EQUINOX DEUX - 11 Night Ultimate Caribbean - PV Trip Report 3/13/17

[FRMPEI]

DAY 5 - PANAMA CANAL - MIRAFLORES LOCKS

Approaching the second stage of Miraflores Lock and the final gate of the Panama Canal. This train bridge technically is the third bridge crossing the canal. I don't think it used much anymore. Correct me if I am mistaken.

 

Is this thing done yet?

 

 

Final Gate Open... welcome to the Pacific Ocean.

 

 

The Bridge of America in the distance.

Regards,

Kevin Reid

[FRMPEI]

DAY 5 - PANAMA CANAL

So after you exit the final lock you technically are not in the Pacific Ocean yet. You enter the Balboa Harbour where you will pass underneath the Bridge of Americas. For our passage the bridge was under repairs and did not allows for the best of pictures. The bridge opened in 1962 and connects the continents North and South America. Celebrity uses this bridge in there promo literature I think with Infinity in the background.

 

 

This area also has a sizable shipping container port.

 

Australian Warship

 

Canal pilot leaving

 

Looking back at the Bridge of Americas under repair. There is a third bridge, Atlantic Bridge, being built back near Colon scheduled to open in 2018.

 

Panama City Skyline

 

We got back to the area where the buses were picking us up around 4:30PM. It has been a long day already and we still have about a 90 minute drive back to Colon. Thankfully our "Fantastic" bus tour guide was quiet for most of the trip back. Traffic was quite heavy getting out Panama City. We arrived back at the cruise port at 6:05 PM and the crew rushed us on board because we were already one hour late in leaving. That is why you only book a Panama Canal excursion with the ship. Within a half hour off getting back Equinox was on her way to Cartagena, Columbia.

 

Regards,

Kevin Reid

[poffles]

Welcome back. Would love to do the Panama one day but so expensive that it won't be anytime soon. Loving your review and pics!

[FRMPEI]

Welcome back. Would love to do the Panama one day but so expensive that it won't be anytime soon. Loving your review and pics!

 

I think we would also like to do a cruise transit also. This was a good way to at least see the Panama Canal close up.

Regards,

Kevin Reid

[FRMPEI]

DAY 5 - COLON PANAMA - EVENING

The late arrivals no welcoming cold towels no cold drinks?

 

We were all pretty exhausted after this long excursion. The sun and heat was relentless today. I think we all really enjoyed ourselves and were glad that we booked and done it. Donna just wanted to go up to Oceanview for dinner. I explained that I don't like going there for dinner and would rather go to the Main Dinning Room instead. I agreed to go along with the majority decision. So we decided we would shower up and try to show up at Silk Harvest without a reservation. Success! We had no problem getting into Silk Harvest. We had Miake as our waiter again tonight and you could tell that he was super excited about tomorrow because he was going to his home country and able to see his family.

 

 

We pretty well ordered the same stuff as our first visit. Silk Harvest had become our favourite Speciality dining this cruise.

 

We finished up at Silk Harvest just past 9 PM. No show for us this evening after our long day on the canal.

 

Post Silk Harvest Group Photo.

Before calling it an evening we went up to Deck 14 to get a couple of night shoots. It was windy up there.

 

This would be a typical early evening for us. We are not much of Late night owls.

 

Greeted by our laundry. Send it out in one bag and comes back in two. Our favourite Elite perk.

 

Coming up - The first of two days in Cartagena, Columbia. Aggressive Peddlers and our first overnight stay in a port.

 

Regards,

Kevin Reid

[mpace58]

Coming up - The first of two days in Cartagena, Columbia. Aggressive Peddlers and our first overnight stay in a port.

 

Regards,

Kevin Reid

Aggressive peddlers. The most aggressive of every port we have visited. We thoroughly enjoyed our excursion there, but never want to go back because of the peddlers.

[shipshape sam]

Aggressive peddlers. The most aggressive of every port we have visited. We thoroughly enjoyed our excursion there, but never want to go back because of the peddlers.

 

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts on overnight ports of call. We were to have our first one this past January on Silhouette and it was canceled due to changing up ports of call due to the damage in San Juan Puerto Rico last fall.

[FRMPEI]

DAY 6 - CARTAGENA, COLUMBIA - CELEBRITY TODAY & INSERTS

CELEBRITY TODAY Saturday March 18, 2017

Front Page #1

 

Inside Left Page #2

 

Inside Right Page #3

 

Back Page #4

 

Celebrity Today Insert

 

Celebrity Today Insert

 

Regards,

Kevin Reid

[FRMPEI]

DAY 6 - CARTAGENA, COLUMBIA - PORT SHOPPING GUIDE

 

Cover

 

Inside Spread

 

Back Cover

 

Regards,

Kevin Reid

[FRMPEI]

Aggressive peddlers. The most aggressive of every port we have visited. We thoroughly enjoyed our excursion there, but never want to go back because of the peddlers.

Mark,

 

It was so bad that we did not even want to venture out anywhere on our second day.

 

Regards,

Kevin Reid

[FRMPEI]

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts on overnight ports of call. We were to have our first one this past January on Silhouette and it was canceled due to changing up ports of call due to the damage in San Juan Puerto Rico last fall.

 

It is neat to stay overnight in port. With our recent Reflection cruise we also stayed overnight in St Maartens.

Kevin Reid

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

Mark,

 

It was so bad that we did not even want to venture out anywhere on our second day.

 

Regards,

Kevin Reid

 

Interesting. I found the vendors in Cartegena to be aggressive, but usually a smile and a polite no thank you would do the trick. Most of these people are desperately poor.

[mpace58]

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts on overnight ports of call. We were to have our first one this past January on Silhouette and it was canceled due to changing up ports of call due to the damage in San Juan Puerto Rico last fall.

We did an overnight in Curacao. We loved that one.

[Marvy Mare]

Sorry Guys I would post more this evening but my over priced "High Speed" Bell Aliant internet is only uploading my photos to Smugmug at an amazing speed of 0.1 Mbps. I pay $153 for this and they are raising that by $8 next month. I love to hate Bell/Bell Aliant and their lousy customer service.

Regards,

Kevin Reid

 

Hi Kevin

 

Just reading this review while waiting for our cruise. Hope all it well. I hear you about rural internet service. Bell should pay us for using it. Great photos & review.

 

Maris

[FRMPEI]

Hi everyone,

 

Before I get back into my delayed Trip Report I want to share a recent family health related story.

Take a study of this photo of Donna recently taken in Fort Lauderdale before our past cruise this March 2018. Focus in on Donna's right arm just above here elbow. Notice that rather large freckle looking spot?

 

Donna best friend who happens to be nurse noticed this spot on Donna's arm before the cruise and suggested she go get it checked. Shortly after arriving back from our 2018 cruise Donna had her appointment and was booked to have this blemish removed. Within a week she receives a call and the doctors wants to she her this AM to discuss the results of the biopsy. Donna was hoping for the "test came back negative" call. I was already at work when Donna received call so I wanted to be with her. Donna was thinking the worst and so was I as I was making the 60 KMs drive back to Charlottetown from Summerside. Doctor explained that the biopsy did come back positive for cancer but, the good news was on the cancer scale of 1 to 4 it was a zero. The best news we could receive other than a Negative. Doctor booked us right away that afternoon at the local Hospital to have an additional biopsy on the spot to make sure she did not miss anything on the first go (which we were told is normal procedure). Good news was that test came back as negative.

 

Donna has always been a sun worshipper but you may notice starting in some photos starting in 2017 Donna started to wear a hat for sun protection. 2018's cruise was quite different for Donna there was no laying out in the sun, wore a hat and applied sun screen.

 

Thanks to best friend, Karen, for alerting us and making us book that appointment. These things just don't pop up they have been there for a while. I had to go back to 2015's photos before I could find no evidence of this mark on Donna's arm. So when you get out of the shower check yourself over and have someone look at those spots that are hard to see.:eek:

 

Regards,

Kevin Reid

[Ozzmund]

Thanks Kevin.

Hope all continues to go well for Donna.

[cheeseheads4ever]

Hi Kevin,

 

Great to hear news was although scarey but good news in the end. I wish you both the best. I cant tell you how much I enjoy your cruise reports.

The best Ive ever seen...

Would love to be on the same cruise as you..fun times...

[Marvy Mare]

Hi Kevin

I was wondering what happened. That’s scary for you guys. Good thing all turned out well.

 

Maris

[upwarduk]

My husband was told similar by a nurse in California in 1984, when he was on a choir tour ( we live in UK)

He was treated by a Professor who made his name by treating patients in the Bradford football fire and he asked my husband if he would continue seeing him for 5 years as part of a research program. Eventually, it was decided that he has mis placed pigment, not melanoma, as his blemishes have no roots.

He still uses a great deal of sun screen however, and ALWAYS wears a sun hat.

Glad that Donna is on the road to recovery.

[mpace58]

Glad to hear that everything turned out okay. Beth and I have both had to have a skin cancer surgery. Lather up and stay in the shade. :)

[MJSailors]

That is good news,FRMPEI,about your wife’s diagnosis. Very good also that she needed her friend’s advice in a time ly manner and consulted a doctor about the spot on her arm.

I was reading your review of the Equinox cruise.

In that review, I noticed that your wife looked very serious in the photos you included in your review.

Now, I am thinking that perhaps the doctor’s appointment scheduled for after the cruise was on her mind.

It is good that you both could experience the cruise and have good news regarding her health once you returned home-a relief for both of you.

Wishing you both good health and enjoyable vacations in the future.

[msex10]

Hi "Frumpy",

 

Just finished reading your many reports and watching your videos.  Well done, what a labour of love!

 

Looking forward to meeting this weekend on Silouhette.

 

 

[FRMPEI]

On ‎2‎/‎26‎/‎2019 at 5:09 PM, msex10 said:

Hi "Frumpy",

 

Just finished reading your many reports and watching your videos.  Well done, what a labour of love!

 

Looking forward to meeting this weekend on Silouhette.

 

 

 

Of course, I missed this posting... we were in serious 2019 cruise prep. Funny how things turns out. I meet this "msex10" guy at the end of the slot pull and something clicked between us.  The five of us just hit it off right from the start... instant friends it is like we have been friends for ever.  Thank You Mike and Margaret for sharing your cruise with Donna and I. Already looking forward to March 15, 2020 abroad Silhouette again. World Class Bar is waiting for us.

 

Mike by the way Oceanview Café is on deck 14.Have you tried Coke Zero since your return... it is really good.

 

Regards,

Kevin Reid

 

PS.

I am feeling really guilty about not finishing this Trip Report. I am thinking of maybe trying to finish it first in Word then post all at once. We have new fast real high speed internet in South Winsloe so uploading photos will not be a headache. Would also like to do a Trip Report on our recent solo Silhouette. Solo in that we usually travel with others our first time sole since 2013.

 

Sorry,

Kevin Reid