Panama Canal Cruise

I’m back! I’ve taken a hiatus from my blog to get caught up on other things. My last post was shortly before a 15-day cruise that took me through the Panama Canal. When I returned, I had to focus on a few rather mundane but necessary tasks ranging from medical appointments to house renovations.

It’s taken me awhile to get through all the photographs (both on my camera and iPhone) taken on the cruise but I’m making headway! I’ll break my Panama Canal cruise into a few posts depending on my time over the next week.

During the winter of 2023, when I was deep into planning my Le Puy Camino de Santiago trip, I received a call from my sister inviting me to join her and our mother on a cruise through the Panama Canal. She had a friend who had taken this trip through the canal and it came highly recommended. In addition, while my mother has traveled the world extensively, one of the remaining items on her bucket list was visiting the Panama Canal. People who know me can attest to the fact that I have in the past often said I would NEVER, EVER go on a cruise – just not my idea of a good time. I prefer to be on land (or on lakes and rivers in my kayak or canoe) and surrounded by nature and solitude. So, it probably surprised no one more than me that I answered in the affirmative! I wasn’t sure when I would get the opportunity to travel with both my sister and mother together and I admit the allure of seeing the canal was hard to pass up.

After agreeing to go, I promptly forgot about the cruise since it was a year out and focused on my Camino walk. But, as soon as September rolled around and we had to pay our balance due on the cruise and begin planning our port excursions, it hit me that I had better start planning. I literally had no expectations since I’d never experienced life on a cruise ship and vowed to keep an open mind and enjoy the ride! I had many questions though – most importantly – how does one pack for a 15-day cruise!?

Luckily, there is no shortage of information on the internet regarding all aspects of cruising. I reviewed several cruise line websites and blogs for advice on packing and came up with my own personalized packing list that would allow me to keep it light and get away with just a carry-on bag and a personal-sized bag. Of particular importance was keeping the clothing lightweight. The temperatures would be warm and in some cases hot. I’m no fashionista and never have been but I felt the pressure to up my game a little in that regard. So, I planned my packing list with care and attention to bringing items that gave me at least the illusion of fitting in with this crowd. 🙂

Cruise Packing List

1 dress (for specialty or evening dinners)

1 skirt (Ripskirt Hawaii brand) and 2 pair of skorts

4 pair of leggings (assorted colors) – one dedicated to work-outs in the onboard fitness center

2 pairs of jeans – one blue jean and one black pair for dress

8 assorted shirts – lightweight long sleeve for sun protection, sleeveless for hot weather and one collared lightweight hiking shirt

2 T-shirts (and I bought a couple as souvenirs along the way!)

3 cardigan/shawl tops – two lightweight fabric and one sweater-style

3 shelf-bra cotton camisoles and 2 regular bras

5 pairs of underwear

4 pairs of sneaker socks

Rain jacket

Bathing suit and cover-up

2 pairs of sandals – one informal pair of Tevas and one dress pair – and 1 pair of Saucony sneakers

A small first aid kit

1 small backpack for excursions (Osprey Ultralite Stuff Pack)

1 small travel waist bag for important documents/money/credit cards

1 reusable water bottle

1 travel-size camera (Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS100) and my iPhone

All of the above fit in my carry-on bag and my personal-size bag – and I still had some room for the few souvenirs purchased along the way! I actually used most of the above items – probably could have managed with fewer shirts – but all in all, this list worked for me. We did receive one complimentary laundry and I handwashed items as necessary. The shower in each stateroom has a pull-out clothesline. ( I also noticed that some folks brought along a collapsible clothes drying rack that they discreetly placed on their balcony. )

The Cruise Line

Our cruise was booked through Norwegian Cruise Line and we were aboard the cruise ship Bliss. The Bliss has a capacity of up to 4,000 passengers and 1,700 crew members! We were slightly under these numbers but not by much! It is a BIG ship! It’s maiden voyage (with passengers) was on June 2, 2018 – so it’s a relatively new ship I suppose? Apparently, the Bliss was the first cruise ship of that size to pass through the Panama Canal in 2018 during its inaugural voyage from New York to Seattle – which is now considered it’s home port. Marine wildlife artist Robert Wyland designed and painted the hull of the Bliss. He’s known for his “Whale Murals” which don buildings all over the world. Oddly, I did not get one full photo of the entire ship with the whale mural on the bow – so you’ll just have to access here to see it! 🙂

Currently, the Bliss travels mostly between Miami and Seattle – transiting the Panama Canal during the winter months and cruising the Mexican Riviera while, in the summer months, it makes excursions to Alaska from Seattle.

Our Trip – Day by Day

January 26, 2024 – Arrive in Miami

Our overall trip including air travel was from January 26, 2024 through February 12, 2024. The cruise started in the Port of Miami so the first order of business was to get there. My mother, sister and I were traveling from different parts of the country and decided to arrive the day before the cruise was set to depart. We wanted to ensure that if we encountered any delays we had time to make alternate flights. Coming from the far Northeast, weather delays in particular that time of year were entirely possible.

My flight left Boston’s Logan Airport at 7am in the morning on the 26th. I had two options to get there at that time from Vermont – take the earliest Dartmouth Coach out of Lebanon, NH (3:30am) which would make it tight to get through security and to the gate on time – or – drive to southern New Hampshire and spend the night at my son’s house and hop a ride with him to the airport. It still meant getting up at 3:30am so that I could arrive at the airport at the suggested 2-hours before departure. Since the weather in Vermont was calling for potential freezing rain/snow, I opted for the later. It would just be rain in Southern NH. It turned out to be great way to start the trip. My son and I drove to Logan in the wee hours of the morning and I got his undivided attention for 1 1/2 hours! We don’t often get a chance to visit just one-on-one – good company and good conversation!

My sister flew from Sacramento, CA which meant an overnight flight for her and my mother flew from Philadelphia. We arranged reservations at a hotel near the airport that offered free shuttles. Unfortunately, the cruise line flight reservations for my sister took her into Fort Lauderdale so she had to grab an Uber down to the hotel near the Port of Miami. It was nice to rest up in the hotel the day before departure on the cruise. My sister and I arrived mid-day so we enjoyed lunch together at the hotel. Since she had flown overnight, she opted to take a nap in the room after lunch and I headed for the fitness center to get some exercise. My mom’s flight arrived early evening so we waited for her to land at the hotel and then treated her to dinner. It just so happens that it was her birthday!

January 27, 2024 – Board ship and Depart

Because the cruise staff had to onboard close to 4,000 passengers, we had to reserve a timeslot for checking in at the ship. We chose the earliest time slot which was 11:00am. We woke up at 7am for breakfast and arranged an Uber to the Port of Miami. As we were putting our luggage in the Uber vehicle, a German couple who were also headed to the Bliss asked to join us. There was plenty of room so we welcomed them along. The traffic was horrendous between the hotel and the port. Kudos to our female Uber driver who altered her course several times – winding through the streets of Miami – to get us there on time!

Once we arrived at the Bliss boarding location at the Port of Miami, we surrendered our bags (to be brought to our stateroom later) and headed inside to the check-in area. Since the walking distances to get from check-in to actually boarding the ship were fairly long, we requested wheelchair assistance for our mother. This delayed us somewhat as we had to wait our turn. They had limited personnel operating the wheelchairs due to the ship arriving late in port. But, it turned out that this also meant we were able to go through priority check-in and we made it onto the ship without waiting in the long lines at the check-in counters.

At check-in we were each presented with a “key card” that would be our ticket for all things on board. It gave us access to our stateroom, was used at dining venues to indicate our package amenities (complimentary dining and unlimited drinks) and served as our identification when leaving the ship for excursions. Since pretty much everything on board the ship was included in our package price, we needed no cash on the ship. If we wanted to make a purchase from one of the market places, we used our “key card” and that purchase was automatically added to our “account” which was tied to a pre-designated credit card. At the end of the cruise, any additional fees were reconciled upon check-out. I thought it was a pretty good system. We had a TV channel in our room where we could access our individual accounts throughout the cruise.

It was approaching 1:00pm when we finally got on board the ship and we were hungry and thirsty! Our wheelchair operator kindly stayed with us and took us straight up to the Garden Cafe Buffet – the only restaurant offering food at this time. Needless to say, the restaurant was packed with like-minded, hungry passengers but we found a table and settled in. The buffet was overwhelming with the amount of choices displayed to us! At 3:00 pm, we heard over the loudspeaker that the staterooms on Deck 8 were ready to be occupied. That’s us!! I couldn’t wait to see the accommodations!

Our luggage was propped up directly outside our stateroom and we grabbed it and headed into the room to check it out. Remember I said that is was my mother’s birthday on the 26th? My sister and I secretly arranged with the cruise staff to have the room decorated for her birthday – complete with a cake.

Adjacent to the two beds, there was a sofa that converts to a bed. In this room, there was also an optional pull-down “bunk” bed to accommodate one other person, if needed. There are different levels of accommodations – from inside cabins with no balcony to luxurious suites in The Haven. We had a middle of the road accommodation that came with a slightly larger balcony. It was plenty of room for the 3 of us with lots of closets and drawers so each of us had our own space for clothing. All in all, I was extremely happy with the room.

After unpacking, we headed up to Deck 16 where the outdoor pool is located. There was a “Sail Away” party commencing and we wanted to grab a table, a drink and watch the festivities.

I chose to get into the action around the stage because they were throwing out free T-shirts to the crowd! Who can resist the chance to get a freebie?! And, guess what? I was lucky enough to have one of the T-shirts sail my way and I caught it! Fun!

We sat and enjoyed the festivities while sipping on some scrumptious Margaritas and waited for the ship to depart port. It was a beautiful, warm evening and the excitement on the ship was palpable. As we were sitting and gazing out the window, I could see that we were anchored right next to the famed Icon of the Seas – a new cruise ship that was heading out on its maiden voyage. Icon of the Seas is a member of the Royal Caribbean fleet and is the largest cruise ship in the world with a maximum capacity of 7600 passengers. Unbelievable! I met a family in the hotel who were booked on this ship. I’m not sure I would want to cruise on a maiden voyage??

As the Bliss got underway, we wandered around Deck 16 and 17 and I got some photos of the Miami skyline as well sailed out of port.

After we left port, we headed back up to the Garden Cafe for a buffet dinner. I chose to select items from the Asian counter – and it was delicious!!

Since this post ended up so lengthy – I’ll end here and follow up on the next post!