Day 1, Wednesday, January 3, 2024 -- All Aboard
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| Oeania's Sirena |
The rest of the leisurely day was filled with exploring the ship a bit, unpacking and settling in, a delicious dinner in the Grand Dining Room (Frank and Suzanne enjoyed the specialty Tuscan Steak restaurant), then flopping into bed early. Frank and Suzanne did enjoy the comedian performance after dinner. We are so very Blessed to be able to enjoy this experience, and especially to do so with Frank and Suzanne!
Day 2, Thursday, January 4, 2024 – Great Stirrup Cay, Bahamas
Our bodies enjoyed a long, good night’s sleep, ready for a relaxing day at Great Stirrup Cay. This little island is privately owned by Oceania, so all benefits enjoyed aboard ship are also enjoyed on the island. As we tendered into a little lagoon, one cannot help but marvel at the warm, clear blue and aquamarine water which invites you to jump in! Hundreds of blue beach chairs surround the two larger lagoons that are protected by relatively high walls of rock which were once living coral under the water. Of course, bars and eating facilities are available as well as various forms of activities if one is so inclined – kayaking, zip lining, paddle board, snorkeling, parasailing, etc. etc. We just took advantage of the “day at the beach”, getting a bit of sunburn even though we stayed in the shade most of the time! The Sirena is a small ship – only 684 passengers -- and we were the only ship docked, so the fact that it was not crowded was also a plus! It was a simply perfect day at the beach. Once aboard ship, Frank, Suzanne and I basked in the heavenly hot tub in the spa while Bob enjoyed the cuisine at the afternoon tea.
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| Relaxing at the beach |
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| An iguana sunning itself on the picnic table! |
After the cocktail hour, all four of us had an excellent dinner at the “Red Ginger” a specialty restaurant on board with an Asian flavor… the service was exceptional and the food absolutely delicious. We agreed that we need to make reservations to come back again before the cruise is over! I think today’s sun tired us all out, as the bed called early! A day like today is why I love cruising!
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| Scrumptious Sea Bass at the Red Ginger |
Day 3, Friday, January 5, 2024 – At Sea
It’s one of those relaxing days at sea where there’s nothing to do except eat and drink, enjoy whatever activities are provided, catch up on blogging, napping, basking in the sun on the deck around the pool, etc., etc. We slept in a bit, enjoyed a light breakfast and listened to a fascinating lecture on the Real Pirates of the Caribbean. Afterwards, we met Frank and Suzanne (who had put us to shame by already exercising in the fitness center), booked another evening for dinner at the Red Ginger, reviewed upcoming days and activities planned, lunch at the Waves Grill, and, for us, an afternoon of relaxation on the balcony off our stateroom!
The Captain’s welcome event offered free drinks for much of the evening, and it’s always interesting to meet the senior Staff who hail from so many different countries! Dinner this evening in the Grand Dining Room was again a most delicious experience. The evening ended with the entertainment of comedian Phil Tag -- many laughs! Unfortunately, the sea tonight was quite rough ... hanging onto to the rails while walking was a must do; but we both slept through the rolling, which sometime in the night did lessen considerably. Life is good aboard a cruise ship!!
Day 4, Saturday, January 6, 2024 – Cozumel, Mexico
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| IX Chel Goddess of the moon and fertility |
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| Our Lady of Guadalupe Church, Cozmel |
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| The Memorial for the First Mass on the Island |
Aboard ship we relaxed a bit, dressed for dinner and had another wonderful meal in the Grand Dining room. Since I’ve been grossly over indulging the cuisine, it was an early evening to just flop into bed, knowing we will be up early tomorrow for an exciting excursion in Costa Maya, Mexico.
Day 5, January 7, 2024 – Puerto Costa Maya, Mexico
To date, that which has been discovered or uncovered, the partial unraveling of the mysterious Mayan civilization is one of the most dramatically interesting stories of world history. It speaks of ancient Mayan kings, priests and astronomers who, using only two wooden sticks and extended time, produced celestial observations and mathematical calculations. Their accuracy staggers the imagination of modern astronomers. The history continues with an account of a truly amazing people who built remarkable cities using little more than stone tools and bare hands. It’s an extraordinary civilization whose precise calendrical system continues to confound experts.
On the tour we also learned of their complex written language, letters consisting of pictures … all decoded by a German, so historians have now learned so much more about the Mayan civilization. The ruins of Chacchoben, translated “The Place of Red Corn”, date back to about 1,500 years, but possibly as far back as 200 BC. In the 1940’s, a local Mayan farmer was clearing the land and discovered the wildly overgrown site, but it became a playground for his children. In 1972, Dr. Peter Harrison, an archaeologist from Tulane university, flew over the area in a helicopter and spotted the mysterious mounds rising out of the relatively flat jungle. After exploring the site, he informed the Government of Mexico of its existence; and two decades later the site was secured and excavated. We viewed and climbed to three different sacred temples … fascinating! But much of the complex remains covered by the lush jungle of the area. We were also entertained by two monkeys, and I did see a couple parrots fly by but wasn’t able to identify them. As always, when walking through the jungle, the types of trees, plants and flora are very interesting and foreign to our little piece of the world!
Once back in the city, hawkers greeted us at every gift shop, restaurant, beauty shops, etc. But there were also the delightful dolphins and flamingos (Frank and Suzanne saw the dolphin show while we were entertained by the beautiful flamingos elsewhere!). As we were returning to the ship, a 4,000 passenger Norwegian ship had just docked, and thousands of people were streaming from the ship, walking toward us, being greeted in the City by bands, people dressed as ancient Mayan chiefs beckoning on-lookers to step up to take a picture with them, a couple dressed in typical Mexican garb, as well as a group of others dressed in ancient Mayan garb providing entertainment on the street. This was all very entertaining. Because it is Sunday, the Feast of the Epiphany, and because we were unable to find a church in which to attend Mass, we spent some time in our room with Frank and Suzanne praying over the Mass Readings, listening to a reflection on the importance of this day in our lives and praying the rosary before going to another scrumptious dinner. We ended the evening by attending the Acoustic Session staring the Sirena Production Company performing pop music in a live band setting rich in Elvis Presley renditions, as his birthday is tomorrow. Very entertaining!
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| The Belize Flag -- the only natonal flag with two people on it |
Tonight, we had dinner at the Tuscan Steak Restaurant … oh my, how does one describe escargot, baked onion soup, filet mignon and Crème Brule for dessert! We’re certainly getting spoiled!
Day 7, Tuesday, January 9, 2024 – Santo Tomas de Castillo, Guatemala
This morning our ship docked in the deep-water port of Santo Tomas. Guatemala has only 70 miles of shore on the Caribbean side, which makes this an extremely important commercial shipping port for the country. The temperature is hot, the humidity high, and getting around to the closest city or tourist attraction is not easy or cost effective when you don’t have an excursion.
We browsed through the nearest Artisans’ Market, noted for their elaborate embroidered shirts, bags, table runners, etc. Wood and stone carvings were also prevalent, as well as ceramics, jewelry and very colorful paintings. One gentleman had painted amazing, life-like portraits of his grandparents … such talent!! Without an excursion, we didn’t get to experience as much of the culture as at other stops; so in that respect that stop here in Guatemala was disappointing. Part of the reason was the heat and humidity was exhausting, plus we were warned that it is not safe to venture too far away, so we opted to walk back to the ship.
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| Still celebrating the Birth of our Lord |
We took in the delightful afternoon tea, then had dinner with Frank and Suzanne at the Red Ginger once again. And once again, what does one say about such scrumptious food as lobster salad, tiger prawns, sea bass and lobster pad Thai, just to name a few dishes! The Thai beer, French wine and, of course, the service was outstanding! Every time one of us left to go to the bathroom, they take away our napkin and replace it with a new one! Now that’s service!
Day 8, Wednesday, January 10, 2024 – Roatan, Honduras
So today there are six cruise ships docked in the port of Roatan, Honduras. That makes for a whole lot of crowded people once on shore! Roatan is the largest of three islands a few miles off the northern coast of Honduras. The name means “Isle of Women” … never did find out why. In the 17th century, as many as 5,000 pirates lived here; but today it is a bustling place (when all us tourists are in town!), is known for its long white beaches, is proud of its world’s second largest coral reef where snorkeling and scuba diving is about the best, is the first mountainous island we have encountered with an economy closely tied to tourism. The ancient Ganifuna culture is still practiced here in both its language and customs.
Once back on ship, I took advantage of a little time for a nap while Bob and Frank went to afternoon Tea and Happy Hour. We chose to have dinner up in the Terrace Café tonight which featured the Chef’s Caribbean Menu. I particularly enjoyed the garbanzo bean salad, the jerk shrimp, roast pig, and fried conch … probably the best conch I had ever tasted! This evening’s show was Sirena's Production team consisting of 2 female and 3 male singer/dancers, performing many of the Rat Pack songs from the 40s and 50s. It was very enjoyable, though I don’t think Frank and Suzanne recognized many of the songs … we sure did!!
Day 9, Thursday, January 11, 2024 – At Sea
We slept in a bit, had a delicious breakfast in the Grand Dining Room, then listened to a very interesting speaker, Wendy Van Norden, educate us on the history and building of the Panama Canal. There were trails across the Isthmus of Panama, then a successful rail system; but getting a canal across it proved to be much more challenging. The French Chief Engineer of the Suez Canal between Egypt and the Sinai Peninsula became famous for successfully completing that feat with ease and with no locks. But he was a dismal failure when he tried to build the canal across what was then a part of Colombia. There were enormous cost overruns, over 500 men died for every mile they worked on, mostly because of yellow fever and malaria, and their attempt to construct the canal without locks proved to be unfeasible.
When France gave up their efforts, they lobbied the US to do the construction. The US finally agreed, and it was then that the US helped the people of that area, who wanted to become independent from Colombia, to achieve that goal by sending the US navy to blockade the Colombian army from repressing the rebellion and immediately recognizing the new Panama Republic. Panama reciprocated by agreeing to let US build a canal. Then the issue was to eliminate the diseases. That too was successfully completed by clean sanitation, eliminating swamps and standing water and doing whatever it took to eliminate the misquotes carrying those diseases. It took 10 years and 3 different Chief Engineers to accomplish it, but the Panama Canal was officially inaugurated in 1914. However, President Jimmy Carter initiated the action to turn over the canal back over to Panama. When done so in 1999, Panama then actually constructed another canal parallel to the original that is wider to accommodate the wider vessels of the day. It was completed in 2016.
It was a leisurely afternoon of sitting on the balcony, enjoying the rolling sea and cool breezes, reading, napping, etc. Suzanne and Frank took advantage of pool time! Of course, the afternoon Tea was lovely, and the Cocktail Reception with the Captain was delightful. Another great dinner was enjoyed in the Grand Dining Room with Frank and Suzanne, followed by entertainment by instrumentalist Andy Hackbarth, a very talented guitarist. How Blessed we are!
Day 10, Friday, January 12, 2024 – Puerto Limon, Costa Rica
We did not have an Oceania shore excursion; however, there was a private tour available to us once we got off the boat, which proved to be the right thing to do! We received a nice overview of the City, including a stop at a lovely Catholic Church … Catholicism being the dominant religion in the country. After driving along the shoreline to the country, we veered inland and stopped at a banana plantation … a new experience for Frank and Suzanne. We also had a wonderful guide on an hour-long river boat ride as we saw many local birds, as well as some of the same ones we have in Florida, numerous iguanas, and even a few sloths … one of which we rescued as it got stuck in a branch in the water. Sloths are fairly common throughout the area, found even in the trees of residents. It was an extremely hot day (about 100 degrees), so the caiman and monkeys were deep in the shade and, unfortunately, we weren’t able to see any. Overall, it was a great tour.
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| Sloth napping in a tree |
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| A sloth we rescued that was stuck in a branch in the water |
After browsing through some of the local wares, we returned to the ship, cooled down a bit, relaxed at the Afternoon Tea, listened to another lecture on the Panama Canal …. this time on how it works … and once again enjoyed a great dinner with Frank and Suzanne at the Grand Dining Room … porcine pate, borscht soup, beef wellington, Florida lobster, topped off with either Key Lime pie or strawberries Romanoff or Limoncello soufflé or chocolate cake with coffee toffee ice cream! All this was followed by an outstanding performance of the Sirena Production Company featuring Motown favorites … my favorite performance of the entire trip! We set our clocks ahead an hour to Eastern Tine, so we lose an hour of sleep tonight and must rise early tomorrow for our entry into the Panama Canal!
Day 11, Saturday, January 13, 2024 – The Panama Canal
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| Coming into the first locks, Gatun Locks |
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| On the right, a ferry going through its last lock to get to the Atlantic; we are in the left lock behind another vessel in the lock ahead of us |
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| Going up in the second Gatun Lock |
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| The electric "mules", one on each side of the ship, used to guide the ships through the locks |
Our ship was one of twenty scheduled to go through the Panama Canal Atlantic to Pacific today. Because of the severe drought in this area … at the present time, Gatun Lake, the highest point of the canal, is down 6 feet! … fewer ships are going through. There are actually three canals … the original built by the US has side-by-side locks for two-way traffic; the third, built by Panama about ten years ago, is deeper and wider to accommodate larger vessels. Sirena is a smaller vessel, so we are going through the original locks. The 51 miles across the Isthmus of Panama consists of three locks on the Atlantic side, called the Gatun Locks, which raises our ship a total of 85 feet to the level of Gatun Lake. This freshwater lake was man-made as a part of the waterway by damming up the Chagres River. The dam has a hydro-electric generating station creating electricity to operate the locks and for the surrounding area. After going through the first three locks, we sail 21 miles across Gatun Lake to the Pedro Miguel Lock. About a mile and a half across Miraflores Lake, we enter the two Miraflores Locks where we drop 54 feet to the sea level of the Pacific. We reached our destination, Panama City, almost 15 hours after we entered the canal at Colon this morning.
The entire venture was very interesting and quite different than what I had envisioned. I wondered why it took so long to go through such a short distance. As with so much else we do, it’s a “hurry up and wait” event. We wait for our turn to get into a lock; wait for the water to either rise or lower to the next level in the locks, wait for a “crippled” vessel to clear the lanes, etc. Plus, even crossing the beautiful Gatun Lake took time because the “speed limit” is 10 mph.
We arrived in Panama City about 9 pm. By then we were almost done with our last dinner aboard ship, were packed with our suitcases out our stateroom doors for them to be hustled down to the dock for pickup after we go through customs tomorrow morning, and then we climbed into bed, exhausted after a very interesting day of leisure aboard ship!!
Day 12, Sunday, January 15, 2024 – Homeward Bound
We needed to be out of our staterooms by 8 a.m. After a brief agonizing moment of trying to find my passport … how can it be misplaced in such a small room?? … we say goodbye to everyone and board the transit bus to go to the airport. Frank and Suzanne had earlier flights and left the ship a couple hours before us. We had a brief tour of Panama City, a surprisingly modern city with extremely high, mostly white, skyscrapers visible for miles around. We’re told all of this was built in the last 24 years since the country took control of the canal, with the city becoming a bankers' haven, especially with the lucrative fees charged those who go through the Canal which saves a 9,000-mile detour around South America through the stormy Juan De Fuca straits! But there was also the extremely poor side of the city as well.
It turned out to be an extremely long day of traveling, but we’re finally back in Orlando where Jean and Lance, God Bless them, met our delayed flight … arriving back at their place about 12:30 a.m. But overall, it was an absolutely wonderful adventure encountering, for us, 6 new Central American countries. The culture, historical sites, cities and countryside were all very interesting and educational and, of course, the people were beautiful. We are so Blessed to be able to meander through this little portion of the world! And, of course, cruising is awesome too!
