Day 14 - Panama Canal Cruise - At Sea

Oct 5

'At Sea' days are opportunities to discover the ship & just chill...

At the reception area, there is a paper map showing the route that the ship will be taking.  If you need to know your next stop, and don't have a TV or your daily agenda available, you can look there.  At several other spots around the ship, and on the TV in your room, there are monitors showing you exactly where we are on the globe at that very minute.  It's a good thing cuz I'd hate to think the guys 'driving the boat' don't know where we are...

   

The kids club was a great place for Maya to hang out on at sea days.  Every single day, at every hour, they would have LOTS of activities planned. 

   

Learning to plate balance     Riding her first motorcycle (in a game)

   

      Meeting Diego & Dora                     Meeting Kevin & SpongeBob

Day 13 - Panama Canal Cruise - Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala

October 4

We've now begun the more exotic part of the cruise - Guatemala!  This was an anticipated destination for John & I but not one for Mom & Dad.  Translation? We get to do a shore excursion on our own!!  We chose a bus trip in to the city of Antigua.  It was a great day with lots of great sites...

That said, taking a cruise ship bus tour is much more sterile than our historical experiences while backpacking.  Being AT LEAST 10 years younger than most people on the tour means that everything we did was 'cane friendly' and slowly paced.  No wild and crazy shenanigans this day...

  

Our Welcome Mat                                The active volcano

                        

   

     

 

      

     

 

Day 12 - Panama Canal Cruise - Puerto Chiapas

October 3, 2013

The next stop on the cruise was our last one in Mexico, Puerto Chiapas.  It was a stop for the ship but not really a stop for us as there wasn't much to do.  It was more just for 'restocking supplies before leaving Mexico.  Chiapas had a tourist centre 'pyramid', a bar, a pool and some lounge chairs.  Maya wasn't have a good day so we stayed on the ship & relaxed...

  

The staff got to have a lifeboat drill             We got to see palm trees & grass    

     

           Oh...ship!                                   ^see the shippy?

Day 10 - Panama Canal Cruise - life at sea

Day 10 was spent at sea. It was finally hot enough to spend a lot of time on the pool deck. Plus, we ate... and ate... and ate... and ate. Did I mention we ate? There is SOOOO much food on cruise ships!

  

These shots are of one of the cafeterias on the ship during a normal meal

 

     

 

These shots are of the cafeteria during CHOCOLATE BUFFET night!!!!

The E.N.T.I.R.E. food area is filled with nothing but chocolate......  :-)

   

Day 11 - Panama Canal Cruise - Huatulco

October 2, 2012.
Day 11 of our cruise was a stop in Huatulco, Mexico.  This little town was basically just a port for the cruise ships to stop at.  There was a small shopping 'village' and the beach area but not much more.  So, we headed to the beach.  Mom & I did a bit of shopping, bought everyone some lunch from a locals cafe then settled in for some very potent Margaritas.  Dad & John enjoyed the beach and the Mexican beer while Maya played in the sand (the first sand of the trip).  John, in his master-plan of getting Maya on a motorcycle some day, rented a jet-ski and took her out with him.  He let her turn the throttle & get a thrill from making it go.  Of course, she loved it!  Eventually, the day ended so we went back to the ship.

    

              Strike a pose mom!                     Me, my Margarita, the beach & the ship

   

John & Maya on the jet ski                         Beach Baby!

 



     

Two Handsome Men!