TIME FOR A CRUISE - Part 5 - Final

Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday April 12, 13, 14 

I'm writing this on Thursday and the last few days are kind of a blur. As we head north back to Fort Lauderdale, Cuba is off our starboard side, the sun glistening off the azure blue water with the tropical air is mesmerizing. We will miss it when we get home tomorrow afternoon. A few highlights. 

Our neighbours John and Pat in room 1626 have become good friends. For our one day stay in Grand Cayman John had pre-booked a cabana for four at The Royal Palm on Seven Mile Beach and they graciously asked us to join them. What a wonderful treat this was. The Royal Palm has cruisers beach needs all figured out. After disembarking Equinox on tenders (along with four cruise ships) we got a ride in a mid sized van to the Royal Palm. John flashed his receipt and we were walked onto a gorgeous beach to our cabana for the day. It was complete with a table, four chairs, four loungers all under a hard roofed cabana with a bamboo wall at the back and two side curtains. We could sit in the sun or shade, order refreshments and food from a very attentive staff and walk 30 yards across white, white sand to swim in the clearest, most beautiful water. We read, talked, laughed, ate, drank, sent/received emails on complimentary wifi and just had the best time. A short van ride brought us back to the ship by 3:00pm and our six hour visit to Grand Cayman was over but not forgotten. 

A highlight of today was a talk put on by a passenger known as Dr. Dave, on whales. This man has spent a lot of time learning about whales and joining an exclusive Eco tour that allows small groups to learn about and snorkel with whales in an area 100 miles north of Dominica Republic where whales gather for calving and nursing their young before the 3500 mile track back to the cold North Atlantic waters to feed. Dr Dave presented wonderful video and still photos of humpback whales and told many stories and facts about these magnificent animals. 

Reflecting back on the past ten days and our first experience with Celebrity Cruise Lines, we found the experience to be first rate.

-the staff were all very well trained, friendly and each and every one we experienced did a great job

-the food quality was the best of any we'd experienced of any of our previous 12 cruises

-the on board entertainment was also, far and away the best we've ever experienced. You truly felt you'd be missing out on something great if you didn't attend. 

-as is usual, we met great people aboard Equinox and had a really good time with them

-they have children's programs aboard Equinox and the kids we met seemed to be having a good time. But clearly, children are not the main emphasis for Celebrity.

We can highly recommend Celebrity and I am sure when we next feel like going on a cruise, Celebrity will be our first choice.

How's this lobster tail for "quality food"!!


Great beach on Grand Cayman 


Grand Cayman beach day with friends John and Pat, who invited
us to share the cabana they booked


Celebrity Equinox sits proudly at anchor

TIME FOR A CRUISE - Part 4

Saturday April 9th

Overnight, Equinox covered the 190 nautical miles from Costa Rica to Colon, Panama. What an interesting port to arrive in. It was abundantly clear why this place exists - the Panama Canal. We were greeted by fifty or more ocean going ships, all anchored out and waiting for their turn to take the short cut and transit the canal to the Pacific Ocean. This is a very busy port. The Panama Canal accommodates ships travelling both directions, 24 hours per day, 365 days per year. There is no down time at all. 

There are currently two sets of locks, side by side, putting ships through as fast as they can. As these locks were build a long time ago and ships have grown considerably larger, Panama is also nearing completion of a third set of locks to accommodate much larger ships. In late June of this year, the third canal will open and be inaugurated in front of dignitaries from around the world. 

Once again we decided to try our luck using a local, on the pier tour guide to take a small group of us around. We found Alex and along with 9 others headed off to see the Gatun Locks, the "expansion construction" of the the third set of locks and Fort San Lorenzo. 

For boaters who have transited locks, the Panama Canal is a somewhat different process. There are railway tracks on either side of the locks with electric train engines called "donkeys". There are three of these donkeys on each side of a ship. Each donkey has two very heavy cables attached to bollards on the ship. The donkey operators keep their cables tight the whole time so as to keep the ship centred in the lock. The ship moves forward through the lock using its own power, but the donkeys and cables keep,the ship,centred and presumably keep the walls gates of the locks from getting damaged. As the ship moves from one lock to the next (the locks are grouped in flights), the donkeys go up a cog rail system to climb the approximate 35 degree incline to move from one lock to the next. 

Our peek at the new set of locks under construction, revealed an immense structure that will surely get decent tv coverage in years to come and prominent exposure with the cruise lines as their bigger ships will be able to take this passage. 

To get to Fort San Lorenzo, an over 400 year old Spanish ruins that is a UNESCO World Heritage site, we had to drive through the former US Army Base at Fort Sherman and its jungle training base. It certainly was a jungle, rain forest area with extremely dense tropical vegetation. On queue, it rained for us as we drove up to the Fort San Lorenzo ruins. It is fair to say Panama does not spend any of the $5 PP entrance fee money to maintain this site. Even the wooden slats on the bridges crossing the ancient moats to the Fort were dangerously weathered and deteriorated with every forth one cracked or broken. The sun was out again and when combined with the humidity from the rain made for sky high temperatures. We survived the walk around and welcomed the moderate AC in our van for the trek back. 

Our outing included a winding drive through the port city of Colon where we concluded all the big money in Panama must be in Panama City. Colon appeared to us to be very poor and run down. However, one must always remember that world travel includes seeing all dimensions of the lives of fellow citizens of the world and not judge them - just enjoy the experience and spend some money while we are there. 

Overnight, we headed northwest 268 nautical miles to Cartagena, Columbia into a reported 25 knot NE wind. We can report the waves were suitably large and our balcony was covered with salty mist in the morning, but the motion and ride of the ship was very comfortable. 

Ship enters lock. One of 4 electric "Donkeys" has
cables attached to the ship to keep it centred in
the lock.

Another Donkey guides the ship safely into the lock.

One of the new, larger locks being built


Fort San Lorenzo


Fort San Lorenzo

Sunday & Monday April 10th & 11th

It is noticeably hotter and more humid on Cartagena where there is a year round average daily high temp of about 33 degrees C. While docking, Equinox is flanked by two of he most sophisticated tugs we've ever seen. They look brand new. Twin engine. Joy stick controlled with pod drives and thrusters, these tugs could crab along sideways keeping their bow pointed at the side of Equinox, ready to push/assist at a moments notice. There were no deck hands visible (they were probably in the bridge) and all the work appeared to be done by the Captain.  Very cool!

After docking, we disembarked with neighbours John and Pat Raymer and walked to the ships terminal to explore what was there before heading into town. The terminal was a lovely little sanctuary with lots of trees, shade and all kinds of birds including flamingoes, peacocks, parrots, plus iguanas and more. We split the $20 cab for the three mile run to the old walled city. What a treat we had. When we think of Columbia, we think drug trade, cartels guns and violence. For Cartagena at least, this view is way out of date. The old city is charming with its stone walled perimeter and its wonderful, old Spanish architecture, so very colourful and beautifully maintained. Contrasting the old city is the new with mega high rises on a low lying peninsula (a la Miami Beach). 

In the heat of the day we wandered around past the Palace of Inquisition, The Clock Tower, La Catedral, San Pedro Claver etc. When the heat and humidity got too much, we stopped at The Clock Pub for ice cold beer and Margaritas in air conditioning to cool down and relax while taking advantage of free wifi to get/send emails. A half block of walking afterwards convinced the four of us it was time to return to the ship to cool down. 

We had a quiet afternoon relaxing on board. In the evening, we were treated to the piano playing and singing of Ryan Ahern. At the start of his show, in his own words, he told us he was the illegitimate son of Roseanne Barr and Pavarotti. Could this be true? No idea and no internet access to confirm. Anyway, he certainly has great musical skills. Among a wide range of content, he played a mean boogie woogie style piano with amazing arrangements. Highly entertaining once again and he also had great praise for the house band in Equinox and the performing experience on Celebrity. 

The next day was a relaxing, low key day while the ship stayed in port at Cartagena. The temperature of 33 plus humidity made us not want to venture back into town so we went to see the birds in the ships terminal again, we watched a demo of preparing the perfect steak by the chef of the Tuscan Grill, did the gym and more. 

Cool tug helps us dock in Cartagena.

Walking the old walled town of Cartagena.

Old Cartagena.

Old Cartagena

Enjoying refreshments with John and Pat at The Clock
Pub. Being a tourist in Columbia is hot work!

TIME FOR A CRUISE - Part 3

Thursday April 7th

It is another day at sea. We are on a leg from Cozumel to Puerto Limon, Costa Rica, 782 nautical miles. I don't have a lot to report other than these two items:

We watched an amazing glass blowing demonstration on deck 15 where we gained a whole new appreciation for what is involved in this art form. 

I attended an evening stage performance by James Stephens III. This guy is a stand up comedian, a singer, an actor, a concert pianist and he also happens to have a law degree. He was born into a black family of seven kids on the east coast and when his dad died when James was 7 years old and his mom couldn't afford to keep and raise all seven, James was adopted by a white couple in Portland Oregon. While James had a lot of "black / white" humour in his routine (and other racial stuff too), it became abundantly clear he is deeply appreciative of his adoptive parents and his upbringing and he holds strong convictions on the need for all parents to teach their children tolerance and understanding of all citizens of the world. He got this message through to the audience with his jokes, his singing and piano playing. He is the real deal and well worth seeing. 

Friday April 8th

Puerto Limon, Costa Rica. This is our second day in port. We had looked at Celebrity's shore excursion line up, however, there were only two choices left. The other dozen choices were all sold out. I guess that shouldn't have been a surprise as there is somewhere around 3,000 guests aboard. 

We walked off the ship around 9am thinking we'd see what local tours could be arranged there. It didn't take long. Fifteen minutes later, we and 18 other Equinox passengers were aboard a large van heading off to explore some local, favourite destinations under the expert leadership of our local guide Randy, a very, very proud Costa Rican. First up was a jungle boat trip down the Tortuguero Canal where we saw monkeys, great blue herons, egrets, caymans (reptiles from the alligator family that grow to about 3 feet long) and more. There are apparently sloths and toucans as well, but they didn't show themselves to our boat. 

Next was a visit to a banana plantation. We learned there are about 10 varieties of bananas in Costa Rico, but not all varieties are exported as some ripen too fast to make it to foreign markets. Some interesting facts:

-9 months for bananas to grow and be harvested

-bananas are covered with blue bags while they are growing to prevent the birds from eating them. Apparently birds can't see / distinguish these blue bags for the sky, so they leave them alone

-initially bananas grow with the bananas pointing down. The. Late in the ripening cycle they turn up towards the sun. Mmm. Who knew!

Next stop was at at a roadside fruit stand where Randy arranged for us to sample all the locally grown fruits - pineapple, coconut milk & coconut meat, sugar cane, cocoa bean, two varieties of bananas and more. 

Then, we were off to a local beach and restaurant to get a refreshment and check emails on a free wifi. And finally, on our way back to the ship, we made stops at a pharmacy and a grocery store for folks to pick up stuff they needed. Puerto Limon is certainly not a wealthy part of Costa Rica, but the people are very friendly and helpful and we had a great tour guide in Randy and a great driver named Omar. 

At the Banana Plantation

Sampling all the local fruits, roadside style.

Costa Rican birds nest.

TIME FOR A CRUISE - Part 2

Tuesday April 5th

After a good 9 hour sleep, we were well refreshed and ready for our first full day at sea. The weather was perfect, the temperature was perfect what more could we hope for. Off we went to the Oceanview Cafe for a start up coffee with Gord and Patty. Then we decided on breakfast in the Blu Restaurant. This is a healthy alternatives restaurant that we had access to by staying in an 11th floor Aqua Class cabin. What a treat it was. Yogurt and granola parfait for me, smoothie for Fran followed by an egg and buttermilk pancakes and bacon. All very delectable. 

Fran returned to read on our balcony and I did 30 minutes of speed walking laps around the track on deck 14. Later we attended a seminar by Equinox's expert shopping guide who gave us the inside info on shopping in Cozumel. I had no idea it was such a shopping Mecca with duty free, tax free shopping with an amazing selection of diamonds, designer jewellery, watches, gold and more from around the world. In the diamond market, you are close to the top of the food chain, apparently enjoying unprecedented selection and prices. Then of course there is the VIP card our presenter gives us, providing further discounts. As a non shopper, I almost get caught up in Christina's enthusiasm for the shopping experience offered in Cozumel. Ultimately, I believe what I'm going to enjoy most tomorrow is lunch at Pancho's Backyard and their famous Mexican food and Margaritas. Time will tell. 

Lunch was delicious grilled burger topped with sautéed mushroom, onions and crispy bacon at the Mast Grill on deck 14, followed by bread pudding and vanilla sauce in the Ocean View Cafe. Mmm good! Over eating might become a problem...

Over lunch I noticed the rolling hills of an island about 20 miles off our port side beam and realized we were passing Cuba's northwest shore. My Navionic's chart app on my iPad tells me we are making 14 knots speed. As I write this blog on our balcony, I'm mesmerized by the teal blue ocean, the sound of the ship's wake and the cloudless blue sky. How exquisite!

At 4pm this afternoon I got a text from our Doctor friend Jonathan in Hawaii with terrible news. Our good friend Karen Kitchener who winters at Kai Lani in Ko Olina with her husband Dick, died yesterday while snorkelling. We were in shock, filled with sadness over this tragedy. Only Sunday I'd exchanged messages with Karen, who had written to do say they'd purchased a patio table and chairs, based on our recommendation and she and Dick had been eating all their meals out in the lanai. She had sent the most wonderful sunset photo along too and went on to say she and Dick were taking Ingrid out to dinner that evening. A day later and she is gone. It is another reminder to all of us to live in the moment and enjoy every day, every hour, every minute. Do it for all the Karen's in the world. 

I know I will tire of talking about meals on this cruise, but dinner tonight was special. All my choices were pretty perfect, from the very light and flavourful crab bisque, to the grilled rack of  lamb and small side of braised lamb shoulder wrapped in crispy phyllo pastry and the hot apple crumble with Tahitian vanilla ice cream. It was all great and small portions left me feeling just right. All those food reviews we read on Cruise Critic were right. Thank goodness for people taking time to do reviews - note to self - "Do our reviews of Celebrity when we get home".

Wednesday April 6th

Welcome to Cozumel. It took us about 39 hours to cruise 536 nautical mile from Fort Lauderdale to Cozumel with lovely calm seas and clear skies. After another great breakfast in the Blu restaurant, we were ready to put all that shopping knowledge and a mitt full of coupons to good use. We hitched up with two other couples to share the cost of the short taxi ride into the Forum Shops in central San Miguel on Isle De Cozumel. We were ready. Sales staff were ready fur us. Five cruise ships with around 3,000 passengers each plus crew were all disembarking for a frenzy of activities for the day. Diamonds International, Alberto's Silver, Tanzanite International, Los Cinco Soles, A Touch Of Gold, Effy Jewellery and much much more. The outcome? Numerous free "gifts", several pairs of earrings, a bracelet and a great Mexican lunch at Pancho's Backyard with awesome Margaritas. Fran of course really enjoyed the shopping. Me, I loved the lunch and the free wifi to catch up on a bunch of emails. Good to do once. Next time I'd like to tour this island. 

Tonight, after dinner, we caught our first show on the Equinox. Her name was Jayne Curry, a singer / comedian from a little town in the UK with a name I don't remember and had never heard of. She said the town was a good place to be from (and never return to). Jayne is 39, a little rough around the edges and she's married to a middle of the road professional golfer named Steve Perry. She provided lots of self depreciating humour, such as describing her marriage as perfect, because the two travel so much (she does 30 to 40 cruises per year) and Steve travels to golf tournaments around the globe, so they never see each other. Her humour was actually very clever providing lots of great belly laughs. 

But then there is her singing. Her voice was magnificent and clear. Whitney Houston, Celine Dion, Abba, an array of show tunes from Andrew Lloyd Webber.... She did justice to all their material, while putting her own spin on them. This woman espoused the strategy of being dedicated, working very hard and needing a little luck to reach your dreams. Her dream was to perform for audiences on luxury cruise liners with a live band. She is living her dream and entertaining packed theatres every time. We enjoyed her performance so much we even returned to see a matinee performance with totally new material the next day. 

Master shopper Fran checks out Diamonds International

A waterfront street view in downtown Cozumel


Lounging in Cozumel

TIME FOR A CRUISE

Cruising Aboard Celectity Equinox

Monday April 4, 2016
It was time for a holiday. Since getting home from Hawaii, winter still had a grip on southern Ontario. We had a busy time preparing and holding a large family gathering for Easter, occupational therapist sessions for my right hand which is still recovering from dislocating three fingers, doctor and dentist appointments and more.

The night before flying to Fort Lauderdale to start our 11 day Caribbean cruise, the forecast snow arrived as scheduled and promised a good 6" or more causing us to worry there could be flight delays. If we happened to be delayed more than 3 hours there would be a good chance we'd miss our cruise departure and who knows what we'd do after that.

Not to worry. The plane was there on time. De icing took 30 minutes. The plane was only 30% full, so we had lots space to spread out making for a relaxing start to our adventure. The  pilot easily made that up the 30 minute delay and we arrived on time. We met a couple on the plane, Gord and Patty from Midland, who were booked on the same cruise we were. We shared a cab ride to Port Everglades where we found the immense Equinox moored next to an equally large Royal Caribbean "Empress of the Seas". Check in was the usual necessary evil, but soon we were aboard beginning the
process of getting to know the ship.

3:30 pm brought us the reasonably well organized "emergency procedure" and "evacuation procedure" exercise where all passengers are required to go to their designated muster station. Once completed we were free to really start enjoying our stay aboard Equinox. Shortly after 4pm our ship pulled away from the port. It is always a magical part of the cruising experience to watch the ship being carefully backed out of its slip, seeing the bow and stern thrusters turn the ship in its own
length and point to the open ocean giving three long blasts on an air horn that you can feel vibrating
through your body. How very elegant.

Right behind us, Empress of the Seas performed an identical procedure. Once clear of the entrance channel, the Pilot Boat came along side to pick up the Port Everglades pilot who was responsible for our safe exit from the harbour. Again, another horn blast from the pilot boat and we were off, cruising due south along Florida's east coast at about 15 knots.

After unpacking and showering, we dressed "smart casual" and we were off to dinner at Silk Harvest, an Asian Fusion specialty restaurant, whose upgrade fee was discounted this first night aboard by 30%. There was a light crowd in this intimate location and a great tasting style menu with a good variety of Asian cuisine with a twist. The photos below demonstrate the variety and why we ate more than we should have. What a wonderful treat, while we watched Miami and other ports pass by as the sun sets.

As we'd been up at 3:45am to make our flight, we were now dog tired. I don't think we managed to
stay awake until 9pm. The slight swaying of the ship and vibration of the engines lulled us into a
deep sleep in no time