A Blissful Voyage Through the Panama Canal, 4 – 19 December 2023– Recap

[Panhandle Couple]

Manzanillo that night.

We returned to the ship so my wife could get a nap in with the cold meds.  After that, it was to the Vibe for a sunny afternoon.  Dinner was in La Cucina.  I had the pork scaloppini and my wife had the beef tenderloin.

 

We headed to the atrium to see the happenings, and found out the cruise director Dan Dan, was ready to sing opera.  We are not opera fans, but…WOW.  Dan Dan can really SING!  He performed 3 songs, then 2 with the singer from the duo (Ascensa?) on board.  The 2 more.  The atrium was reverberated with his tenor voice.  Everyone was in awe, the crowd doubled from when he started, as most walking by stopped to listen.   An real unexpected performance that had no prior promotion.

 

 

[Panhandle Couple]

Day 12  Puerto Vallarta MX

 

We docked at PV when the sun was rising, allowing us to see some of the lighted Christmas decorations.

 

 Our excursion was the Jeep Safari and Tequila Tasting.  PV is the one port that the crew likes to visit (relatively close shopping in Walmart, and an enclosed mall next to that) and deal with the locals.  There are covered areas to wait for your excursion that are right on the dock (at least at that dock location) that makes everything easier.  We met a couple (Tim and Kip) in line, and decided to share a Jeep with them.  A quick bus ride to the Walmart parking lot, and we climbed into the 2 door, standard shift Jeeps.  We went single file through town, past the airport, and into the backroads.

 

If you think riding in Mexico through narrow streets and tight traffic is bad, try driving in it yourself!

With a standard shift!

 

On the backroads we went through fields of crops, tomatoes, corn, peppers.  We stopped in a small town to see the small church and get a few views on rural Mexican life from the tour guide.

 

 

We then went to the tequila tasting (Hacienda Dona Engracia) at a touristy facility (there were several tour busses there) for our tasting and a quick small meal.  The tasting was done well, probably the best we have had in Mexico.  We purchased the combo package of flavored tequila (chocolate, almond, peach).  The food was made on site, and not too bad.

 

Then on to the Don Engracio “retreat” in a small valley, that also had tequila tasting (not included in our tour) and purchasing.  This requires driving up and over a good sized hill on a rough road with several switchbacks. We had been there last year on our rural hiking tour, so were familiar with it. 

 

 

 

 

Swimming in the pool was the main thing to do, which we didn’t want to do.  Also the music was loud.  I wandered over to the edge of the property and found a nice view of the river valley.  We watched the lizards and butterflies for the rest of the time there.  It was very relaxing.  

 

 

 

 

Driving out was fun.  It was my turn to drive, and they had us go one at a time up the steep road through the switch backs, with the instructions “hit the gas hard and don’t let up until you are at the top”.  So I dropped it into 1^st gear, and followed instructions.  It wasn’t that bad, although power sliding through the switchbacks got a few remarks from our wives.

 

Driving back to port through town wasn’t fun.  The guide decided to take side streets away from the airport traffic, and I think it took much longer.  By then it was hot and dusty, obviously no air conditioning in the Jeep. Lots of very slow, and stop and go traffic. We wondered about the age of the Jeep, until Tim pointed out it has a factory cassette player installed.  

 

Once back to the terminal, we did some quick shopping, and headed back to the ship, as my wife’s sinuses didn’t like all the dust. 

 

After showering and resting, we ate at Taste.  I had beef chimichurri and my wife has the Hake fish.

Some after dinner drinks and then to bed.

[Panhandle Couple]

Day 13  Mazatlán MX

 

We had a later tour “Hike to the Lighthouse”, so decided to take the shuttle to the port shopping area, for some bargaining with the locals.  My wife bought a gift for her sister, and I couldn’t resist the $5 hat.

We took them back to the ship then headed out for our excursion.  The hat featured the Mazatlán unique vehicle.

 

 

The lighthouse is not too far from the port.  It is on a rocky point, some 600 ft up from sea level.  The site is a city park, and there were many locals also hiking on the Saturday afternoon.   Our guide was good, reasonable English, and provided lots of facts, and point out things like iguanas along the way.  The first 1/3 was a series of switchbacks.  The rest was mainly rock steps, over 300 in all.  We paused along the way for pictures and to catch our breath.

 

 

 

 

At the top there were great views of the harbor and the famous three islands.  Note the white rocks are that way due to bird poop. 

 

 

 

 

Hiking back down was easier, and we headed back to the port.  Once there, we walked to a local brew pub, Tres Isles, which we had visited last year.  We had a few and chatted with a fellow cruising couple who had relatives that lived in the area, and had visited the brew pub many times.   I bought a hat, since I already have shirts from last year.

 

Unfortunately, I felt the head cold that was going around the ship coming on, so I skipped dinner with my wife and Bob and Nickey, took some meds, and went to bed.

Edited January 7 by Panhandle Couple

[Panhandle Couple]

Day 14  Cabo San Lucas MX

 

I woke up with a sore throat, a cough and generally blah feeling.  We canceled our sailing excursion due to that.  I would have melted with long exposure to the sun.  You can get good photos from the ship of the famous arch, although this angle doesn’t quite show it.

 

 

We had morning caffeine with a light breakfast, then tendered into port just to walk around.  It was Sunday morning, and most businesses were just opening, if at all.  We strolled around the harbor, and made our way the Sammy Hagar’s Cabo Wabo, which had just opened.  We had an early drink and appetizer in their courtyard, but didn’t stay long.

 

We then wandered over to watch the sea lions as the local fisherman fed them scraps from their catches.

 

My wife supported the local economy by buying 2 small leather purses and a visor.  I mainly sat in the shade and rested.  We tendered back early to avoid the rush. 

 

(leaving Cabo)

I had a long afternoon nap, and felt a little better after that.  Dinner was at Food Republic, which was very good, and more than enough to eat.  You really can split your credit into two visits and have enough food both times. 

 

(sunset that night)

We got into the early showing of Jersey Boys, hoping to see the other lead singer, but it was the same from the first night.  We still enjoyed the show, as again the singing and band were very good.

 

 

[Panhandle Couple]

Day 15  At Sea

 

I woke feeling much better, and it was much cooler and windier.  We did morning caffeine and walked 2 miles, then a quick buffet breakfast.  We went to the final progressive trivia session, where final scores were revealed.  We had missed the first round, so were out of the running, but finished above 5 or 6 teams that had played all rounds.  Again, Alexis was kidding around with the teams.  Afterwards, I asked if I could supply some questions and answers for future cruises, since she said she was running out of them at one point.  She agreed, and I wrote 10 down and left them for her.  You might be answering some of my questions on future cruises!!

 

I should point out that during the second week, Christmas decorations were added every night in different parts of the ship.  By day 15, they were all installed, including the main display on deck 6. 

 

Afternoon in the Vibe was very windy and chilly.  The guys provided blankets to wrap up in as we had the last “shots at 5” which by now were “shots at 4”.  Everyone there agreed it was a excellent cruise overall.

 

Dinner was in The Q, while listening to the country band.  We had wandered in earlier in the cruise to listen to them.  The main singer, guitar player was very good, maybe one of the better musicians on board, since he covered so many different songs.  This night they were playing bluegrass songs.

The food was OK, and very large portions.  I had the sampler platter and we could have just shared that. 

[Panhandle Couple]

Day 16  Disembarkation

 

OK, not so good.  Due to large luggage, we didn’t walk off, but did the std color and time approach.

As noted in other threads earlier this year, US customs doesn’t care about speed in the port of LA.  They supported 3,700 people getting off (and over 1,000 w/o US passports) with 6 agents.  Visual scanning was not offered.  It took 10 minutes to get off the ship, over 80 minutes to get through customs.  When we got to front of the line, the head agent started asking for US passports only.  Most around us had foreign ones, so we quickly stepped up.  He took one glance at our passports and let us through. 

 

As we were trying to get an Uber with the app, a minivan pulls up with the driver saying “Uber ready!  Uber!”  His van had Uber signs and he was holding up his phone with the Uber app open.

Most on line Ubers wanted $80 to LAX (and 15 minute wait).  We quickly agreed to $70, he loaded us up, then started hawking for more customers.  He found a German couple, and we both ended up paying him $60 for each couple.

The driver may work for Uber at times, but he wasn’t just then.  We paid cash, not thru the app.

 

Arriving at LAX, traffic was as bad as I thought it would be.  A good 15 minutes to drop off the other couple in terminal 2, then get us over to terminal 5.   Checking in, we found that my TSA pre-check had expired, so I had to wait in the long line.  My wife eventually joined me vs staying in pre check.  We noted that small airports in Florida have the latest TSA scanning equipment, while LAX has the 15 year old stuff.

 

Once through the line, we found a place to grab some food, only to find out there was a gas leak last night, there is no hot food.  We settled for pre-made Caesar salads, then got a 20% up charge for being allowed to sit in the bar area to eat it.   We were surrounded by 30-somethings; three guys with computers out, cell phones on, acting like it was their private office, and 2 women comparing their crappy life relationships.  Welcome to LA.

 

The actual flights home (connection thru DFW) were without incident, and we finally got home just at midnight.

     

[lax19]

1 hour ago, Panhandle Couple said:

 

 

The lighthouse is not too far from the port.  It is on a rocky point, some 600 ft up from sea level.  The site is a city park, and there were many locals also hiking on the Saturday afternoon.   Our guide was good, reasonable English, and provided lots of facts, and point out things like iguanas along the way. 

My favorite sign from the hike to the lighthouse:

 

 

[Panhandle Couple]

9 hours ago, lax19 said:

My favorite sign from the hike to the lighthouse:

 

 

 

We are thankful everyone obeyed the sign.

 

[Panhandle Couple]

20 hours ago, Turtles06 said:

So glad you enjoyed your cruise! Thank you for taking the time to post your detailed review and photos.  We’ve done four full transits of the Canal, and our first was from Miami to LA (on the NCL Jewel), so I’m particularly enjoying “revisiting” that route. 
 

 

The Panamanian authorities provide an on-board “narrator” for the transit.  Some are more interesting than others. I’m sorry yours was dull.  

 

Looking forward to reading about the rest of your cruise to LA. 
 

 

 

The dullness may have been due to the amount of cruisers who have limited English.  The Captain's announcements were always followed up with German version (the cruise next director was German) but no German narration for the canal narration.  

[wncretired]

Thank you very much for your interesting and informative recap of this cruise. DW and I are doing the 21 day PC cruise from Miami to Seattle in April, 2024, on the Encore. Can’t wait!! 😎🍹🍷

[Panhandle Couple]

25 minutes ago, wncretired said:

Thank you very much for your interesting and informative recap of this cruise. DW and I are doing the 21 day PC cruise from Miami to Seattle in April, 2024, on the Encore. Can’t wait!! 😎🍹🍷

Your welcome.

Hope you have a great cruise.

 

Any questions, just ask in this thread.

[nhtravels]

Thanks for sharing!  We sailed the Panama Canal (Miami to LA) on the Bliss in 2022.  It is still our favorite cruise and I can't wait to do a full transit crossing again soon.  

[taylortime05]

On 1/5/2024 at 4:49 PM, pete_coach said:

Thanks for the review.

We are doing the opposite, LA to Miami in a week. Cannot wait.

How's the weather been so far?  We’re thinking about doing the Dec 2024 LA to Miami on the Bliss but I really like warm weather. 

[Panhandle Couple]

6 hours ago, taylortime05 said:

How's the weather been so far?  We’re thinking about doing the Dec 2024 LA to Miami on the Bliss but I really like warm weather. 

Only between Cabo and LA was the weather cool. but not cold.

 

You will be traveling to 7 degrees from the equator.  It is always warm/hot there.  December is the "dry" season, it only rains 3 days a week vs 6 days a week for the wet season.  We only had brief rain on one sea day, which is probably less than expected for 15 days. 

[Panhandle Couple]

Some EOC's (Errors, Omissions, Clarification)

 

Errors.

Nicky or Nickey is correctly spelled Nicki.  Sorry Nicki.

 

Of course the Beatles group only had 4 members, not 5.  Missed that on the numerous proof reads.

 

Omissions.

We did the Latitudes free wine tasting on day 7.  The "4 corners" with 2 wines each from US, France, Australia/New Zealand, Chile/Argentina.  Most we were familiar with.  Lightly attended, so the pours were generous the 2nd time around.

 

My wife did have a blurry picture of a chicken bus.  They are called that because (in the past) the locals would use public busses to move livestock around with them.  

 

Clarification.

The airline agent tried to get my TSA pre-check onto my boarding pass several times.  In doing so she removed my wife's by mistake.  My wife joined me in the regular check line because of this. 

 

 

 

Edited January 16 by Panhandle Couple

[mexicobob]

Excellent review. Well written with great photos. Really enjoyed it. Hope to cruise with you, or people like you, in the future.

[Panhandle Couple]

2 minutes ago, mexicobob said:

Excellent review. Well written with great photos. Really enjoyed it. Hope to cruise with you, or people like you, in the future.

POA in March

Escape in Mediterranean in May

Viva TA in Dec.

 

Hopefully a return to Alaska in 2025. 

[lakelander1959]

On 1/6/2024 at 1:13 PM, Panhandle Couple said:

We did our caffeine, croissants, and then 8 laps.

Love your review.  I like my morning walks or jogs as well.  Hate treadmills.  When you say 8 laps, is that on the track or around the perimeter of a deck?

[Panhandle Couple]

8 minutes ago, lakelander1959 said:

Love your review.  I like my morning walks or jogs as well.  Hate treadmills.  When you say 8 laps, is that on the track or around the perimeter of a deck?

That is on deck 8. You have to go through the forward doors to make a lap. Some will simply reverse direction at the doors and keep outside the whole time.

[WhiteOptima]

And another…the next day Bob and Nicky did one of the train tours, and he was their tour guide on that as well.  They got a double dose of boring.

 

I was looking at the train ride and wondering if it was worth it.  Did they have any thoughts other than the guide?

[WhiteOptima]

On 1/15/2024 at 2:56 PM, taylortime05 said:

How's the weather been so far?  We’re thinking about doing the Dec 2024 LA to Miami on the Bliss but I really like warm weather. 

Booked this one a month ago!

 

[Panhandle Couple]

5 hours ago, WhiteOptima said:

And another…the next day Bob and Nicky did one of the train tours, and he was their tour guide on that as well.  They got a double dose of boring.

 

I was looking at the train ride and wondering if it was worth it.  Did they have any thoughts other than the guide?

If you haven't looked, there are many excursion discussions on the PC page here on CC. Also look at Trip Advisor for Panama City, Panama.  Many more reviews there, along with the other

ports.  Most are similar, or really the same as the NCL offerings.

 

Our friends liked the excursion, minus the boring narration.

But it might all depend on if you are a railroad fan, if you want to see more of the canal (and get more history) or see the city.  

 

 

 

[WhiteOptima]

Just now, Panhandle Couple said:

If you haven't looked, there are many excursion discussions on the PC page here on CC. Also look at Trip Advisor for Panama City, Panama.  Many more reviews there, along with the other

ports.  Most are similar, or really the same as the NCL offerings.

 

Our friends liked the excursion, minus the boring narration.

But it might all depend on if you are a railroad fan, if you want to see more of the canal (and get more history) or see the city.  

 

 

 

Thanks!  My DH is a railroad fan and all about the canal.

[Panhandle Couple]

2 minutes ago, WhiteOptima said:

Thanks!  My DH is a railroad fan and all about the canal.

Check out Panama canal videos on U-tube.  There is one from the PBS show "The American Experience" which is very good, and has many photos and comments about the railroad importance during the construction. It is also a very good overall program on the building of the canal.