On March 27, 2011, we boarded the Celebrity Infinity for a 14 Day cruise through the Panama Canal. The canal is something Michael had long wanted to see and I was moderately interested, as well. The itinerary included departing from Ft. Lauderdale, FL, a day at sea, a stop at Grand Cayman (with a planned scuba dive), another day at sea, then a stop at Cartagena, Colombia for a tour and some shopping, the day-long trip through the canal, another day at sea, on to Puntarenas, Costa Rica (a 1 1/2 hour bus ride to the La Paz Waterfalls, butterfly gardens, and hummingbirds), another day at sea, then a stop at Hualtulco, Mexico for river kayaking, a stop in Acapulco, Mexico where we released baby turtles into the sea (after we named them!!), another day at sea, then our last port of call — Cabo San Lucas, Mexico (the plan there was to go snorkeling), then our last day at sea before debarking in San Diego for a quick flight home. So, that was the itinerary! Here is what actually happened: half way to Grand Cayman, one of the not-so-healthy elderly passengers became seriously ill. He had to be taken back to Florida. Unfortunately, we were too far out to sea for a medi-vac transport (via helicopter). The ship had to turn around (not as easy as it sounds) and we had to head back toward Florida until we were close enough for the Coast Guard to meet us. That meant we spent another day at sea and no day at Grand Cayman. Yes, the ill passenger survived; but more importantly, Michael and I missed our scuba dive in the best diving waters IN THE WORLD! If you review the itinerary, you will see that this detour resulted in the ship being out to sea for three (yes, 3) long days. Now, some people would enjoy the opportunity to sit around, relax, and eat until the rivets pop off their pants. But, again, if you look at our itinerary, you will note that Michael and I (contrary to what you might think) are quite active and adventurous. Three days at sea was not the highlight of this trip, from our points of view. In fact, having so much time to spend with the other passengers and observe cruising behavior, led us to create what we call “Questions for Cruising”, it goes as follows:
Why do people think it is perfectly acceptable to show up for breakfast in their ship-provided bath robes?
Why do people think it is a good idea to try to get into the elevator before those exiting have gotten off?
Why doesn’t anyone watch where the hell they are going?
Why do people insist on jamming into a filled-to-capacity elevator?
Why do people show up at the “smart and casual” dinner with not enough smart and too much casual?
Bikinis for women over 50 — really?
Same question for men and speedos!
Why do large women with huge droopy breasts insist on buying swimsuits without straps?
Why would someone over 300 lbs. want to show me his junk (no matter how proud he might be)?
Why do large groups always hold their “where should we meet for lunch” discussions at limited space locations, such as the entrances to stairs, small passageways, tight halls, etc.
Why would the restaurant serve “English Breakfast” when everyone knows the English don’t know what a good breakfast is?
Why is there no fan in the 3 square foot bathroom?
Why is the space between the end of the bed and the wall exactly 3 inches too short for walking straight by?
Why do passengers in cabins stick their heads out their door unexpectedly when there is barely enough room in the hallway for one person to walk?
Same question for passenger butts.
If everyone has a mirror in their cabin, why on earth do they show up in public looking like they do?
Why are people in the gym better dressed that the people in the restaurant?
Why are American’s both ignorant and supremely arrogant at the same time?
What part of “The sightseeing portion in the old town requires extended periods of walking and standing” would make anyone think a walker was appropriate?
What part of “closed toe shoes” on the helipad makes you think your Birkenstocks and your wife’s flip-flops qualify?
Why would anyone whose life expectancy (based on their current health condition) appears to be less than 48 hours, sign up for a 14-day cruise?
Yes, 3 days at sea is too long for the active and the young (and we were the young ones on board). All of this might lead you to believe that we did not thoroughly enjoy this trip — quite the contrary. It was terrific! The pass through the Panama Canal with the history and the unbelievable engineering feat of the mechanics of the canal itself was the highlight (as it was meant to be). I was, unexpectedly, awed by the entire experience. When you realize that the canal was built 100 years ago, with little technology and under the severe conditions in the environment, it is phenomenal! In addition, we had great fun on our excursions. The most moving was the visit to the turtle sanctuary, where we each got to pick out our own baby turtle, name it, then release it into the sea. The people we met in port were wonderful and welcoming. Because we were unable to go scuba diving in Grand Cayman, we changed our snorkel trip in Cabo to a scuba dive; so we were able to go diving. Not quite the same conditions, but a couple of dives, nonetheless. Needless to say, the food was plentiful and delicious. Pictures: Michael and I on the grand staircase, one of 3 buffets, the Infinity passing through the canal next to a container ship (tight squeeze), one of many sunsets, the beach in Costa Rica, “Karly” – my baby turtle, two baby turtles head out to sea, an armed guard in Acapulco, and the Celebrity Infinity,
Safari So Good 