Pre-Cruise
It was a great time to cruise just after Thanksgiving and before Christmas 2019. Having a pre-cruise day in San Pedro, California, allowed us to visit the USS Iowa Museum and the Cunard-White Star Line RMS Queen Mary.
We lodged at the Crowne Plaza Los Angeles Harbor, that comprised of an upgrade to a giant suite overlooking the Harbor. Our room came complete with morning breakfast.
The Hotel was ultra-convenient to the cruise ship terminal and took us a mere 15-minutes’ walk to reach the cruise port. Transportation was available through the hotel, but we opted for the morning walk rather than waiting in a lengthy line.
Panama Canal Eastbound Cruise
December 2019’s itinerary featured a 15-Night Panama Canal Eastbound Cruise with one pre-cruise day in San Pedro, California. This was our fourth trip on Royal Caribbean and our second trip through the Panama Canal. Our last Eastbound trip through the Panama Canal was aboard the Holland America Amsterdam. The 1998 Royal Caribbean Vision of the Seas sails at 78,491 Tonnage and lodges 2,435 passengers and 732 crew.
Cruise Itinerary
Royal Caribbean Vision of the Sea
15-Night Panama Canal Eastbound Cruise
San Pedro (pre-cruise), California
Things to do at the Port of San Pedro
November 30, 2019 – Saturday – 9am arrival.
Los Angeles, California
In-Port
December 1, 2019 – Sunday – 4pm departure
At Sea
the Pacific Ocean
December 2, 2019 – Monday
Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
December 3, 2019 – Tuesday – 11am arrival; 6pm departure
Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
Revisiting Colonial San Sebastian
December 4, 2019 – Wednesday – 11:30am arrival; 7pm departure
At Sea
the Pacific Ocean
December 5, 2019 – Thursday
At Sea
the Pacific Ocean
December 6, 2019 – Friday
Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala
Guatemala Highland Panajachel and Lake Atitlan
December 7, 2019 – Saturday – 8am arrival; 6pm departure
At Sea
the Pacific Ocean
December 8, 2019 – Sunday
Puntarenas, Costa Rica
December 9, 2019 – Monday – 8am arrival; 6pm departure
At Sea
the Pacific Ocean
December 10, 2019 – Tuesday
Panama Canal
Repositioning Transit of Panama Canal
December 11, 2019 – Wednesday – 6am arrival; 6pm departure
Cartagena, Colombia
Getsemani Photography and Graffiti Tour
December 12, 2019 – Thursday – 10am arrival; 8pm departure
At Sea
the Caribbean Sea
December 13, 2019 – Friday
Kralendijk, Bonaire
Bonaire Highlights North and South
December 14, 2019 – Saturday – 8am arrival; 8pm departure
At Sea
the Atlantic Ocean
December 15, 2019 – Sunday
San Juan, Puerto Rico
transfer to San Juan Airport (SJU)
December 16, 2019 – Monday – 6am arrival; 1:30pm departure
Onboard the Royal Caribbean Vision of the Seas
On this sailing, we had a balcony room because of the high number of At Sea days. It turned out to be an excellent upgrade, offering us an extra place to chill and relax each day. I can see that our love of the inside room is subsiding.
The highlight of this cruise was the transit through the Panama Canal (old locks). This was our second time making the transit, but we find it is always an enjoyable experience. During the transit the ship performed the Order of the Ditch ceremony for officers and crew who had yet to make this journey.
We also took a behind the scenes tour while onboard, to learn more about the Theater and its productions. This took us backstage, into the Sound Technicians room, and gave us some one-on-one time with the ship’s performance troupe.
We also found time for a Wines Around the World sampling during the journey. Here we learned about six wines, their region, and specific attributes and pairings.
On one of our final nights approaching Puerto Rico there was a guests’ presentation of Thriller! Night.
As the days began to creep up on Christmas, the ship personnel began to decorate for the Holiday.
On this sailing we chose anytime dining, which turned out to be less stressful, and more fitting for our needs. I met Tom onboard who was a retired professional photographer. Throughout the journey, Tom shared some valuable insight into photographic framing, using photoshop, and photo archiving.
With 50% of the onboard guest’s home-ported in Puerto Rico. This made for some additional fun times during ship wide entertainment events.
Final Thoughts
My favorite PORT OF CALL on the cruise was definitely Puntarenas, Costa Rica. I just loved being in and walking about the Cloud Forest of the Costa Rica from the Sky tour that we booked while onboard.
© OceansAfoot
