Review Panama Canal-Radiance of Seas April 23-May 7 Part II

[KamloopsCruisers]

Here is part two of our Panama Canal cruise. To read part one, click here:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=345039

 

Ports of Call:

 

Aruba

We did an snorkeling excursion - booked with Jolly Pirates. Spent an enjoyable time on their old Brazilian sailing ship. Good standard BBQ lunch, unlimited drinks, had fun swinging off the rope swing. Crew were really good. Unfortunatley it had been windy for a few days prior to our visit and it was quite choppy the day we sail, hence the snorkeling conditions were disappointing. No faulth of the tour operators though. Visited three stops, with my favourite being an old ship wreck. Good value and a enjoyable experience.

 

Costa Rica - Puerto Limon

Booked a private excursion with Charlie Soto whom I can't recommend enough. This day was one of the highlights of our cruise - totally first rate operation. We toured a banana plantation, stopping on the way to get pictures taken with a baby howler monkey and a sloth. Then off to zipline - woohoo! I am TERRIFIED of heights and was quite hesitant to take this part of the tour (optional for you fraidy cats), but I'm so glad I did. Swinging through the beautiful rain forest jungle was exhilarating. I could have swung all day and in fact was disappointed when it ended. I'm not in great shape (49 yrs) and I'm presently undergoing chemo for breast cancer. My left arm is particulary weak, but I had no problem on the zipline. After ziplining we cruised down a small river in a small covered boat to view lots of wildlife. Saw many birds, alligators, some monkeys etc. Following this little cruise, we were taken to a delightful little restaurant on the beach for a delicious lunch. Very pretty spot and food was reasonable and good. Our day ended back in town for a stop to buy local coffee. Charlie's guide, Jenny, accompanied us into the shop so ensure we wouldn't be taken on the exchange. We returned to the ship with plenty of time to take and shower & change and head back into town for more shopping and pics. A most enjoyable day!

 

Panama City

Our transit through the canal was outstanding - sun shone all day it was a most fascinating experience. Unfortunately transit was delayed/slow, so we reached Panama City about 3 hours late. Decided to skip a visit into town and headed to the dining room for dinner instead.

 

Hualtulco Mexico

Very pretty, clean little town. We hung out at the beach right beside the pier. Nice to see the ship from the beach - lots of restaurants right along there overlooking the water. Shopping here is more expensive than most Mexican ports, but not many beach/street vendors. Took a cab up the hill to the old part of town for lunch and window shopped for a bit. Very pretty area.

 

Acapulco

Hot! Hot! Hot! Crowded! Crowded! Crowded! Because of my chemo treatments I am supposed to avoid the sun - hence we did not book the cliff divers excursion as I would have liked. I was feeling quite tired that day, so just spent the morning strolling around the old town before heading back to an almost empty ship where we spent an enjoyable afternoon.

 

Cabo San Lucas

Took a water taxi to Lovers Beach which turned out to be another highlight of our cruise. View and beach was breathtaking. We spent about 2 hours there before the taxi picked us and returned us to the main town. (Water taxi is about a 15 min ride at a cost of $10 return. Remember the name of your taxi for return pick-up or you'll be charged again). Had lunch in a local restaurant overlooking the harbour, again good food and reasonable. Did a bit of shopping before heading back to the ship.

 

On The Ship

Few final comments about being onboard the ship.

- We didn't see many shows, but particulary liked a comedian named Rodney Johnson. When we stopped at Acapulco, the early evening entertainment was a wonderful show called "Folkloric Showtime" who were a group of very talented dancers who showcased native dances from all around Mexico. Missed seeing Norm Crosby, Yacov Noy, Tasha Konvisor and Jason Chase. "Kinght Magic" was OK, as was the final farewell production show - the only production show we saw.

- RCCL entertainers around the ship were above average. Tom Scott in the Schooner Bar, Santino & Blackjax who played often in the Centrum and Colony Club had a large loyal following. My favourite was the Rosario Strings and a very classical guitarist named Geronimo Cruz.

- Wished there had been a few more activities on the ship during the day as we had many at sea days.

- Announcements were way, way too loud.

- Aft cabin is perfect for canal transit - half covered from the sun and huge. What a great spot to watch the locks close.

- Hollywood Odyssey Cigar Bar is "the" place to hang out late at night - lots of happy times spent there.

- Disco was almost empty many nights I popped my head in there. The majority of passengers on this cruise were older and the ship was often quiet at night.

 

We had a lot of fun on this cruise - enjoyed hanging out with our CC Meet & Mingle buddies, and our other new friends around the ship on our many at sea days. Wish I was still at sea onboard the beautiful Radiance.