Day 11 – Panama Canal Transit – Oct 5

This was the day the cruise was named for!  The Panama Canal transit happened between approximately 6:30 this morning on the Pacific side and completed at 5:30 this evening on the Caribbean side!  It was a long day of locks, mules, heat and a few crocodiles thrown in!  The best views were off our balconies and we spent much of the morning out there.  The Commodore and I ordered the Ultimate Balcony Breakfast and it was delivered about 7am.  Nice goodies and a half bottle of Champagne that is still in the bottle!

We did travel around the ship to catch different views of the locks.  We get so close to the walls of the locks that you can reach out and touch them!  This is our fourth trip to the Panama Canal and it’s just as fascinating as the first time we made the crossing.  I think we’re very lucky!

The die-hard trivia folks did break away from the locks to play!  This morning Dan and Michele and Tom joined us, Les, Edna and me.  Betty, Don and Kathy formed their own small team!  ….and the winner is US!!  A clear first place finish and we won more flashlights!!  This afternoon was another story and we limped in a respectable third!

We are enjoying our dinners in the dining room and our waiter, Silviu, continues to provide great service and lots of amusement!

Saw a show this evening that was quite enjoyable called “In the Bayou”.  It was a new show for us and new to Princess, too.

Tomorrow we are in Cartagena, Colombia and the Captain announced this evening that since our canal transit was longer than expected we will be about 2-3 hours late arriving in port.  That means we can have lazy morning before our city tour.

The days are winding down and we are determined to enjoy each remaining day and hour!

Nighty-night!

XOXOXOXO

M