The Island Princess World 2024 adventure of a lifetime began on January 3rd, 2024, at the Renaissance Plantation Hotel when the Cruise Specialists guests signed in at the Hotel and enjoyed a hosted reception and a pre-cruise celebratory dinner. This was a first opportunity for guests to connect with each other and share their excitement of a journey that would take place over the next 111 days.
The next day Cruise Specialists passengers were provided with transportation and their personal luggage service to the cruise terminal onto the Island Princess at Port Everglades. One guest remarked that she had hoped to have a photo with the Senior Vice President of Cruise Specialists, Teresa Tennant, as she helped to load luggage on the bus, expressing her admiration for a “Boss” who “didn’t mind getting involved at every level.” The boarding on Jan 4th at Port Everglades was amazing and seamless with Cruise Specialists passengers being one of the first groups onboard.
We departed Fort Lauderdale and had a few days of sailing in the Caribbean as we made our way south to historic Cartagena, Columbia. This vibrant city harbours a fascinating and colourful past which can be seen along its charming cobblestone streets, in its Spanish colonial homes with wood beamed balconies and stone towers, and its impressive salt-bleached stone walls. Vivid reminders of Spain’s hold on Cartagena are easily found around every corner of this city. But it’s also a bustling city that, while embracing its past, is eager to show you to its multifaceted sides.
The next treat was the must-see destination on every traveller’s list, the Panama Canal. It would be an understatement to say that the Panama Canal is one of the great engineering feats of the 20th century. It’s an almost overwhelming feeling to be sitting in a comfortable lounge chair on a deck, or in an air-conditioned venue while remembering the humid working conditions of the men and women who used pickaxes and shovels to dig out this canal, while being pestered by mosquitoes transmitting malaria without the opportunity for treatment. As the many miles of the Panama are traversed, managing to do what nature forgot to do, connecting the Atlantic to the Pacific, reducing New York and San Francisco by more than 7800 miles for shipping, one can appreciate the vision and the hardships.
The canal opened in 1914 fulfilling a dream 400 years in the making. The 51-mile route cuts through sheer granite and dense jungle, creating a vital trade route linking the Atlantic and the Pacific Oceans. More than 1,000,000 ships have traveled through the canal’s intricate lock system, one of the most challenging engineering projects ever undertaken. The Gatun locks are the first set of locks on the Atlantic side. The three-step process lifts the ship 85 feet above sea level and into Gatun Lake. A complete transit to the Pacific would include two more sets of locks. The Pedro Miguel locks stepped down 31 feet and Mira Flores locks has two more steps down, lowering vessels another 58 feet. The gates for this set of locks are the largest and tallest due to fluctuating tides.
Our next port visit was Huatulco Mexico, often referred to as a well-kept secret, but now getting very popular with Canadians who enjoy the warm climate during the winter months, West Jet and Canadian Airlines now have direct flights from Edmonton, Calgary etc. Huatulco offers a little bit of everything that you're looking for while on vacation, beautiful scenery, and intriguing history, colorful culture, and enough activities to keep everyone in the family excited. A big draw for children is the opportunity to spend hours in the Ocean, gentle waves and sandy shores near the town and next to the pier, perfect for safe water activities. Consequently, staff can enjoy a few hours on land and in the water when they are off duty since it only takes about 3 minutes to walk to the closest beach. Once we disembarked the Island Princess, we encountered a vibrant and busy community of restaurants and places to buy souvenirs. Taxi drivers were available at the harbor, offering rides into the town for $4 - $5, depending on your ability to bargain. The people were incredibly friendly and went out of their way to make us feel comfortable without being bothersome, seemingly their mission is to greet tourists and make their visit a pleasant experience.
Our next port was Puerto Vallarta. So many are drawn to this picturesque coastal village with turquoise waters, the golden beaches, and endless sunshine. There are a variety of excursions you can book from the ship or ashore whether you're a first time visitor or a frequent guest. You’re sure to find something new and exciting around every corner at this jewel on the Mexican Riviera.
While the Continental United States and Canada are experiencing their chilly winter, we have been enjoying the warm weather of the tropics. In each of the ports, cabs and local tours were available, vendors selling souvenirs and anything they thought might be of interest to the passengers. It is always amazing how other nationalities learn to speak English, while we try to make ourselves understood with the rudimentary knowledge of their language. Of course, a good percentage of passengers speak almost fluent Spanish, which has been the language encountered so far.
Our passengers are continuing to grow their acquaintances into friendships begun at their pre-cruise dinner, enjoying meeting each other not only during set Chat times, also when meeting each other incidentally as they see each other in one of the many venues on the Island Princess and look forward to spending more time with each other. The Cruise Specialists passengers are looking forward to 4 months of carefree cruising, knowing that the support of Cruise Specialists Voyage Hosts and Staff will continue throughout the voyage. Next stop is Los Angeles on our journey.
2024 Princess World Cruise, chapter 2 | chapter 3