DAY SEVEN OF DISNEY PANAMA CANAL CRUISE

ITHURSDAY MAY 7, 2015

We will be going through the canal all day since it takes between 8 and 10 hours.  We will refuel before entering and then go through at our designated time.  The locks going up and down do take a certain amount of time and can not be rushed.  There is also a very slow speed limit though the whole area even while crossing the large lake.  The whole area is only 50 miles long but it takes some time to get through.  It just doesn't seem like it should take that long but you can't rush this special place in the world.  We don't plan on returning, mostly since I am such an avid cruiser. 😊

We were up very early to see sunrise which didn't happen since it was so hazy.  It was already hot and humid at that early hour.  Plenty of folks had already parked themselves on the small bow area.  It is only 2-3 feet deep so not many can use that spot.  Such a huge ship and no bow space for passengers to view.  We were able to see somewhat through glass but still not well.  It was really interesting to see.  There were a lot of ships waiting their turn to go through the locks.  You can pay an extra surtax to go through earlier and sometimes perishables have to.  The cruise ships try to have a day time schedule for their tourists on board.  You can go through 24 hours but the night view wouldn't be that thrilling.

We very slowly approached the first in a series of three at the beginning, starting on the Atlantic side.  There was a narrator, a pilot, and several others employed by the canal that were brought on board to assist with our passage.  The gates opened and we slowly glided into the 1st lock with the aid of electric locomotives that were tethered to the ship.  There were 4 on each side of the ship with canal employees assisting them in how much slack or tension to put on the cables.  It is a very close fit for this ship, in fact we had about 2 ft. on each side. The locks close and fill with water, then we are released to the next open lock and once again the gates open and close and the water once again rises. This procedure was used for all 3 of the Gatun locks.  It took approximately 10 minutes to fill each lock.  It did seem that it took longer than that but the ship moved ever so slowly through each gate, so it took about 2 hours to get through these 3 locks. Then we were released into Gatun Lake.  Gatun Lake is only 30 miles long but it takes about 2 hours to cross due to such slow speeds that are strictly enforced.

We probably began our entry to the locks about 8:00 AM and got to Gatun Lake about 11:00 AM.  It is a very slow and precise procedure from entry to exit of this portion.

Various Canal employees, the pilot, and narrator board the ship for guidance.

The canal on the right was the one started by the French.

The locks are opening and we are proceeding through.  Difficult to get photos without other folks on our pictures.

These are the locomotives that attach cables to the ship to guide it through this narrow space.

This is how close the ship is to the walls of the locks.  You see a small slice of water.  Pretty tight as the locomotive continues to guide.

Really neat to be able to witness such a feat that was completed in 1914 and still functioning and working well, just too narrow for the huge ships that are being built in this day and age. This was truly amazing. 

This is where the locomotives turn around and continue their job.  At the time we went through another ship was on the other side going the same direction as we were.  That is the reason the locomotives are on both sides of the waterways.

Now into Gatun Lake for our 2 hour trek.

100 Year Anniversary of the canal in 2014.

It looks pretty narrow and it is for a great many ships.  The Disney Wonder is the only Disney ship that is considered PANAMAX which means it fits in the locks.  They are working on new locks which are wider and deeper and those may also be too small for some of the really huge container ships.

It cost about $400,000 for the Disney ship to go through the locks and some of those huge ships could pay over a million.  What a cost and it is only going to continue to go up to pay for the new locks.

This is Panama City which is about a million in population.  There are other cities along the route as well but not very large cities.  The Panama Canal is only about 10 miles wide and 54 miles long so what population they have is pretty much condensed in Panama City.  

This is the Bridge of the Americas which we went under and into the Pacific.  It was built in 1962 and had a different name at that time but has since been renamed The Bridge of the Americas in recent years.  We then dropped anchor in Balboa just a short distance out and refueled.  We did not resume our cruise until about 5 AM (Friday May 8th).

The whole route through the canal was truly amazing.  I can't believe we were really here and went from one side to the other.  Wow!  What an experience.  We were even able to watch from the balcony of our new acquaintances from Canada.  They had a lovely stateroom they shared with us for part of the journey.  

We also celebrated a birthday this evening with one of our table mates.  Champagne for all at the table.  We have another birthday to celebrate on the 11th (the party table you know).  Nice group of folks and a varied group of personalities.

DAY SIX OF DISNEY PANAMA CRUISE

WEDNESDAY MAY 6, 2015

We are in port at Cartegena, Columbia.  It is a very busy and industrial port as well as for cruise ships.  There were a lot of containers stacked, cranes and trucks ready to go.  

As we were leaving the ship you could see all sorts of busses lines up ready to greet the tourists on the ship.  The usual type of dancers and singers are also there to meet the next gullible group that gets off of the ship.  A lot of folks did take tours, hence all of the buses.  We did the waking tour of the old historic district and we also got a little drive through the new part of the city.

The old city city is a walled area and the streets are very narrow.  There were plenty of people hawking their wares as we took our walking tour.  We have been on tours before where the guide told the hawkers to back off, but not this time.  The city is huge, I believe over a million.  The main streets are busy just like any other big city.  They tend to drive like Floridians and not stop at stop signs. 😒

There is now a fancy restaurant at the top of this wall.

We also were in a museum of torture where they had a model of the rack and other methods of torture.  They looked pretty bad.  There was even a guillotine out in the patio area that is commonly used for weddings.  That seemed a bit weird.

The rack and the guillotine.

We also went into a large vault that housed gold which was part of the reason Spain had control over this part of the world for so long. The gold we saw was ornamentation or jewelry of different kinds.

Very intricate pieces of gold.

The streets were very narrow in the old town or town center, but cars of regular size used them anyway. Not sure how delivery trucks make it through.  Ordinary cars can not make the corners without backing up at least once.

The architecture was being maintained like it was in its glory days.  Many of the buildings are being restored and will be 5 star hotels or 5 star boutique hotels.  It is now too costly for most Cartagenians to live in this area of town.  

The skyline is of the new Cartagena.  The oldest building in this area isn't anyolder than 10 years old.  The water between islands was filled in and that is where the new section currently is.  Mostly expensive hotels and upscale apartments.  The air was heavy, hot and hazy.  It did smell a bit like Gary, Indiana.

There were a number of these areas along the water for folks to enjoy the beach without burning as much.  

Cartagena was like most South American cities.  The drive from the pier to old town was very dirty and littered, but we know that was an industrial area too.  There was an area that looked like a park but it was really littered.  Hard to get a good photo from the bus.  Now to set sail once again.

Panama Canal here we come.

DAY FIVE OF DISNEY PANAMA CRUISE

TUESDAY MAY 5, 2015

It started to be a bit bumpy last evening and today it continued.  The captain indicated that we may have to alter the route slightly to avoid some bad weather.  Either way it is still pretty bad.  I felt pretty yucky but not sick, just plain dizzy and woozy.  Not so good.

We did listen to Captain Kenneth Pucket give another presentation about the Panama Canal.  He showed some slides as to how our route will actually look as we are going through the locks and how we will eventually end up on the Pacific side.  There is such a difference from the fresh water at the end and entering the Pacific that many ships would go aground due to the turbulence of the salt and fresh water meeting.  There are now different measures in place to assist the captains of the ships.  We will go through on Thursday May 7th.

We also took a tour of the galley and of course it is large with numerous stainless surfaces.  The really large refrigerators are down a level.  They have huge pots or cauldrons for making soup.  It was very well organized but what else would you expect from Disney.

Just a couple of salads being prepared.

Pictures of the food are right on the shelf where the wait staff is to pick it up.

We did see the Cinderella movie, which is the one that came out in 2015.  It wasn't too bad but it was a little long for little children.

Now we are hoping that the bumpy ship is better for overnight, since we land in Cartegena early tomorrow morning.

DAY FOUR OF DISNEY PANAMA CRUISE

MONDAY MAY 4, 2015

We began our day with an early breakfast in the Beach Blanket Buffet.  We sat outside once again.  It was a dreary day to start with as well as a bit choppy on the water.  We also did a short walk around on deck four and eventually went to hear Capt. Kenneth Pucket give another presentation on the building of the Panama Canal.  He also autographed the book that is being sold on deck.  He is a retired pilot that got the ships through the canal.  Capt. Pucket is a very interesting and humorous man.  We are lucky to have someone like that onboard.

We had a tour of the theme of this ship the Wonder, which began up in the Palo restaurant. The Palo is an exclusive adult only restaurant which charges for their meals.  This would be a place to celebrate something special like an Anniversary or something.  It has a definite Venice feel with the masks, glass and pole like decor like the gondolas have.  The 5th floor has lower ceilings since this floor is mostly for the youngsters.  The portholes are also lower for the kids.  The chandelier was to be glass but was made to look like glass and is actually a lovely painted plastic.  The chandelier is really very astonishing as you first enter the ship.  The whole ship does have that Art Nouveau or Art Deco theme as well as themed areas like Route 66 that has a carpet map along with the Cadillac Lounge.  The whole ship is really very lovely and fun to admire.  Of course Mickey and Disney motifs are very dominant.  There are hundreds of carpets and numerous music areas throughout the ship.  Really nice and relaxing.  Disney knows how to make folks feel welcome and comfortable.

Fancy Palo restaurant.

Lovely chandelier on on the Atrium level.

They also had the Golden Mickeys and it was a great show.  They have some tremendous talent aboard ship.

It was formal night and The Captain's Party.  You did need to dress up a little.  Some were dressed very formally while others were dressed nicely but not formal attire.  This also gave the photographers a chance to take all kinds of photos.  It really was a nice evening.  Mickey and Minnie were also dressed for the occasion.  Even Chip & Dale got into the action.

DAY THREE OF DISNEY PANAMA CRUISE

SUNDAY MAY, 3, 2015

We docked at the port of the island of Cozumel in Mexico about 7:00 AM.  We weren't in any hurry to go ashore but decided to check the shops and such after breakfast.  A number of shops were not open since it was Sunday while others know that when a ship comes into port that the money follows. The shopping area is along a street that follows the ocean.  It is really a lovely view to the ocean from that area.  There were the usual Mexican wares being sold at "bargain prices just for you" as well as the upscale diamond and tanzanite shops catering to the tourists.  We mostly took photos and eventually came across a Starbucks Cafe that had WiFi.  I sacrificed myself to a cup of strong coffee to use the free internet and used their code.  It worked just fine while I relaxed with my cup of coffee and we both were able to check e-mail and get a blog out.

The Mexican flag flying proudly in Cozumel.

This photo is self explanatory.  It was right next to Starbucks.

View of Cozumel from the pier.  It looks very peaceful and relaxing against the lovely blue water.

The weather so far has been very nice and warm, but it looks like rain is in the near future.  Hopefully our tour in Cartegena on Wednesday is fine.  The captain is watching a change in weather.  We shall see what happens next.

A nice photo of our ship from Cozumel.

Later in the afternoon we relaxed in "The Cove" an adult only wine and coffee area.  It was nice and relaxing and quiet to do just a little reading about the Panama Canal.

Now for another SLOW SLOW dinner in one of the restaurants that serve you.  We are sitting with six other folks for dinner for the duration of the cruise.  There is one older couple that always comes late.  Yesterday they were 45 minutes late.  The rest of us were on our main course by then but it seemed once they joined us that the service became slower than slow.  We will give it at least one more attempt at the last of the three restaurants that are in the rotation.  If it is still so SLOW, we will eat at a different venue.  We wanted to see the three neat restaurants in action but do not need to continue.  It has been taking over two hours and that is with a soup and entrée and then dessert.  The dessert is really prompt since that is already prepared and on dishes.  The food is great and the staff are very kind, friendly and very hard working, but it seems the menu is always changing and that makes for fairly slow service.

Last evening we were able to see Goofy, and Donald and Daisy up close and personal.

Donald and Daisy were pretty silly most of the time.  We waited in line for some time since Donald and Daisy were going through all sorts of antics.  Daisy even started walking away and seemed to be in a snit with Donald.  They eventually got their act together for additional photos.  They were pretty cute.

Tonight we also enjoyed Illusion and Magic Show of Kyle and Mistie.  They are phenomenal illusionists.  

We also had the opportunity to paint Disney cells that they used to do for movies.  We traced a character in black permanent marker and then used acrylic paint to fill in the character.  We aren't artists or animators but we did have fun doing it.  The Disney animators do not have to feel threatened by our artistic talents.

DAY TWO OF DISNEY PANAMA CRUISE

SATURDAY MAY 2, 2015

We slept really well in our lovely stateroom.  We do have a porthole window which does not have a walkway next to it.  We can just gaze out over the horizon and see the water or land when visible.  We cruised past Cuba today and could see the skyline of a city off in the distance.  It was quite hazy but nice and warm.  We walked around the 4th level deck and were able to attempt some photos of Cuba.

While on the deck you will notice some things that are definitely Disney.

We attended a presentation concerning the Panama Canal as to why it even was considered as a passageway.  An efficient trade route was needed for all sorts of goods and products.  In the Panama area slaves were first used to transport items over the mountains to the other side to be put on ships that would go into the Atlantic. This was a trail of rocks which was difficult to traverse as well as slow. That wasn't a very timely effort and eventually a rail system was built. Many lives were lost in building this connection but it did work for a number of years. That also was not efficient enough and eventually the French began to build a canal.  The French were chosen since the Suez Canal had been built with their expertise.  They had to mostly remove sand to built that canal.  They were not very successful in the Panama area due to many factors.  They were not completely aware of the climate, the geography or malaria, dysentery, and other diseases and fevers related to the climate. Many deaths and a loss of money ended that endeavor.  It was after this that the U.S. became involved and worked with getting it built so that the trade route could be completed.  To be continued.......

Walt was very excited to attend a shopping presentation for Cozumel.  He was just overwhelmed with excitement and enthusiasm.  

A picture of true excitement.

Just look at all the coupons and special deals that cruise ship customers get.  This is just for Cozumel.

DAY ONE OF DISNEY PANAMA CRUISE

FRIDAY MAY 1

We started out the day early by heading to the Orlando International Airport.  We flew on Silver a partner of United.  This small plane was a Saab 340B+ which left a lot to be desired.  I really should have take a photo since I am sure it was held together with ancient duct tape.  It rattled and banged all the way to Fort Lauderdale.  Needless to say we were excited to be the first ones off.  We found our shuttle right away after making a call to let our driver know we had arrived.  There were several other folks that also got on the van, but two gals could not seem to figure out that they were not on the ground floor in order to catch the shuttle.  Yes, we did circle the airport several times until the driver finally figured out they were on the upper floor.  

The cruise line always has to get their cheesy photos before you embark.

Leaving the Port of Miami.

Getting to the Port of Miami was nice and smooth.  The ship is really quite neat and what could be better than cruising with Mickey and Minnie.  We took a mini tour of the ship just to get oriented and that helped us to set up some times for a couple of the behind the scenes tours.  We figured out quickly which areas are for the youngsters and the teens and which are adult only.  There are some nice lounges that we may just have to check out.

We did get to see Mickey and later Minnie up close and personal.  There are a lot of folks on the ship, but they do seem to be scattered about which makes it quite nice so far.

Mickey looks pretty cute beside these two travelers. However, Walt changes the wording to "these two travelers look pretty cute next to Mickey." 

We will also have to decide upon which entertainment and activities we want to participate in while we are at sea.  Disney does an excellent job of having lots of things they offer for all age groups and repeat it more than once.  It is good that we have 2 weeks to spread out the fun activities.

The restaurants we will eat at are in rotation.  We ate at Triton and will eat at Animator's Palate on day two.  They had some lovely mosaics on the wall from the movie The Little Mermaid.