From the moment that we learned you could take a cruise through the Panama Canal, we placed this trip on my Bucket List. To top it off, we were a bit snobbish and wanted to be sure to pass through the original locks and not the new, larger docks. When the opportunity arose to join the final leg of a World Cruise and go through the Panama Canal, we were over joyed! Here is a little bit about our experience on our cruise through the Panama Canal and the other wonderful places we had the pleasure to experience.
World Cruise: Our sailing was actually the final leg or segment of a world cruise. In case you were not aware, world cruises are often divided into segments and you can take one, two, three, or all of the segments in a world cruise. Many people will plan their world cruise a minimum of a year in advance and often these sailings will sell out with in a very short time. Why? World cruises are often a bucket list item that people plan for well in advance. Another reason they sell out quickly is the ships are smaller and more intimate making the number of cabins available fewer than many mass market cruises. Imagine how excited we were when space became available on a world cruise at the last minute that allowed us to travel through the Panama Canal. It was truly a remarkable experience.
We joined the world cruise in Florida. The ship had been sailing for months with many of the same people on board and we met quite a few of them as we were boarding. They had left the ship to mail items home that they had acquired along the way so that they would have room in the cabin and their luggage. This is the trip where we fell in love with small ships. The atmosphere on the ship is much more relaxes, friendly, and definitely more social. The pace of a world cruise is slower as well. There tend to be more at sea days which adds to the relaxed atmosphere and social nature of these cruises.
Aruba: Our first stop was to the stunningly beautiful island of Aruba. Known as "One Happy Island", Aruba lived up to its name. Because the island is relatively safe and scenic, there are many opportunities to explore and see the sights. We chose to visit a number of places to get a good feel for the island and the places most often visited. The beaches are stunning white soft sand and usually spacious. The water is the most amazing color of blue. Even thought Aruba is a desert climate, it can be quite humid so be prepared for that. For more information about Aruba read our blog, and view more pictures here.
Santa Marta, Columbia: Admittedly, Santa Marta was not high on my bucket list; however, they won our hearts. We chose to hire a taxi with another couple we met on board and had him show us around to the places we wanted to go and some that we didn't know about. This is a wonderful way to explore with some caveats. Be sure to negotiate the price before you get into the car, write the amount down and show it to your drive so that all parties are in agreement, and don't go alone. We had a fantastic experience exploring this beautiful area in Columbia and seeing
some of its more exotic sights. For more information about exploring on your own read our blog and view more pictures here.
Panama Canal: This was an exciting day for a variety of reasons but the most important was being able to go through the locks...the original locks! One thing you should be aware of, the humidity. Coming from Idaho where it is always dry, humidity tends to take me by surprise. If you plan to be taking pictures, be on deck (outside) a good 15 - 20 minutes early to give you lenses time to adapt to the change in temperature and humidity. I struggled to keep my lens from fogging up and was constantly having to clean it off to take photos. Lesson learned. The locks are not the only interesting part of the sail through the Panama Canal. The entire Panama Canal and the Lake are 
amazing and worth your time. We had an informative narrator through out our transit through the Panama Canal. Love learning and exploring. For more information about our transit through the Panama Canal and view more pictures click here.
San Juan Del Sur, Nicaragua: This little port has a lot going for it. First, they have a statue up on a hill that is much like the one in Brazil. It stands guard over the community and port. If you want a nice hike, this is a great place to go. We chose to take a surfing lesson here. San Juan Del Sur is actually a surfing mecca and we actually met surfers from all over the world while we were here. The water is warm and beautiful. Beaches aren't too shabby either! Prices are affordable and the people extremely friendly. We hired a taxi to take us to the beach we wanted and he not only drove us there,
he introduced us to a surfing instructor, and made arrangements to pick us up at the end of the day. Fabulous experience. For more information about our experience with surfing in San Juan del Sur read our blog and view more pictures here.
Acajutla, El Salvador: Again, this was not a destination on our bucket list but Acajutla pulled out all the stops to welcome us. This port only receives a handful of cruise ships per year so when they do stop, they make you feel welcome. They had performers on the dock to great us as we disembarked and again when we arrived back to the ship for embarkation. We chose to see the Mayan Pyramids here. If you have seen the ones in Mexico, these will be a bit of a disappointment. The El Salvadorian guide we had called them the "practice pyramids" for the larger ones found in Mexico. None the less, it was a 
wonderful day exploring El Salvador and Acajutla. For more information about Acajutla and to view our photos, click here.
La Paz, Mexico: La Paz was our last top before returning to Los Angeles for the end of our cruise and the end of the world cruise. One of the most amazing things to do in La Paz (besides relaxing on one of their amazing beaches) is to swim with the whale sharks. It sounds scary but in reality, the whale sharks eat plankton and you are in absolutely no danger. The hardest part is keeping up with them. The whale sharks are deceptively fast. They look like they are hardly moving at all but they can cover distance with ease and grace. We were looking forward to this excursion and had our fingers crossed that the whale sharks would still be 
there. The whale sharks are in La Paz for only a few months out of the year. To our great joy, the whale sharks were there and we did get to swim with them. Truly a breathtaking experience. For more information about swimming with whale sharks read our blog and view more photos here.
When planning your World Cruise or any segment thereof, contact us, your premier Boise Travel Agency land and cruise experts, and we can help you plan your World Cruise down to the last detail. We specialize in custom travel done your way.
Phone: 208-996-3269 or Email: cal.lindsay@cruiseplaners.com
