Panama Canal Cruise Reviewed by Dick

I wanted to go on the Sleazy cruise but the dates did not work out for me hence my wife (Irene) and I went on the Panama Canal cruise with four other couples. Two of the other couples come from our hometown, Barbara and Ray as well as Dot & Lionel. The third couple is Ginny & Matt from New Jersey. We met Ginny & Matt on our '96 cruise to Alaska. The fourth couple is Jane & John from the Chicago area. We met them on our Hawaii cruise in 2001.

We spent a couple of nights before the cruise at the Comfort Inn Airport & Cruise Port South in Hollywood Fl. They had a free shuttle to the Inn from the airport and a free shuttle to the Cruise Port. There was an outdoor pool and the price was very reasonable. We were a group of ten and the shuttle was available for use. Hence if we wanted to go to a restaurant that was a mile or two away we would hop onto the free shuttle and they would take us there and pick us up after the meal. Obviously we tipped the driver each time. A good economical restaurant nearby was the Ale House. It is kind of a sports bar, which came in handy since the Red Sox, and Yankees were in the midst of the ALCS. There was a shopping mall next to the hotel. Irene & Barbara are always ready to shop. One day they went shopping for a couple of bottles of water and came back with attire for formal night during the cruise. There was a free hot breakfast of eggs (scrambled or omelets made to order), hash browns, hot and cold cereals, fruit, muffins, Danish pastries, juices etc. All in all I was very satisfied and would use the Comfort Inn Airport & Cruise Port South again. When we registered at the hotel we booked the shuttle to the port. We booked the first shuttle that left at 10:30 a.m. They put the luggage in a u-haul type vehicle and the passengers rode in a bus to the ship.

Embarkation went smoothly. We had all filled out the forms on the Internet before hand and RCCL had all the info when we got there. Four of us are Platinum members and went to the preferred check-in line. Those that were not Platinum or Diamond members entered the ship literally just a few minutes after us. So at least in this case everyone seemed to have an easy check-in. When we got on the ship they said that the rooms were not ready and we could go to the Lido deck and then check into our rooms after that. When we were done eating the rooms were ready.

We really enjoyed this cruise. We have been on 22 cruises and I would rate this as one of our top five cruises. Everything seemed to work out smoothly. We had great waiters and assistants as well as cabin attendants. I liked the itinerary in the sense that basically we would have a day at sea after each port. The only exception was Huatulco and Acapulco that were one day after the other.

The first port was Oranjestad, Aruba. We have been there multiple times and it was raining when we landed. By the afternoon it was nice and sunny. We basically spent some time in Oranjestad shopping and in the casino. Jane & John went on a tour so I have some pictures of the tour that they took.

After Aruba and a day at sea we approached the Panama Canal in the morning when it was still dark. Many people gathered at the top of the ship (decks 9 and 10) to see the canal. Many people went to breakfast on the lido deck and grabbed the tables in the front of the ship and never left them. So it was not easy to find a place to eat breakfast on the lido deck. I found from advice I learned from reading the review of someone else that I saw a lot more by going to the back of the ship. I went down to deck four in the back and there was no more than eight people there, if that. I had a clear view of all the happenings and had no trouble taking pictures. By the time we went through the third lock there may have been 15 to 20 people back there. I have previously made a partial transit of the canal but I really enjoyed going all the way through the canal.

We took the Panama City tour at night. We saw parts of the city where the electrical wiring was all on the outside of the buildings and we saw some parts of the city that looked like any modern day city would look like. All in all this was not a particularly interesting tour. I could easily of stayed on the ship and passed. But as usual, if I have never been there I want to see what it looks like.

We did not want to take any long tours hence we grabbed a taxi on the pier and took a short 2 to 3 hour tour of Costa Rica. We saw the La Paz falls from a distance, crocodiles and a few scenic areas.

In Huatulco, Mexico we took a cab at the pier for $5 and went to the beach at La Entrega. There were umbrellas, tables and chairs for free. There was food and drink available for purchase. There was a decent snorkeling area near the rocks on the left of the beach. Since we have our own snorkel equipment we went snorkeling for free. There was rental equipment available if you wanted to rent gear. We had the cab driver come back and pick us up at a specified time and he was there right on time.

In Acapulco we wanted to see the cliff divers so we took a tour that enabled us to see them. Before the tour my wife and Barbara shopped at flea markets and other places in Acapulco.

In Cabo San Lucas we took a tour that took us out to Lovers Beach to see the sea lions and the rock formations as well as do some snorkeling. You could take tours from the pier for about $10 that would include everything except the snorkeling. We took one of those fiesta catamarans and everyone had a good time in addition to snorkeling.

We thought the overall entertainment was very good. But, what we like may not be to the liking of someone else. Then nightly entertainment in the show room was as follows: Kelly McDonald, comedian; The Happenings (See You in September); Production shows (Film To Footlights, Rhythm Nation, Jump Jive and Swing, Mexican Folklorico Festival); Lenny Welch, singer; Judy Kolba, singer - comedian; Martin Lewis; The Fluorescents; Charles Brunner, pianist; Colleen Austin, singer; Wilde & Haines, comedy and Los Pampas Gauchos. I didn't see all the shows because the Red Sox were in the midst of the ALCS and World Series. Hence I watched the Red Sox a few nights instead of going to the show. During the fourth game of the World Series I ate in the Lido deck for the buffet and skipped the show. It was a long time in coming but it was worth watching the Red Sox finally winning a World Series. The games were available in the cabin on ESPN and in the Schooner Lounge.

I have seen a few of these acts before and they were just as good the second time around. Judy Kolba is very entertaining. Charles Brunner is also the bandleader for the Legends of the Seas orchestra. He was a big hit with the crowd. He was so well liked he performed two time in the atrium while we were at sea. He performed to a packed house each time.

The ship docked in San Diego about 3:00 a.m. Disembarkation started about 7:45 am. Once the ship was devoid of passengers it had to move to Ensenada to pick up passengers for a Hawaii cruise. Platinum and Diamond members were let off the ship early.

We have all been to San Diego before and have seen the San Diego Zoo and Sea World etc. So we took a day and went to Tijuana for what else, Irene, Barbara and Dot could go shopping and barter with the local merchants. As far as moving around in San Diego there is a trolley that you can take for $5 for the day. You can get on and off as many times as you wish. You can take any line that you want. It enables you to go anywhere in the city. We spent some time at the Seaport, Old Town, Gaslamp etc. We stayed at Travelodge, which was very inexpensive. They also had free shuttle from the port to the hotel and from the hotel to the airport. They are in the process of renovating. There is a pretty good restaraunt (Anthony's) down by the pier where the ships pull in. It is not far from the hotel. The hotel was near the airport and there were planes constantly passing overhead and a train in the back of the hotel. The planes stopped at night when it was time to go to bed. I have no complaints because the price was very reasonable, hotel was clean and we were in the renovated part of the hotel. However, next time I would consider the Holiday Inn which is right across the street from the pier.

Mediterranean Cruise Reviewed by Liz

Day 1
Barcelona is a beautiful city. Since we weren't embarking until 13:30, RCI took us on a 4-5 hr tour of the city, stopping at Gaudi's "LaPedera House" and the famous Sangrada Familia, truly a city landmark. One could spend an entire day walking the Los Ramblas promenade, the heart and soul of the beautiful city. The site of the Olympics was also visited. Check- in took approximately 15 minutes from start to finish with the photographer occupying 5 of those minutes! We were greeted at our cabin by Joel, our cabin steward, who wasted no time in "breaking the ice". There was a six-pack of cold beer and pop waiting for us as well as peanuts and snacks, (which my TA must have sent, but denies). Patti, a first-time cruiser, accompanied me so she was anxious to explore the Legend, as was I. She's a beautiful, well set up ship and immaculately clean. She stayed immaculately clean the entire cruise. The Windjammer was open for a buffet with T-Bones cooked to your liking, as well as a good selection of anything else you might want. I did notice that some of the fruit/veggie displays looked as though they could have been left over from the previous cruises midnight buffet. Went to bed immediately following the fire drill.....all lagged out only to.........

Day 2
.....wake up at 0:400 am and couldn't sleep. We ventured down to the solarium and had pizza and coffee..(UGH), I found that RCI's coffee on this cruise was the best I've ever had! The pizza left allot to be desired. (must have been left over from the previous cruise as well). This was my first experience of bad pizza on a cruise. (usually it's the coffee that's bad). We arrived in Palma de Mallorca at about 10:00 am so we had time to have breakfast in the Romeo & Juliet dining room. It is situated on two levels which makes it seem not so huge and impersonal. Breakfast was boring....the same menu everyday. The kipper was tough and boney. Something like you would feed your cat. Needless to say we didn't have breakfast in the dining room often. It was raining so our trip to Camp de Mar beach was off. This gave us time to do some more exploring...which ended up fruitful, as we had a body massage which included a Hydro Aroma Bath...to die for. This was all done without an advance apt. They weren't very busy that morning which was amazing, but picked up as we were leaving. I was impressed with the spa. We departed at17:00 and off to the Captains Welcome Aboard Party. It was as usual-----boring with the pre-fab drinks served. However, the Anchors Away Lounge is large, well ventilated, and includes both smoking and non-smoking sections. Since this was the first formal night I was interested to see how long people kept their formal attire on. 80-90% of the guys had tux's on and everyone remained "formal" for the entire evening! It was great...did not see one tee-shirt! There were very few children aboard this cruise. The food in the dining room was a B+, our waiters both great, scoring an A, wine list a C-, and Maitre D a D-. He finally learned our names the last night of the cruise. Judy Kolba was featured in the "That's Entertainment" Theater, which is of adequate size with a great sound and lighting system. She was funny, as usual.

Day 3
Arrived in Marseilles, France at 08:00. We opted for the Cassis tour, truly a fantastic summer resort. Boutiques and waterfront cafes surround the old Provencal fishing port. The city of Marseilles was closed due to some type of religious holiday so we got the "inside scoop" that Cassis would be open for shopping regardless of the holiday from Joel. Nice little town but don't expect to get any "good deals" on fragrances or designer attire. I purchased a Louie V. purse for my daughter and paid the same price as I did for mine in the U.S. One nice thing about Cassis is that most of the merchants spoke a little bit of English and were proficient with the money exchange. Back to the Legend with arms and hands full of shopping bags. Our tablemates had done the Marseilles tour and were disappointed. The Wave Review Singers and Dancers put on a great "jump jiven swing" show that evening.

Day 4
Got into Livorno early. We had coffee and danish in our room, as usual. The room service on the Legend was an A+ and so was their laundry service! Off at 07:30 to tour Pisa and Florence. There is way too much to see in a 10 hr tour. The Leaning Tower and Michaelangelo's David were breathtaking. Our tour guides all received an A+, except for one which I'll get to later. We ate lunch at a nice restaurant in the heart of Ponte Vecchio. Opportunities to shop were available. I highly recommend this tour. Make sure to wear comfortable shoes as there is about 10 miles of walking involved...and watch your wallets! We had been warned several times about the gypsies and got to witness one in action, as pointed out by our tour guide. Low and behold....to find out later that one of the ladies on our tour's wallet was missing after returning to the ship! She claims she didn't get close to the particular one we witnessed, however they are "slick" and tend to work in groups, involving children as well. Back to the stateroom to find that Joel had left us canapes, cocktails of choice and an invitation to join Captain Rick Sullivan and wife for cocktails after dinner. We accepted the invitation and joined them. This was a new thing for me, and on the spur of the moment so I was kind of nervous. After meeting Capt Rick & wife I was at ease as he is a "down to earth" kinda guy, as was his wife, and believe it or not, very concerned with our likes and dislikes of the cruise. I asked him if he'd rather be drinking a beer and eating cheese when his wife excused herself to the restroom. He replied no, actually, since his wife was on this particular cruise, he preferred to show her what his job really entailed. He also told us not to miss the pizza in Naples and a story about King Ferdinand and how pizza originated. I shared with him my thought of the pizza in the solarium. He laughed, wrinkled his nose, and said they were "working on it". All in all a very pleasant experience----not dinner with the Captain but at least cocktails. I had two martini's, extra dry, then to the Casino Royale. I did hear a number of guests say they were doing well or at least "holding their own"...won't talk about my luck......Back to our cabin, late, late and Joel had chocolate covered strawberries waiting for us along with the regular mints.

Day 5
Arrived in Naples at 08:00. We chose to do the Amalfi Drive, Sorento and Naples tour. This was, by far, the most panoramic tour I have ever had. Being raised on a farm, I was amazed at the diversity in the agriculture; terrace farming, mostly lemons, tomatoes, and grapes and so many other fruits and veggies. Amalfi is a luxurious little town where, we were told, allot of Italian and French movie stars have villas. We were able to see Sophia Loren's original villa as well as several others from atop the Vietra Sul Mare. We had a four star lunch, (and it truly was), overlooking the emerald Mediterranean. The serenity of this quaint village is remarkable. I hope to go back to Amalfi and spend a week or so. Coral and linen are plentiful and expensive in this coastal mountain town. Words cannot explain the beauty. On or way back to the ship we stopped at a cameo factory. A heavenly 10 hr tour. Dinner with our partners that evening and to the Crown & Anchor Society cocktail party. There were only about 50 guests attending so I'm sure there were quite a few first time cruisers aboard this cruise. Capt Rick gave the usual "song and dance" about RCI and how important return cruisers were to RCI....yadee, yadee, yadee.

Day 6
Arrived in Olbia, Sardinia at 0:900. We took the Tradtional Sardinia Excursion which turned out to be a 9 hr bus ride, to sum it up. We heard all about the fantastic restaurant we were going to, (for 4 hrs), by our lush of a tour guide who seemed to be more focused on getting drunk than showing us any sites. And he did get drunk and sang to us on the 4 hr return bus ride. So, as far as Sardinia is concerned, I really don't know what to suggest as I really didn't get to see much. I do suggest not getting this particular tour guide. Back to the ship and straight to the purser to write a formal complaint. This was our second formal night and we stayed up until wee hrs since the next day was at sea, as did everyone else. Great bands playing in all the lounges, anything from 50-60's music, ballroom dancing, piano sing-alongs, ragae and disco. It was a fun-night for everyone.

Day 7
At Sea.......and by the looks of everyone, we all needed this one! Not enough room by the pool, as usual. Since this was our first and only day at sea, we met a whole lot of people and had a great day. Too much sun, as usual, but since most of our cruise was overcast, a perfect ending. At dinner Capt. Rick got on the intercom to announce that a fellow guest had become ill and he was speeding up and we were to arrive in Barcelona at 2300 instead of 0700 the next day. We found out later that night that it was a pregnant passanger that was having difficulty. No details though. We started disembarking at 0730 and things went well. No lines, problems with luggage, customs or anything! Barceloa airport is great and we had a great flight home to Denver. Please excuse the typo's and spelling, as I've just surrvived another holiday. Everyone should consider this cruise. Best itinerary I've ever had! Oh, average age was about 40-50 and probably 80% Americans......Liz