Our fourteen day cruise would take us from Miami to LA with stops in Cartagena, Colombia; Panama; Puntarenas, Costa Rica; Corinto, Nicaragua; Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala, and Acapulco & Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.
Cartagena, Colombia
Our first port of call was not what we expected. There was a beautiful colonial walled city with historic "Old Town" (a UNESCO World Heritage Site) and a very modern "New" city with gleaming high-rise buildings. We had a tour of the city with a local guide, visiting San Felipe Fort, La Popa Hill with views overlooking the city, and the historic walled city.
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| San Felipe Fort |
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| A view from Popa Hill overlooking Cartagena. |
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| Cerro de la Popal (On top of Popa Hill) |
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| By the old city wall. |
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| Beautiful house along one of the colonial streets. |
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| A trendy shop in the colonial city |
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| Naval Museum with the dome of San Pedro Claver church. |
Panama Canal
It took all day to transit the Panama Canal. There is a new canal for "New Panamax" ships. We used the canal and locks for Panamax ships.
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| Approaching the canal at Colon. New bridge under construction. |
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| Going through the first set of locks. The sun deck was packed with on-lookers |
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| In the canal locks heading toward Gatun Lake. |
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| Exiting the first set of locks and entering Gatun Lake |
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| Transiting the canal |
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| Miraflores Locks |
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| It was a tight fit in the locks with just inches to spare. |
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| The last set of locks before entering the Pacific Ocean. |
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| Two sets of gates opening as we prepare to enter the Pacific Ocean |
Puntarenas, Costa Rica
Corinto, Nicaragua
We took an excursion from the ship to spend the day sightseeings, visiting the Telina Volcano area and the City of Leon.
Telica volcano, one of the most active volcanoes in Nicaragua.
Old City of Leon
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| Cathedral de Puntarenas |
Corinto, Nicaragua
We took an excursion from the ship to spend the day sightseeings, visiting the Telina Volcano area and the City of Leon.
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| Welcome to Puerto Corinto |
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| Mud pots. |
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| Street in the old city of Leon. |
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| Central Market in Leon |
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| Fruit stand |
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| Meat department. |
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| Fresh lizard for dinner. |
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| Our Lady of Grace Cathedral in the central plaza. |
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| U.S. Coast Guard vessel near where we docked. |
A guided tour took us to Antiqua, a city in the central highlands which has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Along the way we passed Volcano del Fuego.
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| Volcano de Fuego in Guatemala |
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| Along the central plaza, Antiqua, Guatemala |
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| Antigua Guatemala Cathedral |
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| Pet shop chickens |
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| McDonalds restaurant courtyard. Coffee and free internet. |
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| Ta'Cool taco shop. Taco assembly line. |
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| Ta'Excellent lunch atCool. |
Acapulco, Mexico
There are a lot of warning about travel in Mexico, especially around Acapulco. However, while we were there, we did not feel like we were ever in any danger.
Acapulco is a beautiful city with a beautiful harbor. We did a lot of walking. One of the main attractions we wanted to see was the world famous cliff divers. We were lucky enough to arrive at the dive spot just before they started.
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| Welcome to Acapulco. |
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| Viewing site for cliff diving. |
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| Diving cliffs. |
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| Divers signed a souvenir t-shirt. |
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| Central market. Chicken for dinner. |
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| Lady of Solitude Cathedral. |
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| Small fishing boats along the beach, beautiful side of Acapulco. |
Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
Cabo, a great beach resort and our last port of call. We had a relaxing day with a tour to "Lands End", the southern most tip of Baja.
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| New and modern condos by the harbor. |
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| Lover's Beach near "Lands End". |
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| Lands End. |
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| Neptune's Finger. |
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| Our cruise ship, the Norwegian Star. |
We had a great time on the cruise, but we were glad when we pulled into the Port of Los Angeles. Almost **Home Sweet Home !!** -
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