Passing through the Panama Canal - a Passporter's Tale **Updated 8/21** About This Page:

[ilovedisney247]

Sounds like you girls are having a blast!

[mcc0313]

Sounds like you are having a wonderful, fulfilling trip...can't wait to hear more.

[Grammy Grumpy]

Sounds outstanding!! Keep posting when you have a minute or two!

[chezp]

Sounds like you're enjoying your time at sea.

[Tink and co.]

Thanks for the updates. Sounds like you're having a wonderful time.

[disneyfan4994]

Sounds like you are having a great trip! Can't wait to hear about Aruba.

[Belle*]

So glad you guys are having a great time!! My boss is on the cruise with Deb (Hi Beci! ) and it sounds like a fabulous trip. Glad you and Lesley are enjoying it! I can't wait to hear about the Zipline tour as that is on my personal "to do" list as well.

[DrDolphin]

We pulled out of Aruba last night at 6pm headed due west for the Canal. We supposedly arrive in Colon tonight around 11pm and drop anchor until the morning - I think we enter the locks about 8am - and I plan to be up and on deck to see it. The morning workout will have to wait!! It will take us about 8 hours to transit the complete canal.

This morning I was up earlier than usual - since we set our clocks back 1 hour - we are now on central time (hey all you central folks) - this will last until we leave the canal (I think). But as a result - the sun was up at 515am and I was awake at 615. I headed up to the gym for 50 minutes of cardio - 35 elliptical and 15 treadmill. Lesley is at her villa spa time this morning - so I am solo. I decided to take a bit of offline time, write this - send it, download photos from the camera, shower, breakfast, etc, etc.

Yesterday was a great day in Aruba. I started with my excursion - I thought it was just kayaking... nope. It was snorkeling and kayaking... and of course - my personal mask and snorkel were back in my room, under my bed. Oh well - I used the ones they provided. The guides were telling everyone how beautiful the reef was - but I saw a former elkhorn and staghorn forest now rubble covered in fire coral (sometimes a little knowledge is a bad thing - I kept this info to myself). Then we snorkeled over the top of the break into about 40+ feet of water where there were large (very large by Florida standards) boulder corals and then we went out to the drop off (everyone remember the drop-off from Finding Nemo?) where the volcano drops to 200 feet on the way to 900 feet before climbing back up to Venezuela.I saw squid mating, some long spined black sea urchins as well as the group played with a brittle star. After snorkeling - we headed back to the beach/mangrove park and got our open top sea kayaks and set off for a 2 mile kayak - luckily it was one way with the wind to our backs. Aruba has a constant easterly wind - so it would have been hard to go another way. We did a point to point kayak trip - and learned a bit about the island. It was a wonderful morning.

I came back to the ship, showered, changed and decided to head out into port for a bit to take some photos and maybe get some lunch. I ran into another PP - LaurieP - who was also shopping and tagged along with her. I ended up getting gifts for some folks - and grabbed lunch at Iguana Joes (ok not exactly local - but it worked). We came back to the ship about 3pm and I opted for pool and Rainforest time and was up on deck at 6pm when we sailed away from Aruba. I think I could handle a return visit to Aruba. It is a beautiful location. Arid and desert-esque - not what you expect from a tropical Island.

Dinner last night was tropical themed - followed by a tropical deck party - most of which I opted out of - I wasn't feeling all that hot. I did do the limbo at dinner - and there is the required goofy picture (thanks to our assistant server Gabriella) that I usually manage to avoid by being behind the camera... oh well - it's on my camera and I don't know if it will EVER be posted.

Plans for today -
Gym - check
shower, breakfast
11am - second half of a talk about the Panama Canal by a former PC pilot (and USACE dredge captain - who knew?)
12 - "The Art of Entertaining" -table service

After that - lunch and who knows what..... haven't gotten that far yet.

Ok - that's it for now - I am going to log on - send this, download email and get right off (saving those expensive internet minutes).

[Colexis Mom]

Glad you had a great time in Aruba Terri! Have fun going thru the locks

[alismom]

sounds like your having fun, so jealous.

[RobDVC]

That was an awesome day in Aruba snorkeling, kayaking and shopping!
I'd love to see that goofy picture.
Have a great time traversing the Panama Canal tomorrow.

[DyanKJ130]

Sounds like so much fun!!

[lexiemom]

Welcome to our central time zone.

Sounds like you are having a great time!

[wheatenwalker]

Sounds great and I cant wait to see the pictures ( goofy or not)

[NanaTink]

Wow, what a wonderful day! I was looking at that kayak/snorkel trip but have never been in a kayak before.
I hope the picture sees the light of day, or at least the light of the Passporter's forum!
More please! I can't wait to hear all about the canal passage! Thanks for sharing!