Review of 13 - 28 April 2008 Panama Canal Cruise

Just a little about us, my husband is 50 and I am 48. We both work and booked this cruise to celebrate our 30 Anniversary. This was our 3rd Cruise, ironically on the same ship just different itineraries. This was a 15 day cruise starting in Fort Lauderdale and ending in San Francisco, so we had total of 8 sea days with 7 port days. We took the redeye on Friday night and arrived in Ft Lauderdale early Saturday morning. We had transfers included in our package, however there was no one from Celebrity there to meet us. We waited for a while, then called the number listed in our cruise booklet. We were told that they don't have anyone there that early in the morning, and to call a cab, which we did. We were very lucky and the hotel had a room available even though check in time wasn't until 3:00PM (this was a 8:00AM), so we were able to check in, get some breakfast and take a nap. The next day we checked in downstairs and discovered that the Infinity was going to be late due to fog. We finally were loaded on a bus and taken to the terminal around 1:30PM. It really didn't take long for check in, mostly because we had a CC Class room and was able to go to a special line, which was much shorter. Got to our room by a little after 2:00PM. We were advised that we would be leaving late because of the late arrival, but that it wouldn't delay our arrival in Jamaica. The life boat drill wasn't too bad and didn't take too long. We went to guest relations to ask about getting reimbursed for the taxi the day before and they took our information and told us they would let us know what the decision was. A couple of days later we received a letter saying that we would get an on board credit for the cost of the taxi. After a nice relaxing day at sea, our first port was Montego Bay Jamaica. We did in fact arrive on time. We went on a Taste of Jamaica tour. We were given some time for shopping and taken to a plantation where we were able to tour the home, which was wonderfully maintained. Then we were shown just how rum is made. Then it was rum tasting time. We were also served a very nice lunch. Then back to the ship. I have to say of all the ports I think the security at this one was the best. Another sea day and we were off to Cartagena, Columbia. This was our shortest port. The excursion we went on was a Panoramic Tour Around the Bay. This was done in a replica of a Spanish galleon. We were served drinks and were treated to folkloric show of Columbian dancers. This was a really nice tour. Next to the Panama Canal. This transit was amazing. My husband and I had been stationed in Panama between 1988 and 1990, but we had never gone thru the canal. What an experience. Things have changed since we were there last and I have to say for the better. This transit took an entire day. Another day at sea and we arrived in Puntarenas, Costa Rica. We were able to get some shopping done in port before our excursion. We went on a bus, boat and train tour. We learned a lot about Costa Rica on the bus ride to the river, where we boarded a boat and took an hour tour. We saw lots of birds and several crocodiles. Then had snacks before boarding a bus to go to the train. Well I have to say the train was an adventure. A lot of rocking and rolling going on. Then back to the bus and back to the ship. Another day a sea and on to Huatulco, Mexico. Here we opted for the Mexican Cooking Demonstration. We went to a small restaurant and watched as the cooks prepared two Mexican dishes. Then we were treated to lunch. After we had time to do some shopping before returning to the ship. Next stop was Acapulco, Mexico. We started this tour at 9:45 AM and went to another restaurant. Here we were treated to margaritas, beer and/or soda. Then we saw a demonstration on how to make cerveche and guacamole, which we were able to sample. Then we saw a couple of native dances. We had a short stop for shopping before going back to the ship. After another day at sea, we stopped at Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. Here we went on a Coastal Highlights Tour. We boarded a bus, and drove up the coast. Stopped at a glass blowing factory, and was able to pick up a few items. Then on to San Jose del Cabo. Here we were given about an hour in the town plaza. There was a wonderful old church, and several shops. The last stop on the tour was to a Cactus garden. We didn't have a long stop here but they had over 750 species of cactus. Then back to the ship. Two more sea days and the cruise was over. General Information on the Ship Board Life. We elected to dine at late seating, which just works well for us. The ship over all seemed in pretty good shape. While there we some area that a bit worn, everything still looked good. We bought a soda card for the trip as neither one of us is big drinker, well worth the money. The room was kept clean, and we were one of the lucky one with a double size balcony. We did ask for an egg crate pad be added to the bed and it made it very comfortable. The only problem we had was at dinner time with our bar waiter. It seemed like he rarely showed up. So our assistant waiter took it upon himself to make sure we had our diet sodas for each meal. Speaking of meals, we were very impressed with the new menus. Never did have a duplicate meal for the entire trip. All of our meals were served hot and were delicious. I liked when the shows were done before dinner that way we could spend the rest of the evening after dinner in the Rendezvous Lounge listening to the band. On our actual Anniversary we had dinner in the USS United States. There were two of the staff that had been there on our last cruise two years ago and the actually remembered us. We had a wonderful dinner. This was a great trip over all. We did go ahead and book for a future cruise, just have to keep a look out for the right one, this way we will still get OBC once we actually book the cruise.