Ahoy the shore (part 2 in a series)

We are on the Seventh day of a 10 day cruise aboard the Island Princess. Our course so far has taken us up around Cuba, to the island of Aruba, to Cartegena, Columbia and on transit through the Gutun locks of the Panama Canal and into Cristobal Pier 6 at Colon, Panama.

Ship activities:

On Tuesday night we attended a performance by actor-performer Adrian Zmed in the Universe lounge. Some may recall Adrian from his co-starring roles in the TV series TJ Hooker, the big-screen movie Grease 2 and as host of the dance competition show “Dance Fever”. The show charts Adrian’s personal journey to fame from child of an immigrant in Chicago, to performing as Danny Zucko in Grease on Broadway, to his television and movie success in LA to his more recent career as Vegas strip headliner. The Princess orchestra and singer/dancers are also featured prominently. The show is full of hokey schmaltz, the best example of which is a video montage of segments from a guest starring role Amed acted on The Love Boat unspooling on side video screens while a trio of Princess singers sing the theme song, with Adrian back stage

Following the variety show, we attended the Jeopardy game show in the Explorers lounge and managed to place second out of more than 20 teams, helped no doubt by the fact that the answer to one of the daily doubles (what Olympic host country has never won a gold medal) and final jeopardy question (what country has the longest coastline) were Canada. In the end our knowledge of astronomy proved to be our margin of defeat.

Wednesday night we attended a performance by the comedian Elliot Maxx in the Universe Lounge. This Phil Donahue look-alike used tired material poking fun and the size of cruise-room staterooms and showers and the age of passengers but had a pleasing stage persona and impeccable timing that transcended the routine.

On Thursday night we were in attendance at the International talent show in the Princess theatre. The house was sold out. The show featured crews performers, including a Filipino who did a great Michael Jackson impersonation and cruise director Billy Hygate’s spot-on impersonation of Topo in the “If I were a Rich Man” scene from Fiddler on the Roof! The closing scene featuring the cruise director’s staff performing a song in the round was a real crowd pleaser!

Food and Drink:

I have been focusing on the seafood entrees. Tuesday night I was faced with a difficult choice between Barramundi and Sole. I went with the latter and it was delicious. Wednesday night I had surf and turf which featured grilled shrimps partnered with a filet mignon which was passable. They have had a number of interesting ice cream flavours offered on the dessert menu, including rhubard and latte mocha.

On Thursday night we sampled The Bijou (Cajun themed) specialty dining room and came away disappointed. Our table service (provided by a Romanian waiter) was slow and sloppy. Also some of the dishes (for example the spare ribs and grilled prawns) were less flavourful than expected (although the accompanying spiced fries were delicious). There were three steak choices (including a porterhouse and NY strip) available on the menu. I selected the NY strip blackened at a medium temperature and was disappointed. The cut of meat was fatty and chewy. Accompanying vegetables (served on the side in share platters for two) included fried green tomatoes and succotash. Dessert items sampled at our table included bread pudding, a chocolate-pecan fudge torte and a fried yellow peach pie—all received high marks. We returned to the Bijou on Friday afternoon for the special pub lunch, featuring a choice of Brit favourites Fish n Chips, Ploughman’s lunch or Cottage Pie.


Tonight is the special Captains Dinner in the Provence dining room featuring (among other items) lobster tails! The Captains Circle Reception and champagne waterfall will also be held tonight (a formal night)

Ports of call:

So far we have hit three ports—Oranjestad, Aruba, Cartegena, Columbia and Cristobal, Panama (following a half transit of the Canal) We haveon port at Ocho Rios, Jamaica still to come.

Half transit of the Panama Canal:

Our itinerary called for us to complete a passage thru the Gatun Locks from the Caribbean / Atlantic end of the isthmus of the canal in the early post-dawn hours. We awoke before 6 AM and were out on deck by about 7 AM. We went to a (cruise critic website recommended) viewing area on a public balcony at the front of Deck 11 forward to observe our progress. Fortunately it appeared most passengers were still asleep so we were able to take up a prime viewing / camera position at the rail. The Island Princess is one of the largest passenger ships (by volume) capable of passing thru the locks (the record is held by NCL’s Norwegian Pearl, which pays in excess of a $100K toll—the toll is calculated based on net tonnage volume).

Passing thru the Gatun locks your ship rises thru three separate chambers up a vertical distance of 85 feet from sea level to Gatun Lake (one of the largest man-made lakes in the world). The ship has to be hooked up to two locomotive “mules” to be guided thru the locks (under its own power). There are actually two “lanes” of locks located side by side that two ships can pass through simultaneously and independently and the directions of the lanes are reversible. We left our viewing position after we entered into the third chamber and went down to a lower deck to observe how close the ship’s sides are to the concrete walls—there really isn’t much room for comfort!

Once we reached Gatun Lake, we anchored and the ship’s tenders began to ferry passengers on excursions ashore to meet their tour groups. Around 12:30 those who remained on board began the return trip back thru the Gatun locks downward toward the sea. Prime viewing positions at the front of the vessel were much more crowded on the return trip than they were in the earlier AM.


Limon Costa Rica

We went on an excursion to the Veragua Rainforest Research & Adventure Park. This is a new facility only opened under 8 months. Our excursion included a box lunch featuring tasty ham and cheese sandwiches) served at the facility. Other attractions included an aerial tram ride (used for a descent down into the rainforest to view large ancient trees and a waterfall), a butterfly garden and reptile / snake exhibits. The bus ride to the facility was long over narrow windy rough roads but we were at least provided with a modern comfortable motor-coach with washroom facilities to make the trek. Our bus guide Erik was both informative and humourous / entertaining. Our park guide Marco has proved quite knowledgeable and helpful.