Our Panama Canal Cruise left from Fort Lauderdale on the Nieuw Amsterdam.
Our first port was Grand Turk, where we went snorkeling above The Wall, a 7000 foot dropoff.
Then we were off to Aruba!
In Aruba, our bus trip included a stop at a butterfly farm. The drunk, blue butterlies don't stop to get their photo taken!
We also went to the dry, uninhabited side of the island.
And Ayo Rock in the centre of the island.
In the afternoon, we went shopping and chilled at the retired surfer's bar.
Then we set sail for Columbia!
Cartagena, Columbia was architecturally similar to Cartagena, Spain. But it was twice as hot and the beggars were tricky and very persistent.
Somehow, we ended up with a lot of balcony and door photos!
When we got back to the port, we went to the free admission zoo, Port Oasis.
The front deck of the ship was opened up to us lower class passengers for the canal transit.
In Costa Rica, we went on a crocodile safari.
We were the first Holland America ship to stop in Acajutla, El Salvador. Security was high but a safe destination was arranged for passengers without excursions at the last minute. We had already booked our excursion to the Maya ruins, San Andrés and Joya de Ceren.
We had 2 days of sailing to get to Mexico.
Our first stop in Mexico was Puerto Vallarta. We toured the old town, a shopping mall, and a tequila distillery.
When he was a kid, our guide picked at the corner of the church until it crumbled. True story?
I only bought sunblock.
I only buy 100% blue agave!
We went on a luxury sailing in Cabo San Lucas. Snorkeling was discouraged because of murky water. Drinking and tipping were encouraged.
We set sail early and got a better view of Lover's Beach from the ship.
We planned to stay on the ship in San Diego but were forced to check in with Border Services.
We planned to walk to the Victoria legislature buildings but customs processing was so long and complicated we got right back on the ship. Overall, a Panama Canal repositioning cruise was a cheap per day vacation!