Our last full day at sea.
We met Jim & Pat from Canada this morning to see some of their photos from Iceland. They were there last fall and enjoyed it immensely. They had some beautiful photos of falls as well as sheep and horses along with great scenery. This sounds like a good spot to put on our list. It is a volcanic island and you could tell that by some of the scenery.
It is pretty chilly on the ship today and a great deal of passengers are wrapped up in blankets on the sunny decks. The pool water today is definitely warmer than the air temperature. The hot tubs are very popular too which were not very busy the majority of the cruise.
Later we were able to get together with the main characters for a photo shoot. These were the main 8 characters that most folks want to take pictures with.
The whole group of characters.
Our last cruise photo with the characters all in one place. This was taken in the Atrium area where we will disembark tomorrow morning. It doesn't matter if 2 more characters were added to the group.
I had my Panama Canal book signed by the Capt. of the Disney Wonder. I already had Capt. Pucket, a retired Panama Canal Pilot, sign it but this will be doubly special for memories.
FRIDAY MAY 15, 2015
We did arrive in the San Diego port very early in the morning. Brian was our friendly taxi service to LA. It was good to see him since we haven't visited with him since Christmas. We met Brian near the Sante Fe Depot in San Diego and then went to see the Air & Space Museum in the Balboa Park area. We decided an indoor activity would work out best since it was raining. Can you believe that it actually did rain in Southern California?
So here is my little conclusion to our special cruise. I had our last day at sea to think about this experience.
The cruise as a whole was great, but that is partly due to the Disney experience. The staff or cast as they call themselves are absolutely terrific. I know it is due to the Disney training, but there is more to it than that. They do treat their cast members well and they in turn have wonderful cast members who care about the people they are serving. There is a genuine concern for each other and it shows. They say they are wearing costumes for their roles as cast members. They are on the stage for the whole time that a cruise takes place. That is a long time if you aren't genuinely enjoying what you do. Disney does have people from all over the world employed for them and they do hand pick threir crew. There is a different feel from the time you enter to when you exit. Not many cruises have your photo with the great Capt. Mickey as you enter.
We have been on other cruises with different cruiselines but this one seems so much friendlier and concerned about all that takes place. We had superb entertainment that came from Vegas or elsewhere around the world. The cleanliness is top notch too as cast members keep on top of any bit of untidiness. Wet wipes are handed out like confetti as you enter any eating establishment anytime of the day or night. They definitely want to keep out of the news concerning any virus onboard.
We had a splendid time. It could have been shorter, but when you go completely through the Panama Canal, from the Atlantic to the Pacific, that is not an option. We could have taken a cruise that goes part way and turned around, but we truly wanted to experience the whole Panama Canal. It was an experience of a lifetime, especially since they are currently building new locks next to the old ones. Also the prices continue to go up in order to pay for the new locks. It may be prohibitively expensive in the future to go through the locks due to the cost which is based on many factors. Size and weight are only two factors but surcharges and the urgency of your cargo can impact the cost. Also too many cruise ships are currently too large or being built to be even too big for the new locks. There are not that many cruise ships that go through the canal at present due to size already. Either way, we are so happy that we did go to the Panama Canal and couldn't have made a better choice than the Disney Wonder to experience this man made wonder of the world.
Wait for our next adventure that takes place in June 2015. Bet you can't wait.🇷🇺
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