Well it seems like long ago since our cruise through the Panama Canal! We are already thinking about where we would go on our second cruise! Needless to say then we LOVED it!!

The ship was gorgeous! I was in awe of everything!!We chose anytime dining, so we got to dine with a lot of different people over the course of the ten days.We were the minority; most of the couples had cruised several times before… one couple were nearing the 30 mark lol! We will have to model our lives after them hahaha JBut I was pleasantly surprised that most of them agreed that the Princess was one of the nicer ships they had been on, so I guess we chose well for our maiden voyage!

Our first two days were sea days, so we got acquainted with the ship (or attempted to … we got lost a few times J).I was totally impressed with the on-board entertainment!The singers & dancers were phenomenal!The musicals were certainly a highlight of the cruise!!There were also different comedians performing such as Rodney Johnson from the Rose O'Donnell Show, Billy Prudhomme and Jeff Nease…all did shows during the cruise and all were very good acts!The magician/illusionist Gaetano was also onboard for a show, which was incredible!Most nights we took in two shows and then went to the lounge after to listen to the live band.Plus after eight o'clock was the onset of Happy Hour J

We attended one of the wine tastings on board…very interesting…and great wine!!

There were some surprises … Nick & I were probably among those dozen people under the age of 50….and most were well seasoned and well into retirement years.We dined with a lovely couple that were 82 years young and into to their thirties for number of cruises! I thoroughly enjoyed sharing the cruise with people from all walks of life, and especially hearing all the different accents JI thought having the staff name tags to include their home country was a nice touch!!I was pleasantly surprised at the number of Canadian staff!!

Our first port of call was set in the Caribbean Sea…..Oranjestad, Aruba!Aruba is a 33 km-long island located 27 km north of the coast of Venezuela.The population is around 103,000 and is part of the Netherlands. Aruba's citizens come from various origins, and have created their own language, Papoamento, a combination of Spanish, French, Portuguese, Dutch, African and English.This island has a unique charm with its beautiful landscape and sandy beaches, yet also has rocky deserts and cacti on parts of the island.

Nick & I did a short walking tour through town.I was impressed with the architecture and the large amount of jewellery stores! I was tempted at a local sandwich board sign….Skydive Aruba!!But quickly remembering my promise to Elizabeth to keep my feet firmly on the ground over the course of the trip!!Though promises like that are most certainly made to be broken, lol… unfortunately we didn't have time….Nick could not disguise his disappointment!We had booked an excursion with the cruise ship.We boarded a catamaran boat and sailed into the aqua-blue waters of the Caribbean Sea.We had an amazing time snorkelling with the tropical fish in a coral reef, and were able to see the wreckage of the Antilles, a German vessel that sunk in 1940.After the snorkelling we enjoyed the special Aruban Rum punch that was served by the tour guides JIt was a great ending to a great morning!!Once back at the port we enjoyed a bit of shopping…especially the six-pack of Sprite we found for a bargain price of $10 USD!!We may have needed that to mix with some obscure liquid that was in our stateroom on board the ship lol JAs we were waiting in line to board the cruise ship I noticed a bank of International payphones…like a good daughter I thought I would let my parents know that we were safe & sound.It was a very short five minute conversation with my mom, but one I do hope she thoroughly enjoyed as I just finished paying the $45 to Visa!!I know that Visa is everywhere you want to be….but they really should post the rate per minute on the phone lol!!Oh well lesson learned!!The ironic thing is that asked Nick to keep an eye out for International payphones when we walking around other ports of call we stopped at….unfortunately (or I guess fortunately!!) we never ran across any!!

We continued on cruising over night, and arrived in Cartagena, Columbia the next morning.Nick & I had a bit of time before boarding our excursion tour bus, so we decided to walk on the pier and into the city to look around. We never got very far, as every step we took we were stopped and invited to take a taxi, or take a guided tour!No exaggeration we were probably asked by fifty different Columbian men.At first we explained we had already booked a tour with the cruise ship, although that did not end the conversation…they were relentless, so this our attempts to explain quickly changed to one word…"No".We didn't get far down the street before we turned and headed back toward the pier. Though the same men wanted to insure we hadn't had a change of heart and re-offered their services on our way back up the street….well people can change their mind, so we were not at all annoyed lol!!

Once on the tour bus we set off for a rural village.Our tour bus was escorted by two police officers on a motorbike. This gives some insight into the level of corruption and crime in Columbia.I never felt unsafe during our visit; however, we did have the police with us!Nick inquired with our guide about the police, as both officers were extremely young.In Columbia, once a student finishes grade school he owes one year service to the army or police force.Therefore, these young officers were just out of high school.

A thirty minute bus ride leads us to the rural area where we would set out in man-made dug-out canoes to explore mangrove tunnels. We were not prepared for what we would see…the village was very impoverished and there were children waiting for our arrival.Once in the canoes, the children waded into the murky water and walked beside the canoes offering seashells, postcards, beads for one US dollar.Nick bought one from the first child that approached us, and then we were bombarded with other children….it was heart-wrenching and very difficult to watch.I felt awful as several canoes filled with tourist floated by them, us in our trendy clothing, with our fancy cameras… As the canoes passed them, they would run ahead and offer their goods again …until we were out of reach.They would revisit us again upon our return from our tour through the tunnels.

The mangrove tunnels were interesting….like a maze through a forest of trees in the middle of a swampy area.There was not much wildlife visible; however some people did see some mangrovecrabs.There were however lots of termite nests lodged in the trees near the edge of the tunnels….made me feel a bit uneasy to think billions of termites were so close to me!Upon our return to shore, there were young people doing a traditional Columbian dance along to the beat of the drums…very entertaining!

The journey ended as we stopped in the "Old City" for a guided tour through the streets and the city square.The balconied houses mixed with the unique architecture of the colonial buildings in the city were very picturesque.

Our next destination was through the Panama Canal.We were meant to go through the canal, and then anchor in Gatun Lake and go ashore for our excursions.Unfortunately, due to heavy flooding, the local road ways were impassable and therefore we did not dock in Panama.We did however go through the Panama Canal, which was a very interesting experience.Our ship, the Coral Princess, was designed specifically to fit through the Canal, and had only about a foot to spare in length & width.The cost for our cruise ship to pass through the canal, and then return back through, was between 250 and 300 thousand dollars!!Going through the canal was the only time that the Captain gave up control of the ship to an independent third party.The ship entered the locks, and eight diesel-electric locomotives called 'mules' attached to the ship using cable wires to align and tow the ship through the series of locks of the canal.

Gatun Lake, the lake creating the water passage between the Atlantic & Pacific Oceans, was man-made by damming the river flooding a portion of the land.The first attempt to construct a canal began in 1880 under French leadership, but was abandoned after 21,900 workers died.The United States initiated a second effort, incurring a further 5,600 deaths but succeeding in opening the canal in 1914. The U.S. controlled the canal until the 1977, when control was relinquished to the Panamanian Government.The canal joins the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans and plays a key role in International trade.Each vessel incurs a toll calculated based on its net tonnage; the average toll for a commercial vessel is around $35, 000.

Our subsequent destination was along the Caribbean cost between Nicaragua and Panama…Limon, Costa Rica!Limon is home to thick tropical jungle and huge banana plantations.Costa Rica is a democratic society and has great health care and school systems, actually having one of the highest literacy rates in the world at 92 percent!!

Our adventure in Costa Rica began with a boat tour through the lush rainforest.Everything was so green, it was amazingly beautiful!!We were very fortunate to have seen the amount of wildlife we did!There was a sloth just a few feet from our boat, on the bank of the river.The guide said this was very rare, as the sloths hang upside down from trees, they very rarely are seen on the ground.A sloth looks like a creature from 'Lord of the Rings'!!We were so close to it, and were able to watch as it moved slowly up the embankment toward a nearby tree….amazing!We also saw other sloths hanging upside down from trees along the river.There were spider monkeys swinging from tree to tree and exotic birds in nearby trees.What was even as amazing was the ability of the tour guides to spot these creatures as we sped down the river!We had to have the guide physically point and describe where the animals were … and even then they were hard to spot due to the amazing ability to camouflage!! Especially the iguanas…we were literally only a few feet from them, and we could not pick them out of their surroundings!Incredible adventure and this was certainly one of the highlights of our trip!

We then boarded an open-air train and took a trek through the jungle.The vegetation there was insane!It was so thick…banana trees, coconut trees everywhere!We spotted two Howler monkeys - just a standard size monkey, however, their roar would indicate they should be the size of King Kong!!

We then took a bus into a rural area to visit a banana plantation.Costa Rica's economy is largely influenced and dependent on banana and coffee exportation.The process involved in growing and harvesting bananas is so much more extensive than I could have imagined!A bit of banana background…although usually associated with Central America and the Caribbean, banana plants actually originated in Asia, and were introduced by man to Central America.

When the bananas first begin to form on the tree, there will be a plastic bag tied over the entire cluster of bananas.This is done to protect the bananas from pests, as well as it acts as a green house for the bananas to grow in.Once the bananas are full grown the plantation workers will cut them from the vine, and attach them by a wire to a cable that runs the length of the field.A man with a harness will pull the train of bananas the length of the field to the shed.The bananas are graded, with only the best being chosen for export, while the cull bananas are sold in local markets.There was very little automation in the harvesting of the bananas, which makes the role of the plantation workers highly labour intensive.For example the person attached to the harness towing the bananas in from the field is the most physically demanding role; therefore they are paid more than the other plantation workers.They haul bananas from 4am to 5pm for a daily wage of $35.00 per day.

Costa Rica was our favourite port of call…such a tremendously beautiful place, and we got to see such incredible scenery and amazing animals!!

The next day was spent at sea travelling across the Caribbean Sea to our last port of call.Throughout the cruise The following day we disembarked in Ocho Rios, Jamaica, where the white sandy beaches meet the beautiful turquoise water.

Our first excursion was to Mystic Mountain, which was a lovely, lush green park.To my excitement (and Nick's horror) we got to experience all the breathtaking views of Ocho Rios by a chair lift ride to the top of the mountain!The views were amazing (and I told Nick all about them, as he would not look down, lol!!)

Next we took a bus to Dunn's River Falls, where the cool mountain water falls 600 feet and then flows down limestone beds.In anticipation of this experience I purchased an underwater camera for our trip…well I admit to being a camera nut, and took way to many pictures of the view from the chairlift, because our battery died before we reached the falls!!As well another lesson…if you plan ahead and also buy a spare battery, make sure you bring it with you when you leave the ship!!!Groan!!Nick & I hiked up the rock beds of Dunn's River Falls…it was very fun and a much needed dip in the water!!So much so we did it a second time J

We spent the rest of our Jamaica visit walking around the shops, visiting our very first Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville (which had its own private beach!!), hitting the Hard Rock Café and buying Jamaican Rum J

After another day at sea we arrived at our starting place…Fort Lauderdale, Florida.We were both not prepared to leave our lavish new lifestyle and being waited on hand and foot!We had decided to tour a bit of Florida as well since our flight did not leave until mid-afternoon.We hopped another bus tour, which lead us into the Everglades in South Florida.We took an airboat ride through the rivers of the Everglades!I expected the area to be a swamp lands, but it was very much the opposite, there were several channels of a river separated by sawgrass.The saying "River of Grass" has been used to describe the sawgrass marshes.The Everglades wetlands are home to countless species of birds and of course…Alligators and Crocodiles!!We saw two alligators while on the excursion, both were on shore sunning themselves…waiting…for someone to fall out of the boatJ

Once back on land we went to an alligator sanctuary.As with so much of the world, we have ruined the natural habitat and home of so many animals…the alligator is no exception.Alligators are found everywhere…even in backyard swimming pools!!The gators that are captured near the area we visited are brought to this sanctuary to avoid being killed.As it seems though everyone wants to see someone stick their head in the mouth of a gator?!?!....so this sanctuary had a volunteer (yes a VOLUNTEER getting no pay!) that was willing to give us a show!There was also a baby alligator that we were allowed to cuddle with….haha!

Our next stop was a Flamingo Gardens!!This massive botanical garden covers a 60 acre area and is home to alligators, otters, bobcats, panthers, tortoises, and yes you guessed it FLAMINGOS!Very beautiful gardens with every type of palm imaginable…I have always LOVED palm trees…and so I really enjoyed the trek through the gardens!

I thought I would leave you with some food for thought….literally!!

We had the opportunity to tour the galley of the cruise ship, and they gave us these insane stats regarding food consumption on board ….

The ship used about 12 TONNES for food PER DAY!

To give you an idea ….

Eggs 520 dozen (6240 eggs) a day!

Pasta 157 kg per day

Flour 400 kg per day

Rice 220 kg per day

Cheese 190 kg per day

Fruit 1.8 TONNE per day

Chicken 450 kg per day

Beef 500 kg per day

Lobster 120 kg per day

Amounting to 10,000 meals being prepared and served daily!!And to wash that down…

550 bottles of WINE per day

1700 bottles of BEER per day

All prepared by the 196 people in various positions within the kitchen and 187 people around the ship serving those meals to the guests!!

No wonder everyone always complained of being full (well not that we were complaining about the tremendous meals we enjoyed)!!

Well if anyone is thinking about taking a cruise … I would highly recommend it…and if you are looking for cruise companions….keep us in mind J