Our Wonderful "Another B-E-A-U-tiful Day" EBPC & Halloween Cruise ~ October 2018 ~ Completed!

[disneyfaninaz]

Day 10 (Continued)

Some waterfalls.







On the other side.





We were now going through the Culebra Cut, which is basically through the continental divide. This is one-way traffic because it is so narrow.

Going through the canal is a big thing. Even the maintenance workers stop and take pictures.



Some of the cut.





As you can see, the sun was coming out and the rain had stopped some time ago. Believe it or not, we would not see another drop of rain for the entire day. Even the crew members commented that this was the best weather they had ever encountered coming through the canal. Also, because of the nice steady breeze, mosquitos weren’t an issue either.



I went to the aft of the ship to take a picture of the bridge behind us.



Funnel vision showed the crossing all day.





Navigational markers and a light house.



The crew was offering Pine Coladas on deck 9 made with fresh pineapple. I hadn’t seen that many pineapples in one place since Hawaii.







We made our way through the cut and entered Gatun Lake. We didn’t have breakfast because we ate some danish on the deck. At about 10:00 AM we decided to go down to our neighbor’s stateroom and enjoy going through the lake on their verandah. They had received a bottle of Prosecco because of the Platinum status so we ordered some orange juice and cheese and crackers from room service and made mimosas. DNC also went up to Deck 9 and got some fresh fruit and some meats from Daisy’s De Lite and Cabanas.



At about 10:36 AM, we encountered or first ship to cross our path.



Our trivia friend Tara had the verandah above us and to the port side.



Here’s the verandah.



This ship came by us and blew their horn. Of course, the captain reciprocated and we heard the wonderful Wonder horn.



This one was close.



We had fun watching the tugs come up and start taking selfies and pictures of each other when the ship in the background.



To be continued. . .

 

[lorimay]

You are making me so excited for our upcoming PC cruise, thank you!

 

[disneyfaninaz]

Day 10 (Continued)

At 12:40 PM, the tug boat was getting ready to attach to the Wonder as we approached the Agua Clara locks.





At 12:53 PM, we were starting to enter the locks. It was weird looking ahead into the locks because they go down. So, you couldn’t really see what was next, but you could see the Caribbean Sea on the other side.



The Aqua Clara locks have a small museum about the canal and a large observation deck.



Going in to the locks, the water is high as we will go down 3 steps to the Caribbean Sea.





The gate is closing behind us.





The water is dropping.





You can see where some of the cargo ships have ripped off the rubber bumpers.









At 1:47 PM, I made my way to the front of the ship when we were in the 2nd lock.



I had been up since 5:20 AM and outside all day long. I was starting to feel the lack of food and the heat. At around 2:00 PM, I went to get a hotdog, fries and a Coke and take it back to the stateroom to watch us finish going through the locks. At 2:14 PM we were in the last lock.











You can see how fast the water went down in the lock.

At 2:30 PM the last gate was open and we entered the Atlantic side of the canal.



It was time for the photographers to get back on board. They had a longer day than the rest of us getting off the ship at 4:00 AM.



To be continued. . .

 

[lilsonicfan]

Super cool to read this so far, PC is on my list of must-do cruises!

 

[disneyfaninaz]

Day 10 (Continued)

Going by the gate.



Looking back.





Heading towards a new bridge to connect North and South America. It is still under construction.









A ship coming out of the Gatun Locks.



Going under.







While the skies looked threatening, we didn’t get any rain. We seemed to follow it out.

I forgot to mention earlier that while we were in the lake, DCL announced that officials from Panama were at the Port Adventures desk to stamp passports for a couple of hours. I went down and got ours stamped before we had our brunch on the verandah.

Believe it or not, there was another Photo Challenge for the day. Today we were looking for lights. I was able to figure out a few before actually looking for them. We did most of our searching before dinner after we left the canal.



Dinner tonight was in Animator’s Palate.



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I had the Alaskan crab for an appetizer and the Iceburg Lettuce. For my entrée I had the slow roasted Prime Rib.



Dessert







I didn’t have the churros but had to take a picture for DD. I did have the Panama Ice Cream Sundae.





After dinner, we headed down to the Crown & Fin for another round of TV Tunes trivia. While, Tara didn’t join us tonight, our neighbors did. However, the songs were really hard tonight and we didn’t do well at all.

DH and I aren’t really fans of the “Nightmare Before Christmas” movie. I love the overlay at Disneyland, but don’t care for the movie. Anyway, tonight was the Scream and Sing Along in the WD Theater. We decided not to go.

Instead, DH and I went to the Cadillac lounge and had a nice drink. DH enjoyed an Amaretto while I enjoyed a Tequila Sunrise. We started talking to one of the servers and he was telling us how he couldn’t remember a nicer day, weather wise, of going through the canal. He also told us that the Fantasy was going to be in Grand Cayman the same day we were so we he was anticipating a “Horn Off.” Having never seen the “Dream” class ships before, I was very excited about seeing her.



We then headed up to the stateroom to change into more comfortable, warm clothing. We found this.



Our destination was Azure, which has been kept so cold this cruise. John Charles was doing his Adult show tonight at 10:00 PM. We got there early and got a good seat facing the stage.



I have to say, I love his show. He can play pretty much anything and everything you throw at him. DH asked him to play “Classical Gas.” He said, you must think I’m a guitar player. He then proceeded to play it to perfection!



He also played a few Beatle songs on the piano. He also has fun ribbing the audience. His show ran over and near the end he had Jo come up to the stage. He played Dolly Parton’s Jolene while Jo sang. She was very good.

Jo gave him a 5 minute break, played a quick round of Snippets and he came back on the stage for another hour! He said that he was getting off the next day in Colombia to fly to Florida to pick up his wife and then they were flying to New York to board the Magic to go to Bermuda. The best part was, he got paid!

By the time we left Azure, after his second show, it was 11:45 PM. We had been up since 5:20 AM and were very tired, so it was time for bed.

We anticipated this trip for over a year. I have to say that learning about the construction of the canal and actually going through it was amazing and exceeded all of our expectations. And, of course, I can’t complain about the weather because it didn’t rain all day and it wasn't extremely hot or humid, which was very nice.

Next: “No gracia, no gracias. . .”

 

[bcwife76]

Thank you for posting SO MANY photos of your transition through the canal, I feel as though we went through it with you

I have to say I think that Panama Canal menu sounds yummy from start to finish!

 

[disneyfaninaz]

Day 11

Sunday, October 28, 2018

Cartagena, Colombia





Despite going to bed so late the night before, we slept well and woke up shortly after 8 AM and went to the verandah to watch us coming in to port. However, we were woken up at about 2:00 AM due to incredibly loud thunder. We later found out that the Wonder was actually hit by lightning. After all, we were the tallest thing out in the middle of the ocean! But don’t worry, the ship is designed for lighting strikes and redistributes the energy around the ship and into the sea.



















Here’s where we had traveled overnight.



Here’s where we’re going.



We docked before 9:00 AM. We headed up to Cabanas for breakfast.

We were taking the Deluxe Cartagena and Folklorico Show tour through DCL. Our meeting time was 10:00 AM in Azure. All 5 of us were going on this excursion because they would take the wheelchair and they actually spent time at the fort. When we got to Azure we got pink Anna stickers and shortly thereafter made our way to the first deck forward ramp to get off the ship.

The first thing we spotted was costumed dancers waiting for us. Unfortunately, we were moving too fast to get pictures. All of the tour buses were also waiting for us. We found ours, number 12, and were given stickers to wear with “Jairo 12” written on them. Jairo (pronounced like Cairo with an “H”) was our guide.

It was expected to be a warm day with the temperatures in the low 90’s with humidity at 85%. Now, I can handle the heat, after all I live in the desert southwest, but the humidity is another story all together. We started driving out of the port area.





We passed the city’s oldest cemetery.



You can see parts of the old city wall everywhere.



They had some unusually colored buildings.



Our first destination was the Fort of San Felipe de Barajas. You can see the fort up on the hill as we approached. However, the highest point in Cartagena belongs to an old monastery. You can see how much moisture was in the air.



Anyway, we arrived at the fort and Jairo gave us our ticket and told us where to meet. We were seated in the 2nd row as we were behind DNM who was in the front row. We were one of the first people off. The minute the door opened we were literally surrounded by street vendors trying to sell us hats, shirts, coins, silver, water bottles, etc. We politely said “no gracias” and moved on. Of course, they didn’t stop after one “no gracias”, they followed us. I had read about the pushy vendors and knew what to expect. Not so much DH, he ended up buying a card of Colombian coins. He didn’t get a bad deal, and he loves to collect foreign coins. But afterwards, the coin vendors kept trying to sell him more.

Anyway, we got to the entrance of the fort and went through the cursory bag check before meeting inside. Jairo gave us a brief history of the fort and then we made our way to the ramp leading to the top. It was a very steamy day and we felt it walking up the ramp.









As we started up the ramp, we were once again inundated with vendors.



To be continued. . .

 

[disneyfaninaz]

Day 11 (Continued)

It was a steep ramp with great views towards the city.





We got near the top and there was a guy dressed in period costume playing the trumpet for tips. DH tipped him as our DD is a trumpet player.





We made it to the main level.





We walked here for a bit.













We turned the corner to go to the staircase that would take us up to the top,







The staircase was steep with a low hanging ceiling.







We made it to the top. We were given about 15 minutes to walk around and shop.












To be continued. . .

 

[disneyfaninaz]

Day 11 (Continued)

Then we had to go down a different set of stairs to get back down.



Then we walked back down the ramp.



We got back on the buses to head to our next destination, Las Bovedas. When we stopped at the intersection, immediately some kids set up their boom box and started putting on a show, while somebody else started washing a windshield. Before the light turned green, the girl from the dancing group started walking alongside the bus looking for handouts. I guess she didn’t realize that the bus windows didn’t open.



We continued on.



This is where the stores had souvenirs and handmade goods. This was also a bathroom stop. Jairo warned us that the cigars that the vendors were selling were probably not truly Cuban as they would state. He also told us that a hat and T-shirt should only cost $10USD.

We went into a few stores. I ended up getting a shirt and a small zipper pouch for DD.





After our short excursion we went to the Museum of Cartagena (Inquisition Palace) and the Court of the Holy Inquisition. We were let out down the street from the museum. We were warned not to take pictures of the street performers because they would literally chase you down to get paid. The small streets and houses along them were gorgeous. I fell in love with all of the balconies.

















About this time it started to rain.

The rooms were small and were very crowded. It was a free day to enter museums, so we saw a few small school groups.




















To be continued. . .

 

[disneyfaninaz]

Day 11 (Continued)

We walked over to a park.



And then towards the Church of San Pedro Claver. The church was named after a priest, who later became a saint, who came to Colombia and worked to free the slaves.



The Cartagena Cathedral

















After leaving the church, we went to the Naval Museum







We then went to the Folklorico show where we got a cold drink and some local dancers performed 3 local dances for us.









Jairo then let us have some free time to go back to the store, specifically the emerald stores to shop.

We went to the Joyeria Caribe store. It is the number one recommended store by the shopping guy on the Wonder. For our 25th anniversary, DH bought me a beautiful Colombian emerald pendant. It doesn’t hurt that my birthstone also happens to be an emerald. Thank you sweetheart!



While we were shopping, the skies opened up to a full blown thunderstorm. Once the rain came through, the temperature noticeably dropped. After we purchased my emerald, we went to walk around the square in front of the church. The vendors were out in force.













To be continued. . .

 

[disneyfaninaz]

Day 11 (Continued)

We passed a sculpture honoring San Pedro Claver. We were headed to one of the original walls of the city.























We walked towards our bus, Again, through a plethora of vendors selling their goods, including Columbian coffee beans.







It was still raining a bit as we pulled out. There are no sea walls in Cartagena, you are right at the ocean. Also, beaches are very small along the road.



We took a drive towards the new city.







We went through an area that floods after it rains.



They had nice little parks and nicely landscaped medians.











To be continued. . .

 

[Flower1]

We were on the cruise too! We did your exact tours in Cabo and Cartagena! My daughter is actually standing up in your video of the jump ropers, cloggers, and JunK watching them.

 

[disneyfaninaz]

We were on the cruise too! We did your exact tours in Cabo and Cartagena! My daughter is actually standing up in your video of the jump ropers, cloggers, and JunK watching them.

How cool! I always find it amazing how small the world really is. What are the odds that I would catch a picture of your daughter out of the 1000+ passengers onboard. Hope you had an amazing a time as we had!

 

[disneyfaninaz]

Day 11 (Continued)

Some of the nicer residences.







When we made it back to port, we saw peacocks running wild in the parking lot. We were dropped off in front of the Port Oasis Ecopark.





We went through the aviary.







Then we got to the entrance of the park and got to dance.



There were beautifully colored macaws.







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There was a large gift shop with more emeralds if you wanted them. I actually bought a couple of post cards to send back home.






Then we exited the park to walk back to the ship. A shuttle was available, but it was a very short easy walk.











Once again, DCL had cold cloths and fruit infused ice cold water for us to enjoy. At 3:35 PM, we walked back to the aft ramp, tapped our cards, went through security and entered the ship. At no time did we need to show any ID. However, we were the only ship in port that day.

After the rain, you could see the monastery more clearly.


To be continued. . .

 

[DnA2010]

Just a quick comment that I love all your pictures, what a great trip!

 

[disneyfaninaz]

Thank you! Glad you're enjoying them.

 

[disneyfaninaz]

Day 11 (Continued and Ended)

We dropped our stuff off in our room and headed up to Deck 9 for a bite to eat since we didn’t get any lunch. We got hot dogs from Boiler Petes and some fruit and chocolate chip cookies from Daisy’s De Lites. I tried to put some ice cream between the cookies for a sandwich, but it didn’t work too well. It was still delicious.

We headed back up to our room for showers and to get ready for dinner. What a gorgeous sunset.







By 5:30 PM we were leaving port.

Dinner was in Tiana’s Place. It was the Freeze the Night Away menu. Our neighbors had dinner at Palo tonight, but came to Tiana’s to get DMN fed. We would be taking her to the Freezing the Night Away Deck Party and the show tonight.









I ordered the Anderson’s Baby Field Green Salad and the Lobster Ravioli.



Dessert.







I actually ordered the chocolate brownie off the kids menu for dessert.

We went up to deck 9 for the party for the 7:45 PM show and got DNM a spot right in front of the stage. The weather was threatening and they were drying and squeegeeing the stage. It sprinkled a little, but they did not cancel the show. The cast members were dressed in their Norwegian sweaters and I commented that they must have been warm. We talked with Brendan a little bit. Dustin was corralling the kids. Mitch and Derrell were dancing with the characters.











I saw the show on our Norway cruise, but it has changed and is much shorter. They brought out the characters and pretended to look for Elsa. They played games with Sven and sang and danced with Olaf before Elsa was found. But instead of her singing “Let it Go”, it became a sing along. Poor Elsa, she lost her cape and had to hold it in one hand for the entire show. Fortunately, she was only on stage for about 5 minutes.

We then took DNM down to the Cadillac Lounge so we could get into see Max Winfrey in the theater. I vaguely remember seeing him on a previous cruise. He was funny and told us how he wanted to work at Disney World and left home at 20 to make his dream come true. He juggled in the parks and has worked for Disney for over 30 years. Goals! He does a hilarious bit with a 6 foot tall unicycle and juggling pins with audience participation.





After the show we met up with DNC and DNJ and handed off DNM. We then headed towards bed through the Atrium.



Our towel animal for the night.



Overall, I liked Cartagena. I could do without all the pushy street vendors, but I found the streets, buildings and balconies to be so quaint and beautiful. While it started out as a very miserable day, the rain came in and it turned out to be very nice.

Next: A busy day, indeed!

 

[bcwife76]

Love all the photos of Cartagena, what a gorgeous city!! Steeped in some amazing history. Lovely!

 

[Flower1]

How cool! I always find it amazing how small the world really is. What are the odds that I would catch a picture of your daughter out of the 1000+ passengers onboard. Hope you had an amazing a time as we had!

It really was the trip of a lifetime for our family!!

 

[disneyfaninaz]

Hello faithful readers! Happy New Year! We just got back from a quick trip to Disneyland to take advantage of the Holiday celebration before it ended. It was a great trip after a very hectic month for our family. I hope to have an update up later today.