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How was Thanksgiving for all of you? We finished up our leftovers a few days later, and our dinner was enjoyed all over again! Comfort food at its best.
I promised you that I would share more pictures of our cruise. Our two weeks of cruising were very relaxing, and it was just what we needed. This post is a quick synopsis of our trip with too many photos! π
Cabo
Cabo was our first stop. As we were waiting for our turn to get off the shipβ¦ I snapped the above picture. We spent my birthday in Cabo! How lucky was I? We were supposed to go to our Travel Agentβs condo for a Fiesta but it was canceled due to no electricity from the Hurricane a few days before. Instead we did some light shopping, walked around, and enjoyed a light meal. We chose to stay close by as the immediate area was quite beautiful. We were happy to take it all in!
Costa Rica
We had a bus tour scheduled for later in the day, so we got off the ship early in the morning and walked into town. Music and dancers welcomed us as we entered town. We enjoyed the vendors who were set up close by.
On the bus tour, we were taken through the rainforest to a town called Esparza. Once again, we were welcomed by music and children dancing. And later, more music was performed for us as we tasted Costa Rican coffee.
Please click on a picture to make it larger.
Panama City, Panama
We were to stop in Panama City, but there was civic unrest. We did not dock at the port as well, so a fuel tanker filled us up while anchored off the coast. Panama City was much bigger than we expected, and we could view the city from the ship. We were astonished at how many ships were waiting for their turn through the canal. Because of a drought, only 24 ships are going through the canal daily compared to the usual 40.
Panama Canal
We were up on deck at sunrise so that we could view the start of going through the locks.
It was fascinating to watch! An amazing experience! The toll for our ship was $390,000.00! Some cargo ships pay a million dollars! It depends on how much cargo you have, etc. Oh, and a neat little tidbit⦠there are crocodiles in the locks! Look for one in the gallery below!
We went through the newly built locks (finished in 2017.) The historical locks (built in 1904) still function and were alongside us most of the time.
The locks raised our ship from sea level (the Pacific Ocean) to the level of Gatun Lake. We then cruised through Gatun Lake, the channel, and the Continental Divide. Then, the next set of locks lowered us to sea level (The Caribbean Sea/Atlantic Ocean.) It took us about 12 hours to cruise through the canal from start to finish. We cruised under three bridges. The Bridge of Americas, the Centennial Bridge, and the Atlantic Bridge. Please click on a picture to enlarge.
We entered the Atlantic Ocean or Caribbean Sea at night. We enjoyed cruising under the Atlantic Bridge with its ever-changing light display!
Cartagena, Colombia, South America
Our excursion took us on a bus and walking tour of the coastal town of Cartagena. We were amazed at all the Colombian art-lined streets and back allies. Cartagena was full of color and life! Although the street vendors in some areas of town exhausted me with all their salesmanship techniques!
A Restful Cruise
Our cruise was relaxing and we had many βAt Seaβ days. We were never bored as there is so much to do on the ship. We spent Halloween at sea which was so much fun! The cruise staff entertained us each and every day! Between the never-ending food, musical shows, trivia games, afternoon tea, and evenings at the Captainβs Circle, we enjoyed ourselves immensely.
Home Sweet Home!
Travel is wonderful but arriving home is even sweeter! I chose to do this lengthy post as we are back in the desert and I have lots more to share in upcoming posts. Thank you for your patience. I will have this post added to my sidebar on the side of my blog. You can always click and review at any time.
Thank You!
The Christmas Season has begun! I hope you are embracing the most exciting time of the year! For me, itβs all about the twinkling lights and being cozy.
As I always try to convey⦠we certainly appreciate all of you. Thank you for joining us for another Tuesday Tidbits.
We wish all of you a wonderful week ahead. Enjoy what this upcoming week brings to you. And whatever you have planned⦠make every day count and be thankful for your Blessings.
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Please do not re-blog. Thank you.
Looks like you had a great cruise experience and have wonderful photos to relive the memories. Good for you. The Panama Canal traffic and the water situation is a real issue for all of us, and you saw it up close and personal. Enjoy your white lights. π
Thank you Judy.
The Drought situation has been a major impact to the world. Sad situation.
It was a beautiful cruise and so happy we could experience it.
Thank you for your visit. Enjoy your Tuesday!
Wow, these are fantastic photos from what is obviously a fantastic two-week cruise! Thanks for sharing, Nance.
I am so happy you enjoyed it. Thank you, Mr. Mark!
Looking at all that beautiful water and color does this Yankee’s heart good just about now!
I am so happy you enjoyed it. Thank you and Happy Tuesday to you!
How much fun is that? Fantastic photos, Nancy.
Thank you Tim! It was a lot of fun!
Stunning photos, Nancy! Thanks for taking us along. We’ve entered the part of winter around here when the days are gray…on top of gray…and these bright and sunny pics (especially the umbrellas in Cartagena) made me smile. So glad you had a fab time. xo! π₯°
The umbrellas were beautiful to enjoy! I am glad you enjoyed as well. Happy Trails to you on this lovely Tuesday!
βοΈπβοΈ
ππ΅π
hi Nancy, welcome home! Thank you for taking us along, I loved seeing all your beautiful photos~ you caught some fabulous sunrise/sunsets, and I imagine going through the locks was amazing! $390,000, wowza! It sounds like a dreamy trip…Now it’s time for the season of Merriment!
Jenna
I am ready for a Merry December!
It was a great cruise! And yes our toll was $390,000.00!!
Enjoy your Tuesday Jenna!
We think the same thing. We love to travel but home is the best place on earth.
What an amazing trip Nancy.
XOOX
Jodie
Thank you Jodie! I agree!
Hugs to you!
Enjoy your Tuesday!
Well, now I’m itching to book our next cruise. Fun photos (and facts!…that was quite the hefty toll fee!). Thanks for sharing this great post. Take care!
I was looking for the toll boothβ¦ and was wondering how they got all those coins in there! ππ€£
This was an awesome cruise!
Thank you for enjoying! Happy Trails to you today on this beautiful Tuesday!
Oh my! We’re looking at white out here in Michigan so seeing all this gorgeous blue and color is beyond wonderful. And it looks like a fabulous and very interesting time with wonderful ports of call! What a terrific trip!
I am glad you enjoyed all the colors. Colombia was extremely colorful!
It’s so good to hear from you, sweet Jeannie.
Happy Trails to you today on this lovely Tuesday!
What a wonderful time you and your Sweet Man had, Miss Nancy. You certainly look like you were having a wonderful time and it’s lovely to see all the photos you’ve shared. I can’t fathom that toll! Never mind the number coins, I want the purse that held them π€£
Wouldnβt that be nice!!
Thanks for your darling comments. Happy Day to you my dear!
π₯°π€£π₯°
Nancy, your trip looks fabulous! Your photos are stunning as well. I am so glad you enjoyed the trip and that you had restful days. Yikes, crocodiles in the locks sounds bizarre to me. We went through locks on the Danube recently and I found it very interesting. I can only imagine the Panama Canal. I enjoyed arm chair traveling with you!
Oh, how I enjoyed your pictures from your recent cruise and I still have a post or two to get caught up on.
Thanks so much for your lovely comments. Happy Trails to you on this fine Tuesday!
What a grand time you had, Nancy! I didn’t realize Panama City was so large. Of course the Canal is rather large too. Locks are amazing, aren’t they? I love the shots from Cartagena. That city always make me think of the movie “Romancing the Stone.” π And isn’t Puerto Rican coffee wonderful?
Glad you had such a good time and that you also love coming home. That’s a blessing, isn’t it?
It is such a blessing, I agree!
The coffee was delicious, and Cartagena was so colorful.
Thank you so much for your thoughtful comments.
Enjoy the rest of your week, Janet.
Nancy what fun you had and we have taken that same cruise when we lived in Seattle. And we just happen to be on a Caribbean cruise during Halloween also this year. We got a chuckle out of an older couple dressed as Titanic survivors….very clever costumes and many on the ship kept looking for them long after Halloween. I did not decorate our “Door” to our suite but many had all kinds of stickers and masks and pumpkins stuck to their doors…it helped not to get lost in the many hallways. Thanks for sharing your beautiful photos. Hugs
Oh what fun for you as cdjisingnis so much fun!
That couple dressed as Titanic survivors must have given everyone a chuckle.
Thank you for the visit my friend. It’s always so good to hear from you.
Nancy, I enjoyed all your photos and reading about your Panama Canal experience. We just returned home after 14 days of sailing from Ft. Lauderdale. We did a partial transit through the old locks into the lake, turned around and went back. Going through the locks is an amazing experience! As soon as I get through going through hundreds of pictures I will post about it!
Thank you Beth! How I wonderful and so interesting how you did it!
I am looking forward to your pictures!
Thanks Nancy for sharing these incredible photos from your wonderful trip.
Thank you, Bernadette! I am glad you enjoyed it! Happy Trails to you my friend!
It is not surprising that you had so many pictures to post–what an amazing trip! I’m glad you enjoyed it so much!πππ
Thank you Linda! It was great!
Thanks for sharing!! Sounds and looks like such an awesome time!! Love the pics….thanks for sharing and my best to you as we move into the Holiday Season!!
Our best to you as well! And thank you for enjoying the pictures!
Looks like a marvelous trip from start to finish! Hugs to you for taking us along (via your fabulous photos!)
Thank you Dawn!
How is the house building going? Although I saw you all got a lot of snow!
Hello, friend! I enjoyed a day of catching up on my blog-reading and your posts were some of my favorites. I do love looking at life through your lens. The house is moving along very nicely, praise be! We should definitely complete in time for the summer season, perhaps even a little earlier, as long as supplies continue to arrive on schedule. Looking forward to sitting on the porch togetherβ¦.
I am so happy for you! Looking forward to seeing you at the βnewβ house this summer!
What a colorful post in both words and images. Cartagena looks fantastic even with the pesky “snakes”. I haven’t been through the Panama Canal. Your post makes we want to go even more. I know it would be well worth the views even with having to stay on the boat. What an amazing trip. thanks for allowing us to live vicariously through you.
I enjoyed Cartagena very much. If it would have been a bit cooler I would have tolerated the βpeskyβ ones a bit more. It was a beautiful area with a Spanish feel!
Thank you for your kind words.
Have a beautiful weekend!
Amazing the price tag for the toll on the cruise ship – had never thought of the cost to float on through!
Yes! Quite the toll! I was really trying to find the toll booth and where we entered all those coins! π€£π
Have a beautiful weekend my friend!
Your cruse looked lovely through the pics you shared, Nancy! Happy belated birthday! What a nice way to spend it. The locks of the Panama canal look so intriguing. Glad you stayed safe but still got see so much!
Thank you, Terri! It was a wonderful cruise! The sights were spectacular. Merry December to you!
I HAVE ALWAYS WANTED TO GO TO THE PANAMA CANAL