Blog for Statendam, 3/2-3/30 Panama Canal Cruise

[bcd2010]

Well, I'm gonna try it - blogging my trip. It will be easier than trying to review a 28 day cruise afterwards. Check it out: http://bcdenterprises.net/PCcruise/ - there's already an entry up there. My next one will probably be Thursday night because, although we leave tomorrow (Wednesday), I don't know if I'll have access to wi-fi on the train, and I expect to at the hotel Thursday.

 

Many of my friends and family have never cruised so there may be more detail than seasoned CCers need, but I intend to keep it entertaining.

 

I will also stop by here on Cruise Critic periodically to see if anyone has questions.

[amster65]

Will be looking for it. :)

[mountainmare]

Great--please include some observations about your trip down too!!!

[nanaj1]

Have the blog in my favorites.

Can't wait to hear about your cruise, we are going, from San Diego, on April 13th.

[KNOT2L82SAIL]

Have a wonderful time. I so enjoyed my cruise through the Panama Canal in December and would love to do it again! I will be following along with you.

 

...and for me, you can never make a blog too detailed. It just makes it more like actually being there. :D

[erewhon]

Will be following your reprts.

Have a wonderful cruise.

[bcd2010]

PC transit times (for viewing on web cams): Gatun Locks 6:30-8 am, Miraflores 2:30-3:30 pm, both eastern times.

Some early observations:

Received email that embarkation would be late (1 hour) due to weather. Got to terminal about 11:45, walked straight through to check-in then onto ship, no long lines, no back-ups. Our cabin was not ready (due to late arrival?), would be 15-20 minutes. Tried to steer us to the Lido for lunch even after we said we’d eat in the MDR, which was nearly empty when we got there. We’re 2-star, we know about the MDR lunch on embarkation day, I wonder why they keep trying to get people to the Lido?

Oh my gosh, that first meal on-board – the fresh fruit, the tasty food (celery in the salad that actually has flavor!), the wonderful service, the civility of a well-appointed room and table…. Ah!

Luggage arrived around 2. That was fast.

Couple “problems” – beds not separated but the stewards were on it fast. However, the toilet wouldn’t flush. That was my nightmare scenario. Told the steward, told the front desk. Now, I intentionally remained low-key, calm and polite during the following: Went back to the front desk 2 hours later and insisted it be given top priority. They started giving the normal “a work order has been created” spiel along with excuses/explanations/delayed-flush-responses. (On my last cruise, the same thing happened re: a different problem and I ended up having to be demanding – they just were not responsive.) I said, “Please don’t explain; give it a high priority. It’s really difficult to listen to the PA announcements about washing hands and using Purell for our health when we’re being made to endure such an unhealthy situation.” (Without getting graphic, we had used the toilet.) I was convinced I was not going to get a timely response. An hour later, a plumber came up – and wouldn’t you know it, it flushed when he tried it. Ahem, it seems we needed to learn how to flush. On all the push-button toilets in all the places I’ve ever been, I had to push the button in hard. Here it’s done differently – you slap the dang thing!

Sure glad I didn’t go hollerin’ and screamin’ at the front desk!

I guess I’m confused about code orange for the 1st 2 days. At lunch there were flowers, salt and pepper shakers on the table. At dinner there was also bread and butter on the table. Don’t know what the Lido was like, didn’t go there.

But on the 2nd or 3rd full day we went into code red – some passengers were showing symptoms. Our cabin steward said that was the first time since he’d been on the ship (8 months) that they had a code red.

First-time-ever things: officer hosted our table on first formal night, dinner in PG, lunch in PG, digital workshops (for DS), unlimited laundry

More details on my blog (link below with signature). I’m a couple days behind right now but catching up.

[sue117]

I just stated reading your blog, but LOVE that you guys (well your husband) are geocachers! We have found in most ports that the geocaches are where the tours go anyway! So many times we just walk around geocaching and see all the "good" stuff anyway! :)

 

Oh and I"m sorry about not finding a cache on Feb 29th! What a bummer! I would have logged it anyway, saying "Found where it was attached, but it's missing" or something! :) We needed Feb 29th to fill our "grid" (finding a cache on every day of the year). This was the last day that we needed and can now say that we have found a cache on every day of the year! WOOT!

 

And good job on that webcam! Those are "rare" caches that can't be made anymore! (and can be tough to find someone computer saavy enough to "take" your photo from the computer) :)

 

OK...carry on! :)

[nanaj1]

Can you tell me about the unlimited laundry. We are on the Statendam in 5 weeks. We want to use the unlimited laundry.

How is your room. We will have a room on the main deck, is this a good spot.

[Rowsby]

I am so enjoying your blog....!!!

I am doubly interested as our oldest son also turns 40 this year.....what a great way to celebrate....

Our friends took this same cruise in 2009....I'm sending them

your link....they will love following your adventure....

Take care and have a super fun cruise......:)

[OVgirl]

You are doing a wonderful job on your blog.

 

Hope you continue enjoying your cruise!

[hal lover]

Am loving your blog! Wishing you both a wonderful cruise!

[jbhcw]

Really enjoying your blog...great layout and good writing:):):)

[Krazy Kruizers]

Am enjoying your blog.

[bcd2010]

I just stated reading your blog, but LOVE that you guys (well your husband) are geocachers! We have found in most ports that the geocaches are where the tours go anyway! So many times we just walk around geocaching and see all the "good" stuff anyway! :)

 

Oh and I"m sorry about not finding a cache on Feb 29th! What a bummer! I would have logged it anyway, saying "Found where it was attached, but it's missing" or something! :) We needed Feb 29th to fill our "grid" (finding a cache on every day of the year). This was the last day that we needed and can now say that we have found a cache on every day of the year! WOOT!

 

And good job on that webcam! Those are "rare" caches that can't be made anymore! (and can be tough to find someone computer saavy enough to "take" your photo from the computer) :)

 

OK...carry on! :)

 

Actually, Dale is my son – he’s celebrating his 40th birthday on the second half of this Collector’s cruise. He just started geocaching and loves it! He’s going to follow your recommendation about the 2/29 find.

Geocaching has added a whole new dimension to this trip – and yes the caches are where to tours go. He “found” 3 virtual caches in Aruba and one in the Panama Canal – pix will be included as I get those blog entries up. He’s brought a couple of trackables with him and will exchange those in San Diego and Fort Lauderdale.

Thanks for following my blog!

 

Can you tell me about the unlimited laundry. We are on the Statendam in 5 weeks. We want to use the unlimited laundry.

How is your room. We will have a room on the main deck, is this a good spot.

 

 

Laundry is $20 per 12’x20” bag, or $98 for the 2 week cruise. We bought unlimited, turn around has been 18-24 hours. No problems with damaged or lost items. This is one of the BEST things they’ve come up with!

Our room (039, inside) is fine, plenty roomy for us. We’re not even using all the storage spaces (unlimited laundry package meant we could bring less but there’s all that other “stuff” that has to be out somewhere). Our cabin is next to “white space” on the deck plan – I think it’s storage of items the crew uses for housekeeping – noise late and early. Also, we must be under some part of the Lido that has chairs or something “scrapable”. Earplugs shut it all out.

Note no AC or plumbing problems (once I learned how to flush the toilet J ). No engine problems, vibrations, etc. as has been reported for this and other ships. All in all, it seems good!

 

Am enjoying your blog.

 

 

Thank you! May I ask a favor? Could you please post the room service menus? I want to include them in my blog but don’t want to type them (I need to spend my typing time on blog updates!). Thank you so much, if you can.

[bcd2010]

I went to the Tips for Future Cruises presentation – info on how to book the best cruise, save, money, etc. I hope this doesn’t sound pompous, but I knew it all already! Thanks to Cruise Critic. Things like early booking advantages, pros and cons of guarantees, value of FCCs, etc. She also told us: no 14-day Alaska itinerary next year, No Bermuda itinerary after this year, In Antarctica, new fuel injection systems will be required soon in order for a ship to be allowed into these

waters so it is unlikely HAL will be doing them any more

FYI - wifi routers on deck 10 starboard are outside suites 015, 041 and 055. Our inside cabin is 3 (suite) doors away from a router, signal fair, but excellent connections in the public areas. Uploads are quicker than I expected but that may be due to low expectations. I thought it would take as much as 20 minutes to upload a blog entry, it took only a couple.

FYI – 4 shrimp in my jumbo shrimp cocktail - No yumyum man (cart, no goodies)

Another first on this cruise: my first missed port! Due to high winds and a 2.5 meter swell, the captain decided against docking in Puerto Caldera (Costa Rica) today. Cited likely damage to ship and dock, safety issues for exiting/boarding the ship since the gang way would be bouncing around so much. Shorex refunds of course, and port fees. They’re working on a new “at sea” Explorer now. Haven’t heard and grumbling yet, but it’s early. Don’t know what there is to grumble about – safety first, a decision not made lightly. Well, there is the 5 am wake up time for the early docking and shorex – I guess one could grumble about that, but, ya know what? I woke up on a cruise ship!

[startwin]

What a fabulous blog:) So detailed and interesting. I am taking the 22-day cruise through the Panama to Vancouver next month, and will be at many of the same ports. Keep it coming - so enjoying it!

[solocanadian]

The best ever cruise blog I have seen - good on you. Hope your Code Red is over soon. Looking forward to your blog on the Mexican ports. Enjoy the Canal.:D

[boards]

What does geocaching mean?

[erewhon]

Really enjoying reading your fabulous blog.

Thank you.

[innlady1]

Love your blog! I am curious what geocaching is, too.

[bcd2010]

Geo (geography) + cache (storage) - DS just told me

People hide caches, eg, acrylic/plastic boxes, film canisters, tins, etc. anything you can think of, then log the GPS coordinates on a geocaching web site for others to find using their GPSs.

These caches may contain:

· nothing more than a piece of paper for you to log your geo-name and the date; all caches will have at least this

· exchangeables (any small object, eg key chains, charms, wrist bands, again anything you can think of) in which case you take something and leave something of equal value in the cache

· trackables (geo-coins and other objects that have a code on them that is registered online) – if you find one you can take it and leave another trackable – then you can go online to see where your “found” trackable has been and where your “traded” trackable goes. DS has one the “cacher” wants to have taken to all 50 states - DS found it in SC and is taking it to San Diego then leving it in Fort Lauderdale (counts as 2 finds and 2 states).

When you find a cache, you go to the website where you got the coordinates and log your “find”.

There are also virtual caches: eg, picture of yourself at certain landmarks holding your GPS, or web cam shots. As described on the blog, DS found one virtual cache in Fort Lauderdale, 3 in Aruba and one in the Panama Canal (this blog entry isn’t posted yet).

[nothriver]

I've just read your blog "cover to cover" so to speak. Thank you so much for sharing all the wonderful details of your trip, I'm very much enjoying reading about your adventure and looking forward to reading more.

[boards]

geocaching - sounds like fun - NO!!!!

[bcd2010]

I've just read your blog "cover to cover" so to speak. Thank you so much for sharing all the wonderful details of your trip, I'm very much enjoying reading about your adventure and looking forward to reading more.

 

I'm glad you're enjoying it - I'm enjoying writing it!