Highlights of my 2012 Panama Canal and South America Cruise

Highlights of my 2012 Panama Canal and South America Cruise

• Visits to five countries (Columbia, Ecuador, Peru, Panama, and Chile), 4 of which are new to me. (I visited Panama in 1994)

• Transiting the impressive and historic Panama Canal--One nice long day going through all 3 sets of locks. Seeing future site of expanded canal. 

See my Panama Canal blog post here:

http://globalwaysusa.blogspot.com/2012/12/panama-canal.html

video from ship:

http://youtu.be/fRhNphGp9QE

100%

videos from viewing point at Gatun Locks:

http://youtu.be/P1okiJyhOXs

http://youtu.be/4dvFFPIMmOc

100%

• Toured Cartagena’s, Panama City’s and Lima’s historic old towns, all Unesco World Heritage sites (http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/)

• Seeing Lamas in Lima

• Private tours in Cartagena, Panama, and Lima

• Nice, mid-ship, balcony room, starboard with nightly sunsets.

• Only one flight. I drove to Ft Lauderdale to board the ship and took a single flight home from Santiago, Chile. I used frequent flyer points.

• Informative naturalist scholars lecturing daily. (Husband and wife team of PhDs.) Even learned what seasickness really is.

• Got great last minute deal on room.

• No time change

• No currency exchange necessary

• No jet lag

• Beautiful Indian markets everywhere

• Christmas decorations everywhere, including on the ship

• Panama hats (really Ecuador hats)

• Colorful ports with fishing villages

• Performed on stage in two group dances. Uploaded them to YouTube:

My dancing videos:

Thriller Dance: http://youtu.be/vTiOO3AsPqM

Incredible Dance: http://youtu.be/fjfGpqgcSlI

• Ate ceviche in Ecuador and Chile

• Nice weather—no rain

• Met nice people; Amy and Franklin, Freda, Inge, Ingrid, and more

• Participating in the cabin crawl

• Great shopping in all ports. Beautiful and inexpensive.

• Took local bus in Coquimbo to La Serena (I don’t recommend this)

• This is a unique, twice a year sailing: one is southbound (December); the other is northbound (March)

• Became Elite on Celebrity (in 8 months)