having taken some Benadryl, the alarm jolted us awake at 6:30. This was the first time in a week we had set an alarm. Thankfully I was feeling MUCH better, but had developed an annoying cough (one that would stay with me and half the ship the rest of the trip but c'est la vie). DH took the kids up to Cabanas while I finished getting ready and then I joined him. I'm not a big breakfast eater, especially early in the morning, so all I got was a big cup of coffee and some peanut butter toast. Our dining team happened to be working in Cabanas that morning and I got scolded by the head waiter, Mehmet, for not eating more. That would become a running joke later in the cruise because peanut butter toast was my 'go to' breakfast for the next 10 days.

So after eating breakfast and buying an over priced bottle of water to control my cough, we met up with my parents, bid DH farewell, and headed off the ship by 7:45. We were told to meet a person wearing a green jacket, holding a sign with our name on it at the dock. There was a group of 3 in jackets waiting for us, just as described. We were greeted and then told to follow one of the men to meet our guide and bus. He did not speak English and moved very quickly, we followed him through the port area where they have an aviary, gift shop, and wifi spot. Once we reached the exit he delivered us to Veronica, who would be our personal tour guide. Veronica is Dora's niece and was AMAZING. She was the highlight of the day. She had great knowledge and love for her city, and also related very well with the kids, it probably helped that she herself has a 10 year old daughter. We loaded into a very nice, clean, air conditioned van, and met our driver, Jimmy.

As we headed to our first stop, Veronica gave us the overview of the tour and some of the history of Cartagena. We would start our trip at La Popa Monastery, which was the highest point of the city with spectacular views. One of the reasons we did not book with Disney is that the big tour buses can't always get up the winding road to the monastery and it was a 'must see' for us. We drove up the winding road enjoying the sights and stories of the Caribbean pirates who attacked Cartagena, most notably Frances Drake (Sir Frances Drake if you are British). Interesting to hear a different version of the story, the noble English Sea Captain or the dastardly pirate who burned the first 200 houses he saw in Colombia. When we pulled up to the gates of the monastery we were delighted to find we were the first ones there. For about the first 20 minutes of our tour there we had the place totally to ourselves. That, in and of itself, was worth booking a private tour.

We started outside in the gardens, and got this amazing view of the city:

Our ship was off to the left side of the photograph. After admiring the view outside we headed inside to see the monastery and learn some Spanish history. The monastery is still active and part of the Augustinian order. We also learned about the Virgin of the Candle mass and pilgrimage that is held each February. Very interesting information, especially for my Dad the religious history buff.

This was the altar inside, gorgeous (and very rare to find a statue of St. Augustine):

Had to get a close up of St. Monica, the patron saint of Mothers:

While on our tour of La Popa, we ran into Dora herself, who was leading another tour. She gave me a big hug and spoke as we had known each other for years (well really months, and just via email but still). She made us feel very welcomed. By this time other vans were starting to crowd into the monastery entrance and people streaming in the gates. I was SO thankful we had that quiet, peaceful time to ourselves. We stopped to use the restrooms, bought some bottles of water from a vendor outside, and loaded back into the van. There were 4 or 5 vendors selling different things outside but they were all very nice, and a simple 'No gracias' and they left us alone. It helped that Veronica seemed to know them well, in fact she directed us to which person we should buy the water from that was the most reputable.

Back in the nice, air conditioned van, we headed down the hill and to our next stop, Castillo San Felipe de Barajas, which was built by the Spanish in the 1500s to protect the city from pirates. It was a really cool site to see:

You can see several tour groups exploring the Fort up close, and climbing all the stairs to see all the details, although it would be fun to do, I was a little grateful we were not because by this time it was getting HOT HOT HOT. There were also more vendors here, they were pushy but nice. They would come up very close and offer their wares, a simple 'No gracias' and they would back off, only for the next vendor to approach 10 seconds later. I had to laugh when we were getting out of the van, a vendor put a hat on my son's head and then looked at my Dad asking him for money. He got the hat back instead. We stayed about 10 minutes here, long enough to hear the history, learn about the slave trade in Cartagena, and to snap an obligatory 'we were in South America' photo:

We are all looking a little sweaty here lol.

We loaded back into the van for our next stop, the Dungeons, which is an area of shops. We had about 20 minutes to wander around here. Veronica pointed out a few places we might want to go, including a small fruit stand with a reputable owner. One of the discussions we had in the van was about bananas and how much better they tasted in Colombia because they were allowed to ripen naturally versus the ones in our grocery store here that are picked in Colombia while still green and then chemically treated to ripen once the get to the store. We had to see for ourselves, we also had a fruit bowl with mango and papaya.

The verdict, a banana is a banana is a banana lol. They were nice and sweet but really no different than an ordinary, grocery store banana. We looked around in the shops briefly but did not buy anything. Veronica met back up with us and we walked to the edge of the dungeons where the wall that protected the 'old city' began. The kids were really into the wall and fortress protecting the city, they were really bonding with Veronica by this point.

We headed back to the van for the last part of the tour, exploring the old city. At this point the heat was getting to my Mom a little bit, and she debated skipping this part of the tour. Veronica was great, very attentive, and convinced my Mom to see at least a little bit of the Old City as she knew how great it was. She took great care to keep us walking in the shade, and to take rest breaks were needed. She pointed out the cool, Spanish architecture, and peeked in the entry of a few very ritzy hotel courtyards. We went to see the Cathedral, where mass was going on. Was interesting to hear the mass in Spanish, and once my Mom heard that Pope Francis had visited this Cathedral last year she perked up. After sitting in the back for a few minutes we moved on. It was in the Old City that we saw several walking tour groups, following a Disney guide. The groups were of 20-30, they were walking very fast, looked very hot (I guess so did we lol), and unless you were at the front of the group, could not hear the guide. Again, score one for Dora!

Our last stop in the Old City was San Pedro Claver Church, this was a Jesuit Church built in the 1500s, and again, the history was very cool to hear, especially for my Dad. DS was really intrigued that the body of St. Peter Claver was preserved on the altar (much in the European tradition), and after a large tour group moved out and we had the space to ourselves he asked for a photo (which is rare, he typically hates photos and why you see more of DD in this trip report):

After our visit at the Church, Jimmy picked us up and we headed back to the Port. We had an amazing time, definitely WAY exceeded our expectations of Cartagena. After hugging Veronica and Jimmy goodbye, we walked through the gift shop and Aviary, and headed back on board to get cooled off. By this time it was about 12:30.

I think I"ll stop here for now, and continue in the next post.

 

[xavier2001]

Day 5 - Cartagena Part 2

So we got back on board, happy, tired, and hungry. We headed to Tritons to cool off and get some grub. I do remember they had a delicious pasta in cream sauce this day, and I probably ate the ice cream sundae as well. After lunch we headed back to the room, where DH had surprised me while doing all our laundry while we were off having fun. It was all neatly folded and ready to put away, what a guy. So I did that while the kids got changed, as they wanted to go to the pool. My Dad went up to sit on deck while they swam, before too long I joined him. We had a spot in the shade, had some frozen drinks to keep us cool, and enjoyed the icy cold towels they were bringing around to cool people off. About 3:00 I pulled the kids out of the pool and send them down to get showered and hang with DH. We watched from the balcony as we sailed away from Cartagena, and good a cool view of the Harbor Pilot getting off the boat once we were out of port.

While the kids and DH were hanging out watching a movie, my Dad, my Mom and I had a very important date. I had signed us up for tequila tasting through one of the facebook cruise groups. I wasn't sure that I should be drinking tequila on account of my cough, but we had already paid for it and thought, why not.

We headed to the Cadillac Lounge at 4, and found 3 seats near each other. This was on each table:

I did not care for the first tequila at all, the silver non aged version that gets mixed into margaritas. Try as I might I could not finish the shot. We tried it first by itself, then with the salt and lime.

Then we moved on to the middle shot, which was the reposado, or rested tequila. I actually really liked this one. We tried it by itself, then with the cinnamon and orange, which was my favorite. We put a little cinnamon on our tongues, then sipped the tequila, then bit the orange. I was surprised how much I liked this one, and did finish this shot.

Next up, on the right the anejo, or aged tequila. This particular bottle was aged for 8 years. It was very smooth, and did not burn like the silver one. This is a 'sipping' tequila, and our bartender said best sipped alone. I cheated and tried the cinnamon and orange with it, and really enjoyed it as well.

After the tequilas, we were brought out 2 small margaritas, I thought I snapped a photo but its not on my phone so you'll have to use your imagination. The first was a spicy margarita with a jalapeño in it, too hot for my Mom and I but my Dad really enjoyed it. Then we had a frozen, sweet margarita (mango maybe), it was delicious and a nice end to the class. When the class ended my Dad got up and had a long conversation with the bartender. This was a compliment to the class because my Dad is a margarita/tequila master, so he had to be impressed to ask the guy for a recipe.

We were all feeling pretty relaxed at this point, and I noticed that after the tequila my cough was non-existent, maybe there is something to that whole whisky as cough syrup thing. We met back up with DH and the kids, and headed to dinner, which was in Tritons tonight. I have NO idea what the menu was or what we ate, I must have been too relaxed. I do have a photo of DH who built these sculptures nightly for us, getting more elaborate as the days went on:

We were done with dinner by 7:30 this night, DS went off to play, the rest of us headed to 'The Feud' in the D-Lounge. It was our first time, and it was a lot of fun. DD got picked to play in the last round, she had a lot of fun:

After the Feud we all met up in the Walt Disney theater for a comedy, ventriloquist show, Taylor Mason. I know that the kids really enjoyed it, the adults thought it was just ok until the end, it was pretty fun. Spoiler alert, someone famous from the Dis was in the show, hopefully she will write a trip report and share the experience.

After the show, the kids headed off to play, I gave them a 10:30 curfew as it had been a long day today and tomorrow was going to be an exciting one. DH went off to read in the Quiet Cove, and I headed back to the room to find this cool lithograph, and some information about tomorrow's big day:

I took another Benadryl for good measure and fell into bed, drifting off to sleep thinking about the amazing day we had.

 

[xavier2001]

Day 6 - Panama Canal

Well here we are, one of the reasons we decided to come on this trip, the Panama Canal. I hope that I can do it justice. I really knew nothing about the Panama Canal before we decided to book this cruise. In all honesty the thought of a 14 day cruise with not many kids on board someplace warm was more appealing to me than the actual Canal itself. My Dad's motivation (other than to spend time with his family) was following in the footsteps of his Father who went through the Panama Canal on a cruise ship of his own several decades ago. Once we booked the trip we started doing some reading and research, after all we were pulling the kids out of school and needed to make it educational . Below is a map I pulled off Wikipedia that shows you the basic overview of how we were going to be spending the next 12 hours. It's a good map to refer to as we get to each place. Disney had given us a map and cool brochure too, which we referred to often through the day. We were going through the newly expanded Panamax Canal, using the Agua Clara locks on the Atlantic side and Cocoli locks on the Pacific side.

We had been told by our cruise director, Natalie, the night before that we would begin going through the first locks around 8 in the morning. In my research everyone says get up and move around to see the locks from all angles. I also read that people get up VERY early in the morning (4-5 a.m.) to get a prime spot on the Forward Bow. Given that I am not a history buff, and I do not like getting up early (especially on vacation), there were no 5 a.m. alarm clocks in our room. We decided (well I decided) the night before, it might be nice to have breakfast delivered to our room in the morning so we could enjoy the view from the balcony and drink coffee while soaking in the history and atmosphere. So I filled out the room service card and scheduled delivery between 7 and 7:30 knowing that DH would be awake.

Sure enough DH was awake when the food arrived, I had ordered an assortment of croissants, toast, donuts, cereal, fruit, juice, and of course coffee. We enjoyed our food and this was the view from our balcony at 7:30:

You'll notice our room is facing due East which had made for some pretty sunrises this trip (according my parents at least, I never was up with the sun). But because the sun was streaming in it was HOT out on that balcony. We also had the TV going because the they had a view from the bridge, and they had the Panama Canal pilot who was guiding us through doing a narration with some good information.

About 8:30 (a little later than first expected) we were approaching the Agua Clara locks:

30 minutes later we were headed into the first chamber, the green on the left side the photo is part of the gate mechanism (I have a better photo of that later):

Once we were in, the gate closed and the chamber started filling with water slowly raising us up. By this time, the kids were hot and hungry, they mutinied against my room service 'continental' breakfast. They headed off for some sustenance and I continued to hang out in the room, going between the balcony and the comfort of the room watching the bridge cam.

After awhile I decided to take the advice of others and move around a bit. I headed down to deck 4 to get a different perspective. It was MUCH more pleasant down here in the shade. By this time it was about 10 and we were entering into the next lock chamber (there were 3 chambers to raise us up into the lake):

They had photographers on land and roaming Deck 4 snapping photographers as well. They got a shot of these cuties:

As we slowly raised up, the kids wanted to go play for a bit so the adults retreated to the Crown and Fin to play some trivia. We found a nice window seat and watched as we raised up in the 3rd lock chamber. We did not do very well at Trivia but we had fun. By noon we were out of the locks and into Gatun Lake.

We all headed to Tritons for a nice lunch. I think this is the day I ordered the 1/2 'Classic' cheeseburger, as DS kept proclaiming how delicious they were. It was ok, but no different than the hamburgers up on deck, of course I am not really much of a connoisseur.

After lunch my notes tell me I wandered between our balcony and deck 4, eventually ending up on Deck 9 where the kids swam and I sat in a shady spot with DH and watched the scenery and had an adult beverage or 2. These photos were taken from our balcony:

Somewhere along this path, I think near Gamboa, was what we think was a prison, several males were standing behind a tall, barbed wire fence, yelling and screaming at us. Again, I wish I knew Spanish so I know what they were saying, they were yelling some English like 'Help Us' at one point.

We spotted these markers, which are used for Navigation to make sure the ships stay in the deeper parts of the man made Gatun Lake:

And here is one of the tug boats that helps ships get centered properly in the locks:

Up on Deck 9, while watching the kids, I could see we were approaching Centennial Bridge in the distance. I went as far forward as I could and snapped this photo from the smoking area on the ship (side note, the smoking area was kind of gross, really smelly and fairly crowded as well). You can see how narrow the lake is now as we are well into the Culbera Cut.

You can also see the rain clouds in the distance, it always rains somewhere in Panama. We saw a flash of lightning, followed by the lifeguards blowing their whistles to close the pool. It was good timing as these fair skinned kids were about at their 'sun' limit for the day.

We headed back down to the room so they could change, about 3 o'clock we were getting closer to the bridge:

And here we are going underneath it (My Mom has a better photo, I may steal it from her and post it here later):

Here we are passing the Pedro Miguel locks of the original Panama Canal (see the container ship):

At this point we decided to seek some refuge from the heat and rain and ended up back in Crown and Fin to play some more Trivia. We also played some Euchre, DH and I got smoked by my parents as usual.

About 4:30 we entered the Cocoli Locks and headed back to the balcony. It was just like the Agua Clara locks but in reverse, now we were headed down instead of up. Here you can see the giant green gates that open and close, dividing each chamber:

Each chamber has 2 gates in case 1 is not working:

Here we are in the first lock chamber (see how it is full, we are still at the top):

Here is a view of the 3 water basins that they use to fill and empty the locks, this saves water, can you see Panama City in the distance:

Let me zoom in for you:

Here is a cool shot my Mom got which shows the step downs of the last set of locks and the Bridge of the Americas off in the distance:

While we were in the last lock we headed to Animators Palate for dinner, it was the Panama Canal menu tonight. I don't remember much of what was on it except for Lobster, which DD ate. There was a TON of vibration during dinner as the engine is in the aft section and it was working hard maneuvering in and out of the locks. We didn't know it at the time but later we learned there was a gate issue in the 3rd lock chamber and we were stuck there for awhile.

After dinner DS went off to play and DD wanted to do some pin trading. They had a special Officer pin trading tonight. She ran upstairs to get her pins and made it back just as it started. It was a mob scene, people are serious about their pins. I stood to one side of the atrium while she weaved in and out of traffic. She was very happy in the end because she scored 3 new Stitch pins and an Aristocats one which is her new favorite.

After pin trading I headed to the Crown and Fin where DH was waiting to play more trivia. It was just he and I, I think it was TV tunes Trivia and we did not do poorly but we did not come close to winning either. Got this cute text from DD:

From here we met up with the rest of the gang in front of the theater to see tonight's show, the Comedy of Mary Ellen Hooper.

This was a pretty controversial show. Mary Ellen Hooper is a comedian who usually performs in adult venues. I think they invited her on this cruise because there were not as many children, but there were still several children in the audience, including mine. There was no disclaimer that this was an adult oriented show, and given the fact that it was in the family theater (not the adult only space) there was no reason for us to suspect it would be anything but PG rated. Boy were we wrong. 5 minutes in the kids were bored because it was way over their heads, and I was mortified because they were really very adult jokes. They asked to leave and go play and I said absolutely, they snuck out. The rest of the show did not get any better. She was trying to water it down and speak in code because of the many kids present, but it really wasn't working, making it something that was both inappropriate, and not really funny. Several people walked out of the show, and I'm sure Disney got an earful later. She had another adult only show in Azure later but we did not make it to that.

After the show, DH headed off to Star Wars and 10 and I headed up to Deck 9 for my nightly pizza snack. The boat was not moving at all, so the bugs were out. I did not stay outside for long. I headed back to the room, turned on the Classic TV channel and watched Pinnochio, and waited for the kids to come in for their 11 o clock curfew, as usual they were right on time and had some great stories of their kids club/Edge time to tell.

It was a little hard to fall asleep tonight as the boat was still not moving, but eventually I drifted off and did not hear DH come in from the movie. The end of another great day.

 

[Luv2Diz]

Enjoying your TR. We were on this same cruise and had a great time. I agree with you about the shwarma - it wasn’t that tasty. It was one and done for us.

And the cough that was going around the ship - I still have the remnants of it. We talked to one man whose wife got sick enough she had to go to the medical center, where they ended up with a $750 bill.

The ship not moving on Panama Canal night seemed odd. I noticed some shuddering and thought we had dropped anchor. Wondered what was going on. When we later looked out our window, a monstrous oil tanker was right next to us and kept getting closer. It was an experience seeing that and a little eerie since it was late at night!

Looking forward to reading more.

 

[xavier2001]

The ship not moving on Panama Canal night seemed odd. I noticed some shuddering and thought we had dropped anchor. Wondered what was going on. When we later looked out our window, a monstrous oil tanker was right next to us and kept getting closer. It was an experience seeing that and a little eerie since it was late at night!

I was speculating that we weren’t moving because we were going to refuel. My dad told me I was crazy. Maybe I was right LOL.

 

[mmmears]

Great updates! I'm really enjoying your TR, and especially like the peek at Columbia and the canal. There are so many interesting ports on this itinerary! Just curious, but do you think there is a "better" side of the ship for this route?

 

[xavier2001]

Great updates! I'm really enjoying your TR, and especially like the peek at Columbia and the canal. There are so many interesting ports on this itinerary! Just curious, but do you think there is a "better" side of the ship for this route?

I don’t know that there is one side that is better than the other. When going westbound the port side faces out to the ocean more, on the starboard side you can swe land off in the distance at times. The balcony was hot in the morning but then shaded in the afternoon which was nice. This was our first time ever staying Port. It took about nine days to get oriented as I kept walking the wrong way when getting off the stairs LOL.

 

[princessmommyx3]

I was speculating that we weren’t moving because we were going to refuel. My dad told me I was crazy. Maybe I was right LOL.

I think you were refueling. We were on this sailing last year and our cruise director told us the night before that as soon as we were through the canal, we would be stopped for several hours to refuel. I'm not sure if our schedules were the same, but for us it was the later evening hours - like from 9 to midnight.