We quickly learned that retirement buys you the freedom to go anywhere, anytime. This meant flexibility to travel during the shoulder and off-seasons, when prices are much lower. My wife, Ellen, found an amazing deal for a cruise through the Panama Canal. The package was thirteen nights aboard the Norwegian Jade. Departure was from Tampa and the ports of call were:
-Key West Island
-Cozumel, Mexico
-Georgetown, Grand Cayman
-Ocho Rios, Jamaica
-Cartagena, Colombia
-Colón, Panama
-Puerto Limón, Costa Rica
-passage through the Panama Canal to Panama City.
It took about three days for us to adjust to the cruise ship. We just weren’t sure if this was “our thing.” The buffet food offered abundant options and was delicious. If I am satisfied with food, then I am a happy traveller.
The size of the ship and how it all works is truly astonishing. Of the on-board events, the most memorable for me was the Q&A with the ship’s Captain and the First Officers. The engineering and maintenance behind the scenes are astonishing. We learned about the engine, navigation, communication systems, water desalination, electricity generation, recycling of waste water, conversion of leftover food into food for marine animals and more. These ships are like floating cities. The Jade was built in two years, at an estimated cost of $510 million dollars in 2006.
Key West is Ontario cottage town life on steroids!… Florida is America’s playground and clearly these kids in their seventies, with their Beatles t-shirts, love everything about the Margaritaville lifestyle.
One downside to the presentation was that Ellen was quite taken with young Captain Robert, who happened to be from the island of Gotland. Lucky for me, Captain Robert is married with a two-year-old child back home in Sweden. I told Ellen I would be willing to buy a crisp, white naval uniform to wear, but I was dismissed with a snort and roll of her eyes.
Key West is Ontario cottage town life on steroids! A haven for retired boomers who are reliving their youth in the sea, sun, and sand. Florida is America’s playground and clearly these kids in their seventies, with their Beatles t-shirts, love everything about the Margaritaville lifestyle.
The ocean waves were pretty intense one day. Therefore, walking about the ship can prove to be a bit challenging, except for the folks that buy the unlimited drinks package, who then seem to get their equilibrium back.
Our favourite excursion was in Colón, Panama. Our tour guide was a young man, whose American grandfather had worked on the Panama Canal. Joe knew all the history and geography of Panama, as well as the flora and fauna. We were a small tour group, so Joe had time to show us the house he grew up in, the school he had attended, and he answered the many questions that we asked. The high point of the day was kayaking in Gatun Lake, which is part of the Canal.
Fotogalerii
Photos by Mihkel Jürima
Our ship was 36.8 metres wide and one lock was no more than 39 metres wide, so there was only 12 inches of clearance on each side. Hence the need for the specialized electric locomotives called “Mules.”… For a cruise ship to pass through the canal, the cost can come to $500,000 US; fees are based on the number of beds, which includes crew.
The journey through the canal was accompanied by a retired canal official who came on board to explain everything about the operation of the locks and to point out significant structures, such as dams. The entire passage took about nine hours. Passing through the narrow locks was fascinating, especially when viewed from our cabin window below ground level. Our ship was 36.8 metres wide and one lock was no more than 39 metres wide, so there was only 12 inches of clearance on each side. Hence the need for the specialized electric locomotives called “Mules.” There were a large variety and number of ships throughout Gatun Lake. We saw container ships, liquefied petroleum gas ships, liquefied natural gas ships, bulk carriers, tankers, and many passenger ships. For a cruise ship to pass through the canal, the cost can come to $500,000 US; fees are based on the number of beds, which includes crew.
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The canal operates with a sophisticated three lane lock system that works as a water elevator lifting vessels to Gatun Lake, 27 metres above sea level, allowing them to cross the central mountain range, and then lowering them back to the ocean on the other side of the isthmus. The water used to lift and lower ships in each set of locks comes from Gatun Lake by way of gravity. It’s built into the lock chambers through enormous culverts (tunnels that channel water) that run underneath the locks and the side and centre walls. The original locks of the canal are Gatun in the Atlantic, and Pedro Miguel and Miraflores in the Pacific.
We thoroughly enjoyed this cruise and confidently recommend you give the Panama Canal cruise a try. Since this cruise was so enjoyable, we have ventured out on a few other cruises since. I look forward to providing you with another cruise report shortly.
