Almost live heading through Panama Canal

[Johnthed0g]

I like the bridge tour...."Sorry since 9/11 we don't do bridge tours as although you have no doubt been vetted to get on the ship you are not to be trusted, as semi retired English couples are a bit dodgy......hang on....you will pay 20 quid?...roll up, roll up, all aboard the skylark!!"

[rolfecms]

Glad you had a lucky day - so if you ever win too many P&O pen-and-keyring sets I'll gladly take ownership of one set!

 

Don't know how they handle it on UK ships but US cruise ships add port charges as well as the canal fee on top of the quoted cruise fare. A a result we paid a total of $247 pp in taxes for our upcoming 14 night itinerary.

 

Please described what was so bad about the bridge tour besides the fact it cost 20 pounds - not informative enough?

[LibraLass41]

I wonder if the bridge tour was a disappointment because it was just a photo opportunity and not a bridge TOUR, for example, sit here in the Captains chair, the photo team take a photo and ta ta off you toddle back out of the bridge with no explanation of what goes on there?

[MMDown Under]

I like the bridge tour...."Sorry since 9/11 we don't do bridge tours as although you have no doubt been vetted to get on the ship you are not to be trusted, as semi retired English couples are a bit dodgy......hang on....you will pay 20 quid?...roll up, roll up, all aboard the skylark!!"

 

I wonder if the bridge tour was a disappointment because it was just a photo opportunity and not a bridge TOUR, for example, sit here in the Captains chair, the photo team take a photo and ta ta off you toddle back out of the bridge with no explanation of what goes on there?

 

Thought that was a good guess, Sue.

 

As a not so young retiree, I have trouble keeping quiet, with a straight face, when security regularly choose my hand luggage to run that explosives wand over, as young fit travellers run past with their briefcases, unimpeded.

 

Thanks for the laugh JohntheD0g.

 

Thanks for such an interesting entertaining thread, capnpugwash. Hope you enjoyed your game of quoits with your hammock mate!

[sammydo]

Cheryl Baker is doing the rounds then, she was on ventura few weeks ago,

we decided to give her a miss too, but my son and girlfriend thought they would go and see her, as it was just starting, they sat down in the last 2 available seats, just in time for everyone to start clapping, and leave their seats,...what they thought was the beginning of the show, was in fact the end......twas one of them embarrassing moments when you want the floor to swallow you up......still gave us all a good laugh :D

[jenniwreni]

Tomorrow is another sea day; I hope that the humidity is lower as it is reminiscent of a steam room. Mrs P is having a very tough time with a bad hair week, apparently humidity equals frizz, big frizz. She has stopped believing me when I say it looks fine.

 

This reminds of the episode of Friends where Monica's hair is affected by the humidity!! :eek: I can totally relate to Mrs P's predicament here, and wholeheartedly sympathise. I would love to hear of anyone who has a remedy for this!!

 

Cheryl Baker who you may recall was part of Bucks Fizz back in the Napoleonic War, winning the Eurovision Song Contest. She left the group or was forced out and she now is an after dinner speaker describing her vast experiences and I am sure quite a lot of the back biting between her and her replacement.

 

It wasnt Cheryl Baker that left, it was Jay Ashton. We went to Cheryl's talk on Ventura a couple of years ago, and as a Bucks Fizz fan from many moons ago, we found the talk very impressive and really enjoyed it, no holds barred and no back biting either re the Jay saga and all that that entailed!! As a childhood hero of mine, I feel the need to defend her a little!;) We went out snorkeling with Cheryl too in Barbados, she was really down to earth too!!

 

Looking forward to the next blog!

Jenni

[capnpugwash]

I tried the quoits again this morning but my lack of talent ensured my early departure after only the first round. The people who beat us did go on to win the competition so I could take solace from that but won’t. Today is St. David’s Day when the Patron Saint of Wales is celebrated. We have 360 or 380 Welsh on board and at noon there is a get-together in the pub to celebrate the day, apparently the kitchen has prepared 400 Welsh Cakes for the assembled crowd to eat. I have no idea what they are or what they contain, I imagine it may be sheep. I will leave them in peace with their songs and poems and retire to my cabin to put my feet up for an hour.

 

The weather is pretty perfect and the balcony will be very comfortable. The day was very warm but only a little humidity has gone. We went this afternoon to book a tour for whilst we are in Acapulco, there were various options on offer all involving lengthy coach rides but we settled on a boat ride to the foot of the cliffs and watching the cliff divers from beneath, which should give us a fairly unique perspective. I think it is a two hour trip which includes an hour for the show. We are looking forward to it. The young Welsh girl who was in charge of the sales desk had a tray of said cakes and Mrs P and I sampled one each. They are like a drop scone about half an inch thick being cooked on a hot buttered griddle, very pleasant I must say, and so were the cakes!

 

Tomorrow the ship arrives in Guatemala and docks at Puerto Quetzel, which with the best will in the world seems to be a commercial port which is about 90 minutes by car from anything vaguely interesting and that is a big stretch to call it interesting. There are some volcanoes a long distance away. In the days when they used to stamp your passport it would have been good. I am hoping that the pool empties out so I can get a swim. It is a new arrival on the Cruise calendar and they talk of it as an eco-based area. That just means there is nothing there I believe.

 

It is 6pm and the sea looks beautiful against the pink of the sky which itself has a strangely pastel appearance. Dark blue, topped by pink, topped by baby blue and the sea is darker than the bottom layer and has no waves, just ripples across the entire surface. If you painted it like this no-one would believe that it was real, you would be forced to put some more wave action in the scene.

 

At about 6.30pm a prawn or something similar that I had sampled for lunch exacted its’ revenge and I thought that with discretion being the better part of valour I would retire to my bed early, this proved to be overkill but I didn’t want to spread anything nasty to people who I would encounter during the evening. It is now 6.10am and I feel perfectly healthy although I am a little hungry. The sky is light blue with thin wispy white clouds covering it, they are so thin that they are transparent and I can see the sky behind them. Today should be a beautiful day.

 

Last night our transport documents were delivered, the system seems good in that once our bags are collected from outside our cabin, we see them no more until they appear miraculously on the carousel at our destination airport. They travel as bonded luggage with security tags and they are not individually weighed so we are not subject to the 23 kilogram limit that we had on the journey out. That means I can take my sombrero and stuffed donkey home with me. The downside is that there is lots of paper with instructions that seem complicated. I should re-read them because surely they can’t be that bad.

 

We were due to moor at 7am but with only 20 minutes to go I can see no land on the Bridge-cam or to port perhaps it is on the other side of the ship?

 

The passengers are a group of mixed ages, that stretch from the twenties to the eighties, there is no dithering at the buffet counters but the lift doors still cause panic, whether to go in or go out or mostly stand there undecided. There is also a distinct lack of passengers in wheelchairs. I would guess at 5 people and only one has an electric powered chair. This lack of wheelchairs is probably due to the flight part I think but I can’t imagine how the electric chair came out or at what cost. There are some independent passengers on board who are cruise only so the chair user may be part of that group. I have no idea and I can feel you all yawning.

 

Of course the documents arrival indicates the upcoming end of the cruise and all the mixed emotions that are triggered. We have met some really nice people on board and have had a surprisingly good time having travelled with reservations. It will not surprise you that Mrs P and I are scouring the charts for some alternative fly-cruise destination that are shorter flights. Well it would have to be in Australia to be any longer haul, wouldn’t it!

 

Land has appeared ahead of us and we have a couple of brightly coloured fishing row-boats floating out to welcome us. If we were in other waters the Captain may be issuing firearms to repel boarders. There is a Tanker and a Bulk Carrier anchored outside the port, the Carrier looks heavily laden so is probably looking to unload whereas the Tanker is riding very high as if empty, the bulbous nose is about 50% visible above the water as is a lot of rudder, does that mean it is empty or do they always ride like that?

 

We crept our way into the well protected harbour with it’s 20 foot concrete wall topped with ten feet of those interlocking blocks of a slightly different pattern. This wall stretches for about 350 yards in a L shape protecting what seems like a natural harbour. There are about 30 of the big white game fishing boats and 4 departed with their separate 4 or 5 passengers into the ocean to try and catch Marlin or Tuna. What a wonderful day. So if you like game fishing this may be the new place to come to.

 

There is a cooled container ship bearing the logo of NYKCool and it is being loaded with containers that the man from Del Monte has said Yes to. I wonder how they cool the containers as they look the same as others and they are stacked on the open deck, maybe there is a cooling plant that they get hooked up to, it must be something like that. There is a bulk carrier with all 4 holds opened with the covers concertinaed in half and standing vertically at either end of each hold, they look like solid steel and are over four feet thick, immense things. Every hold has a grab crane unloading the cargo which looks like bulk grain, the grabs drop 4 shovelfuls into trucks and they drive off uncovered to another area in the dock that looks like a grain store, but it could also be sand. We are right by the cooled ship and I can solve the mystery, there is a power cable going to a socket in each container so there must be an electric cooler built in these boxes, thank heavens that I remembered by 10 x 25 binoculars. We are going to dock in front of the container ship in the heart of the port. It is a massive area and I can see the mist rising from the jungle beyond the distant boundaries, I wonder if there are any Gorillas in it?

 

We have successfully moored with not much space to spare, the short trip from the harbour wall has taken 50 minutes. There are 40 or 50 people on the dockside and 19 shiny buses, the drivers are busy cleaning the windscreens which is a good sign, maybe they have checked the brakes and tyres as well. It is now only 8.05am and the first passengers are off and on their buses to take them wherever they are heading. Our cabin is facing east and the full sun is on us, it is already in the 80’s and the 15 minutes that I have spent out there this morning is a little under half my daily dose.

[rolfecms]

...This lack of wheelchairs is probably due to the flight part I think but I can’t imagine how the electric chair came out or at what cost. There are some independent passengers on board who are cruise only so the chair user may be part of that group. I have no idea and I can feel you all yawning.

 

Nonsense! Your wheel chair observations prove that the trip has had the intended effect: Your perception of the time/space continuum has slowed and what you are now experiencing is what is referred to as "being on holiday" in the middle of nowhere. Too bad this condition commences just as its nearly time to return home!

 

I did notice on the webcam (http://www.pocruises.com/Cruise-Ship.../Ship-Webcams/) that there appears to be a small village next to the port that might have some wheely bags for sale! :)

[The Welsh Man]

We're 2 of the 300 or so Welsh on board, we're having a great time, perhaps our best ever cruise.

 

Crew on Oceana are as always are fantastic, Panama Canal was simply an experience we will never forget. Good itinerary despite changes.Weather VERY Hot.

 

The story we've been told about the air con was that we hit a fallen container from a transport ship which damaged the underneath of the ship.Divers were flown in from Miami to fix it.

 

Hope to meet up with you before we leave on Friday to buy you a drink and discuss your views on our rugby, poetry and sheep cakes!

 

Has been a great trip pity it ends in a couple of days

 

Carl

[ColumbiaSC]

I have enjoyed your posts immensely, particularly since I have a QE2 friend who lives in Northampton, England, and she is a devotee of P & O and will be on the Oceana to the Med this coming autumn. Living in South Carolina, I am rather used to the humidity of the summers here, which are similar to what you now describe in Central America. I hope much that is unexpected and fun happens in the last few days of your jaunt and that all your souffles remain fulsome.

Don.

[capnpugwash]

It seems that opinions are split about this port, those that went on tours all seem to have thoroughly enjoyed them, I don’t know all of the tours but there was a five and a half hour tour to a coffee plantation and a nine hour tour to a volcano and waterfall, both of these were reported to be marvellous trips and good value. Then there are those that took the shuttle bus to the port shops where they had the usual bits and pieces but expected you to bargain, they thought it was rubbish. I stayed on board to take advantage of the absence of passengers.

So if you are a tour person, come to Guatemala and visit this port because the people are as poor as church mice.

 

As today was a port day there was no-one looking to play quoits and whereas I should have taken the opportunity to practice, I didn’t. I did some work this morning after breakfast and then went to the solo travellers coffee after which I went to the nice empty pool and swam for 20 minutes. After that I sat in the shade and listened to an audio book until about 1pm when I went back to our cabin, cleaned up and changed for whist. Had terrible cards and came last but that is the game. We are now back in the cabin after a late snack lunch with barely a cake to be seen. That is the problem with skipping lunch; you get exposed to temptation beyond endurance. Mrs P is doing a watercolour sketch on the balcony and I am contemplating a spot of what my Dad used to call Egyptian PT. If she likes the result she will enter it into our village show in July, she is a very talented cook and is a regular winner in the cookery entries, whether it be shortbreads, sweets, mixed biscuits or six fancies. If she doesn’t like it, it will join the pile of discarded efforts in a drawer at home.

 

I have just thought that I can’t have a nap as in 45 minutes we have the Individual Quiz that we have taken to going to. Exercise the brain whilst sampling the cocktail of the day. Fantastic idea. Mrs P was triumphant in the quiz and we have a wash bag to take home with us. They are quite good but we have 4 or 5 of them already. We have let go lines and pushed off and are now making our way out of the dock, into the harbour and then to sea when we start our course north west for Acapulco. We have a sea day tomorrow and arrive on Thursday morning. The Captain has just informed us that heavy winds are forecast later tonight and tomorrow so we are to sail close to the coast in an effort to avoid the worst of it. Time will tell if it materialises. We only have three nights left on board and people are already talking about the flight home. Shame really, but it isn’t over yet.

 

We had our first bad meal last night, when I looked at the menu I could find nothing that I fancied I chose melon with prosciutto, tomato soup and beef bourguignon. The ham was salty, the soup tasted like it came from a packet and the beef was a cut that I didn’t recognize and it was sliced quite thickly and was granular to my taste and reminded me so much of lunch at sc. I left most of it and fortunately found a traditional sherry trifle for a bit of comfort food. We were the only two at our table of eight last night so we were finished by 9.30. We went up to the quiz and met three of our four our quiz team partners. It was not a very nice or satisfying quiz; we were scoring intermittently and ended up with just 13 points. ****** who was running it and had set the question announced us as winners. Our table erupted in noise; No! What? Never and are you sure? Our victory was greeted with polite applause and I collected a bottle of South African plonk which I gave to two of our team for their sterling efforts.

 

Pacific Dawn, I was just pondering whether it is the name of a race horse or whether it was a WW2 film with John Wayne as a US Marine Captain. As you might guess the sun has come up and the beautiful baby blue sky has a thin base coat of clouds which will disappear within the hour. Yesterday it got to 88 degrees and today will surely be as warm as it is already 86 degrees with Force 3 winds, very light airs. Looking out from the balcony a little white horse appears within that 90 degree angle of vision and my eyes are drawn to it hoping that it might be some dolphins leaping for the pure joy of being able to or better still, the start of a mid size whale rolling and leaping for possibly the same reason, I don’t know if the same studies have been done on whales or whether they remain secretive and unanalysed, I really hope that they do

 

The threatened strong wind has arrived during breakfast and it is currently Force 8 and we are sailing close to the coast, the troughs are between 6 and 8 feet and the sea seems to be moving quickly.

[Johnthed0g]

Another interesting report, I shall be quite sorry when you come home!

[capnpugwash]

John, me too

 

The wave troughs have deepened and are now about 10 feet, the wind is hurling the spray onto the port deck but the starboard is dry so that is where

our intrepid band of 8 people went to play quoits. Men were playing into the wind and ladies played with it. It was tremendous fun and fortunately we made it to the final and my partner was so good that my puny efforts assisted her to win. So we got another prize, thank heavens they don’t weigh our suitcases going home. After the game we had great fun trying to open the hinged door s the gale was blowing onto it and holding it closed. We just managed but fingers were almost removed on the slowest people to let go.

 

In spite of the wind the sun is shining and the sea looks marvellous, best way I can describe it is like a rolling sheet of dark green obscured bark pattern glass that would be used in some front doors or bathrooms. It is lit by the sun glimmering off the top of each roll and this image stretches for as far as the eye can see.

 

Because of the wind the decks are now closed which makes the ship crowded as people cram into the public rooms.

 

Tomorrow after arrival in Acapulco the Mexican Immigration will come on board and do all the stuff that is normally done at the airport on departure which is meant to make life easier. We have to vacate our cabin by 9am on Friday to allow the changeover as some people are arriving from 8.30am. Passengers will be taken to the airport by bus approximately 3 hours before their flight is due to depart. We are due to leave at 3pm and the first group go at 6.30am and then regularly after that. We tried to get a late check out from our cabin but our steward didn’t want to know. Thinking about it though, wit half the passengers getting off first thing in the morning it should leave the rest of the ship fairly uncrowded so we should at least be able to find a nice comfy seat to while away the time.

 

This wind that we are experiencing is a famous Mexican wind according to the Captain, it is caused by a high pressure area in the Caribbean with a low pressure area in the Pacific which apparently drives this high wind from the north along the length of Mexico. It is quite cooling and has taken 6 degrees off the 86 degrees that we had this morning. We are due to be clear of it by 6pm tonight. I hope that the decks are reopened before that time. During the afternoon the wind and sea subsided and it is back to normal with lovely hot sunshine. Today was the culmination of the Snowball Bingo and the prize increases daily if unwon so today it was £1250 and as it is so large it attracts people who don’t normally compete, including Mrs P and I, well we needed one more number which was 1 when someone called Bingo. I realise that we might as well be 6 away but we were so close. One good thing was, for the first time this trip I saw a school of dolphins playing happily with each other. They are such a happy fish.

 

Tonight is our last formal evening and we will have the parade of the chefs which is quite nice. We pre-empted our waiter giving us the menus from the cruise tonight by saying that we would not be able to carry them home. He was perfectly happy so if you don’t want them, don’t be embarrassed, just mention it to your waiter.

 

We had a pleasant meal and the Brigade of Chefs marched through to the usual rapturous applause, after dinner we went to the last quiz of the cruise, made the tie-break but couldn’t recall the record speed for a helicopter flight so we lost the wine. The well deserved winners were happy and we were pleased to clap their victory. Our team parted as we are unlikely to meet up tomorrow and even though we have only known these folk briefly, there is something about acquaintances and ships. Tomorrow we are due to dock by 7am in Acapulco.

 

As our trip is drawing inexorably to a close I thought that I would treat myself by leaving the balcony door open to allow fresh air, balmy warmth and the lovely sound of waves hitting waves. It is such a gentle soporific sound in a light sea and always brings relaxing dream free sleep. It did until something woke me at 6am, I looked over the balcony and we were loading the Pilot as we slide over the inky black glasslike water which is soon to become Acapulco Bay. We have arrived.

 

The lights on the hillside surrounding the bay are all shining brightly as the people start to stir, it is almost sunrise and the night sky is getting lighter.

We are inching our way into the harbour past the few little fishing boats head out to catch enough to sell. Additionally a couple of sports fishing boats have departed taking their charterers out after larger fish. I can see the beach running almost the length of the town which I believe is Copacabana. Isn’t travel wonderful, you get the opportunity to see these marvellous famous places.

 

We are just reversing onto our mooring outside the very welcoming Port Terminal which proudly proclaims “Bienvenidos a Acapulco”. This sign appears beneath a well fortified Castle which may have been expressly constructed in the distant past not to make us feel welcome. We are moored and secure. The Immigration Officers have arrived, about 25 of them so it should be fairly rapid to process the paperwork for 2000 people this morning. The Sun rose behind the hills so the face visible to me was darkest black with a crisp edge against the pale sky.

 

I have to take our documents and passports to the Immigration People after 8.45am, they are dealing with those on morning tours first which seems incredibly well organised.

[rolfecms]

Enjoy your last day and your visit to Acapulco! Just remember that all good things must come to an end but you can look forward to your next cruise adventure on the QV!

[steelerannie]

Thanks for all your blogs Captain!! They've made very interesting reading as we are doing this same cruise in January and we are so excitied about it. We are also thinking of doing the boat trip in Accapulco - so i'm very interested to hear what you think of it.

 

Ann

[Norfolk Brit]

My thanks again, Cap'n - there's something about your writing style that makes your reports rather addictive and, as usual, I've hugely enjoyed them.

 

Do we have to wait until May for the next batch:eek:?

 

Mary

[fastforward]

My thanks again, Cap'n - there's something about your writing style that makes your reports rather addictive and, as usual, I've hugely enjoyed them.

 

Do we have to wait until May for the next batch:eek:?

 

Mary

I'm sure the two and half months will fly by.

[Norfolk Brit]

Stroppers, old thing, where have you been?

 

Sir Martin

[haggis]

Thanks for an entertaining fortnight with your daily blogs. I really have enjoyed them.

Jimmy

[Gerrym]

stroppers, old thing, where have you been?

 

Sir martin

 

 

 

:d :d :d :d

 

 

 

:d

[MMDown Under]

Thanks for taking us along virtually. It has been such a pleasure.

 

Wishing you a safe flight home.

[Johnthed0g]

Thanks from me too, I wish I had the energy & dedication to do this sort of thing.

[capnpugwash]

In fact the whole process took less than 3 minutes. The entertainment officers checked the forms were signed and then I was given a yellow card to say that I had been processed and was free to leave the ship, next I handed in our completed Immigration forms which were stamped, one copy retained. The next phase was where the bulk of the staff was occupied, passport examination and copious stamping of all documents and passports. This being completed I met my last Mexican official who took all the stamped forms from me; I hoped he was going to tear them up but he kept tight hold as he has all the records. Then I was out and free. I strongly advise that you wait as late as possible because early on there was a 10 or 15 minute queue. I have a whole forest of paper from P&O concerning this process and one of them describes the shopping available at the airport. I was so excited to see that they do sell Mexican sun hats, it is wrong to place such temptation in the path of a weak sea dog. I would give my valuables to Mrs P to safeguard them and stop me spending but I am convinced that is what she has been waiting these past 29 years for. I’m not silly.

 

It is a beautiful day, cloudless and mid eighties. The water is crystal clear and the bottom is visible. To be fair the city is not the prettiest that there is, the town is full of high rise buildings which I believe is reasonable given that the bay is mirrored by the encircling steep mountain like hills, so land is quite a premium. Rather like Manhattan I suppose. Most passengers have gone off on their various tours, pretty much all of them will end up at the cliff divers later this morning. It is just 11am and we are going to head to have a light snack soon prior to our 1pm departure for the boat ride and divers.

 

Some years ago two local young men were killed when the plane that they were flying crashed at the top of this ring of mountains, killing both boys. To remember them their parents erected a church and an enormous cross at the top of the hill. It is said to be visible from throughout Acapulco. I can’t see it from the ship but maybe I am looking in the wrong direction. I can see pylons and aerials but not a cross is in sight. There is a nice little grassy area opposite where the ship is docked and there are a few locals sitting around in shade plus two local police people who arrived a few minutes ago riding Segway Machines. They have abandoned these on the pavement and are standing in the shade of the trees. I imagine that it must be tiring standing all day long. The machines look so cute, I wonder if they have sirens and flashing lights, I can’t see any.

 

Well we found the tall cross; it was a little further around the bay. What a lovely place Acapulco is. It is split into the old section where we are moored, and then the Golden Beach area with all the high rise hotels and then next to that is the modern expensive stars homes, Ricky Martin, Stallone, and Bill Gates has the ugliest white car park, well that is what it looks like. Then outside this bay and around the corner towards the divers is the traditional movie star area from the 40’s and 50’s. Wonderful homes perched on cliffs. We saw the divers who were great but the highlight of the afternoon was our boat trip which was a P&O tour arranged with a company called Acarey, there was a comfortable three decked catamaran and we were sat at tables, there was a free bar with beer, wine, water and soft drinks. After we saw the divers they came on board for photo opportunities and tips and then they dove off and were picked up by some friends. Then we were served with an excellent Mexican buffet. It was the best trip that I have ever been on, absolutely wonderful, great staff and the best way to see the divers. One criticism would be that we could have been a little closer to the shore but we had a good view anyway. Unreserved recommendations.

 

When we got back to the ship we needed a nice cup of tea which we had up in the buffet, something was wrong as the temperature in the room was quite high, we still needed the tea but didn’t dwell there. On the way down I called at the pool bar to say goodbye to Xavier who is moving over to Ventura. Largesse was distributed and as usual I left it to him how and if he divides it. I know that he does but it is not my business. I have a couple of other bar staff that I need to say farewell to, they have gone beyond their duty to look after Mrs P and I so they need to go on the dependents list. Nothing major but they always remember when next I see them.

 

We are heading in for dinner soon and as far as I know we will only have 2 other companions as the other 4 have said that they probably won’t come in tonight, that is normally a solid clue. I don’t know what to do after dinner as there is no quiz. I might go to a show, perhaps not. Tomorrow we travel home due to arrive at about noon at Gatwick. I will tell you further once we arrive.

 

Fly cruising may not be for everyone but we will certainly consider it again. The formality of the Cruise Company will certainly feature in our decision as I am not sure that formal mixes that well with flying because of the weight restrictions.

We had memories of Oceana from a short cruise that we did when P&O filled it with anyone who had purchased 5 copies of the Sun or Mirror, these memories were not good. This past cruise has been superb, the ship is excellent, the food has been mostly perfect and we have thoroughly enjoyed our time aboard. I am not sure that we would do the Panama Canal again but if we had to we would. It was interesting but a lock is just a lock although the history and statistics behind the construction are mind boggling. The whole thing was a great concept, well executed.

 

Mrs P is sitting on the balcony looking out over the night sky vista of Acapulco and it is truly stunning. We are in the centre of the vibrant city and we can sense its’ pulse. It is brightly lit and you should put it on your bucket list.

 

As always I am pleased that you read my musings and hope that our paths cross one day.

[rolfecms]

Thank you very much for all your efforts in keeping us informed every day of your cruise. It sounds like you enjoyed your trip as much as we did! Look forward to your next travelogue aboard the QV in May. Have a safe journey back to home/reality - and best regards to Mrs. P.

[Somerset Cruiser]

Your musings have been looked forward to and enjoyed very much, as we were on E003 this was almost an extension to our holiday.

 

Have a safe trip Cap'n.