Showing posts with label Panama Canal. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Panama Canal. Show all posts

Tuesday, December 29, 2015

World Cruise-The First Segment: Florida to Sydney

Hello Fellow Travelers,

I will cruise on the first third of a 115-day world-cruise – – the segment that sails from Fort Lauderdale, Florida to Sydney, Australia.  Leaving in early 2016, the journey will last 36 days.

After departing from Fort Lauderdale, the ship (HAL Amsterdam) will make stops in Costa Rica and Panama; transit the Panama Canal; then make stops in several South Pacific islands including French Polynesia; then make stops in New Zealand and Australia ports; and finally I will disembark in Sydney. 




Cruising

On this sailing, I will explore 14 ports of call and I will relish 21 activity-filled sea days, including a crossing-the-equator and passing the international dateline ceremonies.

I  look forward to some of my favorite activities on a cruise such as relishing sunsets at sea, savoring 24-hour gourmet dining options, enjoying a variety of entertainment venues including musicians galore and Las Vegas-style revues, appreciating a good book poolside, winning trivia and other contests, luxuriating at gala events, enriching my mind and body with lectures and dance classes, and delighting in making new friends from all over the world.





 
Traveling

Literary giants such as Herman Melville, Robert Louis Stevenson, W. Somerset Maugham, and James Michener wrote volumes about some of their experiences in these majestic locations with their blue lagoons, colorful reefs, mountain valleys, and hospitable residents.

I especially look forward to re-experiencing a guided tour as we transit the Panama Canal, learning about the traditional Maori culture in New Zealand, experiencing the rugged beauty and the endless sky in the French Polynesian and Cook Islands, enjoying the bustling, cosmopolitan cities of Sydney and Melbourne, and bonding with a new group of world explorers.

By the end of this cruise, this world traveler will have visited 90 nations on six continents. 

Our ship will set sail in one week!!

I will bring you along.
 
 

 

Tuesday, April 9, 2013

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:






video from ship:


videos from viewing point at Gatun Locks:












  • 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)