Panama Canal Transition
Cruise
We are using our Future Cruise Credit (FCC) from our
cancelled Hawaiian cruise with Holland America (HAL). We will be sailing on the MS Eurodam out of
Ft Lauderdale, FL and ending at Seattle, WA.
This is a 21-Day cruise. It
starts on Saturday, April 13th and ends on Saturday, May 4th. We will be flying Alaska Airlines from SeaTac
to Miami on Friday, April 12th.
We will spend Thursday night at SeaTac and Friday night in Miami. HAL will provide transportation on Saturday
from Miami airport to the pier in Ft Lauderdale. Another shuttle will transfer us when we get
back from the Seattle pier to the hotel so we can fetch our car and drive home.
You have to pre-book shore excursions rather than
wait until you board the ship. So, we
have missed out on a couple of them – we’re on a waiting list. I’ve also pre-booked our dining packages for
our sea days.
#FlatMike usually joins us on our trips. But somehow, he couldn't be found after our move.
Thursday, April 11, 2024
We left late afternoon (4:25) for SeaTac. Stopped in Fife and had dinner at the Poodle
Dog Restaurant. Back on the road at 6:20
for SeaTac. Used the GPS to locate our
hotel. Arrived at the Comfort Inn &
Suites on International Blvd at 6:36. I
expected an enclosed area for the car to be in while we were gone. But that didn’t happen (we ended up with tree
sap and bird crap all over the car).
Fitbit Steps = 4,612 steps
Friday, April 12th, 2024
Alarm went off at 4am as we have to catch the
shuttle to the airport at 5am. Too early
for breakfast at the hotel so will eat at the airport. Arrived at the airport, checked bags, and
went thru Security Checkpoint at 5:40 am (had prescheduled it and that was
fantastic!). Took tram to N Gates. Stopped to grab a bite to eat at Bad Egg near
gate N3. LOWSY SERVICE. Don’t recommend them at all! Although, because they took too long to get
our meal to us, we got it for free.
Boarded our flight on time (7:19am).
They served us breakfast on board about 9am. They also provided snacks – bagged chips and
popcorn. Took several pictures
throughout our flight. We arrived in
Miami at 3:45pm ET. Grabbed our bags and
went to the hotel shuttle area and waited and waited. After 2 hours, we discovered that the hotel
we are booked for (Baymont by Wyndham – Dorcal Miami) did not have shuttle
service (and haven’t for over 2 years!) even though the website said they had
it. Ended up using a taxi – very
expensive! Checked in at 6:45 pm. Ordered pizza from Pizza Hut to be
delivered.
We notified our travel agent of the issues with the
hotel and she is going to follow-up with the company that she uses. I wonder if we’ll get some money back?????
Fitbit steps = 3,692
Saturday, April 13, 2024 – Embarkation
Day
Another early morning (although,
not as early as yesterday). Up at 7 and
had breakfast at 7:30a. Service at the
front desk was not good. Nobody there
for almost 40 minutes. Mentioned the
fact that we were told there would be shuttle service (per our travel agent)
but NO GO. So, we booked a ride with
Lyft. Got back to the airport at
9am. Met up with the reps for the
transfer to Ft Lauderdale pier at about 10a.
Bus pulled out at 11. We arrived
and boarded the ship at noon. Had lunch
at the Lido Market – not bad. Deck
chairs on our balcony are very comfortable.
Lots of plugins. While David
napped, I wandered around on board – participated in the Sail Away party at 3pm. Ran into a former co-worker from DIS! (Jim
Marsh & his wife). Took several
pictures.
We had to do the usual Safety Essentials – visiting
our muster station and watching a video.
Also took care of our internet access (unlimited). We also took care of our restaurant
reservations via the in-room TV.
We had dinner at 5pm (scheduled time slot &
table) at the Dining Room (lower – Deck 2).
Met our table mates – Glynnis & Gloria from Toronto, Chris & Ann
from Tampa, and another set of friends traveling together from Alaska and
another state. We only saw them the
first night. After a few days, Chris
& Ann left our group as well (they wanted to eat “upstairs”). Listened to the band performing in the
Rolling Stone Lounge (located on Deck 2).
Rolling Stone lounge was too cool the entire cruise. Retired to our room at about 9:30. Lots of steps in –10,375.
Sunday, April 14, 2024
– Sea Day
We woke up about 8am. Showered and headed to Lido Market for
breakfast. The Lido is buffet
style. However, most items are dished up
for you – not very many self-serve. Most
of the time, we ended up ordering omelets with toast & bacon from our
favorite section – Razzle did a great job!
We also ate lunch at the Lido as well – most times it was just a freshly
made green salad. Although sometimes we
ate from the other stations.
Today’s activities on board included Bingo (never
won) and David attended a Military Meet-up.
We went to the Photo Shop and checked out the photos from yesterday
(purchased a package). We had some formal portraits taken before dinner as we
were dressed in our finery. After
dinner, we went to the Captain Welcome Toast then watched the show (Chris
Cherin, Daniel Grest & Company in Song & Dance Hollywood,
Broadway & Beyond). It was good.
When we returned to our room, there was a crab on
our bed! Its eyes didn’t last long. Watched some TV then set our clocks back one
hour. Did 7,866 steps.
Monday, April 15, 2024 – Sea Day
Got up about 8:20.
Dressed and went to Lido for breakfast.
Did our portrait viewing – packages cost $$$$$. Not going to do it. Maybe do one of the others around the ship on
our next dressy night. They took photos
last night at dinner.
Today’s activities included adult coloring before
lunch, Bingo and Trivia. David took in
the Panama Canal show. He learned a lot
about the canal. Had dinner in the
Dining Room. No table mates.
Early night.
Ordered breakfast to be delivered in the morning as we need to be up
early for our shore excursion. Did 4,173
steps.
I took photos of the sunset but they didn’t turn out
– too dark. Probably would have been
better with the cell phone. So, no
pictures from today.
Tuesday, April 16, 2024 – Cartagena,
Columbia
Alarm went off at 6:30a. Breakfast was served at 7:15a (we used room
service – wasn’t impressed). Scrambled
eggs were a little runny. Our shore
excursion was the Highlight tour. We had
to meet at 8:15a with departure at 8:45a.
The tour lasted a total of 2 ½ hours.
We had 3 stops – one was the fort, another was a shopping center (there
was a “bathroom” for us to use), and the last stop was the Navy Museum and
dance show. They treated us to a small
bottle of water. We returned to the ship
at 11:45. The cold wash rag felt
good. Now it’s time to eat lunch at the
buffet.
We left the port at 1pm. Played bingo at 3. Ate dinner in the dining room. I did 11,529 steps.
Wednesday, April 17, 2024 – Panama Canal
We supposedly entered the canal at
6a. However, we didn’t get up until
7:30. We were going through the first
set of locks. We took several pictures
off the balcony of our room. Went up to
the Lido Market for breakfast. Took even
more pictures. Met up with Jim and his
wife again. Walked around the Promenade
– taking a lot more pictures. Then went
inside to cool off. I finally met up
with David in the Lido for lunch. We
went out to the bow of the ship – had our picture taken. We then returned to our room to drop off our
purchases. Going through the final
locks. Went to the Country Crossroads
Show. Good music. Clocks set back one hour again tonight. Did 7,169 steps. Forgot to note where we had dinner – probably
the dining room.
Thursday, April 18, 2024 – Sea Day
Up a little after 8a. Put together a laundry bag. Ate breakfast. Marcy went to Bingo and David went to the
room. Lunch in Lido at noon. Attended Deal or No Deal. Dinner in the dining room. Did Motown Trivia and Hot Country in
Billboard. David watched Dr No on
TV. Did 4,981 steps. No pictures were taken.
Friday, April 19, 2024 –
Puntarenas, Costa Rica
We arrived at 6am.
However, we didn’t get up until later - between 7 and 7:30a. Going to eat breakfast then wander ashore for
a bit. No shore excursion
scheduled. Another warm day (86-93
degrees F). Bought a shirt and a shot
glass. Rode the tram back to the
ship. Overheated. Spent the afternoon reading and
relaxing. David saw a movie. I think I’m coming down with a cold – sinus
has been stuffed up and runny throughout the day. Departed at 5:30p. Did 8,703 steps.
Saturday, April 20,
2024 – Sea Day
Love our sea days – don’t have to set an alarm. We were very late getting up – 9am. Planned activities for the day includes
watching a presentation on Mexico & Bingo.
Sea life was spotted off the sides of the ship. Dressy night.
We have dinner at the Tamarind (Pan-Asian cuisine). It was good but lasted almost 2 hours!!! We have an early start tomorrow. Another creature showed up on our bed. Did over 4,000 steps.
Sunday, April 21, 2024
– Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala
Got up at 7:30a, ate breakfast, then went to the
World Stage to await departure for our shore excursion. Ship docked at 8 am. Our shore excursion was of Antigua – WOW! Even though it was a long day and no lunch
provided (or time to get lunch), it was a great tour. Took lots of photos. They did provide some bottled water to
drink. We took a bus to a parking lot
outside of Antigua, then transferred to another bus to take us into the town
itself. It’s just like the name indicates
– old. Street vendors all over the place
– you had to ignore them. Even then,
they were persistent.
We returned to the ship at 3pm (that’s when we had
lunch) and our ship departed at 4. Spent
the afternoon doing trivia and reading.
We had dinner at NY Pizza (Lido pool deck). It was okay.
After dinner was more trivia and the start of the Orange Party (you were
to wear something with orange – some people had shirts with oranges, others had
complete orange outfits). With all the
walking ashore we did in Antigua, I got 10,355 steps in.
Monday, April 22, 2024 – Huatulco, Oaxaca,
Mexico
Up at 8:30. Late morning.
Scheduled to dock at noon. No
shore excursions planned. We actually
docked at 11:30a. Due to a mix up, David
went ashore without me. Then later we
went so we can have our port picture. We
also upgraded our photo package to 20 pictures.
Did the 4p trivia. Plan on going
to the dining room for dinner. Returned
to the lounge for 7p trivia. Did 6,286
steps.
Tuesday, April 23, 2024 – Sea Day
I’m up at 8.
David stayed in bed longer. Did
Bingo twice and trivia twice during the day.
Checked out our photos. Dinner
was in the dining room. Then did another
game of trivia and a Game Show – The Game of Love. That was interesting – it was a take-off of The
Newlywed show. They had contestants
that were fairly newlywed, married several years, then married for a very long
time. No pictures taken. Small number of
steps today – 4,019.
Wednesday, April 24,
2024 – Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
Up at 8:30.
We docked at 9. Sent out some
more laundry. Had breakfast then went
ashore (no shore excursions planned). We
went looking for a pharmacy (Farmacia) to get some cough drops. Then we walked through the flea market. Purchased a shot glass for $7 USD. Back on the ship at 11a to cool off.
A comfortable day.
No Team Canada for trivia. I
didn’t do well (2 out of 18 & 16 out of 29). We took lots of photos. Had dinner on the Lido deck (Mexican
theme). Did Lightening Trivia with Ann
& Chris (16 out of 30). Went back to
room. 8,362 steps today.
Thursday, April 25,
2024 – Sea Day
Up at 8. Activities planned include Bingo at 11a,
Deal/No Deal at 1p, trivia at 4p (topic was TV), and specialty dining in the
Canaletto (Italian) at 5p. Attire for
tonight is dressy so we had portraits done before dinner.
The Canaletto was fantastic! Great service. Did another trivia after dinner (topic was
1960’s) then went to the World Stage to watch a musical variety show. Upon returning to our room, we found a
scorpion on our bed. Clocks go back to
PDT. Team Canada excelled in trivia
today! Did 4,167 steps.
Friday, April 26, 2024 – Sea Day
It was Zoo Day around the Pool. Up at 8am.
Not much to report – did Bingo & Trivia. Team Canada did it again! Also checked out our photos from last
night. Did 3,237 steps.
Saturday, April 27,
2024 – San Diego, CA
Happy King’s Day. Alarm off at 7:30. Took cell off airplane mode so clocks can set
properly. Briefly talked to Nathan. Took some pix from balcony. Took some time to go through customs (this
was where people disembarked and new people came aboard). Did shore excursion – it was great. We did a land & sea tour. Took lots of pix. Battery on camera died so it’s now being
charged. Used cell phone to take more
pix. Back on board at almost noon. Charged camera was used for sail away
photos. Did evening trivia – did
ok.
Didn’t stay for the Orange
Party. Fitbit recorded 8,490 steps.
Sunday, April 28, 2024
– Avalon, CA
Up at 7:30a
Showered and ate breakfast. Today
we use a tender to get ashore. We didn’t
have any shore excursions but had a wonderful time. Took several pictures and talked to
Nathan. This is definitely a tourist
area. We were back onboard at
11:20. While ashore, we bought 2 shirts
and a shot glass (yes, we do collect them).
Avalon is located on Catalina Island, 27 miles off the coast of
California.
Did trivia this afternoon and early
evening. Gale forces are expected
tonight and tomorrow. Not looking
forward to it. Fitbit recorded 5,987
steps.
Monday, April 29, 2024
– Sea Day
Up at 8a.
Still rough seas. Lots of staff
suffered from sea sickness. I did
okay. We had breakfast & lunch in
the Lido. Dinner was in the dining room. Dressy attire. Participated in Bingo and Trivia. Took some pictures of Simon & Nam (our
Trivia Host and our regular bar staff – these two are fantastic people and made
the days a blast) dancing during our music trivia. Nam works out of the Billboard Onboard next
to the Casino on Deck 2. This is where Bingo
is held as well. Fitbit recorded 4,576
steps.
Tuesday, April 30, 2024
– San Francisco, CA
I certainly didn’t get up early enough to watch us
cruise into San Francisco. You had to be
up by 5:30! So, missed seeing Mile
Rocks, Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz, and Oakland Bay Bridge. Or at least I did,
David did get some pictures as we went under the bridges. However, we did see
some of them later.
Today is a long day in port – we arrived at 7am and
departed at 10:30 pm. My cold came back
with a vengeance! Wish I had my inhaler
(what a thing to forget!)
We went ashore briefly this morning. Did trivia in the early afternoon and early
evening. Ate dinner, then we went ashore
for our sunset tour on a double-decker bus.
It was very cold. Got back on
board at 8:45 pm. Fitbit recorded 7,116
steps.
Wednesday,
May 1, 2024 – Sea Day
Happy May Day! According to my notes, we were up at 8a. Plans were to sort through all of our photos
and pick out 19 (saving one for our final port of call). Today is supposed to be our last dressy day
and our last specialty dining. There is
Bingo at 11am and again at 3pm. Trivia
at 1p, 4p, and 7pm. Then at 8:45 there
was the second chance scratch-off drawing.
No luck in Bingo or in the drawing.
However, Team Canada did win in Trivia (actually, we didn’t win anything
but just the recognition of being the number one team). Dinner was good (we ate at the Pinnacle
Grill, which was a steak and seafood place) – in fact, ate too much. No such thing as senior portions! Fitbit
recorded 3,638 steps. No pictures taken
(not even in the restaurant).
Thursday,
May 2, 2024 – Sea Day
Final sea day. Up about 8am.
Plans for the day include reviewing photos and packing suitcases. Activities for the day include Bingo, Trivia,
and Deal or No Deal. No luck in
Bingo. Team Canada won the 4pm trivia. We did sort through the photos and picked out
19 out of 75 (wow, didn’t realize we had so many taken!). Did not get the suitcases packed. Ate dinner in the dining room – it was
delicious. Fitbit recorded 3,466 steps.
Friday, May 3, 2024 –
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Saturday,
May 4, 2024 – Seattle, Washington
Disembarkation
Day. We were up at 7am. Ate our last
meal onboard in the Lido. I had
scheduled us to leave at 8:15. Just as
we finished eating breakfast, they called our color. We then returned to our cabin to retrieve our
carry-on luggage then headed to the gangway.
Once ashore, we were able to retrieve our other bags, obtained a porter,
and went out to catch our shuttle to the hotel.
It started to rain. Glad we
didn’t have to wait long. Bus got us to
the hotel, placed our bags in the car, used the restrooms, then headed home –
leaving the hotel at 9:45am. We decided
to stop in Tumwater to do some grocery shopping (10:36a). After shopping, we took the car through the
car wash (it was filthy!!!). Arrived
home a little after noon. Unpacked and
now I’m going to crash! Fitbit recorded 4,795 steps.
