mid file: "???"
A TRIP
THROUGH THE PANAMA CANAL
My day-to-day diary
INSTALLMENT # 1
Thursday March 19. Arrived at the Marriott at 3:00 p.m.
The room looks out over The Port of Miami. I see a ship, but it is not the Elation. It is nowhere to be seen. I sure do hope it arrives in time for the Cruise! It does make me a bit apprehensive since they just started across the big pond with it from Finland two weeks ago. Oh well, not to worry, the guard at the Port said it would be here in the morning, did he not?
� � � After checking in, walked through the Omni Mall, which is connected, to the hotel. Not much there... mostly deserted. Went back to the hotel and had cup of lobster bisque at the restaurant, sat on the balcony overlooking the City of Miami, Biscayne Bay and the Port of Miami. It was a pleasant night. Then it was off to the shower and bed.
Friday March 20th, The Elation sailing day.
We awoke, I looked out the window and lo and behold, there are lots of ships lined up at the Port. Hooray, one MUST BE the Elation! That does ease my mind. Had breakfast, and went to buy some forgotten essentials, then had the Bellboy take the bags downstairs. We took a taxi to the port of Miami to begin or Cruise. What a great ship this is! It is HUMONGOUS!
The boarding process goes smoothly enough. We got all our documents and discovered where our cabin was located. It was not the middle of the Ship as requested but nearly in the bow. We did not receive our upgrade as promised but that the okay because the cabins are as good there on the Riviera Deck as anywhere else, except for those on the Veranda. When we found our Sign & Sail card, discovered we have Late seating instead of Early seating for meals and in the very aft Dining Room on the ship. On the receipt, it clearly states, "Guaranteed Early Seating." After running hither and yon all over the place I finally spoke with the head of the dining room. He promises to do what he can change the seating and location of the dining room but we will have to eat in the Inspiration dining room
tonight.
� � � Off to explore the ship. WOW, What a huge yacht this is!!! There are elevators. That is all very pretty and nice however, it requires having to walk around this atrium whenever one wants to get from point A to point B. The Lido Deck is in the far aft of the ship. That is where the Tiffany lounge is located. The alternative dining is located there as well as the coffee, ice cream, and pizza. In other words, it is a long way go for anything from where our cabin is located.
� � � We had the late seating for the first night and were pleasantly surprised to find very nice table-mates. It was almost decided not to change but it is such a far piece to walk for every meal. There is very pleasant couple from Seattle and two single girls. We were quite tired so we did not attend the first night show, which turned out to be a bad move. We learned later that it was one of the best of the lot.
Saturday March 21st----Day 1�
� � � It is the first day at Sea and we over-slept. Getting up late, we find the notice under the door stating that the dining had been switched to early seating in the Imagination dining room, which is closest to the cabin. It is a relief not having to walk so far, however we will miss those table-mates.
� � � It is too late for the early seating breakfast so we go to the dining room anyway and are allowed to be seated. Thank goodness that will not be the table the entire Cruise. One of the ladies would drive me nuts. She talks of nothing but shopping, shopping, and shopping. The other couple was from Long Island and quite pleasant.
� � � The day is spent trying to discover where everything is located on this HUMONGOUS ship. With the stateroom located in the bow on the bottom guest deck and the Lido Deck on the 10th deck at the very back of the ship, it makes for a tremendous amount of walking. The Alternate Dining (Tiffany Lounge), Pizza, ice cream, coffee, tea, etc. all located there as well as the swimming pool and sunning deck are all located there.
� � � The dining room, the Imagination, is located on the Admiral Deck (8th). The Mikado Lounge where the shows are performed is there as well as most of the Galleria Shops. The other dining room, the Inspiration, is in the aft part of this deck. The Purser's Desk is on the Empress (7th) Deck. The Casino, Cole Porter Lounge, the top level of the Mikado Lounge, some bars and other shops are on the Promenade Deck. On Deck 11 is an open sunning deck, ping pong tables. The Sports Deck (12) has the Spa, Work out gym and
Beauty Parlor. The infirmary is on 3rd with the crew's quarters.
� � � An Atrium runs from Deck 7 to Deck 12 in the center of the ship with two glassed in elevators going between those floors. It is all very pretty but quite a nuisance to walk around. One cannot take the middle elevator from 4 to 12.
� � � The d�cor of the Elation is far more subdued than on the Celebration. It is glitzy but not so that it jumps out at you. The staterooms are more tastefully done. They still have that awful lighted panel under the TV but at least the design on it is more pleasing than on the other. In the Tiffany, there are several buffet lines, at least three. I forget if there were four. A bar with three huge TV screens is in the back. Why, the TVs I don't know. They never had the Satellite working so anything could be seen except the Carnival Channel and a couple of infomercial channels. Once in a great while, we managed to see something. At least I got to see my Kentucky Wildcats play Stanford and Utah to win the NCAA Championship again. That was the last we were able to see anything.
� � � Dinner was in the new dining room and early seating and the first formal night. I wish it had not been so early in the cruise. I wore my black dress. The new table-mates are great. What delightful people they all are, a couple from Scotland, John and Sarah and a couple from Sweden, Leonard and Ingrid. Also a single guy claiming to be a British naval officer.
Sunday, March 22 ----- Day 2 � Our Second day at Sea.
� � � The alarm failed to go off and that started the day off not so well. We managed to be served breakfast with the late seating. I bought a new alarm clock. The Radio Shack junk didn't work properly.
� � � Spent some time on deck and got a little sun. Amazingly, with so many people on this cruise, there seem to be plenty of open chairs in which to sit. I had expected to fight for a lounge or chair on deck as everyone always complains having to do. It is no doubt due to a more mature crowd and not the party group as on the seven-day cruises.
� � � Lunch and dinner were good but the food is certainly not as good as on the Celebration, which is a disappointment. John and Sarah, our Scottish friends were there for lunch but not Leonard and Ingrid. At dinner, they were but not the Scots. The Naval Officer was and he didn't seem too happy about being at that table. He is quite the braggart and said he brought 16 different Tuxedos! I cannot imagine how much luggage he had to bring.
� � � Tomorrow, we arrive in Cartagena, Columbia so it will be a very, very early breakfast.
There, that is the first installment. The best is yet to come. * * * * * *
INSTALLMENT #2
Monday, March 23rd ---- Day 3 � Cartegena, Columbia.
Breakfast was at 7:00 AM. Getting off the ship was a nightmare. It took forever to maneuver through the throng to the elevators. Unfortunately, there were a number of very rude people aboard who pushed and shoved ahead of everyone, not caring if they knocked you
down or not. We boarded a bus with Hugo as our guide. He was a very nice fellow and gave a good tour. He always made certain everyone was aboard when we went from one place to another so no one would be lost. Tomorrow it will be the Panama Canal Passage. I'm sure glad I got through reading "The Path Between the Seas." It has given me a great insight on what to expect. It should be a wonderful sight.
INSTALLMENT #3
Tuesday, March 24th - Day 4 �
Everyone should have the opportunity to make this trip. It takes between 8 and 9 hours to pass through the locks and lakes from the Atlantic to the Pacific Oceans. Some people spoke of it being too long but I was sorry to see it over and would love to go back and do it all over again. It was crowded in the bow of the boat but I had read that one could see as much from the stern by seeing where you've been and sat there most of the time. It was less crowded and I saw the same thing. The last lock, I viewed from the cabin. It was interesting from that vantage point as well because it close to the waterline and I saw the sides of the locks as we wend down, then back up again. All in all, it was a very fascinating day.
Something was wrong with my camcorder. I could not make it work. It showed, "DEW" on the screen. I After trying for hours, I ran into the "shop-till-you-drop" couple. He was very nice and told me it was due to too much humidity and to take it to the cabin, remove the battery and tape and let it dry out. I did so and it finally worked ... at the end of the canal. At least I got some on tape. At least my still pictures come out just great.
There was a show going on in the Mikado that I should have seen. I did stick my nose in to see what it was about but didn't want to miss the Canal. I heard later that it was great. Darn! Too bad they couldn't have it at night. I didn't want to miss the Canal Passage.
Tonight was the Talent Show but didn't attend that one. It had been a long day.
Wednesday, March 25th - Day 5 1/2
Thursday, March 26th - Day 6 �
Getting back on the ship after this tour was far better than the Cartegena tour. The queue wasn't so long, perhaps because there were several different length tours that would arrive back at different times. Dinner was, as usual, fun. The Naval guy did not show again. I presume he got his table seating changed--- Fine and dandy with us all. The food is still not good. I don't know how the Chef can manage to turn out such losers every night. We now order with the purpose of what can have the least damage done to the meal and not by what we would prefer to eat. After dinner, we did not go to the show. There was only one that night, at 10:30 and nothing but something put on by the Cruise Director, Devin Fleming.
Friday, March 27th - Day 7 �
It is the second Formal Night. I find the voucher worth $70.00 for free treatment at the Beauty Salon as a result of the letter I wrote after the bad experience on the Celebration. I went to make an appointment. I should have skipped it. Once again, it was a repeat, only worse this time. The stylist, Alberto, was lousy. I had to go back to the cabin and repair the damage. Then, once again, he scammed me. He said, you don't have to pay for the service but you do have to pay for the shampoo and conditioner...a whopping THIRTY BUCKS! I couldn't believe it happening again. Never again. I won't use the remainder of that voucher. I can't afford any freebies there. Well, another letter is in order, I guess.
I wore my blue dress and it didn't look as good as it should. I was most disappointed, though I received several compliments. We didn't go to the Captain's Cocktail Party. I guess it was a mob scene. Everyone vying for their free drinks and hors d'oeuvres. The food at dinner was bloody awful. The Beef Wellington I ordered didn't resemble any Beef Wellington I'd ever seen. The beef was vastly overdone and had a weird taste and odor. The salmon also was terrible.
After dinner, we went to the show, also very bad. The first act, a
balancing act would have been okay but it was way, way too long and
repetitious. It went on forever. The "Comic" was terrible. His jokes
were stupid and old. I don't know that we will attend any more of these so-called "Las Vegas" style productions. I cannot see where they came up with these acts. After the show, we tried to go for ice cream since our meal was so bad and discovered they closed the ice cream machine down at 9:30 PM. All in all, this was sort of a disappointing day in some respects but still we had fun.
Saturday, March 28 - Day 8 �
I did manage to watch the UK-Stamford game, thank goodness. Kentucky won and is on to the Finals against Utah on Monday night.
We did not attend the show in the Mikado tonight. Tomorrow we will be in Acapulco so it will be an early start on the day. We will be in that Port until 4:30 AM on Monday morning.
INSTALLMENT #4
Sunday, March 29th ----- Day 9 �
We arrived in Acapulco at 7:00 AM. Breakfast was once again, very early
and "Open Seating." I don't like that because it means we get put with
anyone and cannot choose where we sit. I would almost rather eat on the
Lido Deck.
I decided to take a walk out later to a shopping area about three blocks
away. When I got to the street, a Mexican man shoving a card in my hand about
a Flea Market accosted me. He said, "I take you to Flea Market."
I said, "No, I am only
going to take a walk down the street." He started to follow me. I would
walk fast and he did, I slowed and so did he. I stopped, he stopped.
Finally, he passed me but walked slowly in front so I became alarmed and
went back to the ship. So much for seeing Acapulco. They are far more
aggressive here than in Cartegena. All I was able to see was the area on
the outside of the ship.
That night the others at the table must have spent the night off the ship.
No dinnertime entertainment tonight. The ship will be in Port until 4:00
AM. The show in the Mikado and it was excellent, the best of the entire
cruise. They brought on board a huge Mexican Folklore Troupe. It was
fantastic. Too bad they don't do that more often. Sure beats the heck out
of the lousy acts they booked for the rest of the cruise. At least we had
one good thing come out of the Acapulco Port stop.
Monday, March 30th ------- Day 10 �
We have another day at Sea. After yesterday, it is a relief not to be
fighting to board a tour bus. I The day began pleasant enough. The dinner
was good. The big glitch of the day was that they ran out of Cream for
coffee and only have fat-free milk. Yuk! Sure makes for lousy coffee. It
is already bad enough. The coffee on the Celebration was good but the
stuff on here is really bad. They make it so strong that it is bitter and
requires lots of cream. Everything is breaking down on this ship. They
sure do not have anything coordinated either. I always heard that Carnival
promoted their best to the new ships but something sure didn't work right
here. The kitchen is really out of sync, they run out of everything and
nothing is coordinated.
Instead of going to the show, went back to the cabin to watch the
Kentucky-Utah game. Hooray, they won and are NCAA Champions again!
Friday, March 31 ---- Day 11 �
After getting back to the ship, I went back out to shop at the stores at
the Pier. I got a few odds and ends but never did get a T-Shirt from
there. I had hoped to find another of those crocheted tops. Alas, none
were to be found.
The meals seem to be improving, thank goodness. I had Prime Rib for dinner
and it was good, done rare as I like it. As usual, meal time is a riot
with our table-mates. John becomes more brazen as the cruise goes on. We
never know what to expect.
The show tonight was, as usual, nothing to write home about. Only one, the
Mexican Folklore people have been all that good.
Tomorrow we will be in Mazaltan. That means another early breakfast day.
Wednesday, April 1st April Fool's Day ------ Day 12 �
We are in Mazaltan today and instead of taking the tour, decided to take
out on our own in a Taxi. That proved to be quite an adventure as I wanted
to get some cream to take to the dining room so they would be aware of our
dissatisfaction at the running out. Also, needed some Saline.
Armed with my handy-dandy Spanish-English dictionary and a list, set off.
We tried to explain we wanted to the driver that we wanted to go to a Super
Market and a Farmacia. He took us down to the old part of the city. It
certainly was an experience. No one spoke English. I would show them the
bottle of Saline and they would look it up in the book, then shake their
head, no. Whenever I would ask, "Habla Ingles," they would say, "A
leettle." It was VERY little because that was about the extent of it.
After hitting four Farmacias, we decided to take a Taxi to the "Golden Zone."
There, we found the biggest Super Market. We found the Cr�me de Lecheria,
Coca Cola, Kleenex and Hair Spray but no Saline. It took forever for me to
get through the Check out. No one spoke English and they kept sending me
from one lane to another before someone could speak English and would take
American Dollars. All in all, it was still more fun doing it on our own than on a tour. I
would have enjoyed taking a tour as well but they never leave us in Port
long enough.
After getting back to the Ship, I went to the Infirmary and got the Saline,
which is what should have been done first though it more fun trying to find
it.
At dinner, I put the Cream on the table in the box. It did not generate
the reaction we had hoped. The waiter, Jean, is really becoming
overbearing with his talking to everyone about taking him home with them
and about money.
Decided not go to the show because after the day's excursion of the day,
due to being quite tired, besides it didn't sound all too good.
Thursday, April 2nd ------ Day 13 �
Well, here we are with only a few days left. It is another day at Sea and
the final formal night. I canceled my hair appointment. Can't afford to
take advantage of their freebie. I washed it myself and it came out better
than the one done in the Salon.
Spent quite a lot of time on deck today. I am finally getting around to
more reading. Having brought three books, I had great plans but have found
time to do very little reading.
The food has really improved significantly. I had Lobster Tail tonight. It
was not as good as whole lobster but still decent. I am wondering if they
threw the Chef overboard.
I wore my white dress and was much more comfortable. We tried to go to the
show tonight but by the time dinner was over and we got to the Mikado, all
the decent seats were gone on the lower level. We went up to the upper
level and only seats on the bar stools in the very back were vacant. Now,
being 4 " 8" does not make it easy to climb on a bar stool. After a
struggle to get upon one, there was no way I could see anything. The
people in front simply would not remove their heads. Friday, April 3rd ------- Day 14 �
Another day at Sea and everyone is preparing for the end of the Cruise.
It is sad but as they say, "all good things come to an end." Everything is
in a hubbub for the foreign passengers. They brought a Customs Official on
board in Mazaltan to help get their paperwork processed.
Spent a good amount of time on deck today but had to sit in a sheltered
area because as soon as we passed the Baja Peninsula it became quite windy
and chilly. John and Sarah took me to their "hiding place" on the top
deck where it was sheltered. It had never occurred to me that a warm place
could be found there. It was not crowded either.
Because it was the last night for those departing in Los Angeles, it was
tipping night for everyone. For the past couple of nights the dining room
staff managed to be ever-present and attentive. The food has been good the
past few days. Tonight I had a very good Prime Rib again. That makes two
out of three Prime Rib dinners that were good.
Dinner was both good and sad. Good-byes were said to John and Sarah and
The Tour took us through the Old Walled City. The poverty is unreal. Peddlers are everywhere trying to sell you things but weren't overbearing as in Acapulco. If you ignored them, they did not persist too much. There are guards everywhere but not so intimidating as I'd been led to believe. If they were armed, which I guess they are, it was inconspicuous. I felt good that they were there.
We went to the Fortress. What a walk! It was way up a steep hill that nearly killed me. We had to walk through a totally dark tunnel and I could not see a thing. A flashlight would really have been handy. You could see over the entire city from the top. It was quite a sight. From there, we went to the Hotel Hilton where they served beer and soft drinks. Also, we stopped twice at shopping areas. I got T-shirts and post cards.
After that, we went to the Monastery. I decided not to walk to the top either and sat outside with John and Sarah, the Scottish couple who were on another tour bus. I was watching for our tour and they must have gone out a different exit because eventually, Hugo came looking for me. Thank goodness, or I would have been left behind. It was a very interesting tour. The city is very old and steeped in history. So many people had advised not getting off the ship but I would not have wanted to miss this stop. They said armed military would be brandishing machine guns and would even board the tour buses and riffle through your belongings. That was not the case at all. I was never frightened or felt in danger. The guards were there but for our protection and not to intimidate. If they had guns, they certainly were not the machine gun variety and were not in evidence.
Getting back onboard the ship took forever. They had us queue up for a long time in the hot sun. We were quite tired. It was extremely hot and humid. I guess that is how it is near the equator, huh?
It was a very pleasant day. We had a pleasant dinner time with all our table-mates, then went to the show in the Mikado. It was a juggling act by Victor Zuniga, then a comic, Malcom Kennedy. Neither was spectacular but not bad.
Here we are at the Panama Canal, the highlight of the Cruise.
Breakfast was very early so the crew can view traversing the Canal. After reading the book, "The Path Between the Seas," I am most anxious to see all about which I have read. I am happy that I managed to finish the book before we departed. It gave much insight to what we were seeing. What a monumental engineering feat this was for that period in time.
It is another day at sea. Nothing significant happened, just a pleasant day spent sitting on deck quite a bit, eating meals, having coffee and whatever else. Just a relaxing day. Oh, I did do laundry and that was a challenge fighting for a washer and dryer.
Our Naval Officer did not appear tonight. I guess he found something more interesting. It was actually more pleasant. As usual, dinner was a fun time. John, the Scotsman, is such a character. He has been everywhere, done everything. You never know what he will say or do next and he keeps us all very entertained. His wife gets so exasperated and tries to rein him in but it only makes him more rambunctious. The Swedish couple are delightful too. The food is sure not very good. Anything beef is vastly over-cooked, thus making it tough. The chilled soups are mostly good and they do a bit better on the salads on the Elation than on the Celebration. Meals are back to normal today. It was just a nice restful day. I think I almost enjoy the days at sea more than the port stops. Tomorrow it will be Caldera, Costa Rica. The show tonight was not very spectacular. It was an Australian Frank Sinatra wannabe and he didn't quite make the grade. His jokes were not so bad.
Today, we are in Costa Rica. I ended up going on the tour to Sarchi alone.
It was a lovely tour. Ingrid and Leonard, the Swedes sat in the seat in front but we didn't converse, as it was not possible with the guide giving such an incredible tour.
Costa Rica is a beautiful country of mountains, volcanoes, coffee
plantations and fruit orchards. The tour was 3 � hours long and we got a very good glimpse of the countryside. We stopped at the town of Sarchi where they make hand-painted Oxcarts. I bought some small ones for souvenirs and some Costa Rica Coffee. We missed the Coffee Plantation stop due to traffic on the Pan American Highway. Such a highway that is! It is all two-lane and trucks hold up traffic.
On the way back, we stopped at what is called, the only "all metal Church" in Costa Rica. I don't know if there is any elsewhere either. It was built to withstand the earthquakes after the previous one was destroyed.
One week gone already. Where has the time gone? At this rate, we will be home before you know it. At 11:00 AM, there was a "Mexico Adventure Talk" about all the tours we would be offered in Acapulco, Puerto Vallarta and Mazaltan. I went to hear what that was about.
Another Sea Day. It is a lazy day; I sit on the back of the ship for a long time. It is the first chance I've had to do much reading and happy for a bit of R & R. Two days at Sea are just fine for catching up before the next three Ports of Call.
Tonight is the Kentucky - Stamford game. I sure hope they have the
Satellite working for that. They have sure had problems with everything on this ship. Elevators are always breaking down. Sometimes with people stuck between floors. The ice cream machines can't seem to stay working, I guess the Fax is never working. They sure have a lot of kinks and bugs to work out. The food in the Dining Room is extremely slow in coming out and it is not timed properly. One will be entirely finished with their entr�e before another even has their appetizer. I don't know if it is the Kitchen or the waiter or a combination of both. David, our Bus Boy is really on the ball.
He is much better than Jean, the waiter. He always remembers to bring my ice tea AND lemon. He keeps the glasses and coffee filled.
What a fiasco of
a day this was. We went down early to take the tour in
the hope of beating the mob scene. That was futile. The Mexican man
leading the loading of the buses insisted we had to wait for a front seat
because one in our group used a cane. He told us to wait and he would get
us on the next bus, then allowed bus after bus to load up without getting
us aboard. After about five buses were loaded, I went to another man and
asked when we could get on and explained it was not necessary to have a
front seat. No, he insisted we had to wait and he promised the very next
one. Well, he disappeared, never to be seen again. They loaded bus after
bus until all were loaded and about 30 people, and us, were still
waiting. We were irate and went back on board the ship to the Purser's
Desk to complain. Though we were refunded the price of the tour, we still
did not see Acapulco.
Carnival should have someone down there to negotiate the boarding of the
buses. They did not understand English well enough and it was a ridiculous
situation and could very well have been avoided. Naturally, this put a damper
on the day.
Today we are in Puerto Vallarta.
The cruise I nearly over. It certainly
has been speeding by and am sorry to see it on the last leg of the journey.
The tour was not as good as the ones in Cartegena and Costa Rica but was
still was very nice. We had to walk around the downtown part and how I
wish I could have gone back because I saw a beautiful crocheted top in a
store window and never found another anywhere else. We went into a
Cathedral. The peddlers were in full force again. The tour bus stopped a
place to shop where some man was finger painting on tiles. The scenery in
Puerto Vallarto is fantastic. This I one place I would like to return for
a longer visit.
After the store, we set off to find a restaurante. There was nothing
except the fast food types in this Mall that had to be the biggest in the
world! We decided to just go back to the ship and couldn't find our way
out. It was like a big maze of concourses of shops. I would keep asking
how to find the exit and no one could speak English. FINALLY, I found a
nice young girl who did speak it and she kindly led us out, got us a cab
and negotiated the fee for us. What a relief!