New York to Los Angeles: Island Princess

Backstory

After finishing my 3.5 year stint in Bangladesh very battered emotionally and mentally, I needed some change (and something positive). I looked into many options and found a website "vacations2go" which focuses on cruise ship deals. Originally, I thought of a trip from the West Coast to Japan, but I happened upon a good deal from New York to LA via the Panama Canal. Although never on my bucket list, it felt immediately appealing.

Originally I planned a solo journey, but then I asked my brother if he was interested and he immediately was on board. In fact, on my call to him to view the website together to be sure he wanted to do it, he said, "ok done". I asked, "done with what?" "The cruise - we're booked". I guess there was no turning back!

September 2025

Preparation

Luckily, I had been on two other "big" cruises, so I had some idea of what to expect. That turned out to be helpful because we discovered Princess Cruises excels in poor customer service pre-cruise and has constructed a baffling website. I was immediately assigned a personal assistant who called me and told me that he was there for me for any questions I had leading up to the cruise (Matt thinks: amazing!). I emailed him on two separate matters and, after his non-response, left him a voice mail. After I resolved both issues (on my own), he finally emailed and claimed he tried to call me but could not get through. Shockingly, my email (and voicemail) worked throughout... My brother had a similar experience with his dedicated assistant (why did we have different people?). We finally managed to complete all the needed steps to board - which I found unnecessarily difficult and obtuse. I wondered how "John and Jane Average" (without much travel experience) managed?

Getting to Red Hook, Brooklyn

I was staying at the Perry Place Refuge in DC in the weeks preceding the cruise, so my brother decided to fly to DC to meet me. We would then take the train to Newark, overnight there, and continue to Brooklyn the next day.

His overnight in DC (on the one rainy day in a string of fabulous sunny days) was a complete mess because of confusion with his hotel booking. We ended up having to find another hotel on the spot, last minute. Ironically, he ended up at Gallaudet University in its convention center hotel. That property is actually amazing. We were both so tired by the time he got settled, that I left him and returned to Perry Place to get ready for the journey. I walked to NoMa Metro Station (and got rained on a bit) thinking the whole time that going there on foot when I was younger wouldn't have even been an option. Wow, has the Gally neighborhood transformed!

The next day we met at Union Station and had an early lunch. Shockingly, Amtrak has removed all seating for passengers waiting to board trains. Only those with Metroliner tickets can avail themselves of a special lounge. What did they expect people to do while waiting for their trains? Crazy. We finally boarded and made our way north.

Our hotel physically connected to Newark Penn Station and we detrained and checked in quickly. The room was expensive (but still cheaper than staying in New York City). I went back to the station to check into the PATH train (I hadn't ridden it in years). I found the almost "secret" elevator to the platform (the escalators were too narrow for our bags) and the ticket machines. After I returned to the room, we had dinner in the hotel restaurant, which was surprisingly popular. Both tired, we went to bed early - the next day was a big "unknown" - I hoped I had found the easiest way to Red Hook.

Hotel room view, Newark

As it turns out, taking the PATH to the World Trade Center and then walking to Pier 11 was easy (even with luggage). Our entry to the City via Calatrava's Oculus under the World Trade Center tower was dramatic. That exceeded all expectations - even my brother was impressed. Given that the weather was excellent, we decided to walk to the pier. I was worried about schlepping our bags, but the streets were not that crowded. We casually walked down Broadway to Wall Street and turned left. The New York Stock Exchange now has a security perimeter. I guess I wasn't surprised, just a little sad. I had been very concerned about getting from the World Trade Center to Pier 11 and it turned out to be an uncomplicated event.

Oculus, Manhattan

We finally arrived at the pier and were directed to a man who was giving free ferry tickets to cruise ship passengers (wow! and, of course, Princess Cruises never told us about that perk in advance). There were at least 25 other cruise passengers taking that morning ferry, too. We weren't the only ones who saw the advantage of the short (15 min) ferry ride to Red Hook Cruise Terminal rather than taking a taxi.

We finally crossed the East River and disembarked. Time to check in.

Pier 11, Manhattan

Boarding

I will admit to being very frustrated at Princess' insistence that we print out our own luggage tags and attach them. I thought after paying all that money the least they could do would be to allow for a check in similar to an airport. How hard could it be? As it turns out, the system worked because as soon as we entered the terminal area, men with luggage carts took our bags. We then were directed to the terminal building where we went through security. The whole experience was similar to an airport, but perhaps a little less intense. One strange thing was that we were instructed to have our boarding pass (QR code) ready to be scanned, then not a single person asked us for it.

We reached a check in counter and received our "medallions" - a small plastic disk that acts as personal ID, credit card, and room key on the ship. After a longish walk through the building, we boarded.

My biggest worry was over (getting on the ship). I give Princess Cruises high marks for a very quick check in, but a dismal rating for the lead up to it.

Boarding - Brooklyn in the background.

Waiting for the room

I told my brother that there was a mandatory safety drill (I had done it twice before on other cruises). Upon entry, we were told to find our "muster station". I thought it best to find it right away and check in (good call). We located it (easily) and then were briefed on where to find life jackets, what the emergency horn blast would sound like, and what to take with us in case of emergency evacuation. After that we were obliged to watch the safety video (apparently they could track who watched it via the app) before departure. Since we arrived onboard "early", we heard constant reminders about reporting to the muster station and watching the video - otherwise "the ship cannot be authorized to leave the port". [Note: I think there is some merit to forcing passengers to assemble at their muster station physically - this "watching the video" is simply not the same]

After that, we were directed to the "international buffet" (where people eat outside of the formal dining rooms) for lunch. It was packed! We were lucky to find seats. My brother was amazed at the number of food options. I just wanted to get settled. Getting us from Washington, DC and into our room had been a source of stress for me in the days prior to the cruise. I simply wanted to be in our stateroom.

I watched the required video on the app after lunch - check.

Finally, we asked if our room was ready (we had been told an announcement would be made - it was not) and were informed it was. We descended into the mass of rooms which makes up the majority of the ship's upper decks. The medallion from our necks opened the door automatically - sensing it even before we reached the door! Amazing technology.

Our Stateroom

Luckily, I had lowered my brother's expectations of the "small room" to the point that he was actually shocked how "big it was" when we finally settled in. The bathroom (especially the shower stall) was very small. However, compared to other cruises there was a lot more space for our clothes and bags - very welcome! Our balcony was big enough for both of us to comfortably occupy it, too. We were pleasantly surprised.

I unpacked completely and felt at peace.

Our room attendant "Omar" (from Honduras) introduced himself and explained some basics about the room.

After those very busy morning hours, we rested. I was tired.

We then both headed topside for our departure at 4pm.

Leaving New York

On a perfect late summer afternoon under bright skies, we departed New York. The views of Lower Manhattan, Downtown Brooklyn, Jersey City, and the Statue of Liberty were like something from the movies. Our vantage point from the ship allowed a view everything as if from the top of a tower at sea. Almost on cue, another cruise ship (Costa Lines) was leaving, too. That departure likely ranks as one of the most beautiful in all my travels. I felt extremely blessed. My brother certainly was lucky to have his first cruise exit in such a glorious way.

I celebrated with a couple of glasses of Pinot Grigio - I felt happy.

We passed Liberty Island, the Staten Island Ferry, and finally under the Verrazano Narrows Bridge. Everything looked "perfect".

Downtown Brooklyn

Lower Manhattan

Jersey City and the Staten Island Ferry

Costa cruise ship

Statue of Liberty

Verrazano Narrows Bridge

End of Day 1

We returned to the buffet early for dinner and then came back to our room. We watched the Cruise Director's welcome video. There was a lot of information to take in - we were tired. The sunset that day (over the Jersey Coast) was stunning from our balcony.

We slept early.

Day 2

We woke early and hit the buffet. I was surprised it wasn't more crowded, but perhaps many people had stayed up late the night before, or, like us, were still tired from the long journey to get on the boat.

My brother returned to the room to relax and I took my laptop on the top deck and checked emails. I found myself sitting in the middle of a tai-chi class (which was accompanied by peaceful narration and music).

morning tai chi

I returned to room and put away the laptop. I promised myself to disengage digitally as much as possible.

We attended the "new cruiser's information session" in one of the bars with our ultra enthusiastic cruise director, Scott. The man was just filled with energy. I wondered if I had been that way in my youth? How much did he sleep during the cruise... I couldn't imagine being tasked with keeping 2000 people happy for 18 days.

I returned for lunch on my own and followed it with a couple of glasses of prosecco. Compared to many on the ship, I was drinking almost nothing!

Our purchased package of "extras" (mainly to get WiFi) included 15 alcoholic beverages each per day. I am not sure I could have downed that many even in my youth!

Tales from the Crypt

Alas, it is time to address the elephant in the room - our fellow passengers. I was definitely on the "young and fit" end of the spectrum compared to fellow cruise-mates. It was almost as if we had scooped up the residents of several nursing homes and brought them on board. People with canes, walkers, and electric scooters; shuffle walkers who seemed they might collapse at any moment; people with hearing aids that apparently didn't work - all were well represented. I wondered what any "young people" (read: under 50) thought about cruising with the geriatric set? Honestly, it felt depressing (and I am old).

I didn't realize that my last two cruises with Brian had been "party cruises" meaning that everyone on board was youthful (and, if old, energetic). Were our fellow passengers actually representative of cruise ship passengers these days?

Suddenly, the cruise director, Scott popped into my mind. In addition to the number of people on the ship, he had to deal with the extremely old and frail. What a task!

Now the shore excursion descriptions started to make sense to me. Many were described in great detail about the degree of difficulty (most in my eyes were "zero")

Learning

The ship offered a plethora of activities - the list was endless. With two full days at sea before our first stop, Princess Cruises (Scott) had to keep people happy. Most things did not appeal to me (or my brother), but I noted a lecture on the history of the Panama Canal. We attended the surprisingly crowded event in one of the bars - given by a young historian. It was everything one wanted to know about the Panama Canal (and more) - and, we discovered, that was only Part I. The guy had done his research, but I eventually got lost in a sea of details. The take-away from it? The French did must of the planning and initial construction of the canal, but corruption and disease hobbled progress. In fact, by the time they gave up, the phrase "Panama Scheme" came into the French Language in the way we talk about ponzi schemes today! A perfect storm of bad luck stymied the French from completing something that everyone agreed was necessary in the rapidly connecting world.

Entertainment

After dinner we made plans to see one of the shows on board only to reach the theatre (15 minutes early) to find it already full. We noted that in the future we would have to show up earlier. Again, 2000 people were on the ship and the theatre (very large) could only hold several hundred.

We returned to the room and watched a movie on TV (there were many choices).

Day 3

The second day at sea was not nearly as exciting at the first, but were getting into a kind of rhythm. The whole point of the cruise was to relax (although it seemed many passengers thought the main point was to drink!)

More Learning

I attended the second lecture on the history of the Panama Canal. My brother passed as the first one had been "overly informative". This time the talk was in the massive theatre - it was well attended. My take away from the second talk was that the backstory on making the canal was so filled with intrigue, duplicity, and double-crossing that it would make for a fascinating movie (or mini-series). The Panamanians genuinely wanted independence; the French desperately wanted to construct a canal as a monument to French ingenuity; the Americans needed the canal economically; and the Colombians tried to balance the needs of all parties (and not lose territory). Fascinating stuff.

the ship

The Island Princess was purpose-built to pass through the Panama Canal (with just two feet of clearance). Princess Cruises are not as cheap as Carnival, but still affordable. The focus is on elegance, but the experience is not as uptight as Cunard which still requires formal dress (yuck). Compared to Royal Caribbean the ship was "small" and compared to Holland-America the ship was a lot "fancier". Princess only has several "formal" occasions and they are at night (mostly focused on the grand lobby and the formal restaurants).

Grand Lobby and Staircase for those longing for a Titanic experience (minus the iceberg)

Lido Pool which becomes a "wave pool" when the boat rocks.

Day three was mostly a lot of relaxing. My brother and I attended a "quiz" event which helped break up the day. We were planning to try to see a show (second attempt) and both overslept. Not to worry, there would be plenty more!

We watched movies in our room and slept early. The next day would be our first stop: Grand Turk Island, Turks & Caicos.

Grand Turk

At breakfast we were already pulling into port (slowly). First impression was that Grand Turk was incredibly small (it is!). It was amazing to me that such a tiny island has become so famous.

We tied up to the pier (very close to shore) and waited to disembark.

Finally, a rather garbled announcement let us know we could exit the ship. We took the elevator into the bowels of the ship - a deck not usually visited. We were scanned out using our "medallions" and headed to shore. My brother's progress was slow as he walks with a cane now - the hot humid air hit us hard. And it was still early morning.

We entered the little "square" made purposely for cruise ship passenger shopping. Off to one side was a small memorial to John Glenn's splashdown from his famous Mercury Mission. There were deck chairs to rent and fantastic views of the ship. Although my brother did not want to explore farther than the immediate port area, I did a quick side trip to the southern tip of the island through some native "forest" to the beach. A major disappointment - the beach was loaded with seaweed that covered all the spectacular white sand. I had read an article that seaweed was exploding in growth across the Atlantic and causing all kinds of problems. In addition to being not visually lovely, it stunk. Nonetheless, the place was beautiful.

I caught up with my brother and we walked to Margaritaville, a popular Caribbean restaurant chain started by Jimmy Buffet. Most of its outlets are in Jamaica, but one is on Grand Turk. It was only 10:30am and even I was not ready for a cocktail so early! The place is like a hotel resort minus the rooms - a restaurant and bar complex centers on a large swimming pool. I could see the attraction.

We continued up the beach (manicured and cleaned for tourists) to see many of our shipmates frolicking in the water. Grand Turk for cruise passengers is all about lying on the beach (lovely water and sand) or adventure water sports. My brother and I weren't looking for either - and he was melting in the heat. Luckily, after years of living in hot countries my internal thermostat does much better with hot and humid climates. He indicated he was ready to head back - no problem.

We beat a retreat to the ship. In fact, we found many other passengers had done the same. Not to forget that the cruise's clientele were mostly the "nursing home ready" set - riding a jet ski or banana boat was not in the cards - those people could barely ride their electric scooters. They had just waited too long. I am so happy I travelled when I was young.

Grand Turk doesn't have any tall buildings, so a cruise ship is actually the tallest structure when one is in port (and there is room for two simultaneously). With the sun overhead by lunchtime, the water sparkled Caribbean blue. The island looked gorgeous.

I can't imagine living on such a small bit of land in the sea. Everything (including water) has to be imported. The cost of living must be prohibitive. I could understand why prices are so high. However, the residents have nothing to worry about - Turks & Caicos is a British Overseas Territory. Its residents are UK citizens. If they tire of the island life, they can catch a flight to London any time and seek their fortunes.

Meanwhile, NFL was on TV and my brother was a pig in mud. He watched the Eagles and the Rams from the comfort of our room. I went to one of the quieter bars for some prosecco and heard a mouthful on Philippine government corruption from the bartender. The waitress (mostly busy bringing drinks from the bar) was a lovely young woman from Kenya. She reminded me that I should visit her country. Someday....

The sunset from our balcony was pleasant, but not as good as earlier ones.

We played a movie trivia game after dinner and did very poorly (this was our second attempt at such a game onboard). After a bit of TV, I slept early and my brother went to watch another game on the big screen on the top deck (it was cooler with a breeze at night).

The next day we were again at sea, crossing the Caribbean.

Day 5

Another sea day was spent relaxing (which I came to appreciate more and more).

Learning

I attended the final lecture on the history of the Panama Canal. Surprisingly, Walter Reed and the yellow fever vaccine did not figure into the presentation. In fact, another man, William C. Gorgas helped to rid Panama of mosquitos (and lower the death rate from yellow fever). The construction of the canal still remains an engineering marvel that is somewhat lost to history these days. Ironically, its final opening was barely celebrated. About the same time World War I was declared and stole the canal's glory.

I sat through an information session after the lecture on Aruba and the Panama Canal (for visitors). Aruba is quite orderly (it is Dutch after all), but the visit to Panama City would require more planning. The problem with Panama City is that the port is far from town and there are too many options for a single day.

On a sobering note, the cruise representative reminded us that our sunny days were drawing to a close with Aruba. Panama was in rainy season. Oh well...

Games

I attended an art trivia competition and made it to the final, but lost the tie breaker. I guess visiting all those museums in my travels finally paid off

The Island Princess then hosted a live version of "Deal or No Deal" with substantial prizes. I must admit it was pretty exciting. I told my brother about it and he decided to come with me the next round as he loves game shows.

At the bar

The Explorer's Bar in the "fancy" part of the ship made for a more genteel place to have some prosecco. The bartender was the same guy I had the day before on the pool deck. He was quite talkative and affable.

Exercise

My brother and I finally "discovered" the walkway that circles the ship (three times around = one mile). I wished we had noticed it earlier. We agreed that we had some buffet eating to walk off. It was sunset and the view was not disappointing.

We watched a movie on TV in the cabin and then my brother watched Monday Night Football as I drifted off to sleep.

The next day - Aruba.

Aruba

The ship's approach to Aruba was low key and the immediate port area is not very beautiful. On that score, Grand Turk was better.

I had attended a talk on what to expect in Oranjestad, and my brother and I discussed it. We decided we would disembark and take the free tram through the old downtown and explore. As luck (bad) would have it, we arrived the same day as "Carnival Magic", an even larger ship than our own. It meant a very long walk to the port exit.

the city

Upon exiting into tidy Oranjestad we asked about the tram and were pointed to the stop nearest the ship. We walked there only to be immediately confused by a lack of signage. Did it have fixed stops? If so, they were not apparent. Since it was morning and we were full of energy, we decided to walk along the tram route in hopes of eventually boarding one. The tracks led us down a street filled with closed establishments (half due to the hour and half closed permanently). For an island that lives off tourism, the locals sure didn't care much about opening timings and ships schedules. With the exception of a few brightly painted buildings, the city actually appeared quite dire - very "developing country". This was Aruba?

Reaching the end of the tram line (and not seeing a tram), we turned back toward the port where we found an upscale shopping mall. At the base of a hotel, a shopping center exists, beautiful and well-maintained. It is, however, a shopping mall. Interestingly, for the hotel guests it features a small ferry that takes hotel passengers from the lobby (via canal) to a nearby pleasure island. My brother and I both thought it was a great concept.

On the street outside the mall stands a blue horse. There are several of them scattered throughout the "tourist downtown" and hark back to a time with horses were "thrown" into the sea and forced to swim ashore (??!!!). On the opposite side of the mall is the street running parallel to the sea which provided a great view of the ship.

We walked to an open air mall built into the water and took a second breakfast. Our goal was the famous "Pancake House", but it was mobbed (since it was recommended to 4000+ new arrivals...), so we ate next door (literally empty). The Dutch influence on the island is strong and that is represented in its cuisine. I tried "uitsmijter" which is an open-faced sandwich on sour dough with sliced gouda, ham, and sunny side up eggs. For something so simple, it was delicious!

After eating we walked to a nearby park dedicated to Queen Wilhelmina We were tired, it was getting hot, but overall - the place was disappointing. We decided to go back to the ship to cool off and rest.

the beach

After a few hours of AC and rest - we decided to hit the beaches north of the city - Eagle and Palm. My brother had spent his honeymoon at Palm Beach at the Hyatt, so we took a taxi there. From the taxi window I noted "interior" Aruba is scrub desert - if I didn't know where I was traveling, I would have guessed Dubai. Once again, I was not all that impressed.

The Hyatt was pretty much like my brother remembered with its massive series of pools set into a landscaped garden. It was packed, too. My thoughts? Southeast Asia's hotels do a much better job with hotel pools and gardens. If a person has never experienced such a place, they would love it, but anyone who visited Indonesia or Thailand would not be impressed. We exited the hotel and turned south on the beach path.

The beach was crowded with people and lounge chairs, but oh that water!

We came upon De Palm Pier with its over-water bar and stopped for some drinks at the Bugaloe Bar. My brother had a piña colada (as that was what he drank on his honeymoon) and I had a bad caipirinha followed by a much better lime daquiri. The bartenders were young Dutch women and gave us excellent (and funny) service. Looking out at the water, sipping a tropical drink, we agreed that staying there a few days would undoubtedly be nice.

We continued south toward Eagle Beach thinking it was closer than it really was. My phone map and locator were suddenly very inaccurate. We made it to the top of Eagle Beach - hot and tired. I found the famous beachside "Fofota Tree" (Aruba is famous for them) only to discover a beachside wedding occurring next to it. My brother wanted to grab a taxi and return to the ship. Luckily, we stumbled on a taxi stop and a vehicle just arriving and exiting passengers. We were happy for its cool interior as we glided back to port.

Fofota tree

The stop in Aruba had exceeded expectations in some ways. My brother and I did a lot on our own unexpectedly (and easily). However, according to ship's crew, whom I asked later, parts of Aruba never recovered from COVID - that was apparent in Oranjestad.

Our young, garrulous return taxi driver told us that Arubans were all Dutch passport holders and many left to study in the Netherlands. They were quatri-lingual: English, Dutch, Spanish, and Papiamento.

According to the Government of Aruba the mother tongue and primary language of almost all Arubans is Papiamento, an Afro-Portuguese Creole language with heavy Spanish influence spoken since the 16th century. The language, however, was not widespread in Aruba until the 18th and 19th centuries when most materials on the island and Roman Catholic schoolbooks were written in Papiamento. Since May 2003, Papiamento has also been made an official language on Aruba alongside Dutch.

(Wikipedia)

Being born in Aruba is clearly not such a bad deal. The country also has its share of illegal migrants (from Venezuela - just 20 miles away). They mostly work "behind the scenes" jobs.

We slept early. Aruba had been fun, but we were both tired. Thank goodness, the next day was a "sea day".

Day 7

The sun rose behind the ship as we crossed the Caribbean.

Learning

Our young professor gave a lecture on Balboa, the first European to lay eyes on the Pacific Ocean. Apparently, among the conquistadors (not such a great lot of men) he was better than most as he treated indigenous people with a little more dignity (preferring to make alliances) and he shared the wealth with his men more equitably. He became a favorite in the New World, which unfortunately caught the attention of the Spanish nobles. After "discovering" the Pacific Ocean and starting to build a fleet to head south "where all the gold was", he was executed for the way he ran things and his boats were confiscated by Pizarro (most unfortunately for the Inca). Much has been written about how that "first contact" with the Inca might have gone had it been Balboa. Certainly, he would have tried to make alliances rather than kill them all and take their gold.

Following that lecture, we were given yet another talk on the Panama Canal. Most of the information had been covered by our young professor in his series of lectures the previous days. I was disappointed and surprised - were the ship's crew not coordinating with each other? As it was, the guy (American) who talked about the canal spoke very similarly to older Brits who visit India - forgotten national glory. He was a typical "old white guy" - I was not impressed.

It got worse.

Late in the afternoon, I went to a trivia quiz on the Panama Canal (such quizzes are a mainstay of this cruise). The young man who held the quiz had created it himself and it was filled with errors (since many of us had attended all the lectures, we knew the correct answers). The poor guy was flummoxed, but I also felt disappointed. How hard would it have been for him to have someone review the questions?

And, our young professor told us during his talks (which were very well-delivered and researched) that he only had a BA in History. For what we paid, I think Princess could have found a PhD holder - ha!

Hoity Toity

While enjoying some prosecco at one of the bars, I happened upon an art auction. Who one earth goes on a cruise to buy expensive art? One piece was a Picasso which sold for about $5oK (really??). I was entertained to watch the process and feel satisfied that I didn't like most of the art for sale anyway...

Laundry

We received a notice under our door that the shipboard laundromat would be closed for the Panama Canal crossing. Lake Gatun is a source of fresh water for Panama's two main cities, so they want to keep it as clean as possible. Unfortunately, many people were planning on doing laundry on the "sea day" before the canal (as were we). The laundry on our floor was mobbed and there was even a queue. My brother and I wondered if we would manage to get our clothes clean before it closed at 10pm.

I then asked our room cleaner, Omar, if there were other laundromats on the ship. He told me that there was one on each floor with staterooms. I just went to a floor with the most expensive rooms (whose passengers' laundry was certainly included in their ticket) and found it empty. I quickly called my brother and we washed our clothes easily. I wondered if the people waiting on our level ever finished?

We anxiously awaited the Panama Canal crossing the next day, but were worried, too. We were told repeatedly that it would likely rain (it was rainy season for Panama). Additionally, we found we had been given an earlier queue number for passage than expected. We would be arriving in Panama City the evening of the day of the crossing and would be moored overnight. I guess the ships don't know exactly when they will be allowed to pass through the canal, so they have to make a schedule based on "worst case scenario". We were arriving about 12 hours early.

The ship's clock turned back one hour and then we went to bed after watching a movie.

Panama Canal

The day broke to clouds and rain. The upper deck was packed at 7am and breakfast was busier than we had ever experienced. The whole day was about observing the canal passage either from the top decks (mobbed), the promenade (not as busy), and our balcony (only if what was "interesting" was on our side of the boat). Tempers flared as people jockeyed for the best positions on the top deck - I was disappointed they didn't take everything in stride (not to mention that with the whole ship focused on what lay ahead). People didn't realize that from the back of the boat, there were equally great (and far less crowded) viewpoints.

Colon, Panama did not appear to be much of a city. In fact, it has a "rough" reputation. Mostly we saw it in the early morning clouds and mist.

As we entered the canal we were assigned some tug boats who shadowed us. They never made contact with the boat, so I wasn't sure of their purpose.

The first big event was crossing under the Atlantic Bridge which serves as the unofficial entrance to the canal. The boat was in a near frenzy on the bow of the top deck. Almost no one stood by the pool which gave equally awesome views.

The bridge was impressive, but considering we had passed under the Verrazano Narrows Bridge a week before (which used to be the longest suspension bridge in the world) without passengers jostling for position to view (and photograph) it, I was shocked by everyone's excitement.

As the canal has aged, ships have grown. For the Panama Canal to remain competitive, a parallel series of wider locks were constructed. Our ship took the older route (which is far more interesting). Several times on the voyage we faced "Y" junctions for the old and new canal.

We also passed the cut into the land (it looks like a small river these days) that represents part of the French attempt to build a sea level canal. Had it not been pointed out, no one would have known.

Finally, we reached the Gatun locks which would raise us in three steps. Luckily for my brother and I, our balcony faced the opposite lock and we saw two ships passing out of the lake and into the Atlantic. The old technology still functions wonderfully well. The whole system works on gravity with only the little railroad engines that pull the ships through requiring extra power. I was surprised how thrilling the passage felt.

At the top of the first set of locks we entered Lake Gatun. We saw the dam on the Chagres River that holds the water in place. The lake is massive - it was the largest artificial lake in the world when it was constructed. It takes a ship a couple of hours to cross it. And the lake edge is nearly all undeveloped as it is the primary water source for Panama's two main cities. It felt odd traversing a lake filled with and surrounded by almost virgin tropical forest considering how industrial the ports were on either end of the canal.

Unfortunately, it rained for a majority of the lake crossing (at least the Gatun locks had been rain free)

At the far side of the lake, we passed Gamboa port, the only city of any size on the lake. It is one of the primary maintenance centers for the canal. Just after the city is the continuation of the Rio Chagres which leads up into the hills. Without that river (and all Panama's rainfall), there could not be a Lake Gatun. We were told it took four years to fill the lake and its water level is maintained very carefully with the new locks recycling water rather than losing it into the sea.

Chagres River

From the end of the lake, the most difficult part of the canal was dug - through the hills that make up the continental divide. Although not mountains, the project required years of excavation plagued by constant landslides due to tropical rains. Even today, the "Culebra Cut" requires constant dredging. Admittedly, the narrow waterway does not look very "wow", but the amount of labor it took to build it is astonishing.

At the end of the cut before the locks descending to the Pacific Ocean is another bridge, The Centennial Bridge (which I note was not photographed with the frenzy of the Atlantic Bridge). It was raining - that might have cooled everyone's enthusiasm.

Right after the Centennial Bridge the canal splits. The newer channel continues on without a lock while the old channel has one. The two canals are both visible giving a strange feeling of having some water obviously "higher" than the rest.

We started our descent through the Pedro Miguel lock. By that time, the lock passage frenzy had died down considerably. We were lowered in tandem with another boat in the opposite channel. The locks were not directional like highways. Two boats could pass through at the same time either in the same or opposite directions.

The ship passed though little Lake Miraflores which is bordered by jungle one side yet also gives views of the skyscrapers of Panama City nearby.

After two more steps down the Miraflores Locks, we reached sea level. We passed by the huge container port of Balboa (part of Panama City) on both sides of the ship. Slowly, we passed under the oldest bridge, Bridge of the Americas. We were in the Pacific Ocean and slowly made our way around to the cruise ship terminal at Fuerte Amador. Our two tug companions bad us farewell with blows from their horns.

As we slowly turned into port we could see the gleaming skyscrapers of Panama City. What a skyline!! I told my brother it looked more like Dubai than Central America.

The Panama Canal crossing was the highlight of the cruise and for good reason - it is a fascinating experience even for people not interested in engineering and technology. As it turns out, our rainy weather was a godsend. The crew related that most crossings are blisteringly hot and uncomfortable. In the on and off showers, our experience was actually pleasant. Sometimes something disappointing can turn into a bonus.

Quiz

I was in the mood for a drink and went to one of the interior bars for a G&T to celebrate the canal passage. There happened to be an 80s music trivia quiz with the same guy who made the last disappointing quiz. Nothing was factually wrong, but the sound bytes were often "covers" by other artists (how could he know - he wasn't even born) I kept telling the bartender "It's not the original". ha!

Back at the room, my brother and I agreed it had been a good day. We watched a movie on TV and slept. The next day was scheduled to be rainy and we wondered what we would do in Panama City in the rain.

Panama City

Our plans for Panama City were basically weather-dependent. The canal transit had been overcast and rainy and the forecast for our stay in the city was not promising. We opted not to do an excursion with the ship because if it ended up raining the entire day, that would have been an expensive waste of time.

As it turns out, after breakfast as I checked emails I noted the skies were incredibly sunny (yet the weather forecast remained dire). I rushed down to the room from the pool deck (which was where I preferred to work in the morning quiet among the Tai Chi practitioners). I told my brother - "hey the weather is great - let's go!" We quickly got ready and disembarked (with many others).

Most people were getting on waiting tour buses, but we entered the fray of waiting taxi drivers which was immediately overwhelming. All of them were disappointed that we simply wanted a one-way ride to the old city rather than a tour. Finally, we found a guy to take us (who massively ripped us off even after bargaining). But then, seriously, they are not rich people and we are getting off nothing short of a palace attached to a boat. Of course, they figured they could raise the price (about 4 times the usual). My brother said, "wow, you can speak Spanish". I was surprised. I think I flipped into it without even thinking.

Our ride into town along the causeway (made from dirt excavated from the canal) gave beautiful views over the city skyline. I wanted to stop for a quick photo, but I was sure that would have incurred an extra charge. ha!

Our driver dropped us at Plaza de la Independencia (Cathedral Square or Plaza Mayor) and we set off to explore.

The cathedral

What was immediately apparent was how run down the place was. It reminded me of Old San Juan, Puerto Rico before it was renovated. That isn't to say that some of the old buildings haven't been totally fixed up - those that have been are beautiful. Much work remains. If that happens, Casco Viejo Panama is going to be one of the best colonial quarters in the Americas.

St Francis of Asisi church

Ministry of Foreign Affaires entrance

Plaza Simon Bolivar

Plazoleta Medio Baluarte

Plaza Frances

Bridge of the Americas

Spanish Cultural Center

Street of hats

Jesuit church ruins

Plaza Herrera

After our walk (even though it was morning, it was heating up), we decided to stop for a light snack. We spotted a Starbucks and told my brother we did not travel to Panama to eat there. We found a very old bakery/restaurant (1688) and had some pastry and coffee. The interior was gorgeously renovated. Old Panama has such potential to be amazing.

We decided to head back to the ship. Neither of us wanted to get caught in a tropical downpour and have to find a taxi. The irony is that it didn't rain until just before the ship departed. No problem, though - we had a taste of Panama City and were both pleasantly surprised. Cruises are for relaxing and getting a taste of things - not real "travel" (and luckily the taxi driver charged us the "normal" price on the return).

Quiz

My brother noted there was a quiz on world flags that afternoon and we decided to give it a try. It was very well done (and very difficult). Our score wasn't even close to winning either. There are some very intriguing flags in this world! Our host was an incredibly energetic young woman from Guatemala (almost no one guessed her country's flag - she had a big laugh).

Princess gets very high points for the most diverse crew I have experienced so far.

We retired to the room and watched a movie. The next day would be at sea. Panama City is a place I would return!

Day 10

Another sea day and we spent most of it relaxing and discussing our journey through the canal and Panama City.

Learning

I skipped the young professor's lecture as it was on Cortes and the Aztecs (the ship was not headed to Mexico City).  I did, however, show up for the destination lecture about Puntarenas, Costa Rica.  As usual, it was informative although terribly non-committal.  I can understand not wanting to give people wrong information, but everything was couched in phrases of "we can't be sure".   Don't they have contacts at all the ports that can give them updates?

Basically, there isn't much to do in Puntarenas town and the whole stop was geared toward adventures in nature.   I went to the excursions desk and inquired about boat rides on the Tarcoles River where one could see crocodiles and bird life.  I booked an early morning tour for my brother and I.  Once again, weather anxiety was a factor - fingers crossed that we did not buy an expensive tour in the rain (at least the boat had a cover).

Fun

After lunch we went to see the shipboard version of "Deal or No Deal".  For some reason seeing a game show live is kind of exciting - I saw four rounds thus far and no one has won much more than a few hundred dollars.  The grand prizes are $1,000 and a free cruise.

Change of itinerary

Our next stop after Costa Rica was to be Puerto Chiapas, Mexico, but as there had been a lot of silting and sedimentation (and no dredging?), the port could no longer accommodate the ship.   We were told that Puerto Chiapas was replaced with Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala.   Unfortunately, it was only be a half-day stop, so there wouldn't be a lot of time to do much of anything.   Such the shame since a full day would have allowed some exploration of Antigua, the nearest big city.

The clocks turned back yet again that night as we entered the Central Time zone (in the US).   At least we got an extra hour before the big eco-adventure  the next day.

Puntarenas, Costa Rica

As with Panama City, we arrived in Puntarenas, Costa Rica worried about the weather.  All weather forecasts were dire:  cloudy and rain.   Our boat pulled up early in the morning to partly sunny skies over the Gulf of Nicoya.

Rio Tarcoles

Our first ship-organized excursion, the tour would take us to view crocodiles on the Tarcoles River.  I explained to my brother that Costa Rica was all about "eco-tourism" and we had little choice but to join something organized.  We chose one that was "easy" and fairly close to the port.

Puntarenas itself is a city built onto a large sandbar jutting into the Gulf of Nicoya.  It is the regional administrative center, but not much of a tourist destination.   Its beach has dark sand and the city is not geared toward tourists staying there (it is all about "getting out and seeing things").  As it turns out, the excursion was a good decision.

The road took us along the shore of the Gulf of Nicoya and then inland until the road dropped steeply to the river.   We passed by the edge of Carara National Park (Brian and I had trekked there years earlier) and finally down to the riverbank. There were a LOT of tourists not only from the cruise ship but from other companies as well.  I was amazed at the organization of it all.   Costa Rica had developed "well" considering all the changes since my first visit about 40 years earlier.  I felt happy about it.

We boarded a pontoon boat with a canvas cover and set out on the muddy river.

We were given a bird pamphlet which was referred to by the guide.   Binoculars would have been better, but we could see many of the birds up close from the boat, too.  The distributed pamphlet listed about 50 birds (with photos) and we spotted at least 25 of them. Then we came upon a croc sunning herself.  The guides knew all the animals (they are territorial) and had given them names.  We stumbled upon Madonna who promptly opened her large mouth and growled at us.  Apparently, it was mating season and the crocs were aggressive.  Floating nearby in the water (even larger) was her paramour, Mike Tyson.   I have to admit - I was impressed.   I had never seen a crocodile up close that did anything but sleep. The river tour was at the base of the mountains, so the views were also lovely.   The guide turned the boat around and we sailed to the mouth of the river to see all the mangroves.  It was a completely different experience and the guide explained to the group the importance of mangrove maintenance and health. It was very informative.

Overall, the tour was good (considering we were on a boat tour with about 25 people from the ship) and my brother had an excellent experience.   The weather was partly cloudy which kept the temperature down, too.    We were catching a lot of breaks with the weather.

Flower by the boat dock

El Jardin

On our return, we got stuck in an incredible traffic jam due to bridge construction.   Since we had limited time, our bus was given priority and the police escorted us past at least a mile of stopped traffic.   That was a lesson in why taking a ship-organized tour was better - had we been on a local tour, we might have sat in that traffic for hours, perhaps even missing the boat!

We arrived at the obligatory souvenir stop which appeared to be owned by the tour company.   Again, not my style, but it was very well-organized.   We were promised a "fruit-buffet" which ended up being a few pieces of fruit on a plate.  We also were given some free local coffee (in a very tiny cup). 

The draw of the shop was its small butterfly garden which featured the stunning "Blue Morpho" whose wings are an incredible shade of blue on one side, yet a dull brown on the other.  When at rest, wings folded, they are not much to see.  In flight they look like arresting blue strobe lights.   The little garden room was filled with them!

After our fill of butterflies, we waited a very long time for people to shop (or eat).   The food looked quite boring (nothing local) and I wondered why anyone was eating it since the ship had much better options?   My brother had something called "chicken lasagna".  I passed.

We finally returned to the ship about two hours late (not appreciated - I thought the original timing was unrealistic). I chowed down and my brother had a rest.

Fun

That evening we attended a trivia quiz on the Beatles that included a sing-a-long. It was hilarious to see everyone struggling to remember the words to songs they "thought" they knew by heart (myself included). Our host was relentless in teasing us at our poor memories of such famous songs. It was surprisingly fun.

The next day was another sea day - we would get the information about Puerto Quetzal, our "newly-announced" stop in Guatemala.

Day 12

Another sea day.

Learning

I attended a lecture by our aspiring professor about piracy and how it helped to determine the course of European history.   Actually, very few pirates were like "Jack Black" and flew the skull and crossbones.   Ships sailing back to Spain were heavily guarded - no single pirate would have taken them on.   It was the buccaneers and state sponsored "pirates" that inflicted the most damage on the Spanish merchant fleet.   Sir Francis Drake was actually a pirate above all else.   There was very little noble in stealing and pillaging (he did both).

After our lecture, the activities director gave us the lowdown on our "new" port of call, Puerto Quetzal.   I already previewed it on the map - we were berthing inside a large container port and there was no city nearby.  He confirmed that we would not be on shore long enough to do much of anything except walk off the ship to a tiny tourist enclave with some shops.   Princess offered two tours, but they were 90% riding on the bus and looking out the window.   One of them was even to Antigua - a place I would love to see (just not from a bus window).

He also gave information on the next port, Puerto Huatulco, Mexico (which looked far more interesting).

I reported everything back to my brother and told him we could get off and explore the port area, but "it likely wouldn't be much".   He actually didn't care because, except for Grand Turk, he loved every place we visited thus far.

Art

Sitting at my favorite interior bar, I stumbled upon another art auction.  The big ticket piece sold for $100K+.  Seriously?   What serious art aficionado comes on a cruise (and Princess is only mid-range) to buy expensive art?   It smacked of pretension, but then again - I am not an expert in that world.  Brian & Matt's museum house was mostly filled with artifacts from travel rather than expensive works of art.

Quiz

The cruise was all about trivia quizzes.  One was called "globetrotter's quiz", and I thought I would give it a shot.  It turned out to be sponsored by the "future cruise" staff onboard, so not only was it easy, but it was a thinly veiled attempt to sell us other destinations.   I sat next to some people, and, after talking to them, I came to know that Carnival, Inc owns a bunch of cruise ship companies (including Princess!).   In actuality, there are very few players in the cruise ship market. Somehow I felt disappointed (but not surprised).

Afterward, I chatted with the guy who conducted the quiz.  He happens to be from Novi Sad, Serbia (I actually visited that town and he was shocked).   He told me about how he got the job and about working on the ship.  He certainly had an interesting life journey!

My brother watched Monday Night football in the room and I relaxed.  The next day we would be in Guatemala.   I hoped for no rain in the morning while we walked around the port - other than that, our expectations were extremely low.

Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala

The ship was scheduled to arrive in Puerto Quetzal at 7am.   My brother and I woke up early due to adjusting to the time change and we were treated to a spectacular sunrise.   We also had our first glimpse of one of the three nearby volcanoes, Pacaya.

As was our good luck for the past two ports, the forecast of rain was incorrect.  In fact, it was sunny.  As the ship tied up, all three of the nearest volcanoes became faintly visible on the horizon.  I was impressed.

We had docked in a huge container port - in fact, it is the primary port for Guatemala on the Pacific coast.   In the middle of it, like a little island, was a grove of trees and an attached yacht cove - THAT was Puerto Quetzal (for cruise ships).   We literally burst out laughing.

My brother and I had breakfast and walked off the ship into a very beautiful little enclave of tourist shops with one attached restaurant.  Cleverly placed landscaping and buildings focused all views on the ship.  No one would have guessed we were in the middle of an industrial area.

We slowly walked around the wide array of handicrafts on display.  It was a riot of colors.  And the vendors? Guatemalans really are the descendants of the Maya.   I only felt sad - it is a very poor country.   Considering how much of interest the country holds, it should be a major tourist destination, yet it is not.

We came back to the ship after less than an hour (and we were walking slowly).

Later in the day, we heard that people who went on the two ship-sponsored tours were dissatisfied.  (shocking!  Riding in a bus for five hours on bad roads and then returning to the ship - who wouldn't love that?)

We pulled out into the Pacific and enjoyed (not really) some of the biggest waves of the trip for the rest of the afternoon. We didn't care.   The next day was the Bays of Huatulco.  It was to be one of the best ports of the entire trip.

Oct0ber 2025

Bays of Huatulco, Mexico

Huatulco meant nothing to me when we booked the trip.  We called in two ports, Puerto Chiapas and Puerto Huatulco that I figured were "bonus" stops in Mexico.   Puerto Chiapas ended up being changed to Puerto Quetzal, but the cruise stayed with Huatulco. I did some preliminary reading about the place and attended the information session on the port.  I was excited to see it.  It seemed it would be quite beautiful - that ended up being an understatement.   

While checking emails and writing in my blog, we pulled into Santa Cruz Bay - wow! - verdant hills and cliffs with beautiful pocket beaches.   It was developed, but not overwhelmingly so.   It looked nothing like "Mexico" to me - I thought we were pulling up to a Caribbean Island.   I abandoned the laptop and started to take photos.   The entry into Huatulco might have been the most dramatic of the trip.

My brother and I disembarked onto the pier with the mass of people going on tours.   As soon as we stepped out we were hit with hot and humid air.   It was already 90F and it wasn't even 10:00am.   

I was surprised how serious the Mexican government was about checking for fruits and vegetables (and likely drugs) being brought onshore.  All bags were checked by a sniffer dog.   We walked into the little town and strolled along the beach.   We were besieged by touts (not pleasant), but we just gave them smiling "no, gracias" and they left us alone.   I told my brother that by afternoon, no one would bother us - it was the "fresh meat" effect.

We walked to the end of the little beach to get a nice view of our seemingly massive cruise ship docked in tiny Santa Cruz Bay.   The water was clean as was the beach.

We only lasted for about an hour in town.   It was too hot and too early to sit down for anything to eat or drink.  We decided to return to the boat.

Then my brother said he preferred to eat on the ship because the restaurants were all al fresco and he found the heat overwhelming.  I couldn't disagree, although I wished we could have eaten some good local food.   I noted the prices were outrageous for Mexico - but then again the views out over the bay are amazing - and it is a tourist center.

The crew told me later that in the dry season, all that green turned brown.   It was effectively the "winter" for those deciduous trees that lost their leaves due to lack of rain, not due to freezing temperatures.  I wondered if I would have liked the place as much if the hills were all filled with leafless trees? (ironically, that is during the high season).

We ate on board and then after some time, braved the heat for another walkabout.

Our second walk was "tout-less" (as I predicted) and we strolled around the little harbor in peace.   On our first walk, the marina was off-limits to non-ticketed passengers due to the number of boat tours.   After lunch, it was empty.   We saw some fishermen had caught a swordfish and they were getting ready to clean it.

Once again, the temperatures made walking (even slowly in the shade) very challenging.  We headed back to the ship.

For a second time, I realized that the views from the ship were some of the best to be had.   We were atop the equivalent of a multi-story building!

The water was clear and beautiful.  Luckily, the prediction of rain was incorrect.  We had a stunningly sunny day.

The Panama Canal had impressed me, but it's nothing I would want to do a second time.   Panama City was a nice surprise and I wouldn't mind returning.  However, Huatulco and its lovely bays were likely the highlight of the trip.   I could easily see returning and staying in a room on the beach in order to explore all its little bays.   I think I would go in the green season, too!   So what if it rained sometimes, those hills covered in green forest, the rocks, and the blue sea were what made Huatulco beautiful.

We departed - it was the only place I felt sad I didn't get the chance to explore more.  However, cruise ship destinations are for giving passengers a taste of things.   Huatulco was added to my return list for sure.

The next day was at sea as we cruised off the Pacific Coast of Mexico.

Day 15

Another day at sea.

Learning

Our young professor told us the story of the "lost" conquistador, Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca, who made an incredible journey from Cuba to Florida, along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico, across the West to the Pacific and then south to Mexico City.   He kept a journal of his experiences which inadvertently today provides cultural and anthropological insights into Native American communities prior to European contact.

After that, our guide on ports gave a talk on Puerto Vallarta.   As my brother and I both visited before, I took it all in and gave him a report back in the room.   Given that it was going to be hot and he doesn't like a lot of walking, we opted for the short city tour on a bus.  Neither of us really wanted to spend several hours on a bus, but I didn't feel like negotiating with taxis all day in an unfamiliar place.  We would cruise around the city and see the high points (we both have not visited for years) and then get some free time to walk around at the end.

I bought the tour at the tour desk from people who didn't have a lot of additional information.  I asked questions and was directed to the description on the website.   I was literally talking to one of their "experts" on shore excursions and the man had no answers to my questions:  strange, but no longer an atypical experience in a world where service is being put increasingly online.

We participated in another quiz in the late afternoon with the crew member who created quizzes with incorrect information in the two previous ones I attended.  He did not disappoint - the audience gave him blistering feedback on his mistakes.  I felt sorry for him, but by the same token, how hard was it to find accurate information online these days?

Note:   I asked some of the crew about their internet access and they said they could have social media for $2/day or only free "whatsapp" (that was apparently super slow).  

After dinner we walked around the promenade (actually quite pleasant out at sea).

The next day would be Puerto Vallarta, our last stop.

Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

We had selected the "highlights tour" of Puerto Vallarta for two reasons - it was hot and it didn't require any walking. For the second time, we would find our ship-arranged tour was NOT what we were told it would be.  ha!

As usual, the organization of the departure was good.   We had a very long walk to get out of the "Magic Port" (what a title), the name of the cruise terminal for the city.   We got on the bus and our driver began his usual monologue about the city and its history.  I had heard a lot of it during the destination information (our guide was just doing his job).  We passed by one small shopping mall near the port where we would stop for "free margaritas" on our return.

Malecón

Our first stop was the city's famous seaside esplanade.   It was renovated about a decade earlier and has been well-maintained.  It is full of statues and gives fantastic views over the Bahia de Bandaras where Puerto Vallarta is located.   From the sea we looked back at the green hills of Puerto Vallarta loaded with expensive houses that climbed the slopes.   Our guide told us, "no roads there - only steps".   Those must be some very in-shape rich people!

We had no idea we would be getting off the bus there, and then walking in the sun for about an hour.  Although I was happy to be outside and the seaside walk was beautiful, it was not what we were told.  My brother was not pleased.

The little boy and seahorse sculpture along the Malecón is one of the city's symbols. The original, located along the sea, was washed away in a hurricane. The one by the Puerto Vallarta sign was put there as a replacement. As luck would have it - a few years later the original was discovered at the bottom of the bay and put back (more securely) in its original position. Now the city has two of its famous statue!

Plaza de Armas and Cathedral

Our guide explained that unlike many Mexican cities, Puerto Vallarta is, in fact, not old at all.   Even the oldest parts of the city did not date back to Spanish colonial days.  Any buildings in that style were just copying other, older cities.

We stopped in the Plaza de Armas (with shade) and our guide told more about the city's history and development.   Puerto Vallarta used to have a different (and very long) name when it was just a fishing village.   A favorite haunt of Hollywood director, John Huston, Puerto Vallarta was to be the base for his next movie.  The star was Richard Burton who was having a scandalous and torrid affair with Elizabeth Taylor at the time.   The film Night of the Iguana was set near Puerto Vallarta and shot on location there.  Burton invited Taylor to be with him during the shooting.  It made international headlines and, more importantly, put the city on the map. The rich and famous moved there in droves.

After walking up to the cathedral we caught the bus again.  We agreed it was a "pleasant surprise" to be allowed off the bus, but we were also melting in the morning sun.  Well, we figured, that was it and the rest of the tour would be on the bus with a shopping stop at the end.

Rio Cuale

We passed over the Rio Cuale that divides the city and our guide pointed out a long, narrow island that hosted one long flea market.  I had seen photos of it - it looked interesting.   The riverbanks were lined with trees and the water looked very dirty (unfortunately)

Shortly after the river the bus dropped us at a shopping location (really?). We appreciated the air-con of the shop, but if they were going to make us all get off again, why not at the flea market? We stayed a very long time and people were restless and starting to wonder what was going on.

Playa Mismaloya

After too long of a wait, we got back on the bus and headed (far) out of town.   No one really knew what was happening, so the guide's question at the start of the tour, "What tour are you on?" seemed less of a joke and more of a serious question. Was he just making it up as we went?

The guide then informed us that we would drive along the coast (very scenic) and turn around and return.  Was it just killing time?   We arrived at a condo parking lot high above the water where we could get out and have a look at the tiny village of Mismaloya and its pocket beach.  That was where Night of the Iguana had been filmed.   Ummmm.... ok? (We also could get our photo taken with an iguana at that stop.) My brother just laughed - "a parking lot".

The whole ride was lovely (if unplanned) and the upscale development of Puerto Vallarta seemed to stretch on endlessly.   However, after Mismaloya, the road turned inland - the rest of the peninsula was left in its natural state (for now) accessible only by boat.

The bus turned around at a gas station and we headed back to town.

The drive back took a kind of ring road through the mountains (with some tunnels) to avoid downtown.   The area right behind the first set of hills was still built up (and green), but, as our guide pointed out, very much the "other" Mexico.   No building codes, no fancy houses.   Not a slum, but not a place anyone would choose to live given a choice.  All of the service people who took care of tourists lived there. The place was ramshackle after the orderly streets of downtown.

Mucho Fiesta

As promised, we stopped for shopping near the ship.   We all got off the bus and were given free margaritas (second time).   The bus had stopped in front of a lovely little collection of shops tucked along the main street near the massive hotel Sheraton complex.   It was pleasant, but it was also late.  We were already an hour past our return time (which was to be before lunch). A man with a very bored looking macaw was encouraging us to take photos with him.  Were we on the "take photos with wildlife" tour?

I think everyone wondered what had happened to our tour?  We were told it would be an AC drive-about with a stop in the main plaza for shopping.   It was nothing of the sort.   I was happy enough for how it turned out, but the bus was filled with older people with mobility issues not prepared to walk in the heat - not good, not good.

Finally, we reboarded and headed toward the port.   We arrived two hours late (I was famished).  When the guide asked about the tour, he was met mostly with bus silence. I kind of felt sorry for him.  I don't think his parting tips were very generous.

Although I don't regret the tour (for me, it exceeded what I thought we would do), it was frustrating to be part of a group where no one knew what was going on nor what to expect.

Quizzes

In the evening we did two back to back quizzes.   One was about airport codes and was well done.  The other one on TV theme songs had some errors (sigh).  I had reached my fill of trivia, perhaps (and my fill of youthful cruise staff who couldn't bother to get the right information from the internet).

We went to bed tired.   The next day was at sea.

Day 17

A day at sea.

At first, the sea days were very relaxing and spent exploring the ship.  At the end of the cruise, with no more ports to look forward to, sea days seemed less exciting (and definitely longer).

The weather turned cool (quickly) after Puerto Vallarta.  I even needed a jacket for the post dinner walk around the deck.   We really were returning to October (even if it was in LA)

Because of the change in weather, no one was by the outdoor pool (except a few hardy souls - perhaps from Canada).  The deck chairs were lined up empty where they had been full just the day before.

Learning

The young professor gave his final lecture on California and cartography.   It was surprisingly interesting to find that a persistent error portrayed California as an "island" rather than a peninsula very late into history (even when there was proof otherwise).  California ironically was thought to be an "El Dorado" by the Spanish before the Gold Rush.

The most interesting point of that talk for me was about the power of maps in that age.  They were guarded even more fiercely than gold.  "Knowledge is power" and an accurate map was worth more than a whole ship full of gold.   In fact, that was the first thing raiders looked for when taking a ship and many were destroyed so that those precious documents would not fall into the wrong hands! 

And now we have Google Maps....

I wrote a kind message to our young professor encouraging him to finish his higher studies and become a university lecturer.  He had an amazing presence and had I been his student, I would have loved his lectures.

Quiz

My brother and I attended our last game of Deal or No Deal.   I watched six matches (my brother four) and saw no one walk away with any big money.   It leads me to believe that people are better off taking the "deal" midway through if they want to max out on their profit.

None of the trivia quizzes appealed to us that day (and it was the last formal night), so we retired early.

The sea was getting rougher as we headed north.   The ship was steady, but the change in the sea, noticeable.

Ahead, the last sea day.

Day 18

Final sea day.

I have to admit to being ready to get off the boat. 18 days is a long time to share a room with someone (who is not your life partner).

We awoke to a lovely sunrise.

We packed our bags for evening collection and then decided to have a final drink at the bar where we had attended most of the quizzes.  We watched (but did not play) one last quiz.  Personally, I had enough of "poorly made trivia" for a while.  I was sad to say goodbye to the bar staff there - they were really nice people.

We both looked forward to getting off the ship in LA the next day and went to bed early (and we even got an extra hour of sleep due to the time change)

Arrival Los Angeles

We ate one final breakfast at the buffet.

Although we had a few complaints about the cruise, it had mostly gone smoothly. Our arrival into the massive Port of Los Angeles made me appreciate how important it is for the US economy.  We were surrounded by cranes and cargo ships.  The cruise terminal is simply an afterthought. Our luck had run out on the cruise. At disembarkation, everything fell apart.   We set our bags out the evening before so we didn't have to drag them through the boat at departure time.  Then we were given a specific time to leave our stateroom (but it would also be announced).  We left at our indicated time (no announcement) and found people waiting by the exit.   Apparently, they were extremely behind in offloading the luggage and our number had not yet been called.

The wait stretched into almost an hour.  We chatted with other passengers - even frequent cruisers found the delay (and confusion - the staff didn't know what was going on) unusual and annoying.   Finally, we decided to get off and at least queue for immigration.  It was a good call - the line was very long.   After exiting, we found our bags and I contacted my old friend TFR (who lives in LA).   He was just 10 minutes away in his car.  We had no idea how vast the port was, so it took some time for us to find each other - but we did. 

Overall, getting of the ship was a low point of the cruise, but in the big picture it wasn't all that bad.

After exiting the port complex, T drove us to Manhattan Beach to kill time before my brother's flight back.   We had a nice stroll on the pier and through the neighborhood.  It was very quiet on a Monday morning.  I hadn't been to LA in ages.

We ate an early lunch and then dropped my brother at LAX.

The trip was over.   I was tired, but happy.

Afterthoughts

Perhaps the best part of the journey from New York to Los Angeles via the Panama Canal was the last-minute nature of it.   That trip wasn't even on my travel radar, but the canal passage was one of the most impactful travel experiences I have ever had.   Some of the best things in life "just happen".

At times I felt that the technology we were forced to use (the cruise line's app) actually was burdensome.   It allowed the crew to avoid some responsibilities (like having information).   "Check the app" was almost like a mantra.   Admittedly, there were also times it was amazingly convenient. Alas, the world is headed in that direction.

I am astonished that people actually live on Grand Turk Island (and any other similar islands).  There is literally nothing there except lovely beaches.   I thought a lot about sustainability and "viability" of places for a human population during our short time there.  To some degree that applies to Aruba, too - the place is a desert island.   How can people live totally dependent on the outside world - for everything?   Almost nothing is local.

Panama City was like nothing I expected.  I could see the attraction of people wanting to retire there although I believe being "on guard" all the time about prices would get old (it did in Indonesia).   Yes, a person can get used to it - but price negotiations take time and energy.  As I age, I just don't feel like doing it. But, the city was beautiful.

The strange replacement of one port for another reminded me that on any cruise, people are hostage to the cruise line.  They literally don't have to do anything for you but keep you on the ship and give you a room (and food).  In the end, the change had little to no impact for us.  We were so pleased by the canal transit, anything that came after was just "gravy".   However, the sudden announcement that "the port silted up and the ship cannot stop"  rang hollow.   TFR (having lived in Mexico) said it could have just been a security concern.  I don't understand why we just didn't stay longer in another place?

The overall "decrepitude" of the passengers was a real eye-opener.   I am now old, too - but I was sailing with many who had aged very poorly.   At times I thought the ship had stopped at a few care homes and kidnapped random residents to fill the ship.   They were a very needy (and unhealthy) bunch.   For me, that was the worst part of the cruise. What did the young people think who were also on the cruise? Were they disappointed?

Most importantly, my brother had a great time (and he had always wanted to go on a cruise).  He thought it was all a great experience - that helped me a lot.   There is no need to descend into negativity if one's travel partner is positive. I could relax and enjoy the trip for what it was. On the whole, I had a good time.  There were bumps, but they ended up being just that, nothing more.

Panama Canal, check.  Very long journey on a boat, check.