Some people have asked for a schedule of our passage thru the Canal…

This is our projected schedule thru the Panama Canal. It should be noted that our start time is guaranteed… to be within 4 hours of the scheduled time, and our projected transit completion time is guaranteed… to be within 72 hours of our start time. It is very likely that we will be quite close to the projected times. The ACP – the Association Canal de Panama (or something like that) – does a fair job of keeping the cruise ships right on schedule, but if there is a big ship coming the other way thru the cut then we’ll have to wait for it in Gatun Lake, as they don’t let “Panamax” ships pass in the cut.

For a detailed map of our transit, please check out the Google Map that I built prior to our departure, here: Chris’ Google Map.

So, without further ado: 

Note: All times are for May 16^th – Central Time.

We’ll also be passing under the Centennial Bridge at some pont between 11:00 am and 1:00 pm at a guess. It isn’t listed on our itinerary so I’m guessing based on it’s location. We’re on Deck 8 Aft (one below the pools, two below the sports deck), Port (left) side. If I remember we’ll mark our cabin with two red baseball caps attached to the rail of our balcony.

Some people have asked for a schedule of our passage thru the Canal…

This is our projected schedule thru the Panama Canal. < more... >

First I will tell you that yes..  as predicted…  I do have a solid dislike for Mathew. But that means he did his job very well. I worked on a new leg torture device that managed to find muscles I didn’t realize I had and they were making sure I didn’t forget as I crawled out of bed this morning.

Of course, being a gluten for punishment I figured the best way to combat a tired muscle is to wake it up again,  so off to the treadmill I went.  (I think it was Vickie who was asking in the comments on a previous post for proof that I was actually spending large amounts of sea time doing something besides sleep…) Here ya go! and with a not-so hidden Mickey to boot!

While I have been on 40 plus cruises, this is the longest voyage to date. To be honest I wasn’t sure how I would do with so many sea days on this journey, but there are plenty of things to do during the day that appeal to everyone.

Some of the items of the agenda includes a presentation from Imagineer Jeff Kurtti on the design of the The Walt Disney Museum opening next year, wine tasting events, and daily specialty talks like photography tips and the art of entertaining series.

We even had the pleasure of listening to Ken Pucket, a senior pilot serving 16 years ushering ships thru the Panama Canal. He did a presentation on the history and construction of the canal.  In a couple of days he will do another talk on what we can expect on our crossing.

Tomorrow.. the port of Aruba!

First I will tell you that yes..  as predicted…  I do have a solid dislike for Mathew. But that means he did his job very well. I worked on a new leg torture device that managed to find muscles I didn’t realize I had and they were making sure I didn’t forget as I crawled out of bed this morning. < more... >

I am really enjoying this itinerary and its only day 3! Its the first sea day with lots of activities and items on the agenda, including such strenuous to-dos as; should I have breakfast in or go up to the buffet? Should I take a nap in the cabin or take my glass of asti out on the balcony? decisions, decisions….

Todays agenda started with an invite from Deb to join her along, with Ann & George another couple from out group, at the Concierge Reception at 10:30 am. We met in the lobby and made our way towards Sessions where cocktails and a nice spread of fruit, breads and other yummies were available for consumption. We spent a while chatting and enjoying the company of friends and halfway through the visiting ritual, a special guest arrived.

Cinderella spent about a half an hour taking photos and chatting with the guests. 

After our encounter with royalty, naturally we went shopping!  We had to check out all the Panama canal specialty items that are on sale to help plan the souvenir budget over the next few days.

Sorry to have to break the news…  but no matter what they say, Disney’s food does indeed have calories.  and the constant offerings of buffets, dinner seatings and yes… the infamous chocolate souflee can take a toll on anyones routine. So I decided I would test my self control and challenge myself to exercise everyday.

To help me on this quest, I decided to sign up for a personal trainer as soon as there was a spot available.  At 3:15 pm I was in work out gear and ready to meet Mathew.  A very fit 20–something with a great personality and a ton of energy. We started on cardio and we though a circuit of machines so I would have a good starting point for the next 2 weeks.  And I have a feeling I will wake up hating him tomorrow. 

Tonight was formal night for dinner, and of you know anything about my vacation habits, that means ‘Beci’s Room Service’ night. I stayed in and enjoyed my dinner watching the latest news and catching up on my email.

I am really enjoying this itinerary and its only day 3! Its the first sea day with lots of activities and items on the agenda, including such strenuous to-dos as; should I have breakfast in or go up to the buffet? Should I take a nap in the cabin or take my glass of asti out on the balcony? decisions, decisions…. < more... >

Before I kick off today’s post, I wanted to share a strange picture I took yesterday during the life boat drill…

Today was fantastic weather, if perhaps a bit humid (it’s the ocean, there’s lots of water, what was I to expect…). Beci and I slept in a bit, and then at about 10 decided to head out to the adult beach at Serenity Bay for a swim and a bit of a layout. The Island is looking great right now. The trees and smaller plant life have all fully recovered from the two hurricanes that have come thru in the past 10 years, and the little improvements they have made all add up to an even better day on the Cay.

Before I kick off today’s post, I wanted to share a strange picture I took yesterday during the life boat drill…

Today was fantastic weather, if perhaps a bit humid (it’s the ocean, there’s lots of water, what was I to expect…). Beci and I slept in a bit, and then at about 10 decided to head out to the adult beach at Serenity Bay for a swim and a bit of a layout. The Island is looking great right now. The trees and smaller plant life have all fully recovered from the two hurricanes that have come thru in the past 10 years, and the little improvements they have made all add up to an even better day on the Cay.

Thursday night we jetted out from Seattle (after a 60 minute delay to fix a bad light on the coffee maker or something) and winged it on one of the only two direct flights from SEA to MCO. We both wanted to get to Florida early, because finding alternate flights at the last minute from Seattle is both difficult and wicked expensive. So we arrived in Orlando early Friday Morning and made the long trek to the airport Hyatt, where we both went to work remotely. Luckily, the view wasn’t about to distract either of us. While the view of a runway may not be everybody’s choice of perfect, the walk from the security exit of the terminal to the hotel is all of about 75 feet, and we were able to check into our room and then walk down to baggage claim and still get there a few minutes before our luggage came out. The free wifi is nice too.

This morning we got up early-ish and marched down to get in line for the ship. The amount of baggage in the halls of the Hotel was impressive, and so was the line when we got to the lobby. The first bus full of people (the Capt. Mickey bus) left just as we got into line, and the second bus (Pluto) filled just before we got to the front of the line. That put us as the first people on the third (Goofy) bus.

As we left on the bus I sent a simple text message to several of the rest of our party that were already on their way toward the port in a town car, simply saying “The bus is rolling”. This started a text-storm the likes of which has never been seen outside of the popular girl’s lunch table at the middle school of your choice. I was not involved, but Beci was getting what seemed like several texts per mile, and sending as good as she got. A few thousand messages later, we rolled into the port, about 5 minutes behind Deb’s group in the town car. Beci had managed to get us into the first row of seats on the bus, so we were first off, and right into the right-hand security line, which was surprisingly short. As we neared the front of the line I spotted our other group who had been ahead of us on the road swamped near the back of the left-hand line. So Karma had balanced out our line experience for the day. By the time the other group had made it through the security line, we had finished our check-in.

Boarding was the normal smooth Disney process, and shortly after noon we were were starting to board. This was my first experience with the (relatively) new numbered boarding card method, and while some of us went right at the start, most of the group were in the 11th and 12th sets. Those of us that got on early went right to Parrot Cay for lunch, claimed our table, and started the feeding frenzy.

After lunch we predictably started to run out of steam, so the night was quite and short. We did the sail away party, had a nice dinner at Lumier’s, and then went to bed. I did get some nice clean cabin pictures and a look at the swag they gave to Castaway Club members for this special sailing.

More tomorrow.

Thursday night we jetted out from Seattle (after a 60 minute delay to fix a bad light on the coffee maker or something) and winged it on one of the only two direct flights from SEA to MCO. We both wanted to get to Florida early, because finding alternate flights at the last minute from Seattle is both difficult and wicked expensive. < more... >

Of course, Beci has been out and about at least once per month so far this year. I think she’s already been to Disney World three times, on a cruise once, and two weeks ago she was in LA on the Backstage Adventure. But the last time I saw any of the Magic was at MouseFest 2007, where I surprised Beci by showing up when I was in the middle of trying to release my latest game.

So where is the magic leading us this time? Well, to the Magic of course. Or maybe the Wonder. I can never remember which is where and doing what any more. But whatever ship will be taking me from Port Canaveral thru the lovely Malarially de-infested waters of the Panama Canal is the ship I’ll be on. I suppose I should figure out where exactly we’re going, and how long we’ll be gone, sometime soon.

So I’ve got my new camera that takes lovely little videos also, and if the bandwidth on the ships has been improved I may try posting some video to YouTube. If the bandwidth is the same as the last time we were on-board together (The Mediterranean last year) I may try posting some thumbnail photographs instead! Here’s my first picture posted with the new camera. I’m the one behind the Pepsi can…

And if you’re on the ship too, look for Beci and me in the Vista Spa every day. Heck, join us on the treadmill or a bike and pre-discount that night’s dessert!

Of course, Beci has been out and about at least once per month so far this year. I think she’s already been to Disney World three times, on a cruise once, and two weeks ago she was in LA on the Backstage Adventure. < more... >

So I have that song, made famous the ketchup commerical, stuck in my head. Poor Carly Simon… ANTICIPATION, Anticipaayshun….it’s making me wait. I remember a time when the anticipation made me crazy! You remember that feeling you had when you were a kid on Christmas Eve lying in bed waiting for Santa to come? Or maybe you remember those last few looooong weeks before school let out for summer vacation? Agonizing, right?

Well now, the anticipation of my vacation is half the fun. I almost make a party of it. In May, I’m joining friends for a Disney Cruise Line Mexican Riviera Cruise. And before that, we’re going to Disneyland, where I will meet up with some friends and clients. In anticipation, I’ve set up dinners at Mexican restaurants for us to "channel" our ports. There, my travel companions chit chat about our shore excursion choices over our queso fundido. Can I tell you that I’m so excited to be doing a Canopy Tour (zip lining) for the first time in my life?! I can’t wait….but I’m enjoying the thinking about it.

I’ve also talked about restaurant choices with my close friend in California. She informs me that although we see each other annually at Walt Disney World, that Disneyland is her home turf! (She’s also my Club 33 connection…but sshhhh! That’s between you and me.) She is as giddy about meeting me on her "turf" as I am about returning to Disneyland!

And I’ve been "crafty" in anticipation of my trip. There are mouse ear magnets to make for our stateroom door and cute designs to design to let everyone know that that is our space for that week.

Then, my mom twisted my arm and told me I had to go shopping in Mexico and get her something cute. I have no idea what she means by cute.   But hey, if I can talk about shopping, all is good. I informed her there would be plenty of time for shopping as one of my travel companions is the most thorough shopper I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing.  So I’ll find her something cute, by my standards at least!

The shopper in me is also aching to shop for a new dress for the cruise. So when I have a free moment, which isn’t often, I find myself checking out some of my favorite clothing store sites to see what’s new for spring.

There’s the foodie in me. She’s anticipating dinners on the ship. And in anticipation has been putting in a few extra hours a week at the gym.

Many of my clients have ways of anticipating their trips too. Some of the ways are like mine. Those with kids, love to do countdowns with paper chains or get the kids involved with the planning so they can better handle the anticipation!

As you can tell, my childhood dislike for the "anticipation part" has grown into a fond appreciation for the process of it. It’s probably why I became I travel planner in the first place. Not only can I anticipate my own vacations, I can anticipate everyone else’s too!

Joanne
joanne@mousefantravel.com

So I have that song, made famous the ketchup commerical, stuck in my head. Poor Carly Simon… ANTICIPATION, Anticipaayshun….it’s making me wait. I remember a time when the anticipation made me crazy! You remember that feeling you had when you were a kid on Christmas Eve lying in bed waiting for Santa to come? < more... >

Today we took a short tour to Pisa. to visit their famous School of Architecture. But first, in case you were afraid this was all business and no fun, let me introduce you to one of our dinner mates. This is Prince & Princess night, and Sharon has actually just received her drink and is playing it up for the camera, but it was such a great shot I thought I’d post it here.

We pulled into port early, as always, and with a little help from our friends Mark and Reed we proceeded to get hooked up with the smallest tour, and headed out toward Pisa.

If your goal at this port is to get a taste of Tuscany, like in Under the Tuscan Sun, don’t go to Pisa. It is on the industrialized coastal plain. That’s not to say that there isn’t anything worth looking at on the way to and from Pisa. There are lots of quaint old villas and little villages sitting on the tops of the rolling hills. There are also some amazing quarries in the hills where most of the marble used for building and sculpting in Italy was mined. There are now hundreds of marble cutters sprinkled throughout the region, and if you’ve got any Italian marble in your home there is a good chance it came from this area.

Once we arrived at Pisa, we had to park the bus about a one mile walk from the town square. The last quarter of a mile is covered by hundreds of swindle-vendors. Three T-shirts for 10 Euros type, except here it’s one T-shirt for 10 Euros. Or one umbrella (it was raining yesterday, off and on) for 5 euros.

The square at Pisa is lovely, and all the “keep off the grass” signs keep it from being swarmed with people around all the buildings. The tour was short, and covered the famous tower (Torre Pendente), the less famous but far more beautiful Duomo, and also the Battistero where they perform baptisms.

Once you’ve done the tour, you’re left with being a silly tourist, and holding up the tower and such. We spent a good 45 minutes posing with Mark and Reed and muttering under our breath at the other tourists who walked into our frame. Mark has all of our good shots on his camera, and Beci has yet to get them from him (slacker) but I do have some “making of” shots and I’ll add the other shots when I get them…

Today we took a short tour to Pisa. to visit their famous School of Architecture. But first, in case you were afraid this was all business and no fun, let me introduce you to one of our dinner mates. This is Prince & Princess night, and Sharon has actually just received her drink and is playing it up for the camera, but it was such a great shot I thought I’d post it here.

We pulled into port early, as always, and with a little help from our friends Mark and Reed we proceeded to get hooked up with the smallest tour, and headed out toward Pisa.

If your goal at this port is to get a taste of Tuscany, like in Under the Tuscan Sun, don’t go to Pisa. It is on the industrialized coastal plain. < more... >

This may be the one stop on the trip that you’ve never heard of. Sandwiched between Naples and Rome, Olbia is a side trip to the island of Sardinia. It’s the closest you’ll get to a day in the country on this trip without renting your own car and driving off on your own for the day (which is possible). We decided to take Olbia as a rest day. In retrospect, I wish I had stuck with my original decision and done the kayaking trip, but my day wandering the town was quite enjoyable none-the less.

I woke up to the sight of the competition parked across the pier from us. A cruise ship with a Giant “MOBY” on the side, along with Tweety, Sylvester, Bugs, Daffy, and Taz. Turns out that Moby is one of the large Italian Ferry companies servicing central to northern Italy. The Fantasy, (along with its 15 or so sister ships including the Moby Magic) cruises between the ports of Sardinia, Corsica, and the mainland of northern and central Itally.

Also out on the pier was a welcoming reception from the town of Olbia. They had a live band playing traditional Sardinian music and a huge tent full of local foods, all staffed by some very friendly locals. For some strange reason I didn’t take a picture of that. Brain fade. Maybe I did need a break that day.

Olbia is basically a small town. No sky-scrapers (one 14 floor apartment block), no giant cathedral, just people living and working. It is full of little shops and restaurants. Olbia feels like a small town on the island of Sardinia should feel.

There are plenty of quaint streets and little squares in the old part of town. I wondered those for most of the day, and ended up finding – shockingly – an old wooden Indian in front of a pizzeria at one point.

Here is that picture, and some more from my day in Olbia.

This may be the one stop on the trip that you’ve never heard of. Sandwiched between Naples and Rome, Olbia is a side trip to the island of Sardinia. It’s the closest you’ll get to a day in the country on this trip without renting your own car and driving off on your own for the day (which is possible). We decided to take Olbia as a rest day. In retrospect, I wish I had stuck with my original decision and done the kayaking trip, but my day wandering the town was quite enjoyable none-the less. < more... >

May 29, 2007 – Today we arrive in Naples Italy. As the 3^rd largest city in Italy, its home to 1.5 million and one of the best, yet worse shore tours I have ever been on. I’ll get to that in a minute.

We awoke just in time to see Mount Vesuvius on the distance and a tall masted ship in port as we worked our way into the berth. It was a beautiful day around 72 degrees in the am with a few gray rain clouds off into the distance.

Ok.. before I continue I need to be honest that the worse shore excursion part is actually from one perspective…mine.  And further I must preface this to include the fact that I am not really scared of many things, but heights is a phobia I will admit to.

So… to continue. When you first get the long awaited list of available shore excursions you make a date with your significant other and/or family to figure out what you are going to do when you cruise. Chris and I did just that and normally we both find something we both want to do together.  This time Naples offered us different options we both wanted to do conveniently packaged in one nifty 9.5 hour excursion. 

Chris wanted to experience the Almalfi Coast and I wanted to wander the ruins of Pompeii so we opted for the Amalfi Coast Drive and Ruins of Pompeii tour.  Looking at the description it sounds like it will be a peaceful drive along the coast to view the unique architecture and natural wonders along the coastline.  In reality it was a very large bus winding its way over the mountains via a very tiny road that was lucky to have a straight area for more then half a football field or so at a time.

Deb & Linda joined us on this journey and we managed to add some new friends, Chuck and Tony as well.  Poor guys…  eerrr I mean lucky guys….  just happened to be in line with us as we got our bus assignments and we talked them into sitting with us too. 

First of all, hats off to the driver who was able to maneuver that 50 passenger bus as if it was a 2 seater sports car even when the road narrowed to spots where only one car could pass.  (yes… when I said tiny road, i meant it). 

We winded our way up the side of the mountain from the port to the top of the crossing where the Guide, Gino, announced that we were almost to the Almalfi Coast where we would see the most beautiful sites including sheer cliffs that range up to 4000 feet high.  as we went over the crest of the mountain,  sure enough, he wasn’t kidding.  My heart was beating so fast and  between the sheer height , the drop offs and the winding roads , I couldn’t help but think I was on a thrill ride instead of a transfer to see one of the most beautiful villages I have ever seen.  (If I could just open my eyes first!)

Instead of trying to interpret what I saw between my tightly clinched hands over my eyes, I will let Chris blog about the ride itself which I’m sure was breathtaking. (Further proven by listening to the gasps of people as we made our way up and down the mountains. While they warn you about possible motion sickness on this tour, I would also caution anyone who has a heights issue too.

When we arrived at Amalfi, we had about 40 minutes of free time to wander the village and we decided to tour the Cathedral of the Amalfi which has some origins back to 596 AD and also is the resting place of head and other bones of St Andrew, Jesus’ first disciple. Wow…

We boarded the bus and drove another 20 minutes to a hotel where lunch was served.  Including wine of course.

After lunch we were on the way back towards Naples with a stop at Pompeii.  This was of great significance to me. I was a Mt St Helens survivor of sorts– while I wasn’t on the Mountain itself, I was camping on the south side of Mt Rainier just north of the volcano when St Helens blew and ended up walking in ash up to my hips and stuck in the icky goo for several days.  Thats another story in itself.. so I digress. To continue … I have been very intrigued by Pompeii and the fate of the people who perished in the tragedy back in 79 AD.  We toured the ruin and saw the streets complete with visible grooves in the stone from carts and chariots. Our guide Gino was a member of the archaeological team that helped unearth parts of the ruins back in the early 1970s so was full of information to share about the lives of the people who died here. As the rain started to fall on our out door tour, we moved a little faster through the site then I would have liked, but we did manage to see some of the original artwork and tiles that have been uncovered, along with a few of the bodys that were in the positions of their last moments and with expressions that provided an erie glimpse into what that horrific day was like.

That was truly an experience of a lifetime.

Tomorrow we arrive in Olbia, Sardinia Italy. 

May 29, 2007 – Today we arrive in Naples Italy. As the 3^rd largest city in Italy, its home to 1.5 million and one of the best, yet worse shore tours I have ever been on. I’ll get to that in a minute. < more... >