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**Near-Live Blog of Zaandam Inca and South America Cruise 24 Sep - 3 Nov 2018**


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Day 13 (10/5)

 

Today we are in Puerto Quetzal, Guatamala. Nobody really wants to go here, unless you are a container or cargo ship, maybe a coal freighter or a tanker. Otherwise, there is little here except the capacity to load/unload ships and store the contents coming in or leaving. Except there is a very small dock in one area of the port that is designed for cruise ships. This is made obvious not by seeing other cruise ships or a nice, modern terminal building near the dock but by the pretty little oasis of trees and huts that sits where you might expect to find that terminal building. But, we didn't get to dock there today; an tiny barge that had some indistinct machinery on it was parked there so instead we docked at an empty cargo terminal, just behind a container ship that was using its own cranes to unload containers.

 

This meant we were in the midst of a busy port with lots of ships moving about. One container ship, "Dallas Express" of the Hapag-Lloyd Line, seemed intent on spearing us with her bow as she turned to back into her slot. However, the expert choreography of 2 tug boats managed to keep the large container ship just off our port side and backed her into her slip like a baby into a manger.

 

I tried again to head up to the Crows Nest this morning. Still closed. No explanation.

 

We had to ride an old "Blue Bird" manufactured school bus from our side of the port over to the oasis-like village. This baby is customized with lots of chrome and a growling exhaust system while inside is found a big, flat screen TV, a huge subwoofer so something could be heard over the exhaust and custom racks just millimeters above the seats where, one time very long ago, I used to fit. Well, as usual, since we weren't the first ones on the bus, we had to sit towards the rear and shimmied through the human gauntlet of scowling faces which were not looking forward to the prospect of another couple of riders who had to do this, what with having bad shoulders and such. But we made it. I'd learned long ago that there was no way I was going to fit in the seat over the rear wheel well and so chose the seats behind them for us. As we waited to leave, we chuckled to ourselves as we watched an Asian couple bicker over where to sit; she in one seat, he in another. We really had no idea what they were saying to each other until he finally gave in and sat down next to the window in the seat she occupied, right where she wanted him. People are the same the world over. Shortly afterwards, I began to wish I'd done more admiring of the custom, chromed wheels the rear tires were mounted on though as we began our free shuttle ride. I've never seen square tires before but I am sure we had a set mounted on this bus! I had to take inventory of my organs after shimmying back off the bus at the far end of our ride to make sure they were still where they belonged and still functioning.

 

We spent a few hours at the welcome center for the port, mostly trying to erase the memory of the ride over. It actually was quite nice, very shady and well maintained, with nearly as many restrooms spread around the center as huts and stalls for artisans and their wares. We both found things here for our loved ones at home that we hope they will like. The center has a small space for what turned out to be a fashion show, showcasing the different clothing styles of the many distinct cultures of Guatamala and, as it just so happened, were for sale in the many stalls along the meandering walkways. The show was nice anyhow and the clothing was beautiful and we took lots of photos. The only problem, if you want to call it a problem, is that the artisans and salespeople follow you around the whole place trying to convince you to buy their items as opposed to someone elses' very similar items. It got to be something of an annoyance but I think the whole issue is created by the amount of competition; too many vendors for too few shoppers.

 

We found a beer very near the entrance to the welcome center. We think they might refill the bottles as we didn't see the bartender un-cap them and the labels were peeled off but we drank them anyway, to no ill effect. Then it was time for Roger to convince me to re-board the bus, the rolling torture chamber, the tube of torment to knees and backsides, for the ride back to the dock and the ship. But while it looked like the same bus, they must have a few of these bladder busters or else someone changed the rear tires, as the ride back was not as bouncy and painful as the first ride.

 

Our feeding schedule had been changed early in the morning and although our stomachs were sure our throats had been cut, we arrived back just before lunchtime. Guatamala and Nicaragua seem to have as much trouble as the rest of us reading time zone maps because we gained back an hour as we headed towards the east as we left Mexico. So in Huatulco, we were at the same time as the central US after losing an hour once we had left Manzanillo, but Guatamala and Nicaragua are both 1 hour behind that, so we gained back the hour we lost in Huatulco. Now we are hungry every couple of hours as we really don't know what time it is any longer. If you can follow that, it's obviously not happy hour where you are.

 

We ate lightly for lunch; today the Lido was sparsely populated and we enjoyed almost exclusive use of the taco bar. It was here that we learned the rest of the story behind the mysterious Crows Nest closing. One of the Lido beverage managers was trying to sell us on the barhop scheduled for tomorrow night after our port call in Corinto, Nicaragua. The advertisement said it started at 9:30 PM in the Crows Nest to which I scoffed that that couldn't be as the Crows Nest is "closed until further notice". The manager said it was to be re-opened later today after the HVAC system servicing that area is fixed. Mystery solved.

 

Dinner in the Lido was good again, however I too can now recommend staying away from the "fried chicken". It is found on the line in a pan along with all the other offerings for the evening and I think may be leftover and re-purposed from yesterday's oven roasted chicken that was good. Tonight it was tough and dried out. I did enjoy the red skinned potatoes though, and of course, the salad I usually have. We were done eating before we left from Puerto Quetzal. We stayed about 45 minutes later than planned in order to wait for 2 buses of HAL tours that got hung up in traffic. By that time, the skies had turned dark due to nightfall, clouds and rain as lightning occasionally backlit it all. We have been warned of the possibility of weather precluding our stop in Nicaragua. There's a large Central American gyre (CAG) brewing up a possible tropical cyclone to its northeast near the Yucatan Peninsula and another one near us that is bringing torrential rain to most of Central America. It's not looking good for a port day in Corinto, whether or not we actually call there.

 

"Dallas Express" about to broadside us!:

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Roger is oblivious to looming disaster.....:

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The commercial/industrial area we docked at (the evil bus is at the bottom of the photo):

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The fashion show at the welcome center:

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We got a little choked up at the end of the show:

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What a fun and witty post! So it appears as if this port is not the Paris of Central America. So quick question: if you had booked an excursion, where would you have gone? Are there ruins nearby? A winery? Trying to figure out what justifies it being on the itinerary...

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

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Your pictures are so good Rich. So clear and vivid.

 

That Go Pro is something as is the photographer ;)

 

Glad the Crow's Nest mystery is solved and it will be available again. :D

 

Yikes on the weather you might be hitting. The joys of Central & South America.

 

Just a heads up on CC - they are rolling out a new format so it sounds like no one will be able to post on the 10th at all and possibly the next day. So don't even try tomorrow.

 

Excellent LIVE thread and very great reading. Thanks for taking us along :)

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Have been to Puerto Quetzal quite a few times.

The best times where when we docked closer to the inside away from the freight terminal. We saw fish jumping out of the water most of the morning.

One time we were also bumped from the new dock. The World had priority to dock there since they were over nighting. You were lucky to have a large bus to take over to the main area. We had 2 tiny buses doing the runs. Lines were long to get over there.

Great pictures.

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What a fun and witty post! So it appears as if this port is not the Paris of Central America. So quick question: if you had booked an excursion, where would you have gone? Are there ruins nearby? A winery? Trying to figure out what justifies it being on the itinerary...

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

 

Glad you asked that question.

 

I was considering a Panama Canal cruise but after reading the port reports, I don't think I will.

 

Many thanks to OP for this invaluable thread.

 

Annie

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What a fun and witty post! So it appears as if this port is not the Paris of Central America. So quick question: if you had booked an excursion, where would you have gone? Are there ruins nearby? A winery? Trying to figure out what justifies it being on the itinerary...

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

 

I had been here before and taken a wonderful tour to Antigua, had a terrific lunch of local fare in a courtyard restaurant and then visited a local school for Mayan children that one of my good friends and a member here on Cruise Critic organized. It was a lovely time. Antigua is a UNESCO World Heritage site and has beautiful cathedrals, Jade museums and quaint cobblestone streets and sidewalks and is a fairly short bus ride away. There are tours to Mayan Ruins but they are full day tours and involve several hours of driving.

 

I didn't mean to off-put anyone regarding this port call with my description of the port itself. If anything, take from my experience that you should endeavor to venture out away from the port and see the local villages and city nearby. Puerto Quetzal is simply a launching point for a great day inland; don't spend it just wandering around the welcome center.

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Glad you asked that question.

 

I was considering a Panama Canal cruise but after reading the port reports, I don't think I will.

 

Many thanks to OP for this invaluable thread.

 

Annie

 

There is so much to see though! As I have done these ports before we were simply looking to get off the ship and spend time walking and enjoying. In Huatulco there is a cathedral within walking distance inland that is lovely and the area is a haven for nature and water lovers. Manzanillo has similar attributes in the local area and a city called Colima that offers much to see and do. Hopefully you have read my response to Barbara about Guatamala.

 

The biggest complaints about these stops and Corinto from fellow passengers is the heat and humidity. If you aren't used to a tropical atmosphere it can be oppressive. Bring plenty of fresh water with you, a washcloth to soak and wipe yourself down with or get one of the sports towels that are designed to keep you cool. Stay with your group and don't stop to admire trinkets and goods for sale unless you want to be pressed to buy, because generally speaking, you will be.

 

There's much these places offer in my opinion that shouldn't be overlooked.

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Your pictures are so good Rich. So clear and vivid.

 

That Go Pro is something as is the photographer ;)

 

Glad the Crow's Nest mystery is solved and it will be available again. :D

 

Yikes on the weather you might be hitting. The joys of Central & South America.

 

Just a heads up on CC - they are rolling out a new format so it sounds like no one will be able to post on the 10th at all and possibly the next day. So don't even try tomorrow.

 

Excellent LIVE thread and very great reading. Thanks for taking us along :)

 

Thanks, Jacqui, for the heads-up about the upgrade to CC. Might be a few days before I post after they start as we will be in Machu Picchu next weekend, but I shall return

 

Glad you are enjoying the blog and photos. :D

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Good to have the mystery of the Crows Nest solved.

Thanks for your report.

 

Nothing in the Crows Nest appears different so I have concluded we got a good explanation. There were rumors of fires, fights and pestilence that I started that were making the rounds.....

 

...not really but some were convinced it was being transformed to the EXC Central format that dismays many here. But I saw nothing of the sort.

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There is so much to see though! As I have done these ports before we were simply looking to get off the ship and spend time walking and enjoying. In Huatulco there is a cathedral within walking distance inland that is lovely and the area is a haven for nature and water lovers. Manzanillo has similar attributes in the local area and a city called Colima that offers much to see and do. Hopefully you have read my response to Barbara about Guatamala.

 

The biggest complaints about these stops and Corinto from fellow passengers is the heat and humidity. If you aren't used to a tropical atmosphere it can be oppressive. Bring plenty of fresh water with you, a washcloth to soak and wipe yourself down with or get one of the sports towels that are designed to keep you cool. Stay with your group and don't stop to admire trinkets and goods for sale unless you want to be pressed to buy, because generally speaking, you will be.

 

There's much these places offer in my opinion that shouldn't be overlooked.

 

Thank you very much for taking the time to respond. Much appreciated.

 

Annie

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Day 14 (10/6)

 

Another night of rolling, pitching, wind howling and things going "BANG" randomly. I think some previous passenger must have lifted the ceiling panels just enough to insert a couple of BBs so that they would roll back and forth every time the ship did and annoy anyone lying in bed afterwards forever and ever. Despite all that I slept rather well and so did Roger. We awoke at our usual time and I told Roger not to get washed off the promenade if he tried walking this morning. He went to go outside but the wind quickly slammed the door in his face, convincing him to wait until later.

 

When I arose around 7 AM, we were at the pilot station for Corinto's port and the parking lot was busy. Several container and other types of ships had taken up spots here, apparently on hold due to the inclement weather conditions. We spun around like a top several times as if the wind was playing with one of its toys in the water, alternately looking at first one ship, then another as we went round. It was easy to figure out we weren't going to make our 8 AM schedule for arrival if we were to make it at all.

 

It was only a few minutes later that Captain Friso announced that, sadly, he had to cancel the attempt to head to port. He had been trying to line the ship up on the channel for entry for several minutes (hence the spinning) and it just wasn't happening. He said the pilot told him that conditions in port were "dangerous" and that, of course, is a big 'no-no' when it comes to cruise ships and likely most others. Understandably, we headed on to Fuerte Amador and our Panama stop.

 

Suddenly, the ship's crew sprang into action and by 9:30 AM it had been announced that all EXC tours would be refunded and that port taxes were being calculated for return as well. A new schedule had been published of events for the day on board and all seemed happy, except for the exterior doors on several decks that continued to BANG their protest out on their respective jams. We had lectures on "The Secret Language of Ships", "Ring of Fire: The Pacific Rim of Volcanoes" and a couple of others to attend now, the Pinnacle Grill was to be open for lunch which was addition to Chef Rudi's Sel de Mer evening there and, all-in-all, it was soon hard to tell we had ever had a port call canceled.

 

We received word today of an informative presentation about our upcoming Machu Picchu Overland Tour sheduled for Tuesday the 9th. We are very much looking forward to this. Our tour will depart in Trujillo, Peru on the 12th and return late in the day to Lima and our waiting ship on the 14th. No matter how it turns out I expect we'll have quite an adventure to share.

 

Lunch for me was a grilled cheese sandwich and a slice of cheese pizza. It's not my first grilled cheese aboard and won't be my last as they do a nice job with it here on the Lido. I looked at the soup of the day but passed as it wasn't the requisite tomato that just seems to go best with grilled cheese. I did find that the pizza, which Roger truly loves, was a bit salty to my taste, which seemed odd, until I realized it was the sauce that was salty. Roger had one of his favorites, a salad and a slice of "sink-trap" pizza; you know, the one that has everything on it, the toppings being found in the strainer of the nearest kitchen sink, and a couple of cookies. Dinner for me consisted of a salad; Roger had a plate of sliced turkey with gravy and a four cheese baked potato, all of which he quite enjoyed.

 

By this evening the weather has calmed down considerably and the temperature is even reasonably pleasant, not cool but not dripping wet and hot. Sitting at the Lido pool this evening where the dome is partially open, a fresh breeze is blowing and the white and green flashing light of a welding torch is lighting up the Lido bar. Something must have snapped during the rough weather earlier.

 

This evening's Mainstage entertainer, Bernie Fields, Harmonica Virtuoso, is lulling us to sleep with what must be the most bass harmonica ever made. We are listening to what sounds like kettle drums being pounded on, but hey, we're on a cruise, so all is truly well.

 

Tried to capture the weather and Captain Friso's announcement Saturday morning:

u7Jn-VZh6Mo

 

Many have seen these, but can you tell which is for port and which is for starboard?:

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Day 12 (10/4)

 

Huatulco, Mexico is a very pretty little resort along the southern coast of Mexico that seems almost out of place along the remote looking shores. It's a very small cove that hosts a few hotels and a resort, some condos and a marina which is surrounded by bars, restaurants and shops. There is a beautiful sandy beach that is only a few steps off the pier and lots of taxi drivers and shop keepers who are sure they have just the right ride for you or the most lovely jewelry. One of the shop keepers even called out that he had all the things you didn't need to take home.

 

It was very warm and very sunny in the morning and it just kept getting warmer and sunnier as we decided to step out and explore and look for a place to buy a beer. Unlike the last time I was here there was not a large military/security presence, only 2 marines at the gate armed to the teeth who seemed to ignore everyone and 2 'policia municipal' who checked cabin cards. Oh, and a very friendly retriever working dog who was trying hard to stay cool in the shade of her master's chair.

 

We stopped and had a beer at one of the bars and made friends with the young man who was tending bar. He was an artist from Mexico City whose English was only nominally better than our Spanish. Nevertheless, the three of us had a warm conversation about life which ended in hand shakes and fist bumps all around. It is so easy to make friends with nearly anyone anywhere so long as you have a genuine smile on your face, a warm song in your voice and act with humble kindness.

 

Upon reboarding Zaandam, we watched as a little event unfolded at the gangway. Obviously, the tide coming in had changed the angle the gangway drooped to the dock to the point that it had to be propped up now. It was interesting to watch as first one attempt then another attempt to use the "Buenos Aires Ramp" seemed to fall just short enough of perfect to need to be re-done. It was finally decided that it was good enough when the Captain refused the request to move the ship a little away from the dock and aft some. I guess Mexican docks and Argentine ramps don't quite mesh exactly.

 

We had to leave this little paradise behind early, at 1 PM, in order to make our next port tomorrow on time. Not long after we did the winds picked up to gale force off land which made getting to everything on the port side of the ship an uphill climb. It was blowing hard and the Captain said it was to last until midnight or so. It was a bit strange to look out the port side and see only the sky while looking out the starboard side one could only see water. Again, the promenade deck remained open and everyone not paying attention while on the port side of the ship got a soaking from the spray off the whitecaps.

 

Tonight was Mexican Dinner night at the Lido Market as we'd already spent an enjoyable 2 days there and were now leaving for Guatamala. We both had only salads tonight as we'd each eaten at the Dive In for lunch; me a hot dog with fries and Roger a hamburger with fries. That dog was still barking at me so I decided I'd feed it as lightly as possible. Later, I walked up to the Crows Nest only to find it closed. Not just roped off for something like a private party; no, the fire doors were closed and sported very serious looking signs about it being closed until further notice. I plan to investigate further in the morning to see if I can find out what's going on.

 

We've received forms tonight to be filled out for both Peru and Chile. I think that the Peruvian forms are because we are doing the overland tour to Machu Picchu for 2 nights as we the last time we were here we didn't and they're called "Baggage Declaration" forms. The form for Chile is a little less forthcoming as to its purpose but in filling it out it appears to be for customs declarations. We are to keep the Chilean form on our persons but must turn in the Peruvian form to Guest Relations.

 

Met friends on the secret balcony at the stern on the Navigation deck to watch the sunset again. We've already begun to talk about how we've seen nicer ones on the cruise, so I guess we have been on board long enough to notice. Tonight's sunset was still beautiful though.

 

Sunrise in Huatulco:

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Short walk into town to the beach:

O4ESpanoZJ2Lzrsu-ab3kVTIUcmVEEdLxQ4A00tkfNAc79o37id1j9xWimCL3RMz_jLaRS6lXKY0rL3GnFagmP9m6L4NQPgRX2UhQKAv2iit4cOKkpv6kyYnHipsEUjfCKdaZzS-PKLPl2bnG2slzF55DNozAmVcrSsS74k3fm-Ri6rwZw4zBbEIumeq5l2pBeXqHNxBzV0ZVtoTo9yRfYMfkcm4xJ-3f8KOVkayjID0cke2ZbE5WSVKFPkvUTsnEOs9_MHaM3_6oGbmcIkOaVtg_O64EFUyTFNxvQod9_LMW9I-d3aoFjArR6iwuoUpLzFb_Ck8zVmVWO81s5yUNbSJaGImjcJo5fLdMC7GNCwtC1KWeAptNznqNgi6gObAGINfXzt9DWtyh3L8LcaAcJY-ksJEtPfI7i4IW2uZm8zJHUZ4D06blHUhFBTxmv_vhmfchGr_emHolNqTw0VZ9I33eMxwB99eDUd52mG_Sh5EYdYV4lt1zuoG-RNp7DTcUy1lzz4O-5_zyzsMDwy1rWMJY431IrlwHXSvfeq1-_T1Ads72c1Boz6Yb-vt3Cf48OTA6Wg7IZrTdxqZu9FdeJiWFS-x4dTBsON5wZ6hAtihqYXZWmNDHBW90Np8z2HzxcpMZ8zAjZGU-rdUfmzr5fk_M2TSsSAMrmB2_Rmmz_8XuyCa9i1g6z03hg=w655-h368-no

 

The "Buenos Aires Ramp":

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Leaving Huatulco:

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Closed Crows Nest!:

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What software do you use to tweak the photos? Have you tried Luminar?

 

 

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Day 14 (10/6)

 

Another night of rolling, pitching, wind howling and things going "BANG" randomly. I think some previous passenger must have lifted the ceiling panels just enough to insert a couple of BBs so that they would roll back and forth every time the ship did and annoy anyone lying in bed afterwards forever and ever. Despite all that I slept rather well and so did Roger. We awoke at our usual time and I told Roger not to get washed off the promenade if he tried walking this morning. He went to go outside but the wind quickly slammed the door in his face, convincing him to wait until later.

 

When I arose around 7 AM, we were at the pilot station for Corinto's port and the parking lot was busy. Several container and other types of ships had taken up spots here, apparently on hold due to the inclement weather conditions. We spun around like a top several times as if the wind was playing with one of its toys in the water, alternately looking at first one ship, then another as we went round. It was easy to figure out we weren't going to make our 8 AM schedule for arrival if we were to make it at all.

 

It was only a few minutes later that Captain Friso announced that, sadly, he had to cancel the attempt to head to port. He had been trying to line the ship up on the channel for entry for several minutes (hence the spinning) and it just wasn't happening. He said the pilot told him that conditions in port were "dangerous" and that, of course, is a big 'no-no' when it comes to cruise ships and likely most others. Understandably, we headed on to Fuerte Amador and our Panama stop.

 

Suddenly, the ship's crew sprang into action and by 9:30 AM it had been announced that all EXC tours would be refunded and that port taxes were being calculated for return as well. A new schedule had been published of events for the day on board and all seemed happy, except for the exterior doors on several decks that continued to BANG their protest out on their respective jams. We had lectures on "The Secret Language of Ships", "Ring of Fire: The Pacific Rim of Volcanoes" and a couple of others to attend now, the Pinnacle Grill was to be open for lunch which was addition to Chef Rudi's Sel de Mer evening there and, all-in-all, it was soon hard to tell we had ever had a port call canceled.

 

We received word today of an informative presentation about our upcoming Machu Picchu Overland Tour sheduled for Tuesday the 9th. We are very much looking forward to this. Our tour will depart in Trujillo, Peru on the 12th and return late in the day to Lima and our waiting ship on the 14th. No matter how it turns out I expect we'll have quite an adventure to share.

 

Lunch for me was a grilled cheese sandwich and a slice of cheese pizza. It's not my first grilled cheese aboard and won't be my last as they do a nice job with it here on the Lido. I looked at the soup of the day but passed as it wasn't the requisite tomato that just seems to go best with grilled cheese. I did find that the pizza, which Roger truly loves, was a bit salty to my taste, which seemed odd, until I realized it was the sauce that was salty. Roger had one of his favorites, a salad and a slice of "sink-trap" pizza; you know, the one that has everything on it, the toppings being found in the strainer of the nearest kitchen sink, and a couple of cookies. Dinner for me consisted of a salad; Roger had a plate of sliced turkey with gravy and a four cheese baked potato, all of which he quite enjoyed.

 

By this evening the weather has calmed down considerably and the temperature is even reasonably pleasant, not cool but not dripping wet and hot. Sitting at the Lido pool this evening where the dome is partially open, a fresh breeze is blowing and the white and green flashing light of a welding torch is lighting up the Lido bar. Something must have snapped during the rough weather earlier.

 

This evening's Mainstage entertainer, Bernie Fields, Harmonica Virtuoso, is lulling us to sleep with what must be the most bass harmonica ever made. We are listening to what sounds like kettle drums being pounded on, but hey, we're on a cruise, so all is truly well.

 

Tried to capture the weather and Captain Friso's announcement Saturday morning:

u7Jn-VZh6Mo

 

Many have seen these, but can you tell which is for port and which is for starboard?:

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I always hate to have a port cancelled. But, alas, what can you do? Glad to hear it hasn’t affected either your good cheer or what sounds like an onboard festive atmosphere!

 

 

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Day 14 (10/6)

 

Another night of rolling, pitching, wind howling and things going "BANG" randomly. I think some previous passenger must have lifted the ceiling panels just enough to insert a couple of BBs so that they would roll back and forth every time the ship did and annoy anyone lying in bed afterwards forever and ever. Despite all that I slept rather well and so did Roger. We awoke at our usual time and I told Roger not to get washed off the promenade if he tried walking this morning. He went to go outside but the wind quickly slammed the door in his face, convincing him to wait until later.

 

When I arose around 7 AM, we were at the pilot station for Corinto's port and the parking lot was busy. Several container and other types of ships had taken up spots here, apparently on hold due to the inclement weather conditions. We spun around like a top several times as if the wind was playing with one of its toys in the water, alternately looking at first one ship, then another as we went round. It was easy to figure out we weren't going to make our 8 AM schedule for arrival if we were to make it at all.

 

It was only a few minutes later that Captain Friso announced that, sadly, he had to cancel the attempt to head to port. He had been trying to line the ship up on the channel for entry for several minutes (hence the spinning) and it just wasn't happening. He said the pilot told him that conditions in port were "dangerous" and that, of course, is a big 'no-no' when it comes to cruise ships and likely most others. Understandably, we headed on to Fuerte Amador and our Panama stop.

 

Suddenly, the ship's crew sprang into action and by 9:30 AM it had been announced that all EXC tours would be refunded and that port taxes were being calculated for return as well. A new schedule had been published of events for the day on board and all seemed happy, except for the exterior doors on several decks that continued to BANG their protest out on their respective jams. We had lectures on "The Secret Language of Ships", "Ring of Fire: The Pacific Rim of Volcanoes" and a couple of others to attend now, the Pinnacle Grill was to be open for lunch which was addition to Chef Rudi's Sel de Mer evening there and, all-in-all, it was soon hard to tell we had ever had a port call canceled.

 

We received word today of an informative presentation about our upcoming Machu Picchu Overland Tour sheduled for Tuesday the 9th. We are very much looking forward to this. Our tour will depart in Trujillo, Peru on the 12th and return late in the day to Lima and our waiting ship on the 14th. No matter how it turns out I expect we'll have quite an adventure to share.

 

Lunch for me was a grilled cheese sandwich and a slice of cheese pizza. It's not my first grilled cheese aboard and won't be my last as they do a nice job with it here on the Lido. I looked at the soup of the day but passed as it wasn't the requisite tomato that just seems to go best with grilled cheese. I did find that the pizza, which Roger truly loves, was a bit salty to my taste, which seemed odd, until I realized it was the sauce that was salty. Roger had one of his favorites, a salad and a slice of "sink-trap" pizza; you know, the one that has everything on it, the toppings being found in the strainer of the nearest kitchen sink, and a couple of cookies. Dinner for me consisted of a salad; Roger had a plate of sliced turkey with gravy and a four cheese baked potato, all of which he quite enjoyed.

 

By this evening the weather has calmed down considerably and the temperature is even reasonably pleasant, not cool but not dripping wet and hot. Sitting at the Lido pool this evening where the dome is partially open, a fresh breeze is blowing and the white and green flashing light of a welding torch is lighting up the Lido bar. Something must have snapped during the rough weather earlier.

 

This evening's Mainstage entertainer, Bernie Fields, Harmonica Virtuoso, is lulling us to sleep with what must be the most bass harmonica ever made. We are listening to what sounds like kettle drums being pounded on, but hey, we're on a cruise, so all is truly well.

 

Tried to capture the weather and Captain Friso's announcement Saturday morning:

u7Jn-VZh6Mo

 

Many have seen these, but can you tell which is for port and which is for starboard?:

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Starboard is green and port is red[emoji568]

 

 

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Thank you very much for taking the time to respond. Much appreciated.

 

Annie

 

We were on a full transit of the Panama Canal in April 2015 with Rich and Kazu. If you care to do a search a did a review with many (many) photographs when we returned which would be after May 1, 2015. You will see the excursions we did and see for yourself if it interests you.

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We were on a full transit of the Panama Canal in April 2015 with Rich and Kazu. If you care to do a search a did a review with many (many) photographs when we returned which would be after May 1, 2015. You will see the excursions we did and see for yourself if it interests you.

 

Thank you,

 

Annie

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Starboard is green and port is red[emoji568]

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

Maybe someone colourblind designed them!:eek:

 

Rich, that is so funny about the sound of something rolling in the ceiling. When we were on Zaandam last year, on the LP deck, every night that was even the smallest bit rough, we had loud sounds in the wall under the window. After numerous attempts to get it fixed during the day (when there were no noises), we were eventually told to get someone from the Front Office to come to our room, regardless of the time of night, to get a fix on the location of the noise. So we did that about 2 a.m one night, and we were finally vindicated - they had thought we were mad or something! The next day they removed the wall behind the bed and found a piece of pipe that someone had left in the wall. But boy, was it annoying when we were trying to sleep! Fortunately, we had not had too many rough nights in South America, the worst was between San Diego and Vancouver.

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