Making History! A 2017 Westbound Panama Canal Trip Report **Complete**

[arielmomma]

We left Azure and headed up to deck 9 to refill our drink containers. As you can see, Quiet Cove wasn't remotely quiet, so we headed to my favorite place to read and relax - deck 4.





Before long, it was time for our second of three dance classes today. At 2:45p we returned to Azure to learn the Rumba with Willem and Natalia. This one we could handle! We both left injury free.

After class, we returned to deck 4 anxious to return to our books. Shortly before it was time to head off to our final dance class of the day, look who stopped by to check in with us. Jimmy had just come from Sports Deck Fun on deck 9. He was hot and sweaty and said the shade and breeze on deck 4 felt glorious. He could see why we liked it so much out there.



Having no interest in Homework Help which was taking place in the Edge, Jimmy accompanied us to dance class. He reminded me, however, that because he got his picture taken with the princesses this morning, he didn't have to dance. A woman of my word, I didn't make him. Though, I encouraged it, unsuccessfully. I don't see why not. Don't we look like were having fun?



When dinner time arrived, Jimmy went to get Emily from the Oceaneer Lab, while James and I squeezed in a couple more songs. Arriving to dinner late, as usual, Tiana's Place was already hopping with live music. The music was nice, but LOUD! It was very difficult to make dinner conversation. I felt like I was screaming at our tablemates.



Emily came to dinner as a butterfly.



Once again, I forgot to take a picture of the menu. It was the Prince and Princess menu. You can find it here: http://disneycruiselineblog.com/menus/prince-princess-dinner-menu/

Having worked up an appetite, I started with the Louisiana Hot Crab Dip. It was very good. It was the same crab dip that used to be served in Parrot Cay, except with croutons instead of tortilla chips.



Emily had asparagus spears.



James had the Smoked Salmon Timbale. Jimmy passed on an appetizer since he'd grabbed a couple slices of pizza before he'd come to meet us on deck 4.



For my salad, I had the coronation of mixed greens. I love the candied walnuts!

 

[arielmomma]

Jimmy had the lime-marinated jumbo shrimp.



Emily had the halibut.



I had the trio of veal. This was fabulous! The kids agreed. They kept begging for bites.



James had the New York Sirloin Steak.



Surprise, surprise. We had a visit from the owner herself. Tiana is one of Emily's favorite princesses.



Tiana left just as our desserts arrived. The kids both had sundaes.






I had both the flourless chocolate cake...



...and the Banoffee Cream Pie. Both were scrumptious!



James had the Louisiana Root Beer Crème and a bowl of mint chocolate chip ice cream. The root beer crème was interesting. It didn't take like root beer, but wasn't bad.



No question, this was one of my family's favorite menus.

 

[arielmomma]

We left Tiana's Place and returned to Azure where Hector was performing a family magic show. We all had a great time. Hector wasn't just an extraordinary magician, he was the master of shadow puppets.





We went straight from Azure to the Walt Disney Theater to watch The Golden Mickey's.



Jimmy and I passed the time by acting silly.



The Golden Mickey's had changed a bit since we'd seen it last. We liked the new additions. It was a fun show that we couldn't help but sing along to. Plus, Tarzan left quite an impression. Did that man have a single ounce of body fat?

After the performance, the kids ran off to their clubs, while James and I, once again, returned to Azure. (I think we spent more time in there throughout the cruise than we did our cabin.) We joined up with some of our new friends to play Majority Rules. This was a blast! At one point, Joh asked the question: If you could have any job with DCL, what would it be? For each question, my team gave one serious answer and one humorous one. For our humorous answer, I wrote Tarzan's oiler. That earned me a high five from Joh. Our team also won the game!

Next, was one of our favorite games - Match Your Mate. James and I mutually agree that we have no interested in ever being on stage for this game. It's too much fun to watch! As usual, it was hysterical.



After the game, James and I strolled up to deck 9 to refill our drinks. We then returned to our cabin to wait for the kids and get ready for bed. What an incredible day!



Up Next: Salsa, Singers, and Silliness, Oh My!

 

[arielmomma]

Thursday, April 27, Day at Sea





My family woke bright-eyed and bushy-tailed this morning, so we all headed to breakfast at Cabana's together.

My usual breakfast



Emily's plate



Jimmy's plate



James' couldn't wait for me to take a picture.



James and I ate quickly and rushed off to Palo where we were scheduled to meet at 9:30am for Art of the Theme Show Tour. We'd taken this tour prior to the refurb, but with all of the new changes, we were hoping to learn a bunch of new tidbits about the ship.

We ended up disappointed.

Very little of the information was new. Plus, it was glaringly apparent that our tour guide was new at this position because those of us on the tour were able to answer questions that she couldn't. I did learn one interesting factoid, though. It is DCL policy that, at all times, there be CMs of at least 50 different nationalities aboard the classic ships and 60 on the larger ships. This allows all guests, regardless of where in the world they originated from, to always have a CM that can communicate with them. What a great policy! I think it would be an incredible opportunity to work and learn in such a culturally diverse setting. If only I were twenty and carefree again...



After our tour, James and I gathered the kids. We headed to the Buena Vista Theater to watch Moana in 3D. James, Jimmy, and I enjoyed it. It was cute. Emily, however, LOVED it! She continued to remind us of how much she loved it throughout the remainder of the cruise and since we've been home. Needless to say, we now own it. In fact, we intend to have a movie night here at home to watch it and Lego Batman this very weekend. I can almost smell the popcorn now...

 

[arielmomma]

Time for lunch. We made our way to Triton's.



James started with the New England Clam Chowder.



Nothing on the menu appealed to Jimmy, so he ordered a couple of sundaes and intended to get pizza on deck 9.



I ordered the herb-roasted chicken salad. I assumed this would be a small, appetizer-sized salad. I was mistaken. It was huge, but delicious.



Jimmy was being silly with his whipped cream.



For their main course, both James and Emily had the steak frites.



I had the gnocchi. This was so good! I chided myself for eating so much of the salad.



For dessert, Emily had a sundae and a Mickey bar.



I had the pina colada bread pudding. Oh my goodness! This was fabulous!



James also had the sundae.



Today's lunch was fantastic. DCL was doing a great job with the new menus.

 

[rramsr]

Love your trip report. So detailed. I wouldn't be able to remember who had and on what day

 

[MickeyEarrings]

Love your trip report. So detailed. I wouldn't be able to remember who had and on what day

I'm sure she took very detailed notes!

 

[arielmomma]

Love your trip report. So detailed. I wouldn't be able to remember who had and on what day

I'm sure she took very detailed notes!

It's funny. I'm actually a pretty dreadful note taker. I barely remember what I ate. I decipher who ate what by what each person likes and whose clothes are in the background before I crop the pictures. So, basically, I only know who ate what b/c I do everyone's laundry! LOL

 

[nycdisneygal]

LOL at Tarzan's oiler!!!

 

[arielmomma]

From Triton's, all four of us went upstairs to D Lounge to play the Ultimate Quest. One representative from each team lined up to get our first clue. James was plenty bright today. You can't miss him in this picture!



The Ultimate Quest was a scavenger hunt that had the family running all over the ship. We were supposed to communicate using cell phones or wave phones. We used our wave phones and experienced major technical difficulties. Needless to say, we didn't even come close to winning this game. We did get some exercise, though, and had a lot of fun playing. We all agreed we'd be willing to give this game another chance on future cruises.

Dance class began immediately after the game. Jimmy ran off, while Emily opted to accompany us. Today we learned to salsa. This was the hardest dance we'd learned so far. At least, it was for us. Let's just say, the end result involved plenty of sore toes. We kept trying though and had a good time doing it.

We stopped back by our cabin after class where we ran into Nan, our room hostess. She was super excited about our upcoming Panama Canal crossing. She said that the crew would be having a huge party that was to last the entire day in honor of the Wonder being the first passenger ship to pass through the new locks. It was great to see that the CMs were as excited as we were.

We had a little time before the Gold & Platinum Castaway Club Party. James opted to stay in the cabin to empty our camera, while Emily gathered up some of her new Fish Extender toys and joined me on deck 4.

At 4:30pm, Emily and I made our way up to Deck 9 for the Gold & Platinum Castaway Club Party.



This was our first party since this was our first cruise as Gold Castaway Members. The Goofy Pool area was PACKED! There were 650 gold and platinum members on this cruise, and apparently most of them were there. All of the tables were occupied, but Emily and I claimed a couple of chairs and settled in off to the side. She enjoyed a mocktail (Sprite and Apple Juice), while I had a couple of Blinis. As I'm sure you've noticed by now, I'm not much of a drinker. I've never enjoyed the taste of alcohol. (Plus, I've never needed help letting loose or acting silly and bubbly. I was born that way!) But the Blinis were very good, very peachy. James found us just in time to grab a few Mickey Rice Krispy treats to enjoy both now and later.





After awhile, the tables began to clear out. Emily ran off to play while James and I visited with some of our new friends until it was time to gather the clan for dinner. I couldn't leave deck 9 without checking out today's ice cream options. It looks like blueberry and mango. What a great combination!

 

[arielmomma]

Tonight's dinner was in Triton's with the World of Flavour Menu.





Our table enjoyed the pretzel bread so much we ordered a whole basket of it.



I started with the empanada. It was very good.



James had the cheese soup.



Jimmy had the prime rib.



Emily tried the Pad Thai, but didn't care for it. So, she ordered prime rib.



James also had the prime rib. He ordered extra corn for Emily.



I had the pork tenderloin. It was very tender and juicy.



After nearly a week onboard, the kids were pooped! Too much fun and too many late nights made for exhausted kiddos. We all agreed to go to bed early tonight. I wonder how that turned out...

 

[arielmomma]

The kids woke up when Englebert came by with a game. The four little smarty-pants at our table came up with a couple of different viable solutions to the riddle before them. Throughout the cruise, these crafty kids proved difficult to stump.



Jimmy's victory pose



Dessert time!



I had both the Passion Fruit Crème Brulee and...



the New York Cheesecake. Both were delicious. Jimmy joined me in having the cheesecake.



Emily had a Mickey Bar, which as usual, she stripped naked.



I'm sure James had a bowl of ice cream, but I didn't take a picture.

 

[arielmomma]

After dinner, the kids and the adults parted ways. James and I returned to Azure for more ballroom dancing. Tonight, we finally mastered the hustle!

From Azure, we went to the Walt Disney Theater to watch Edge Effect perform their family show. As before, they were absolutely amazing!



The ship was really rocking tonight, so we carefully made our way back to our 2nd home on the ship (aka Azure) to watch Hector perform close-up magic.



Hector, too, lived up to his previous performances. Afterward, we were having so much fun we decided to stick around for Ice Breakers. Joh called four men onstage to say some tongue twisters. James was one of the men selected. He was hilariously terrible at it. Since he couldn't say his correctly, Joh made him stay onstage at the end and attempt to say all four of the tongue twisters. He was even worse that time! He was a good sport and the audience (me in particular) had a good laugh.



I love the look on his face!







Since we'd agreed that we'd turn in early tonight, we bid farewell to our new friends and headed up to deck 9 to refill our drink bottles before bed. Since we passed by, James couldn't help but stop by Pinocchio's Pizzeria for a couple of slices.



By the time we collected the children and got ready for bed it was 11:30pm. Yikes! While it was earlier than we'd retired so far while onboard, this wasn't what I'd meant when I said "early bedtime." Nothing I could do about now. We'd just have to take it easy tomorrow.



Up Next: Beating the heat!

 

[arielmomma]

Friday, April 28, Cartagena, Columbia







James and I woke early and quietly slipped out of the cabin to let the kids sleep. We decided to have breakfast in Cabana's. We avoided sitting near any of the outside doors. The heat and humidity rolling inside was stifling. We both made our usual selections.





We took our time eating and returned to the cabin. The kids finally woke at 10:30am. They were disappointed that they'd slept through an opportunity to eat breakfast. That is, until...



I opened the refrigerator and pulled out a slice of flourless chocolate cake and chocolate Rice Krispy Treats. Now that's what they considered a proper breakfast.

 

[arielmomma]

Once the kids finished eating, Emily and James got ready to go swimming. Jimmy and I accompanied them up to deck 9. Jimmy opted to have something a little more substantial than half a Rice Krispy treat.



Emily immediately hopped in the pool. Can you spot her?

Jimmy and I stuck around long enough for him to eat and catch the tail end of Tangled. Then we opted to return to the glorious air conditioning.



We couldn't leave deck 9 without sampling today's ice cream selection. Jimmy had chocolate/vanilla swirl, while I had coconut/pineapple. My favorite!



Jimmy and I participated in Family Crafts in the Promenade Lounge. We made buttons. These were exactly what we'd been hoping for. You see, since we'd boarded the Wonder, every single CM (no kidding, every one) had initially referred to Jimmy as "she" or "Princess" because of his long hair. After the initial error, most apologized and Jimmy laughed it off. But a couple of them in the Edge were still doing it after a week, despite him being up there the majority of every day. It was beginning to bother him a bit. So, in good humor, we made him buttons to clarify his gender.

 

[arielmomma]

Jimmy and I met back up with James and Emily in the cabin. With everyone dressed, James and I asked the kids if they'd like to get off the ship for a little bit and wander around the port, see the animals on display. They immediately shot down the idea, and James and I didn't push the matter. Getting off the ship sounded good the night before when we were discussing it in our cool cabin. But it was miserably hot and sticky outside. Spending even a little time out there had lost its appeal.

Instead, we all went to Triton's for lunch. There, we ran into a couple of friends so we sat together and enjoyed a long, leisurely lunch.



I started with the shrimp wontons. I would order these again.



For my main course, I had the short ribs. These were tender and delicious.



James had the lamb. He really enjoyed this.



For dessert, I had the caramel pecan cheesecake, while James had a bowl of vanilla ice cream. I'm not sure why I didn't take any pictures of the children's meals.



Afterward, we made a pit stop at deck 9. The kids needed some pineapple/coconut ice cream.



Then we were off to the movies!







We watched Rogue One in 3D. It was okay, but not as good as I'd hoped it would be.

The movie ended just in time for James and I to make it to Ballroom Dancing. The kids ran off to play, while James and I went to Azure. As usual, we had a wonderful (if mildly painful) time.

 

[arielmomma]

James and I arrived late to dinner, as usual. Tonight we were in Animator's Palate with the Seasons menu.





I started with the chicken bastela. It was good.



Jimmy and Emily had the lobster ravioli.



James had the seafood sampler.



For their main course, James and Emily had the Osso Buco.



Jimmy had the garlic jumbo shrimp.



I had the sea bass. I love, love, LOVED this dish!

 

[arielmomma]

For dessert, I had the peanut butter pie. I wish I'd had room for a second one. This was so good!



The kids both had sundaes.



James had his usual.



With bellies full from another exceptional meal, we made our way to the Buena Vista Theater. We opted to skip tonight's stage show. James and I really enjoy John Charles, but knew we'd get to catch him at his adult show. Tonight looked like the only night we'd have available to watch Dr. Strange. We were so glad we saw the movie. It was excellent!



After the movie, the kids and adult sparted ways. James and I returned to Azure to play Snippets. Once again, Joh selected James to participate. James was on the Saved by the Bell Team. The object of the game was to guess 80's TV show theme songs. While James did great, his team lost.





However, since both teams played so gallantly, Joh gave all the participants a medal.



We stuck around to watch Charles Peachock juggle. While he had a bit of trouble early in his performance due to the low ceiling, he quickly adjusted and put on a great show. I looked forward to his main theater performance.



From Azure, James and I collected Emily and returned to our cabin to get ready for bed. Jimmy, however, had the Edge's Pajama Party tonight so he didn't return until 1am. As his mom, that meant that I didn't sleep until then either. We would likely pay for it in the morning as tomorrow was the big day - the Panama Canal!



Up Next: Making History!

 

[lunarsongbird]

Oh, I can't wait! The canal! Woohoo! Kinda poor planning on DCL's part on having The Edge's PJ party on the eve of the Canal Crossing... it's like.. the biggest and earliest day of the entire cruise. :: shrugs :: I can't wait to read about it. Locks are really neat and I can't wait to see if the photographers got any pictures of you from land.

 

[arielmomma]

Kinda poor planning on DCL's part on having The Edge's PJ party on the eve of the Canal Crossing... it's like.. the biggest and earliest day of the entire cruise. :: shrugs ::

I thought the same thing, but I didn't want him to miss out on the fun. He had a great time, so I guess it was worth it.