Panama Canal Cruise

February 10, 2014

Coral Princess	Our cruise started in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida where we embarked the Coral Princess. After two days at sea, we arrived in Aruba. The relaxing tour began with an easy drive through the island's capital, Oranjestad. The capital is known for its colorful markets and impressive Dutch Colonial buildings. When we drove through Frenchman's Pass, we learned about the history of the legendary passage. Arriving at the Casibari Rock formations, we were told that the Arawak Indians would visit here in order to hear incoming thunderstorms. Continuing to the north coast, we saw the Natural Bridge that collapsed in 2005. Then, we stopped at one of the island's beaches to swim in the ocean, stroll along the beach and relax.
Cartagena, Colombia was founded in 1533. It was named after the port of Cartagena in Spain. We started our city tour in Cartagena with the visit of the fort Castillo de San Felipe de Barajas that was built in the 17th century. The fort has a tunnel system that facilitated supply and evacuation of the fortress. It is the largest work of Spanish Military engineering in South America. Our next stop was Las Bovedas, the former dungeons. Today, it is a nice place for Shopping for handicrafts and works of art made by local artisans.	Cartagena, Colombia
We enjoyed the stroll through the old town that is a UNESCO World Heritage site. The well-tended Spanish Colonial buildings reflect the importance of the town in the past as a main hub of commerce and transportation of the area. After walking through the narrow cobblestone streets and passing the city squares, we arrived at the San Pedro Claver Church. It was built in the 17th century. Saint Peter Claver is the patron saint of slaves.	Cartagena, Colombia
Panama Canal Cruise on a tour boat	In order to get into the Panama Canal, our ship passed the locks to Gatun Lake. At Gatun Lake, we transferred on tender boats to get on land for our tour. Via bus, we traveled to the small village of Gamboa located in the heart of Panama's Soberania National Park. There, we embarked our tour boat and cruised through the Gaillard Cut, entered the Pedro Miguel Locks and continued towards the Pacific Ocean on Miraflores Lake. The last locks that we passed were the Miraflores Locks and we finally reached the level of the Pacific Ocean. We returned to the ship that was waiting for us in Colon via bus.
Guests in our group joined two different tours in Costa Rica: Rainforest Aerial Tram, Tortuguero Canals and Historic Banana Route Railway Journey. Participating in the railway tour was like traveling back in time. We were seated in a quaint, open-air railroad car driving through banana plantations, coastal forest and beach areas with stunning views. From time to time, we stopped to take photos of exotic birds or monkeys. During the train ride, we learned about the history of the Atlantic Railroad that was completed in 1890. The Atlantic Railroad is also called "The Panama Canal of Costa Rica".	Banana Route Railway Journey, Costa Rica
Backstage Tour	The Seven Mile Beach Break was the tour that most of us joined in the Cayman Islands. The Cayman Islands are a British overseas territory, comprising the islands of Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac, and Little Cayman. The Days at Sea provided the opportunity to join many onboard activities like Bingo, back-stage theater tour, galley tour, deaf game night, and many more.

Group Picture

A special Thank You from Richard, Linda, Patti, Ted, Mary Jo and Bill

Contact Kerstin's Deaf Travel to book your next cruise by sending an e-mail to kerstin@kerstinstravel.com