Panama Canal on the Azamara Journey March 2016

Itinerary:
Saturday, February 27 Miami
Sunday, February 28 Los Angeles
Monday, February 29 Board the Azamara Journey
Tuesday, March 1 Sea Day
Wednesday, March 2 arrive Cabo 7:30 pm
Thursday, March 3 Cabo
Friday, March 4 Sea Day
Saturday, March 5 Sea Day
Sunday, March 6  Huatulco 8-2 pm
Monday, March 7 Sea Day
Tuesday, March 8 San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua 7:30 - 6 pm
Wednesday, March 9 Puntarenas 7-7 pm
Thursday, March 10 Sea Day
Friday, March 11 Panama Canal
Saturday, March 12 Cartegena arrive 1 pm
Sunday, March 13 leave Cartegena noon
Monday, March 14 Sea Day
Tuesday, March 15 Sea Day
Wednesday, March 16 disembark in Miami

Saturday, February 27
We left the condo around 4 pm and headed to Miami, stopping for dinner at Anthony's Pizza Restaurant before heading to the hotel. We stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn at the airport.  They have a cruise and stay option that was cheaper than leaving the car at the airport or cruise port.  Hotel was nice but a  negative was the parking was simply in the parking lot in front of the hotel, so it wasn't covered parking.

Sunday, February 28
Hotel provided a shuttle to the airport, leaving every half hour.  We decided on the 7:30 shuttle and arrived at the airport in about 15 minutes.  Miami airport was already busy, busy but orderly.  Shuttle dropped us off at gate 6 but Priority check-in was gate 2.  The line here wasn't too bad (line was really long by the time we finished our check-in) and we were off to the security line.  Luckily, we had Pre TSA approval which saved us from another long wait.  Security check-in was at gate 26 so we took the airlink.  Unfortunately, gate 19 was at close as you can get but it wasn't too bad of a walk. By 8:30 we were at our gate, gate D1.  If we had not been flying first class and did not have Pre TSA approval, I'm not sure 1.5 hours would have been enough time.
The flight boarded and took off late causing us to arrive a little bit late. We retrieved our luggage and went outside to the curb.  Ontime Shuttle asked us to text them when we were at curbside.  They arrived promptly and we were off to our hotel in San Pedro which was located across from the pier.  We booked the Crowne Plaza with points and we were upgraded to an executive suite due to Greg's Priority Status.  The room was huge.  We had a large living area, wet bar, a large desk work area, and then the king size bed.  However, the bathroom was smallish.  After settling into the room we walked across the street and down a couple of blocks to the USS Iowa Battleship.  We did the self tour which took around an hour.  It was a good tour.

After touring the Iowa we walked down to the fish market area and stopped for dinner at the Crusty Crab.

Beautiful flowers along the walk to the waterfront.

Greg had the combination skewer (swordfish, scallops, and shrimp).  I had clam chowder and calamari.  After dinner we headed back to the hotel.  With the 3 hour time difference, we were fading!  I went to bed at 7:30 Pacific time (10:30 EST) and Greg wasn't far behind.

Monday, February 29

We woke up at 6:30.  11 hours of sleeping.  Guess we were tired.  After getting dressed we went in search of the CVS which looked really close on the Around Me app but took us much longer than we expected.  After purchasing a couple of forgotten items we found a small burrito restaurant.  We ordered two eggs, ham, and potatoes for $4.  I bet it was just as good as the $15 buffet at the hotel.  We returned to the room and got the suitcases ready to go, putting on the bag tags.  We headed downstairs to catch the shuttle to the port. We had paid $5 each but no one asked to see our vouchers.  We were at the port by 11:15.

Our ship, the Azamara Journey

Went straight to the suite line, no waiting, checked in and waited maybe 10 minutes to get on the ship. Greg dropped off our carry on bags and I headed to make reservations in the specialty restaurants.  After not being able to eat in the specialty restaurants on our last Azamara cruise, we made reservations for most nights.  Greg purchased an upgraded beverage package so he had more beer choices and could order his Jameson.  After finishing these tasks, we wandered a bit looking at the renovations and then headed to the aft seating in Windows, the buffet area.  I had a salad and Greg had pizza and cold cuts. We then checked out the pool area through the spa that we have access to as a suite benefit, although in the end we didn't use it.  We stopped at the pool bar for more refreshments until our room was ready. We were in Club Continent Suite 8046 with a bathtub.  We did receive a phone call asking if we would be willing to switch staterooms.  They had several people that were in a stateroom with only a shower and they wanted a tub.

The luggage trickled in and we slowly unpacked.  We had plenty of room for our clothes and more than enough space in the bathroom.  Suitcases fit easily under the bed and we were unpacked for our 16 days in our home away from home.  The cruise critic Meet and Greet was held in the Living Room and it was a bit disorganized as Cruise Director, Tony Markay, had to ask some people to move from their seats to allow space for Cruise Critic members to be seated.  Ship officers were introduced and then we went around the room and introduced ourselves. The others members of our Cartagena tour were present so we met each other and we are good for our tour with Dora. After the Meet and Greet, we went back to the room and changed for dinner then went to the Living Room for drinks and dinner at 8 in Prime C.  I had veal tenderloin and Greg had the T-bone steak. Both our meals were very good.  After dinner we went to the theater for the intro of staff members and to see the show which was a magician, Greg Moreland. He was good and I think we have seen him before.  After the show we headed to the room.  When I got ready to take a bath I found I did not have a stopper for the tub.  Three weeks after the refurbishment and no bath plugs. Hmmmmmm

Tuesday, March 1st. Sea Day
Woke to a cloudy, drizzly day so breakfast was inside. The table does not raise up so Greg ate at the desk.  Breakfast was on time, warm, and good.  After we finished eating, I went down the hall in search of our butler Ronald.  This was our first experience with a butler not introducing themselves on embarkation day. We asked for a tub stopper, more hangers, and a taller table for the room.  Hangers came quickly.  Will see about the other requests.  Greg headed off for the talk "30,000 years of Art History in 30 minutes" and I went to "Great Whale Migrations- an Annual Race for Life", by Jim Howard a Geologist.  The Cabaret was almost full for my speaker.  We then had lunch in the MDR and mid afternoon went to the Drawing Room and listened to Ed Waters play the piano.

Ed Waters playing in Spirits.  We spent a lot of time listening to him .

The sun finally came out and we went to the pool area for about an hour.

Finding a lounger was never a problem

After getting dressed for the evening, we met with Amanda from the Future Cruise department to book a cruise with the four free days we will earn after completing this cruise. After our meeting with Amanda we went to the Living Room but it was packed so we went to the the Discoveries Bar but no one was there to serve us so we went to the bar in the Casino, Spirits. It was empty and the waiter did not come take our order.  Greg had to go to the bar to get our drinks.  This was not the case for the rest of the cruise.  Bar service picked up after tonight.  Dinner tonight was back in Prime C.  We both had rack of lamb and it was really good. After dinner we went to see the Tenor Singer Nick Allen.  He was very, very good.  After his show we stopped in the Casino Bar and listened to Ed Waters who was playing and singing Beatles songs. Enjoyed his show much more tonight than this afternoon.
Our butler brought a tub stopper by this afternoon and filled the fridge with Coke Zero.  Service is looking up.  The short twirling table however did not get replaced.

Wednesday, March 2nd arrive Cabo at 7:30. Azamazing Evening

I woke up feeling sea sick.  Not sure why because the seas were not rough.  I mostly drank Coke Zero and had toast, green apple, soup at lunch and a banana.  We went upstairs to the Living Room to read, or at least Greg read.  It made my queasy.  We went to the MDR for lunch where I had the soup and we visited with a very nice older couple from Nebraska.  This was their first Azamara cruise and they were very pleased.  After lunch I went back to the room and Greg went to the talk by Jim Howard on  "Pre-Columbian History and Culture of Mesoamerica".  We watched sail-in from our balcony.  We were facing the arch and Lover's Beach. Cabo was first seen by Hernan Cortes' expedition in 1537.  It is located at the tip of the Baja Peninsula and became important in the late 16th century.  For over 200 years Cabo was an important supply stop for ships from China returning from the Orient loaded with gold, silks, and spices.  It became popular in the 40's and 50's for the wealthy to vacation and participate in the massive sport game fishing.

The arch or Los Arcos

Sea lions

Lover's Beach

We ate dinner at The Patio due to the Azamazing Evening.  The Patiol is now open at night with a new menu.  I had the Angus burger and Greg had Chicken Cordon Blue.  After dinner went to the the Casino Bar to listen to Ed on the piano and wait for our floor to be called.  We were called at 7:15 and were quickly on the tender and then to a bus.  The bus ride was about 30 minutes, the last 10 on a dirt road.  It took two hours to transport everyone to the event.  Plenty of wine, beer, and margaritas being served along with appetizers.  The setting for the evening was outside at a dry river bed and canyon. The performance was the "Dance of the Dead".  Lots of dancing with flames and Cirque du'Soleil type acrobatics.  The evening ended with a really good fireworks display.

Captain Magnus getting the evening started.

When we arrived back at the tender station there was champagne available as well as a late night buffet available in Discoveries.  Well done Azamara.

Thursday, March 3rd Cabo
We ordered breakfast for 6:30 and left on the 7:15 tender.  We had an 8:30 whale watching excursion with Whale Watch Cabo.  Our guide was Sandra and there were 10 of us on the boat so we had plenty of space to spread out and to be comfortable.  We saw a whale breach followed by several sightings of whales surfacing and tail shots.

After the excursion we wandered around the port area

and then had lunch at Soloman's Landing.  We both had fish tacos, mine being crispy with ceviche filling.  Greg's were soft and filled with shrimp, pork, and fish.

Predinner drinks at the Spirits and then to dinner tonight at Aqualina. We both had the Ahi Tuna for starters, Greg had veal scallopini and I had the special which was trout, probably the most disappointing meal for me on the whole cruise. The trout was over cooked and tasted a bit old.  After dinner, the show in Cabaret was "Play, Stop, Rewind" with the singers and dancers.  There is a cast of 6 and they are really good.

Friday, March 4th Sea Day

We were invited to the top Tier brunch at 10 in Prime C.  Not sure why we were included because we won't be at Discoverer level until the cruise is complete, but not going to complain.  OMG, there was so much food and it was all very good.  Mimosa's were served and then a buffet served by the ship's officers. We sat with Frank and Sharon from Alabama who will be on our Cartagena excursion.  Enjoyed the conversation and food.
Greg worked in the room and I enjoyed some pool time.  We started the evening in Spirits again, settling into a routine with the bartender Mariano.

Mariano

Dinner tonight was in Discoveries, the MDR.  We both had prime rib and it was excellent.  The Journey orchestra was playing in the Cabaret "Sounds of Swing" featuring Glen Miller, followed by the cruise director's one man show "All Dressed Up and Nowhere to Go".  Both shows were packed and very good.

Saturday, March 5th  Sea Day

Breakfast on the balcony.  On time and very good.  It is warm but not hot so sitting on our balcony has been very enjoyable.  We are on the port side and getting morning sun and afternoon shade.  Right now, perfect.  I spent the morning at the pool before it became too hot.  This worked out well.  After bathing, we went to the Patio area for lunch.  It was very good.  I had a hamburger and Greg had the Cuban sandwich.  After lunch we went to the lecture series with Jim Howard "Origin and History of the Isthmus of Panama".  Came back to the cabin and Greg worked and I spent the afternoon on the balcony reading.  The balcony was not in the sun and was very comfortable sitting outside.  For dinner tonight we were going to the buffet since it was a Mexican theme.  First we started with drinks in Spirits and listening to Ed on the piano.  For dinner we easily found a table outside on the aft.  The setting was fantastic, but the buffet was just okay.  On Cruise Critic people rave about the food on the evening buffets but it  just didn't excite us.  After dinner we attended the production show "Cafe Amor" in the Cabaret which we enjoyed but probably not as good as the first show.

Sunday  March 6 Hualtaco

When we booked the cruise the port was to be Ixtapa but was moved to Hualtaco about two months ago.  The reason given was that Ixtapa had not repaired their dock that was damaged in a hurricane over a year ago and was not ready for cruise ships.  We were disappointed as the port stop changed from a full day to a half day.  However, what a sweet gem of a port.  Small, clean and still quaint.
It has 18 miles of coastline with 9 bays, several coves and beaches.  Prior to the Mexican government developing the area as a planned tourist area in 1983, it was a sleepy fishing village.

Greg went snorkeling on a private tour which was a substitute guide when the original guide's grandfather in Italy passed away.  They snorkeled from the beach after a climb down a hill.  Greg said it was steep and getting back up the hill was not easy.  He snorkeled for about 40 minutes and then the guide took them for a tour of the area.  Greg saw fish and some small coral.  Not his best snorkeling but enjoyable and was glad he went.

I went with a ship tour, a bird watching Eco tour.  There was 10 people on our van and we started at a small parking lot and walked down the trail.  After the first stop, we went to an overview for our second stop.  We saw almost all of the birds at the first stop, some of them right by the main road.  All told, we saw 30 different birds.

Magpie

Parrots

Altamira Oriole

Cinnamon Hummingbird

Great Kiskadee

White Fronted Parrot

Golden Cheeked Woodpecker

Guide

After the tour I walked around the small port which took about 10 minutes, bought a magnet, took some  pictures and was headed back to the ship when I saw Greg.

We went to one of the beach bars (Jessymar) and had lunch.  I had a margarita, Greg three beers, we shared an order of tacos and guacamole.  Bill was $53 because they screw you on the conversion rate.  They charged 12 pesos to the dollar and it should have been between 16 and 18.  Oh well, our contribution to the local economy.

I would loved to have had more time here to visit one of the beaches.  There were several coves with no surf and they looked very inviting.  All aboard at 1:45 and sail away at 2:00. 
Predinner drinks in Spirits and participated in Name that Tune (Greg) for about 15 min before going to Prime C.  I had the filet and Greg had swordfish.  Show tonight was a comedian, Bruce Smirnoff who was very funny.  Following the show we  went back to Spirits and enjoyed listening to Ed on the piano.

Monday Sea Day

Greg got up earlier and had breakfast in the MDR then attended the destination talk by Jim on the Panama Canal, which was standing room only.  I was lazy and didn't move as quickly, skipping breakfast, but heading to the pool for early morning sun.  Before we left the cabin for lunch I saw a huge fish clear the water.  It looked like a marlin or sailfish.  We went to the balcony and saw tons of dolphins and sea turtles swimming beside the boat.  Lunch today was a buffet on the pool deck served by the officers.  Choices included roasted pork, ribs, fried chicken, tacos with potato salad, coke slaw, Mac n Cheese, corn on the cob, etc. After lunch I continued to look for wild life which was easy to spot as the seas were almost dead calm.  I saw a billfish jump five times in succession.  Pretty cool.

Predinner drinks at Spirits and dinner at Aqualina where I had lobster and Greg had tenderloin and shrimp. The entertainment in the theater was Nick Allen, the tenor singing opera and pop.  After dinner we went back to Spirits and listened to Ed.

Tuesday, San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua

We had breakfast on the balcony and headed to the Cabaret for our tour with Azamara.  We were doing Granada and the Islets.  Getting off was very slow due to high winds and large swells.  Our tour started with a two hour drive to Granada, a colonial city founded in 1524. It is situated between the volcano Mombacho and Lake Nicaragua.   Our guide, Juan Carlos, filled us in on Nicaragua history as we drove toward Granada.  Once we entered the city we headed to Lake Nicaragua where we took the 30 minute boat ride.  The lake has 365 islands and is an archipelago formed by volcanoes.

After the boat ride we went to the Convent San Francisco (1529) where Juan Carlos gave us a guided tour

and then we ate lunch.  It was a buffet lunch which was very good.

After lunch we walked to the square.  Juan Carlos gave us information on the square and then we had about 25 min of free time. The square is a mosaic of colonial churches, narrow streets, and Spanish style homes.

After buying a magnet Greg headed to the grocery store that sold the local rum, Flor de Cana.  The tour was good but wished that we had more time to explore Granada on our own.  We did not have time to go inside any of the buildings on the square.  The boat ride was okay but would have preferred more time in Granada. After the two hour trip back and the return on the tender we were back in our room.   We bathed and got ready for dinner.  Tonight we ate in the MDR.  Greg had veal ribeye ad I had Greek Salad With shrimp.  The couple next to us was from Germay and we visited until time for the show in the Cabaret.  It was a combination show with the Singer and Dancers, Tony the Cruise Director, and the Comedian Bruce Smirnoff.  A good show. We went back to Spirits and visited with a couple from Argentina that we have talked to previously.  Their son is a professor at a Texas Tech.  What a small world.

Wednesday Puntarenas, Costa Rica

Breakfast on the balcony.  Today we are docked in Puntarenas whose main highlight is its natural beauty consisting of the rain forest and beaches.  We headed toward deck three but today we debarked on deck four and came back on deck 5.  Guess the tide had come in!  Thumbs Up met us at the end of the long pier.  We joined a British group of 4 from the ship. Our guide today was Robert

who spoke very good English and gave us plenty of information but did not overload us.  Just the right amount.  Our first stop was to see the Howler monkeys.

They were being very lazy in a tall tree and we were able to get pictures.  Next stop was at a local fruit stand where we ordered smoothies.  Greg had mango and, of course, mine was coconut.  They were very good.

After our fruit stop we headed for our boat ride on the Tarcoles River.  The boat ride was 1.5 hours long where we saw many crocodiles, water fowl including a roseate spoonbill, and a pair of scarlet macaws fly overhead.  The skipper of the boat got out three times to feed the crocodiles to entice them out of the water.  We all enjoyed the boat ride very much.

Roseatte Spoonbill

Lunch was at the restaurant up the road from where we boarded the boats.  Our choices were fish or chicken and we both chose chicken.  It also came with black beans, rice, some sort of vegetable and plantains.   Lunch was really good.

After lunch was went in search of the macaws but no luck.  We then headed to the rain forest where we stopped for overview pictures.

Our next stop was a hotel that was built to resemble a colonial village (1800's).  It was a very nice stroll through the beautiful gardens.

On our way to the next stop we spotted a group of macaws.  There were at least 5 birds that were very agitated, flying, and moving up and down branches.  I was able to get several good shots.  They are so beautiful and how neat to see them in their natural habitat.

Next, off to the beach which was down a very rough road.  The beach that we stopped at was in a bay and the water was very calm. The sand was a tannish, red color with round, small rocks coming in the surf.

After the beach we stopped at a souvenir shop where we bought our magnet and drink coaster.  As we came into town, Robert pointed out many of the important buildings in Puntarenas.  We arrived back at the ship at 4:30.  After showering and dressing, we headed down to Spirits Lounge.  It was very crowded tonight and we sat at the bar.  Our dinner reservation was for 8 but we went early in hopes we could get in and they seated us right away.  We ordered the chateaubriand for two and it almost melted in our mouth.  Bar none, best steak ever on a cruise ship!  After dinner we returned to Spirits until time for the late show.  Katie, one of the Singer and Dancers was doing a solo performance.

It was not well attended but she did a good job and we enjoyed it.

Thursday Sea Day

Went to Mosaics for coffee and pastries.  Lunch was at The Patio where I had buffalo wings and Greg had a cheeseburger.  Greg went to the lecture on Cartagena and the legend of El Dorado at 2:00.  I went to the pool.  Dinner tonight was Prime C.  I had the small veal cutlet and Greg had rack of lamb.  Show in Cabaret was Karen Grainger, Impressionist.  She was very good, strong voice and a great show.

Friday passing through the Panama Canal

We entered the first lock around 8:30 and watched from our balcony.

 We moved to deck 5 and watched from both starboard and port side as we went through the 2nd lock.

Viewing area

After the third lock we ate lunch at the Patio.  The ship slowly sailed through the lake connecting the two sets of locks and we began our descent into the Caribbean Sea around 3:30.  

   There are three locks on this end of the Canal as well.  We went through the last lock around 5 pm.  

We went straight to dinner tonight at Aqualina where Greg had lobster and I had the Dover Sole that everyone raves about.  I see why now, it was very light and perfectly cooked.  The waiter deboned it table side.  I had the lemoncello soufflé for dessert and it was devine.  We have not been overwhelmed with the desserts but the soufflé was a winner.  The entertainment tonight was the guest lecturer, Jim Howard, talking on climate change.  The theater was about half full but I think that was due to the fact that boat was doing some serious rocking and rolling.  The heavy wave action lasted all through the night into the next morning.

Saturday. Cartegena at 1 pm

Greg got up and went to Mosaics for coffee and I was lazy.  The boat was still rocking and rolling this morning but started to settle down mid morning.  Greg was able to visit with the guest lecturer, Jim Howard, this morning in Mosaics.  They talked geology so Greg enjoyed the morning.  We arrived at Cartagena between 12 and 1.  We were docked and passengers were debarking by 1:00 pm.  We had a private tour with Dora scheduled for 2:00.

This tour was handed down to me when two previous couples cancelled their cruise.  One of the husbands hurt his back and we agreed to pay the difference and not add more people to the tour.  Dora's rep met us at the end of the pier and walked us to Dora and the van.  We were off and toured first the La Popa Monastery which is 400 years old and located on a 500 foot hill.

Frame for carrying the virgin in the procession.

Virgin of Candelaria who is credited with delivering the city from the ravages of disease and pirates.

The views from the monastery were very impressive.

Next stop was for photos at the Fort Castillo San Felipe de Barajas. Construction began in 1536.

A statue of Don Blas de Lezo at Castillo San Felipe in Cartagena, Colombia. Blas de Lezo was a Spanish Admiral. He commanded the successful defense of Cartagena against an attack by Great Britain in 1741.

We then headed to the walled, old city for a walking tour.  It was hot, but there was enough of a breeze that it wasn't too uncomfortable.  The van's AC was very good. We passed the statue of India Catalina.

India Catalina was an indigenous woman from the Colombian Atlantic coast, who accompanied Pedro de Heredia and played a role in the Spanish conquest of Colombia, acting as interpreter and intermediary.

Los Bovedas are former storage vaults that were used as prison cells during the Spanish wars in the 19th century.  They are now a shopping attraction.

Iglesia de Santo Domingo.  Oldest church in the city.

Horns were to ward off evil spirits

Customs

Cathedral de San Pedro Claver named for Peter Claver who was a Spanish Jesuit priest and missionary.  He devoted his life and work to the ministry of  the slaves and human rights.  During his 40 years of ministry he baptized over 300,000 people.   

 ,

Simon Bolivar

The Cathedral

Statue of Christopher Columbus

Stop for refreshments

Moorish home 

The tour lasted slightly less than 4 hours and we all enjoyed it.  After Dora dropped us at the pier we enjoyed seeing all the birds at the sanctuary.  Flamingos, peacocks, and macaws.  They were not caged but obviously well fed because they stayed right there.

Sunset from our balcony.

Tonight was the "white night" party on the pool deck.  The officers serve barbecue and Tony and the singers and dancers sing the night away.  The menu in Discoveries looked really good so we opted to eat there and join the party after dinner.  Lots of people in attendance with many dancing.  We stayed until around 10 and then went to Spirits for a nightcap.

Sunday Cartagena

We enjoyed the old city so much that we booked a horse drawn carriage excursion through the ship.  We had breakfast on the balcony and headed down to the Cabaret for our tour.  The tour guide, Eddie, was a little hard to hear and the speaker equipment wasn't in the best shape but we enjoyed the carriage ride even though we saw most of the sites yesterday.  Eddie told us a few bits of information that was new.

Amanda, the Le Club Voyage representative and who we booked a new cruise with was Azamara's rep on this tour.  She obviously did not recognize us after meeting with us twice and visiting with her one time informally.  We arrived back on the pier with 10 minutes to spare.  We set sail around 11:30 with the captain promising smoother seas.  We made bloody Mary's and watched sailaway from our balcony.  Later we had lunch in the buffet.  The seas were not as calm as promised and laying by the pool was a challenge.  Luckily, our balcony had part sun and cut the wind down considerably, so I read on the balcony.  We had our usual routine of pre dinner drinks in Spirits and tonight we ate in Prime C, ordering the chateaubriand again.  It was as wonderful as the first time.  Entertainment was the lead male vocalist from the Singers and Dancers.  Marcos French, from Argentina, has a very strong voice and the performance was very enjoyable. 

After the Cabaret, we stopped for one last drink while Ed played one hit wonders.

Monday Sea Day

The seas did not calm down as expected so there was quite a bit of rocking last night through mid afternoon.  We slept in and Greg went down for coffee in Mosaics.  They were having a jazz brunch in Discoveries from 10 until 1.  We went about 10:45, heard the orchestra play one song and then they took a break.  Great timing.  We both chose breakfast type foods but there was a ton of food available.  I went to the pool mid afternoon.  It was the most crowded that I had seen but there was still plenty of loungers available, but the pool had been drained.  Interesting time to drain the pool.
We were invited tonight to dine at what used to be called the captain's table but it is no longer hosted by the captain, instead by other officers.  We were to meet the concierge, Tiago Miranda,  in Mosiacs at 6:15.  There were two other couples joining us and we were served champagne.  Chief Engineer Milen Minchev met us in Mosiacs and we were escorted to a table in the center of Discoveries.  We had a special menu with the choice of swordfish or a striploin steak.  Greg and I both chose the swordfish and it was very good.  They also served us special wines.  The red was a Cabernet blend and the white was a Spanish white that was really good. After 20 cruises this was our first time to be invited to the captain's table.  We joked that it took a cruise with 16 days for them to finally choose us.  What was interesting was this was the first cruise for one couple and the second cruise for the other couple, so loyalty wasn't the key to being asked.  After dinner we listened to Ed and then went to the late show which was a comedienne/magician (Mandy Muden).  After the first show, several people said she was good and not to miss the show but neither of us thought she was great, just okay.  We stopped for one more drink and to listen to another set by Ed.

Tuesday Sea Day

Last breakfast on our balcony.  Ordering room service and eating breakfast on our balcony is such a treat and one of the things we enjoy about cruising.  The morning temperature was very comfortable so I headed to the pool area.  The pool was full of water again but everyone was complaining about how cold the water was so I didn't even stick my toes in.  We ate a small lunch in the buffet and snagged a table on the back in the shade.  After lunch we began the sad task of packing.  As always, we said we brought too many clothes!
Aqualina was our restaurant for our last meal on the Journey.  Viktor who had been our waiter for all our meals in Aqualina provided excellent service.  I had the lobster again and finished with the lemoncello souffle.  A great end to a cruise that provided wonderful food throughout the 16 days.  The last show in Cabaret was titled "A Tribute to Broadway Stage Door to Dreams" staring Tony Markay and the Journey Singers and Dancers. This was our third time to see this end of cruise show, but still enjoyed it.

We ended the night listening to Ed in Spirits and say our goodbyes to Mariano (Spirits bartender) , Ed (piano player),  and Hector and Alisha from Argentina.

Wednesday,  Debarkation

We were docked when we woke up.  Discoveries was open for breakfast so we headed there around 7:30. Since we were driving home we had the last times to debark, between 8:30 and 9:30.  We headed to deck 5 around 8:30 and was off the ship.  The luggage was on carousel 3, we retrieved the bags, headed to customs, and then off to find a taxi.  It cost us $40 to get back to the Hilton Garden Inn by the airport where we left the car.

Interesting facts:  299 from US, 167 from UK, 62 Canada, 26 Australia, 15 Germany, 15 Netherlands 10 Ireland, 9 Sweden. Only 26 passengers were under 50 years of age. We consumed 4053 lb of beef, 885 lb of lamb, 2773  lb of  pork, 4800 lb of chicken,133 gal of ice cream, 6186 bottles of beer, 9333 cans of soda, 4800 bottles of wine and 127 bottles of vodka.  Total nautical miles traveled 4492.