Coral Feb.23-March 9 LIVE "Panama-or-Bust"

[apeller]

Glad to hear you are all having a great time. My parents (Louise & Seymour), and their friends, are on the ship with you and met you at the M&G. I was happy to hear that the health issues on previous cruises seem to have gone away.

If you run into my parents, tell them that Amy says hi.

[cruiserjanet]

Today was Panama Canal. It was amazing!!!! So worth the entire cruise. We were up at 5:30 and I finally got off my feet around 4 as that was when we were into the Pacific. I could tell we were in the Pacific because it smelled like fish. LOL!! We had clouds and sun and it was 91 at 1 p.m. I had sunscreen on early. I'm sure Liz (goat rancher) will go into more detail since she has more minutes than I do. I will definitely give my review when we get back home. For right now, I'm trying to hit some highlights. Tomorrow is a sea day. We get to sleep in and I finally get to go to the gym after a two-day absence. It's also formal night tomorrow night and we have one more next Saturday.

[ger_77]

I've been watching this thread because friends of ours are also on the Coral Princess enjoying their time out of the snow. I was going to watch the transit on the webcam, but by the time I remembered, you were already through the locks. Sounds like everyone's having a great time; sure wish we could be there, too!

 

Smooth Sailing! :):):)

[goat rancher]

PANAMA CANAL TRANSIT---all I can say is WOW!! We were up at 5:00 am...by the time we got to the front of the ship, there were already several people, so be prepared to come EARLY...We later migrated to the aft and then viewed the rest from our balcony..."so many photo ops, so little time." My advice: wear a hat and sunscreen, and don't be a dummy like me and rest your elbows on the balcony railing...blistered elbows and fancy dining DON'T MIX (lol)...

IF you have a choice, when going Atlantic to Pacific transit DO STARBOARD SIDE....lots more shade:)

[goat rancher]

Well today is a SEA DAY, and everyone is relaxing after a long day going through the canal...It is our second formal night tonight...

Not much to report...all is well....Although today, for some reason, they miraculously had a TON of tshirts, including all the sizes and some new styles, that even up to YESTERDAY we were repeatedly told were not available...Wierd....

They have an offer where they'll take orders for Cafe Britt coffee etc tonight before we hit the next port...basically the deal is $7.45/bag for 10 or $6.45/bag for 20..On Cafe Britt's website, it is $8.99/bag (or was last time I checked)..Not sure if we'll do that or not...We'll be on the Arenal Volcano and Hot Springs with Lunch tour tomorrow...

[Chatugian]

Thanks for your posts! We're getting on in LA when y'all get off, so take good care of the ship, okay?

 

We're on one side of the ship and my sister-in-law and her husband are on the other, so we'll have our choice of balconies to view the canal.

[davidnsteph]

Cruiserjanet,

 

We were on the Caribbean Princess with you in October 2007, and met you and your DH at the CC get-together in the Wheelhouse Bar.

 

We've enjoyed reading your posts and those by goat rancher, and are looking forward to this same itinerary on the Coral in April.

 

Enjoy your cruise. We'll keep reading.:)

 

DavidnSteph

[Colo Cruiser]

Enjoy!! :)

[judynorth]

We're on one side of the ship and my sister-in-law and her husband are on the other, so we'll have our choice of balconies to view the canal.

 

Choose the Port side in the morning and you will be in the shade. Be sure to be at the front of the ship as you enter though. Forward on Baja is a great place to view. Then go to the rear of the ship once you have gone through the 1st lock (we went to Emerald but Dolphin is fine too) and see it from the other point of view.

[Nancyquilts]

Leaving from LA, we were on the port side. This was great for shade in the afternoon all the way down to Panama. I would say the starboard side is generally more interesting - views of the railroad, road, a town, etc., but probably the most interesting place to be would be on the promenade deck when going through a lock - and on the side where there would be another ship going through at the same time, especially when one is going up and one is going down. Nancy

[smoosh21]

I am so glad it is only a week out now. We had several inches of snow in Atlanta today, so I definitely want that warmer weather. We are flying out to LA Saturday, so we have a few days to get ready out there.

[cruiserjanet]

Today was sea day. Nice. Weather was warm and the breeze felt good. Tomorrow is Puntarenas. We were going to the Orchid Farm but that got cancelled due to wind damage so we are just going to walk around a little and come back and exercise and read.

If you are considering taking this cruise from FLL to LA, I would recommend getting a cabin on the starboard side especially if you like to sit on your balcony like we do. This is where I messed up. The only reason I say this is that once we left Panama, we get the afternoon sun the rest of the way to L.A. We are on the Baja deck but the afternoon sun does beat down on the balcony. We got the port side because we never had the port side before and this is our 6th cruise so I wanted a change. However, the good side to this is when we exit the locks, we get a nice view of Panama City. The ship is still in good condition especially for a 7 year old ship that is in constant use. I assume she has been in drydock at least once and I understand she is going again within the year. You can see some wearing in places so she does need a fresh update, however, she still looks nice.

 

davidnsteph -- Hi there. I definitely remember you. So nice to hear from you. I hope you enjoy this cruise as much as we have.

[grandmato4]

Glad you're all enjoying your cruise ! Hope the food has been as good on yours as it was on ours. Janet- did you get to visit Mr. Emeralds when in Cartagena? By the way, how's the regular coffee in the Horizon court and dining room? Only ask wondering if we had a fluke or not as I actually found it to be quite drinkable, which surprised me !

[Islanderman]

Thanks for your reports. We're enjoying them very much. We'll be getting on when you get off in LA so the anticipation is really building.

 

We just got 12 inches of snow, so we're very much looking forward to warm weather and what looks to be a fantastic cruise.

 

Rich

[cruiserjanet]

Glad you're all enjoying your cruise ! Hope the food has been as good on yours as it was on ours. Janet- did you get to visit Mr. Emeralds when in Cartagena? By the way, how's the regular coffee in the Horizon court and dining room? Only ask wondering if we had a fluke or not as I actually found it to be quite drinkable, which surprised me !

 

Yes, we did get to visit Mr. Emerald. He was so nice. We went on the Best of Cartagena & Fortress tour. I'm really not a history buff but the Fortress was nice as was the monastery. I may have mentioned that we didn't get off at the dungeons since it was hot and we didn't care to shop there nor did we get off at the last stop which I don't recall what it was. The literature for the excursion indicated that we were to have an hour at Pierino Gallo but we only had 30 minutes. I couldn't wait to get there and was hoping that we wouldn't have to miss it. As soon as we got to Pierino Gallo, I dashed off the bus and went straight to Mr. Emerald with DH in tow. I got my coffee bean pendant with a small emerald in it for $24. He gave us a discount which was very nice. The pendant was 18 karat gold. We also went to get coffee on the other side of the mall. I don't know what we should have paid for it but we were okay with our purchase.

As far as the coffee in the Horizon Court, I couldn't tell you that since I don't drink coffee. I drink decaf ice blended mochas. I don't even like coffee with cream in it or even a latte. It has to be an ice blended mocha.

Today we were in Puntarenas. Since our excursion was cancelled due to wind damage, we got off the ship and walked around the port. The people were very nice and we got a few t-shirts and a hat for DH. The people weren't nearly as aggressive as the ones in Cartagena. I liken the people in Cartagena to those in Jamaica. I feel bad for them because they are poor but I believe they would sell more if they weren't so aggressive. We enjoyed purchasing from the outdoor vendors because they weren't aggressive but were very pleasant. After we got back to the ship, we exercised and took advantage of the beautiful weather to sit on our balcony and read. At one point the high was 93. Our tablemates are going on a long excursion today and won't be back until right before the ship leaves so DH and I are going to go up to Horizon for dinner. One night of no makeup and no heels for me.

George & Liz went on an interesting excursion today and I'll look forward to her telling you about it as well as for me to hear about it.

Tomorrow is San Juan Del Sur and DH and I will probably do the same as we did today.

[seababe]

:)I enjoyed your "live " post I will so the same in April but we are transatlantic say is Billy Hygate your cruise director? Thanks Seababe & Seaboy Seal Beach

[goat rancher]

PUNTARENAS:)

We had to be early risers this morning...ours was one of the longer tours, the Arenal Volcano and Hot Springs. Our guide was wonderful...filled us in on all sorts of info about daily life, history, geology--you name it, he talked about it:p. They told us you need towels for this tour--you don't. The resort provides them. We were also surprised by the fact that the weather was chilly, which we hadn't prepared for...I guess it was very warm in the port, but if you are heading inland into the hills, like we did, remember it is a cloud forest..and that means COLD, not WARM. The scenery all the way to and from the hot springs was breathtaking. The hot springs were heavenly. They had a buffet there--very tasty and a welcome treat after sitting in the hot waterfalls during a rainfall. As far as shopping--don't count on having time in port--you leave too early and get back too late. There is a small shop at the hot springs, but very limited there. They DO stop at a good souvenir shop midway there AND back, and give you 15 minutes on the way back to actually look around--long enough to do the "super shopper thing"...

[OCruisers]

Thanks so much :) ... especially, the warning that it gets chilly heading into the hills! Does sound like you had a very good time. Would you do it again?

[cruiserjanet]

:)I enjoyed your "live " post I will so the same in April but we are transatlantic say is Billy Hygate your cruise director? Thanks Seababe & Seaboy Seal Beach

 

Nope. Frank Castiglione(sp?) is the cruise director.

 

Today is San Juan Del Sur. Wow, is it ever windy. Gale force 9. I'm surprised they didn't cancel the port. We are anchored and I'm sure people on the tenders are having lots of fun. :rolleyes: We didn't have an excursion planned and opted to stay on the ship. It was 80 degrees the last time I checked and it is sunny. Nice, even with the wind. Tomorrow is Puerto Quetzal. Still having fun and am thankful to be here.

[goat rancher]

Re: Arenal Volcano and Hot Springs..yep, we'd do it again :)

SAN JUAN DEL SUR:

Ok, Janet, NOW we know why we got thrown around a bit in the tenders...gale force 9, eh?..It was a nice E Ticket ride into the port.

We did the Masaya Volcano and Market with Lunch tour. This included a side trip to Granada, a very good example of a colonial town, then on to Masaya...the volcano was reminiscent of Hawaii, without the flowing lava, but plenty of evidence of past flows and lots of steam...The marketplace is bargain hunters paradise. They gave us 45 minutes to shop..lots of wood and leather, beautiful artwork..even very detailed painting on feathers, which was quite unique...CHEAP!!! but watch because some vendors prices were far different than others. Our best deals came from a young woman named Ana, whose booth was the first we saw when we entered the marketplace. Last, but not least, they took us to a wonderful open air restaurant for lunch--great food plus musical entertainment. The ride both ways was very interesting as we saw several volcanos, ox carts, horse carts, etc... It was extremely W-I-N-D-Y back at port, but the ride on the tenders seemed not as rocky on the way back to the ship.

[OCruisers]

You're actually doing almost all of the same excursions we're considering for ours ... so ... just can't tell you how very very very much your information is appreciated! :cool:

[smoosh21]

Re: Arenal Volcano and Hot Springs..yep, we'd do it again :)

 

How long were you on the Bus for, on the Arenal trip? I had booked the Poas Volcano, but that is now canceled, I guess because of the Earthquake last month. It seemed that Arenal was an even longer bus ride.

 

Right now I am looking at the Monteverde Cloud Forest trip. Did you hear any comments on that one?

[goat rancher]

Hi,

Janet checked the weather reports here...and we were WINDY again...gale force 10 winds. It was warm at the port but cool up in the highlands. They recommended a sweater, but we never used ours.

FILADELFIA ESTATES COFFEE PLANTATION and ANTIGUA TOUR:

This was a wonderful tour. It takes about 1 1/2 hours to get to the plantation. You pass a lot of sugar cane fields (they're burning some right now so it was pretty smoky here), and some volcanoes...THREE are active in Guatemala right now, and one obliged us by belching a large amount of smoke as we passed. The coffee producing process is fascinating...very labor intensive. They served a wonderful buffet lunch, with music. On our way back, we drove through Antigua--we had a very good bus driver, because the streets were extremely narrow and difficult to navigate yet we got not ONE scrape:p. We didn't actually stop in Antigua, but did stop for a short visit to the next town up....

There were no shopping stops on this tour..but otherwise it was a FANTASTIC tour that I would highly recommend. We shopped in the terminal..you have to really bargain with these guys. The prices in the terminal seemed high, but they would bargain. We bought a table runner..with a very complex pattern including quetzals. (of course the vendor said they were hand woven which I doubt, because we already knew those cost well into the $100 and UP range)...The vendor wanted $50..we eventually got him down to $35.

 

Re: Arenal Volcano...it is 3 1/2 hours drive...You have a stop coming and going...I found it fascinating the whole time and took tons of pictures (or at least TRIED to)..some folks slept on the way back.

Re[ Monte Verde...We PASSED through the cloud forest, but not necessarily what is considered MonteVerde...It was very very pretty, but we don't know anyone who did that tour so I can't say if they saw more than WE did on our drive.

[mii]

Goat Rancher: I am a little confused. We are also planning to take the Fidelia Coffe Plantation and Antigua tour and the description on the Princess site said that we would stop in antigua at the town plaza. You said you did not stop there but in the next town. Did you see any of Antigua. Would appreciate any insight to this tour.

 

Marilyn

[goat rancher]

Hi Marilyn,

I talked with some tablemates this morning who took the same tour as we did, but on a different bus. THEY got 45 minutes in Antigua to walk around, see the sights and shop. Seems our bus followed theirs and a road block was being set up by the police. By the time our bus was able to negotiate the detour,which entailed going through a maze of narrow streets to get around, our guide felt we did not have time to stop and get out in Antigua at all...we just drove through and saw the churches from outside on the drive. Was a bit disappointed, but it wasn't the tour guide's fault. We asked what the detour was about and she said the police set it up because they wanted to work on the roads and the day we were there they felt was a "slow" day for traffic and so they felt they could close down all of downtown...very strange. I would have liked to walk around Antigua...have NO idea if prices for goods was different there compared to the pier, because our tablemates didn't shop while there. I just assumed that since WE didn't actually STOP in Antigua, that I must have misread the tour description, but obviously others who got in before the police detour DID stop...