Priscilla Hopkins

Age: 53
Occupation: Program Analyst
Number of Cruises: 18
Cruise Line: Holland America Line
Ship: MS Amsterdam
Sailing Date: March 19th, 2001
Itinerary: Panama Canal

When our friends Joan and Phil said that they were signing up for a cruise on Holland America Lines (HAL), we just had to invite ourselves along.  After all, it is our favorite cruise line.  This was a trip through the Caribbean, then through the canal, then to Nicaragua and Costa Rica on the Pacific side.  What sounded so terrific about this trip was that it was about half at-sea days!

Plenty of time to enjoy the lovely MS Amsterdam during her inaugural year.  It was also a chance for us to meet Joan's sister Ruth and her husband Jerry, as Joan had persuaded them to go on the trip.

It being March, we were kinda glad to be going somewhere warm for a change, anyway.  We arrived in Ft. Lauderdale just in time, for shortly after we landed, some heavy thunderstorms kept many planes from landing.  The airport was closed and many passengers were delayed.  Therefore, the ship was late departing.  This didn't much bother me.  We were upgraded to nice cabin in which we found room for all of our stuff.  Then we walked around to see how this ship differed from other HAL ships.  They all have certain similarities, and that makes it easy to find your way around.  We decided to do a lot of our favorite things while waiting for the storms to clear enough for the other passengers to arrive.  We went to the Java Cafe and had our first of many yummy complimentary foo-foo coffees and yummed down some cookies.  We went to the Ocean Bar and had our first dance.  Then we headed off to the indoor pool to meet Phil and Joan for lunch.  We ended up eating at the taco bar for lunch, as Ruth and Jerry were still delayed, and we said we would meet them by that pool.  I think we ended up eating at all the different food places by the time the cruise was finished.  Seeing all of HAL's specialty foods again was like visiting a well-loved friend.  We tried especially hard to have salmon and chocolate as often as we could, as the Dutch do these especially well.  We signed up for some massages.  One was an "Alpha Pod" which is a sort of capsule with heat, moisture and massage.  They put on earphones and an eye mask, so you are deprived of all other sensations.  We all finally met up and took a stroll around the ship.

All this time I was looking out for an Internet acquaintance of you may know.  In discussing the upcoming possible strikes by several American airline companies on a message board, this person voiced concern about making a time-sensitive connection and mentioned the itinerary.  I wrote back and asked if we were going to be on the same cruise.  It turned out we were.  The problem was, I didn't know if "Globaliser" was male or female, Asian or European, old or young.  I had said to look on Webshots, where several pictures of myself are posted.  I kept scanning the crowd, hoping someone was looking back.  After dinner, we were standing waiting for a machine to be free in the ship's Internet Cafe.  That, of course, is where Globaliser spotted us and introduced himself.  Male, Asian.

Everybody got their luggage just fine, even though they handle about 3,500 incoming pieces at each boarding.  We did some more dancing and went to sleep without hardly feeling the stormy seas.  This is a great ship!

The next day we got up early and did our first Walk-A-Mile around the deck.  We don't really do this to earn prizes for fitness, it just feels great to go out and fell the morning and greet the sea.  Although the Captain makes several attempts to find a safe anchorage, he announces at about 8:15 that the winds and current are just too strong to land at the HAL private island for the day.  We depart for the US Virgin Islands.  Oh Boy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  A bonus day at sea.  The Captain sends everyone a letter of apology and free champagne, but we love that we get this extra day on the ship.  We decide to go to the reservations-only Italian restaurant for dinner.  We do some fun trivia games, take our turns in the Alpha Pod, and go to extra exercise classes.  We have a nice chat with Globabliser.  It is unexpected hearing the Queen's English from an Asian, but delightful to listen to.

We have another full day at sea where we enjoy the ship and have our massages.  Hubby's massage therapist is reputed to have gone to the Marquis de Sade School of Massage.  He says she digs and gouges his back with her elbows nearly bringing tears to his eyes.  Gee, that's what I just consider a good, invigorating massage.  We go to open seating in the dining  room for lunch and the wine steward comes over and inquires why we missed dinner the night before.  Mind you, we are sitting in an entirely different part of the dining room and have only met him once.  Yet he calls us by name and knows we weren't there.  We tell him we ate at the Italian restaurant.  He says he had been worried that we were bothered by the rough seas.  This is just an example of why this is my favorite cruise line!  We do more dancing, see another show, and play more trivia games.

The next day we landed at the US Virgin Islands.  We take the tender into St. Thomas early, mainly to verify that we can live without most of the things in the shops and to find an Internet Café.  Then we take the ferry to Saint John for a hike through the National Park.  Most of  St. John is National Park, as a matter of fact, the third largest in the US.  It is also a UNESCO biosphere.  Dubya can't touch it, even if oil IS discovered there.  We see banana quits, mongooses and wood ant nests.  We stop at Honeymoon Beach for a swim.  We are wet and tired by the time we get back to our cabin, and find we are locked out because of dead batteries in our door.  That air conditioning sure feels cold during the short time we have to wait for help!  We decide to treat ourselves to Chateaubriand for dinner.

We had some more fabulous time at sea.  We are winning lots of prizes.  One is coming in especially handy.  I got a large butterfly clip for my hair.  With all of this wind, it was turning into a strawberry blond cat-o-nine-tails every time I went out on deck.  This is such a great ship, you hardly feel the motion when onboard.  When it comes time to board the tenders to go ashore is the only time it is an issue.  We are getting a lot of briefings on the ports of call.  The main lecturer was the public relations officer for the Panama Canal when it belonged to the USA.  One night a dinner a woman at the next table starts choking.  The Area Supervisor (sort of a Head Waiter) appeared quickly.  He discreetly and expertly performed the Hiemlich on her.  A nurse then magically appeared and helped the woman.  It was all done without embarrassing the patient or upsetting anyone else.  I was impressed.  We are having fun with Cruise Crafts.  As a matter of fact, the hardest part is finding enough time to do all the activities that are offered.  At the Captain's Welcome Aboard we wear the things I have made from the ship's logo canvas bags they give us on each cruise.  We have so many, I have made a camisole, cummerbund, tie,  and hats for both of us.  We also wear these on Dutch night and the Mariner Alumni Party.  About 70%-80% of the passengers onboard are repeaters.  During Dutch Night, the air-conditioning goes out and the Captain announces that it will be about 3 hours until it comes back on again.  It takes only about a third of that time, but because of the announcement, we decide to skip the show and go out on deck to watch the stars.  This is very interesting and romantic.

When we reach Curacao, we notice that the dominant feature seems to be a giant oil refinery.  They bring it up from Venezuela (less than 50 miles away).  As we are having breakfast we come into the harbor.  There is a floating pedestrian bridge which swings open to let us into Willemstad.  The island is split into two parts by this harbor.  The pedestrian bridge is really handy, for otherwise it is a long, expensive cab drive to get from one side of the island to the other.  All the buildings are painted colorfully.

We are the only ship docked that day.  Since we are a Dutch ship in a Dutch harbor, our visit is special.  The natives speak an indecipherable patois among themselves.  We go on another eco-hike and see and orange and black bird called a Troupial.  We see many more Banana Quits, but they call them Barika Heels (sugar thief) here.  We see many flamingos in the salt flats, and lots of ruins from the slaving days.  We have another good swim and snorkel and watch the Frigate Birds circle overhead.  After lunch we search for Internet Cafes.  We find two, but encounter smoke filled rooms and long waits.  Oh yeah, when you are not in the USA, people smoke a lot in public places.  We then try to find where to catch the Willemstad Trolley to take a tour of the town.  People keep pointing us toward the same spot, but we just can't find it.  We finally go into a building with a very long name over the doorway that seems to mean it is a Police Station.  Like the Germans, the Dutch tend to string together a whole bunch of nouns and modifiers into one heck of a long word.  To show you how friendly of a country Curacao is, the desk sergeant left his post to help the hapless tourists find out where to catch the trolley.  It was just an ordinary bus stop with no indication that it was THE place for the trolley.  I need huge signs and neon lights!  We took the trolley around to see the floating market where people come up by boat from Venezuela to sell their produce to the restaurants and such, toured the old Jewish section where the government is restoring the mansions, saw the oldest synagogue in continuous use, churches, government buildings, and other sights.  This is the cutest little island.  When we left, they gave us a send off with fireworks.  We considered it a dress rehearsal for how people would jockey for rail positions when going through the canal, but everyone was remarkably polite and accommodating.

We got up at 4:30 in the morning to be sure to able to get the very best viewing position.  On canal day they open parts of the ship that are usually closed to passengers, so there were lots of choices.  It actually turned out to not be so important to stake out a spot and guard it with your life.  I had fun running from deck to deck and seeing how different it was to see different things from different points of view it turned out that most ANY spot had its charms.  While it was still fairly dark out, about 7 extra people boarded the ship.  The Captain gives up complete navigational control while the ship is going through the canal.  It was just beginning to brighten when we approached Gatun Locks.  They walked around on deck giving out "Panama Rolls" juice and coffee so you would not have to miss any of the action to eat breakfast.  I staked out a space on the ladder leading to the wheelhouse so I would have shade and some place to sit.  Luckily it was an overcast day and I did not have to spend much time there.  Tugs came out and pushed us into position.  Then someone rowed out in a little boat and threw us some cables which were then hooked to some little railroad engines.

These were the "mules" that towed us through the locks.  The canal operates twenty four hours a day, seven days a week, and there were ships lined up to take their turn in the locks.  Ships are built to a standard called "Panamax," which means the maximum dimensions they can have and still fit through the canal.  I want to tell you, I didn't see much left over for a margin of error on the ships we saw going through.  They JUST fit, with parts of the upper decks overhanging the edges of the locks.  The whole operation of watching the ships change levels is fascinating.  The Atlantic and Pacific are roughly at the same level (Duh, that's where the phrase sea-level comes from) but they had to slice through a mountain to build the canal.  You can really see where the continental divide is in this narrow little isthmus.  They artificially created a lake using all the rivers which converged near the present canal.  There is also a railroad, but doesn't appear to be much in the way of roads in the jungle.  We are so transfixed by watching this whole process, we wonder if we will go inside at all during the eight hours or so it will take to make the transit.  Luckily, once we hit Gatun Lake the excitement level goes down enough for us to get something to eat.  The lake is still pretty interesting, as there is constant erosion going on where they cut through the mountains, and they have to dredge constantly to keep up with it.

You would think the next two sets of locks would just seem like more of the same, but we are in thrall to their power.  This is really the highlight of the trip.  We are almost as entertained by the sight of white pelicans flying in interesting formations the whole time.  I had never seen pelicans behaving in this fashion.  I cannot decide whether to keep me eyes glued to them or what is going on in the locks.

  It is illegal to actually swim the canal, but they sucked canal water up into the pool so we can sorta say we swam the canal.  That was a lot of fun to do!  As we start to approach the end of our transit, we pass the former US Southern Command, now being turned into a resort.  I wonder how some of the many veterans onboard felt about seeing that?

Next was another high point, the Bridge of the Americas.  This is part of the Panamerican Highway.  Since we have been on parts of it before (even its terminus in Chile), passing under it was a special thrill for me.  I had to stand out and deck until it faded well into the horizon.  I was surprised by how close Panama City was to the Canal.  I always pictured the Canal as being way off in a jungle away from civilization.  We had a celebratory hot tub and looked back on a perfectly lovely and exciting day.

We continue to win more stuff.  Good thing we brought along some clothes that are approaching the end of their life.  As we wear these, we set them aside for leaving in the least prosperous place we will visit.  We decide that is likely to be Nicaragua.  We will not be disappointed.  At the alumni Mariner's party one man is awarded his platinum medallion for having traveled 700 days on HAL.  We have a ways to go before we catch up with him.  We earn lots more stamps toward awards for working out.  We go to a type of scavenger hunt.  Hubby allows himself to be dressed as a woman by some women on our team.  He of course is the cutest "girl" and wins the prizes.  Since we are winning more champagne than we care to drink, he trades in his bottle for a HAL mug.  That works so well that we all decide that we have won more mouse pads than we care to mouse, and go to the Cruise Director's office to trade them in for mugs, also.  Phil has slipped and fallen because of his sandals twice now.  Each time the nurse magically appears.  Does she have a video cam that she monitors just hoping for the opportunity to help someone?

We pull into San Juan del Sur Nicaragua and switch positions several times looking for a safe anchorage.  We begin to wonder if the choppy seas are going to prevent us from tendering ashore.  We manage, finally, but with the long tour we have signed up for, it leaves no time to walk through the town or look for an Internet Cafe.  However, when we get to shore we realize that the kindliest adjective to use for Nicaragua is "unspoiled."

The scars of war and resultant poverty are still pretty fresh here.  There is plenty of natural beauty.  They could have quite a tourist industry if it weren't for the fact that they are just not ready to accept a lot of visitors. Our guide was conscripted into the Sandinistas and gives us an earful of his view of the whole situation.  We go on a tour to see a fascinating volcano.  Earth tremors in recent years make it unsafe to walk completely around the crater and have destroyed part of a walkway up to a cross on a hill overlooking the crater.  There are signs everywhere telling you to stay on the walkway, which is no longer there.  We walk up the sometimes-imaginary 180 steps to take in the view and are suitably impressed.  Phil chooses to stumble another time, but manages to avoid sacrificing himself to the volcano.  The bus takes us to a restaurant for a buffet lunch.  I consider giving my bag of discardable clothing to some children who are begging around the restaurant, but they are very aggressive.  We have fish, chicken, beef, many side dishes and some local beer.  Not bad at all.  And we didn't catch any nasty bugs by eating it.  We went to a market, but convinced ourselves we could do without the merchandise there, especially the stuffed iguanas, frogs, turtles, etc., posed in "amusing" positions.  Yuck.  This was and good opportunity to abandon our bag of clothing next to a trash can.  It attracted attention and was picked up almost immediately and taken into a back room.  We went on to tour the town of Granada and were impressed on how many of the old mansions were being used as art schools.  Due to the lateness in leaving the ship this morning, we arrived back at San Juan del Sur just in time to catch one of the last tenders back to ship.  We ran up to the gym to turn in the stamps we have won for working out for some tee shirts and a water bottle.  We run back to the cabin to shower and get ready for dinner.  We are dancing in the Ocean Bar when I get a craving for hot chocolate, which they do not serve in there.  Hubby goes down the passageway to the Explorer's Lounge, where we have been enjoying chocolate treats each night.  A waitress there carries my hot chocolate down to the Ocean Bar and serves it to me there.  No wonder this is my favorite cruise line!

We go back to the stateroom and pack after a full day.  With all the clothes we have abandoned, shouldn't these suitcases be less full?

After breakfast we all gather for disembarkation.  Since Joan and Phil and Ruth and Jerry are staying on for a few days in Costa Rica, we say our good-byes.  I celebrate getting through my very last tender embarkation and debarkation without breaking my ankle.  We take a 2-hour trip/tour to the San Jose airport.  They let us know there will be about a three-hour delay due to a plane malfunction.  After that time is well past, they ask us to move to another gate.  Then we know we are really in for it when they wheel in sandwiches and sodas for everyone.  Bad sign!  We of course eat everything that is offered, but we are in no danger of starvation after our last ten day eating marathon.  At about 2:30 there is an announcement that the flight will be delayed until 5:00 p.m.  A plane is enroute from Miami.  It will be turned around immediately and carry us back to Miami.  We will arrive about 9:00 in Miami.  Fat chance.  We just have to be patient and wait.  We will eventually get home, but don't know what day it will be.  At about 3:30 they have us change gates again.  Although it is not a big airport, a plane full of waiting people quickly gather their carry-ons and trod en masse to the other end and down some stairs.  At the promised time we ACTUALLY GET ON THE PLANE.  The pilot is ready to go, but there is other air traffic, which prevents us from pushing back from the gate for awhile.  We finally get moving and take off for Miami, which is supposedly only 2 hours and 12 minutes away.  Fat chance.  There are thunderstorms, which keep us circling for awhile.  Then the Captain announces that we are low on fuel and must divert to Nassau to get some more.  We land at Nassau but cannot get off because we haven't gone through immigration there.  Although no one got off, we have to watch the safety video again.  The pilot shows his sense of humor when he says we will be flying at 10 feet for 30 minutes to Miami.  We land at Miami after a very turbulent flight.  It is the middle of the night, and hardly anyone is there to check us through customs and immigration.  Then we wait in another very long line to get new flights, since the ones on which we were originally booked are long gone.  However, the computers are down for the night so we are told that we will have to get into another long line at 4:30 in the morning when the computers come back on to get seat assignments and all.  We stay awake until then and use the food vouchers in the only open snack bar.  After 45 more minutes in line when the computers come on, we are finally really booked on a 7:00 am flight to Washington DC.  Oh Joy!  Oh Rapture!  We arrive home about 12 hours after our original ETA.  Glad we hadn't asked anyone to pick us up at the airport!  Boy, does our own little house look good!

If you want to look at all sorts of pictures from this trip, go to:

http://community.webshots.com/user/priscillahopkins

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