Coast to Coast by sea-Panama Canal cruise Feb 2013- TR Complete 3/14/13 - Page 7 - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
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That's an interesting tour. Can you tell which country really has the best coffee ?
How nice to tour a place that hasn't been altered too much by the cruise industry.
I would like to take this cruise! Sound like a perfect combo of relaxation and adventure for me.
Puntarenas sounds like Roatan the first time I visited about 10 yrs ago. There were no resorts, the main road thru town was so narrow the van we were in had to go up on the sidewalk when passing a bus. It was very beautiful!
Sea Days Feb 16-18
Sat the 16th
Up for my morning omelet and fruit.
At 10 Listened to lecture on “The 49ers Gold Rush changed the World”
Lunch was brisket and salad
Afternoon was spend doing laundry, enjoying the hot tub and increasing the tan level J
Dinner was gazpacho, salad, pork loin and vegetables and a coffee sugar free mouse.
Tonight’s entertainment was a return of Al Katz (comedian) or a ventriloquist. I chose Al Katz, again.
MUTS today was Maverick (afternoon) U2 Vertigo, The Devil Wears Prada.
TV Movies were John Carter; Safe House; Footloose (2011) , Sabrina; Dr Seuss The Lorax; The Pirates!Band of misfits.
The real entertainment was to come. About 4pm the Captain came on the public address system and announced we would be approaching and crossing the Gulf of Techuantepec and because of weather forecasts we would alter course and sail along the coast line instead of going across the Gulf directly. Most eastern Pacific hurricanes originate in this gulf. Cooler drier air from North America causes a gale force wind known as the Tehuano. It blows out over the Gulf causing an upwelling of cooler waters. The air is denser than the normal tropical air mass that is usually present, thus a strong pressure gradient is established which further induces the wind. In addition the wind is further accelerated by funneling from the Caribbean through the Chivela pass. What does that all mean? Despite maneuvering to reduce its effect, in the morning we were informed that the night before we had 8-15 foot seas and winds of 100 MPH across the ship during the night. A true E-TICKET ride. (actually I loved it, it made feel like I was really at sea and the stabilizers absorbed most of the motion. I do not get seasick, but some did
Here is a photo of the chart that showed our course change. Black is the intended course and red is what we actually did.
Sunday the 16th.
When we woke up we were in 2 ft seas and back to normal. Usual breakfast, and time to enjoy another sea day. A post breakfast lecture on Cabo San Lucas was followed by the hot tub and more tanning time.
Lunch was roast pork and salad. Went to the Universal lounge and enjoyed a musical seminar on “The Words; The Stories: The Music” music from broadway shows. This was followed by another scholarship at sea lecture, this time on the trans continental railroad.
Dinner was Red Bean Soup; salad; Italian pot roast (braised in Italian wine) and tiramisu
Tonights entertainment was the vocal impressions of Sean O’Shea or Country Western trivia and country & western night.
MUTS today was The Sting (afternoon) George Michael Live in London; Pitch Perfect.
TV Movies today were Here comes the Boom; Rock of Ages; The Proposal; The Vow; The Adventures of Tin Tin; We Bought a Zoo (The TV movies were starting to repeat) In addition there was a special movie on the Princess Channel of Deep Sea Detectives: Blackbeard’s Mystery Ship.
Monday the 18th
Breakfast was a vegetarian omelet, bangers and cream cheese Danish. Scholarship at sea was: Taming the West: Cowboys, Indians, Outlaws and Gunfighters.
Then I attended a lecture on current day Navigation at sea by one of the ships staff captains.
Lunch was Tacos and Enchiladas
At 2:00, I donated money to the “On Deck for the Cure” breast cancer walk, got my t shirt and DID walk all 5k (8.75 laps around the ship). At least on this ship the walk was all level (the grand class have about 15% of the walk on another deck (up and down L) . Fruit, juice and water was offered at the end of the walk (took about an hour.) and then Watched Gentlemen Prefer Blonds on MUTS.
Tried to win a bottle of champagne (bottles were arranged like bowling pins, and if you put your ring over the bottle, you won it (yes there were 10 just like bowling). Amazingly no male could get the ring on the bottle, and all 10 were won by women.
Dinner tonight was…..oops I forgot to write that one again :sad: Other than the main dish was pheasant (which was tough as nails) which is probably why I forgot it.
Tonight’s entertainment was The ventriloquist or “On the Bayou” in the Universe lounge. On the Bayou is the best production show I have seen on Princess.
MUTS today was Gentlemen Prefer Blonds (afternoon) Bon Jovi-Live in Chicago; Total Recall 2012; and Premium Rush
TV Movies today were Friends with Kids; The Avengers; Like Crazy; Plots with a View; Frankenweenie; and Rio
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Oh my goodness, that weather would not have been good for me at all!
I went through a typhoon in the Navy (no stabilizers like todays passenger ships-45 degree rolls to each side as well as seas splashing over the top of the bridge) so this was a piece of cake,
Cabo San Lucas
Last port
Had a super early get up as I had to be in the tour assembly area at 6:30 am for transport ashore by tender. The good news is that unlike Nicaragua where one tender was used, we had 4 in service, two at the ship and two in town.
Booked a 0730 whale watching by zodiac (pre cruise price was $65)
Aboard and on our way (photos and videos will be used)
The ship is in the distance
We first went to the southern point of baja California for a view
Then we went south about 10 miles (we were a convoy of 3 zodiacs) until a mother and child were spotted.
We fell in behind them and basically followed them all the way back to the ship. We had to keep about 100 yards away due to whale protection law, so the pictures are never close.
First good picture
Sail away was about 2:15 after the tenders were reloaded.
Tonight was the last formal night #3. (which also was the third no smoking night in the casino)
Dinner was mushroom soup; boston lettuce salad; strawberry thyme sorbet palate cleanser; Orange roughy with spinach and a trio of desserts (raspberry panna cotta; a galatin opera (cookie) and honey hazelnut semifereddo.
The entertainment options were the theater production Dance or a second show by Sean O’Shea (comedy/singing impressions). I chose the latter.
MUTS today was Moonrise Kingdom (afternoon) Beyonce-Live from Wembly; The Bourne Legacy
TV Movies included a special travelogue on Southern Mexico; People Like Us; Ruby Sparks; It Could Happen to you; What to Expect when you are Expecting: Big Miracle and Paranorman.
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Mary - not enough trips!
or a ventriloquist. I chose Al Katz, again.
(actually I loved it, it made feel like I was really at sea and the stabilizers absorbed most of the motion. I do not get seasick, but some did 
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