🎵Panama! 🎵 Vision of the Seas Oct. 30, 2019

[twangster]

1 hour ago, Crism said:

 

Fantastic! On Empress now and she's looking just as good as your previous reviews! We're swapping with you and taking Vision on almost same itinerary from San Pedro when she gets back in December. I even booked the QM2 this morning!

 

Any special Vision tips or bartenders to visit for D+ other than those mentioned previously? I'm expecting to be barred from the CL 😭 but looking forward to having the entire aft lounge for D/D+!

 

No special tips for Vision.  Not sure if the super slow CBP process is typical for San Pedro so don't be in a rush there.

 

The full 'Some Enchanted Evening Lounge' for D happy hour works well.  They have someone looking at cards to enter during happy hour and they are turning people away who try to crash the event.  Marcos the bartender at the bar in the lounge is leaving for vacation after this cruise and he has been great, but there are plenty of servers wandering around as well during happy hour.  Nightly happy hour snacks vary night to night.  Last night was chicken wings that almost became dinner for me.

 

Can't really find anything to complain about on Vision.  The casino is a bit smokey so I'm avoiding it (and saving money) but I find that on most ships these days.

[twangster]

Day 8 - Sea Day

 

Ugh.  The cruise is half over!

 

Our progress as we sail off the coast of Nicaragua... 

 

 

Pretty great weather so far as we do some bird watching on this sea day.

 

 

It's pretty amazing to see them fishing.  They dive completely underwater to pursue a fish. 

 

 

When one of them catches one it's like a 2 for $20 t-shirt sale on the promenade.  

 

[Hoopster95]

I am totally guessing you're already planning for this, however I'll ask just in case 😉 ....

 

If you can, please post some time lapse video when you're going through the canal.

Me thinks you're going to be a busy man that day keeping all your equipment charged! 

[twangster]

24 minutes ago, Hoopster95 said:

I am totally guessing you're already planning for this, however I'll ask just in case 😉 ....

 

If you can, please post some time lapse video when you're going through the canal.

Me thinks you're going to be a busy man that day keeping all your equipment charged! 

May be weather dependent as well.  Vision doesn’t have the best sight lines for the canal.  I’m eyeing another Panama Canal cruise, just not sure ship or sail date.  (or cruise line).  
 

I might go big next time through the new locks on a much bigger ship.  

[twangster]

Day 8 - Sunset

 

Tonight's sunset from the Some Enchanted Evening Lounge during Diamond Happy Hour.

 

[twangster]

Day 9 - Puntarenas, Costa Rica 

 

This area has a tidal approach that required we enter at high tide so at 3:30am the bow thrusters woke me up.  

 

 

 

 

 

Finally the sun broke the horizon and day began.

 

 

This area was dark when I first went top side so I started to see why this area is called Puntarenas or point of sand.

 

 

The pier is halfway down the point and in the early dawn light I could tell this area looked spectacular.

 

 

Lots of these guys checking us out.  They have a pretty large wing span and that beak looks like it means business.

 

[twangster]

Forgot to mention this the other day...

 

One of the side effects of cruising often close together is that the Crystal Block providers don't always keep up with you.  Even though I technically earned a block on a recent cruise on another ship because the points take so long to post, sometimes that can work in your favor.  And so it is that I found this in my cabin:

 

[Mrs.Dukes]

Enjoying your fabulous trip report. Beautiful pictures, thanks for sharing them with us.

[suesnake2002]

So I got a question on your block. I will have 141 points at the completion of my 11 night cruise in 2021 on Vision. 

Does that mean I won't recieve a block unless I take another cruise??

[Clarea]

26 minutes ago, suesnake2002 said:

So I got a question on your block. I will have 141 points at the completion of my 11 night cruise in 2021 on Vision. 

Does that mean I won't recieve a block unless I take another cruise??

 

You should receive the block on your Vision cruise.  Touch base with the Loyalty Ambassadr early in the cruise to confirm.

[HBE4]

On 11/6/2019 at 12:37 PM, TRUEBLUE66 said:

Following your trip with great interest as this cruise had never been on our bucket list. Thanks to your fantastic photo's and explanation could be a future trip! Thanks.

 

Same here.

 

Often after reading a Twangter review, I find myself wanting to follow in his footsteps.

[twangster]

Today's excursion in Costa Rica is "Pacific Train, Boat and Bus Adventure" booked through Royal.

 

We start by boarding an ultra modern motorcoach for a 25 minute ride to a train.  This Sandy Point area back in the days contained a cargo terminal to handle the growing coffee trade that Costa Rica was becoming known for.  Completed in 1914 trains carried the coffee to the port.  Today much of track is no longer used or serviceable but we ride the train along section of the old tracks that once was used to transport coffee to awaiting ships.

 

 

Along the way we spot a monkey in the tree. 

 

 

The motorcoach pulls up very close to the stairs of the train so it's a quick transfer from bus to train.

 

 

Soon we start down the old tracks.

 

 

 

 

Along the tracks are shanties put together with whatever materials people can find.

 

 

As we pass through some mangroves a termite mound is spotted.

 

 

The people are very friendly waving as we pass by.

 

 

 

 

An opportunity to try a local beer, Imperial.  La Cerveza de Costa Rica. $3.

 

 

 

 

More friendly people waving to us.

 

 

 

The train cars were refinished in original materials when they started using the railroad for passengers.

 

 

 

 

Forty five minutes later we've gone roughly 5 miles and it's time to re-board the bus for the next adventure.

 

 

They pull the bus right up so we never touch the ground.  Maybe because it's still rainy season they do this to avoid tracking dirt and mud into their coach, I'm not really sure but it makes for an easy transfer. 

 

 

As we drive off to our next stop we pass the train reversing back towards it's starting point.

 

 

 

 

While not fast moving the train is a nice way to see some of the countryside we otherwise would have never seen.

Edited November 8, 2019 by twangster

[goldfish65]

Wow that is a neat tour, passenger rail travel was coast to coast until I believe 1991 when it was badly damaged by an earthquake, very cool that you got a taste of the experience. Cargo also traveled by rail but sadly the tracks need so much work and they have been vandalized too so everything goes by trucks on the overburdened roads.

[twangster]

During our drive over to the boat ride that comes next our guide tells us many facts of Costa Rica.  This includes the fact that Costa Rica has the highest density of biodiversity of anywhere.  It's unique position bridging North and South America combined with it's numerous climatic regions has created different areas that can support a wide variety of species.  

 

As we approach our destination our driver tells us to get our cameras ready.  As we cross over a river we spot several Crocodiles on the banks of the river below.

 

 

 

 

 

We're going on a Crocodile Boat Tour.

[twangster]

The Crocodile Tour base area has several restrooms for the hundreds of guests coming and going on motorcoaches just like ours.  

 

The grounds are nicely kept and the path to the boats is quite nice.

 

 

 

An Iguana sunning nearly oblivious to the dozens of guests walking past. 

 

 

Our boat tour will take place on the Tárcoles River.  There are different types of boats used by different tour operators in this section of the river, this was the type of boats we'll use today.

 

 

With three boats loading we are directed as groups based on the motorcoach we arrived on.

 

 

It doesn't take long to spot our first Croc.

 

 

 

The view upstream.

 

 

Local operators offer birding tours as well as crocodile tours.  There are dozens of species we'll see today and I could easily turn this from a crocodile tour into a birding tour.

 

[twangster]

We were given a handout with different species of birds that we could use to identify them.  We quickly started running through them like bingo. 

 

A Tricolored Heron, a Snowy Egret...

 

 

A juvenile Great Blue Heron...

 

 

Iguanas...

 

 

Crocodile on the left bank...

 

 

Another Tricolored Heron (I think)...

 

 

Another Croc swimming away from us...

 

 

A pair of Snowy Egrets flying around us...

 

 

 

I could go on and on.  In fact I had to ignore dozens of photos just to keep these posts reasonable.   

[twangster]

We continue upstream.

 

 

The sightings continue.  A crocodile on the right bank...

 

 

A large crocodile on the left sunning itself...

 

 

 

We turn to head back and in a place where we were just a few minutes ago a crocodile has appeared.

 

 

 

 

Continuing back a herd of cattle appear.

 

 

Seeing this I suddenly feel like I am in one of those nature shows where a crocodile bursts out of the water and the cattle run for their lives.  That didn't happen but it sure felt like it could.

 

 

A Willet...

 

 

Great Blue Heron...

 

 

The notes for the excursion stated "Wildlife sightings not guaranteed".  That wasn't an issue today.

Edited November 8, 2019 by twangster

[twangster]

Back to the tour base...

 

 

 

"No swimming" - no problem, I'll gladly comply.

 

 

Our two motorcoaches from the train were gathered to take in a few cultural dances of Costa Rica.

 

 

 

Fresh local fruit was available as well as some free Costa Rica coffee to sample.   

 

 

 

Shopping is also available.  Of course I bought some Costa Rica coffee from a small farm to take home.

 

 

Back on the motorcoach we begin the drive back to the port and cross the river again to see... more crocodiles.  

 

 

[twangster]

Sail away was timed perfectly with the Costa Rica sunset.

 

 

 

 

 

Lots of small boats out tonight.

 

 

 

The flight of the Pelicans.

 

[lisa6191]

Those sunset pics are spectacular! We went to Costa Rica last year (land trip), loved it so much.

[Tree_skier]

Loving this review Twangster. Your pictures are amazing.  I have this cruise on my to do list. Hopefully in 2022 it will come to fruition. 

[di T]

Fabulous review thank you! Brings back happy memories of our Panama Canal cruise a few years ago with Celebrity.

Thinking of doing another in 2021 not sure which cruise line, but those photos are tempting me to get booking! Enjoy 😊 

[twangster]

Day 10 - Sea Day

 

We changed time last night.  We are now on Eastern time.

 

Our progress...

 

 

We've reached the Southernmost point of this cruise. A mere 6° 52.44' North of the Equator or just over 400 nm.  

 

 

Now we're heading due East.

 

 

Once past the lower tip of Panama we'll turn North towards the canal and meet the pilot at 5am.  If all goes well depending on ship traffic we'll be entering the locks of the Panama Canal at 7am.  

[BillB48]

No graphics but we are now heading 050 degrees off the coast of the Azuero peninsula off El Limon which is known as Cape Mala.  N 7deg 12min.  Expecting we will be slowing down soon because of Panama's restrictions for whales... only 10 knots as we approach the Canal.

 

Nice report Twangster, maybe we will meet.

Edit:  Have slow to 10 knots once we reach north of 8 degrees latitude.

Edited November 9, 2019 by BillB48

[PhilNDebbieAtSea]

Wow! Super amazing photos as usual! Thank you so much for sharing!!