Nancy's Notes From Florida

Colon, Panama
December 7, 2016

Colon, Panama
Celebrity Equinox Cruise

An amazing sight met our eyes as we approached Panama. Dozens of ships anchored off shore, awaiting transit through the Canal, or so we presumed. The sky lightened to a cloudy day.

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We took a tour to Safarick’s Zoological Park and Gatun Locks. Our guide, a young woman, hardly spoke at all. She offered very little information. Later she told us this was her fifth tour and she’s sixteen years old. Obviously, she needs more training.

The city was a garbage dump, literally. There’s trash everywhere, mounded by the roadside and strewn across yards. Stray dogs roam around and scavenge off the trash. It’s amazing that disease isn’t more rampant here. As we did the day before, we had liberally covered ourselves in insecticide containing DEET, and I wore my Insect-Shield brand gauzy sweater (available at Amazon) over my shirt. Electric wires are strung overhead as we passed through the city. Buildings in Colon looked like condemned structures, crumbling away and leaning inward, but people still lived in them. Laundry dried outside on clotheslines. Air-conditioning units stuck out from windows for those who could afford them.

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The drive took us out of the city and along a well-paved, modern highway for nearly forty minutes. Lush tropical growth lined the roadsides. So did garbage. Even as we passed through small towns, we saw trash piled up.

We finally reached the zoo with its rescue animals just as the skies opened with a torrential downpour. Fortunately, we had umbrellas and rain ponchos I’d had the foresight to bring. The steamy humidity and puddles on the ground did not encourage exploration. The animals were in confined cages, and this sight compared to the zoos at home left me in sad dismay. I didn’t bother walking through the aviary. Flamingo Gardens in Fort Lauderdale has an expansive aviary, and we’re used to Disney’s Animal Kingdom where the creatures have plenty of space to roam. These might be rescue animals, but their living conditions leave a lot to be desired. I suppose the zookeepers are to be commended for their preservation efforts in the limited space available to them. It’s helpful if you want to see some of the native animals up close and personal, otherwise I wasn’t so thrilled with this part of the tour. But that might be me, since I’m spoiled by other parks. We did see spider and howler monkeys, macaws, and more. The gift shop is tiny but there if you want a souvenir.

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Back on the bus, the guide gave us banana muffins and bottles of water. Most of these tours take four hours or more and you miss lunch. Wisely, I’d brought packaged snacks from home that I carried in my bag.

Next we drove to the Expansion side of the Canal. Here our bus had to wait in line as an enormous container ship came through.

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After the gates closed, traffic from the other side crossed the bridge first. It’s one-way at a time. Once across, our driver parked at Gatun Locks where we had plenty of time to explore. It was pouring rain again. Fortunately, the viewing platforms are under cover. There’s a lower level platform by a set of restrooms. Up a couple flights of stairs, you can get a higher view of the original Panama Canal in both directions.

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We watched a ship coming in from the higher level on the left. The water gradually drained until it matched the lower level on the right. Then an alarm sounded, warning anyone on the walkway crossing over the locks that the gates are about to open. The double set of gates slowly swung open, and the ship moved through. The entire process was fascinating. We spied a container ship coming from the right side in a farther section of the Canal. Note the locomotives pulling the ships. View my video here.

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According to our guide, ships have to book passage up to eight months in advance. The cost is in cash and can be hundreds of thousands of dollars. This depends upon weight, cargo, and number of passengers. The Panama Canal is truly a wonder, but I wonder even more where the revenues go. Certainly, they don’t reach the citizens who live in squalor.

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At the port, a couple of small gift shops inside the terminal sell Panama coffee, chocolate-covered coconut or pineapple candies, tee shirts, Panama-style hats (NOT made in Panama), tote bags, and souvenirs. These are air-conditioned shops and have enough of a selection that you don’t have to look elsewhere.

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Next Port: Cartagena, Columbia

Giveaways
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Booklovers Bench, Dec. 1 – 18
Enter Here to win a $25 Amazon/BN gift card from Booklover’s Bench

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Puerto Limon, Costa Rica
December 2, 2016

Puerto Limon, Costa Rica
Celebrity Equinox Shore Excursion

On our way out of the port town, we noted tin-roofed residences painted coral, aqua, and sand colors. Barbed wire and guard bars on windows were widely evident. So were electric wires in overhead tangles. The city had a third world look, although our guide said education is mandatory, and they have a high literacy level. Nicaraguans take the more menial jobs. It’s a mountainous country but not near the coast, where our air-conditioned bus took us to the Tortuguero Canals to see the wildlife. The mountains rise 12,000 feet in the highest place. Our tour guide was excellent, keeping up a running commentary along the way. He’s a Catholic who goes to church only on three occasions: “when we hatch, match, and dispatch.” He went to school to become a professional tour guide, and his training shows.

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The open-air boat ride took about two hours. A roof provided shade as we cruised slowly along, stopping up close to see animals such as a small red dart frog, a sloth, howler monkeys in the trees, various birds, a blue butterfly, iguanas, and Cayman gators that are smaller than alligators. The water was murky brown, possibly stained from mangrove roots.

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Back at the boathouse, we used the restrooms and ate a snack of juicy sweet pineapple and fresh bananas. We gulped down the cold water offered. There’s a small souvenir shop with tee shirts and carved wood items, plus Costa Rican coffee for sale.

Traffic in Limon was congested. Driving in the city was a free-for-all with cars going every which way at intersections and no traffic lights. If there’s wealth in this country, we didn’t see it by this coastline. A tour to the rainforests would be another good choice, but since the mountains are distant, it probably takes a while to get there from this port town.

We noted a gift shop near the entry gates, but it didn’t look too inviting. Since we don’t need any more wood carvings or native handicrafts, we passed on this opportunity and went back to the ship.

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Next Port: Colon, Panama

Giveaways

Holiday Glitz Contest
Enter Here to win a silver evening bag or one of two runners-up prizes – a Diamonds International charm bracelet. U.S. residents only.

Silver Purse

Booklovers Bench
Enter Here to win a $25 Amazon/BN gift card from Booklover’s Bench 

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Celebrity Equinox – The Food, Part 2
November 30, 2016

Day Three found us at Murano, one of the specialty restaurants aboard the Celebrity Equinox cruise ship. We had exquisite service in elegant surroundings. Our meal began with a complimentary fried scallop. Next I had a crab and smoked salmon parfait with salmon caviar. We chose Chateaubriand for two which the waiter carved tableside. It came with fingerling potatoes and asparagus. For dessert, I had the chocolate soufflé.

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On another day, we attended the complimentary wine tasting for Elite members that came with four glasses and breadsticks. The complimentary tea party had waiters circulating with a selection of open sandwiches with smoked salmon, shrimp, egg salad, and ham. Then desserts followed. After the rum cake, I couldn’t even eat a scone.

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And so ended our journey, with us boarding as passengers and rolling off as cargo. With the holidays upon us, it’ll be a while before I lose these extra pounds. And then we’re likely to be on board our next cruise and starting all over again.

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Coming Next: Puerto Limon, Costa Rica

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Celebrity Equinox – The Food, Part 1
November 29, 2016

The Oceanview Café’s breakfast buffet had stations for omelets or eggs made to order, toast including bagels and English muffins, rolls, Danish, croissants, muffins, yogurt, berry medley, cereal, whole or cut fruits, scrambled eggs with Cheddar cheese. English breakfast. Asian breakfast. American breakfast. Bacon, ham, sausages. Smoked salmon. Herring. Roasted potatoes and sautéed vegetables. Grilled zucchini, sautéed mushrooms, Eggs Benedict. Hungry yet? Our only complaint is that the buffet opens at 7. If you’re an early riser, you can only get fruit and yogurt before then. It would have been nice to have pastries available earlier.

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Lunch could be taken at the outdoor grill with burgers or hot dogs and French fries, at the very small spa café by the solarium pool on Deck 12, where some items cost extra; in the formal dining room, or at the Oceanview Café. Here you had a choice of freshly carved meats, deli meats, sandwiches made to order, various salads, salad bar, hot dishes, Asian foods (we particularly liked the vegetable fried rice), Indian foods, British foods, soups and breads, pizza and garlic toast, pasta, and an array of tempting desserts including an ice cream bar. Free drinks included lemonade, iced tea, a fruity drink, water, and hot beverages at a coffee station. The Lavazza coffee served throughout the cruise was very good. Real half-and-half was available in urns along with milk. Inside the ship, you can get free desserts at the coffee lounge but no free sandwiches or appetizers like on other cruise lines. I missed having this extra choice. For a ship of this size, free dining choices are limited.

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Dinner on Day one for me was Shrimp Louie with Avocado, a Chicken Egg Roll, Caesar Salad. Prime ribs came with buttered French green beans and mashed potatoes. The portions of all the meals were generous. For dessert, I had apple pie a la mode. Dinner Two was a shrimp cocktail, braised lamb shank with broccoli, carrots, and mashed potatoes. Other meals included braised beef short ribs, vegetable Wellington, lobster with butter sauce. The salads at dinner were varied each night, like kale with roasted walnuts, dried cherries, and diced butternut squash. The French onion soup, available each night as an appetizer along with shrimp cocktail and Caesar salad, looked delicious but would have been a whole meal for me. My mouth waters at the thought, and now I want a crock of hot onion soup with melted cheese on top. I miss these scrumptious meals.

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Celebrity Equinox
November 23, 2016

Celebrity Equinox Cruise Part 1: The Ship 

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Celebrity Equinox is a beautiful ship. She seems relatively new with a clean look and modern furnishings. As usual on Celebrity, we were greeted on board with a welcome glass of champagne. After dining at the buffet lunch in the Oceanview Café on Deck 14, we made our way to our cabin on Deck 8. Located in the center near the stairs and elevator, it was closer to the aft side than forward. We unpacked, finding all the cubbyholes and shelves to put away our things. The bathroom was the best ever on any ship we’ve encountered. It had adequate counter space, enough storage, extra toilet paper and tissues. And the shower was the best. Plenty of room to move with a soap dish, bar soap, and even a thick steel rod to rest my foot on when I shaved my legs. Lotion, shampoo, more bar soap, and conditioner were other amenities along with robes for each of us. The shower head was forceful enough and the hot water was nearly instantly available. Amenities also included small glasses for our toothbrushes.

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Our room had a desk, a flat-screen TV above a console with drawers, and an enormously long couch where another person could easily have slept. Our balcony let out from sliding glass doors, and even this was a generous space with two chairs and a small table. The drapes folded over each other so no light shone through at night, and no peephole in the door also ensured a dark interior. The bedding was soft and the pillows comfortable. The safe was large enough to hold my iPad, and the room also came with a stocked fridge. Cabin service was excellent, and we still got chocolates on our pillows each night although no towel art on this cruise.

We explored the 15 decks before the lifeboat drill that was held without life jackets in a lounge or dining room, depending on your muster station. Then it was time for dinner. We skipped the first night’s show since it was a juggler, and that’s my least favorite entertainment. All the other shows were great and varied between the ship’s singers, dancers, and acrobats to a ventriloquist and a variety of solo singers.

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Deck 15 has a grassy lawn area where you can sit and watch the view, or observe a Hot Glass Show during the voyage. Deck 14 has the Oceanview Café and the outdoor grill. Overlooking the pool below are many lounge chairs, some undercover to provide shade. This ship had more shaded seating spots than I remember from other cruise lines. Even the pool areas on Deck 12 had wide overhangs to protect the lounge chairs. If you got too humid, you could sit in the solarium with its covered glass roof and air-conditioning. On Deck 5 by the life boats are a few scattered chairs on an outside deck but not many, and you can’t walk all the way around the ship there.

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The shops inside the ship did not have merchandise that appealed to us. It was one of the poorest selections that we’ve noted, at least for our tastes. Not even the costume jewelry attracted me except for their occasional sales. These were held in a crowded corridor instead of a lounge like other ships. They had the usual souvenir logo items, resort wear, hats, liquor, fine jewelry. All seemed pricey.

In the evening, musicians played in the central atrium on deck three. This was generic-sounding except for a cello player. A small dance floor here sufficed since there wasn’t anywhere else to hear dance music except after 10pm in the Sky Lounge. This is a shortcoming of this ship that has limited lounges with dance floors. There’s a Gastropub that serves small plates and beer; another lounge with occasional piano music; a Martini bar. But nowhere else with a dance floor. The Sky Lounge forward on Deck 14 was a favorite place of mine for quiet daytime sea views and for the evening cocktails for Elite members. But it would have been nice if they’d had dance music here earlier instead of the atrium where you’re in view of people several decks high. That’s not very private. Regarding the music, these same bands played by the pool. We like Caribbean music when cruising and sitting outside, and this group played the same generic tunes you get on the radio. But overall, we loved the ship, the relaxed environment (few kids running around) and the excellent service.

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Coming Next: The Food and the Ports of Call

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