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Passing San Diego's naval base
Exiting our embarkation port of San Diego was the start of what turned out to be a wonderful cruise.Many have asked me, "What is the best cruise you've ever been on?" and without hesitation, I answered, "Azamara's 18- day Panama Canal cruise on "Journey".
Having answered in that vein, I should say that our other cruises were also very enjoyable and had many memorable moments for us.
And so, by special request let me tell you all about this particular Azamara cruise.
To a great extend enjoyment of a cruise all depends on what you want out of the cruise. I have friends who are destination focused while some are totally ship focused and seldom venture away from the vessel but prefer to simply relax on board and rid themselves of work and other home-bound stress. On this voyage we had several days at sea and also visited some fascinating ports so I will break down the experience into a section for the
ship and our experience and one for the
destinations we called at.
The ship Azamara "Journey" (one of two ships in Celebrity Cruise's premium brand) Jeanette and I thoroughly enjoyed the smaller size of the "Journey", its intimacy and great service. It offers everything that the larger ships do
Fast asleep on the first night.
After the stress of a missing suitcase, a good night's rest was ideal. for the most part on a smaller scale but the level of personal service surpasses that of most other lines. Having a maximum passenger capacity of 650 and 450 crew tells the story but I was so impressed when many of the staff and crew addressed us by name. Other than our cruise on the Yangtze River in China, which is deserving of its own special blog for different reasons, "Journey" is hard to beat although I would imagine that the ultra luxury Silversea Cruises undoubtedly would.
Flying from Calgary we changed flights at LAX and headed for San Diego, California where we boarded and set out down the west coast towards our first ports of call in Mexico then Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Columbia then on to Miami, Florida for the flight back to Calgary.
From the moment we stepped on board we were made to feel special. The marketing people have their way of getting information about their passengers but it could not have been a more wonderful surprise when we returned to our cabin after breakfast on February 8 to find our bed strewn with rose petals and the place beautifully decorated with wishes for
Superb cuisine
Enjoying delectable braised tuna in the Discovery Restaurant. For me they set the braised tuna standard for many other restaurants. a Happy Anniversary. It was the beginning of a wonderful day. Later that evening we celebrated at dinner at
Prime C, one of their two specialty restaurants, the other being
Aqualina. The meal was superb and the attention we received made our special day, memorable, especially when the Head Chef gathered his team together to serenade us with song.
Besides Prime C and Aqualina restaurants (reservations were required), the main alacarte restaurant,
Discoveries, was open seating and also excellent. In fact its braised tuna was as succulent as I had ever tasted anywhere. The array of imaginative deserts that were presented in all their restaurants was impressive and I think that I surprised Jeanette by almost too frequently resorting to my favourite,
creme brule and with good reason, as it was certainly the best I have ever had.
Windows Cafe, frequented by most passengers, offered casual dining buffet style and we most often had breakfast here. I also recall that their sushi and sashimi had me returning for more every time.
The
Wine Cellar offered a collection of some 8, 000 bottles of wine. The
Pool Grill was a popular lunchtime place to enjoy a great
meal and have a plunge in the pool and soak up the sun. The
Looking Glass offered elegant pastries, fresh hand-made sandwiches, tea, champagne etc. and was easily the delight of anyone who did not count calories but I must not forget the
Mosaic Cafe. It was in this relaxing cafe that I managed to churn out several pages of the book that I am writing but yet to finish. Accompanied by one of a wide choice of expresso and special coffees, fresh biscotti, tea, sandwiches and scones (all on the house too), I found myself at my productive best as I typed away on my laptop.
Bars and lounges and a full service casino as well as
duty free shops made sure that all bases were covered.
Sadly, we ventured into the
Spa and Fitness Centre once only but given the choices we faced we yielded to the culinary temptations with little difficulty.
By far the most impressive attribute
Journey had was the high level of personalized service. For example, one evening while we were being entertained to dinner by the ship's sales manager along with four other couples, Jeanette had to excuse herself and return
to the cabin as she felt severely nauseated. Within minutes someone knocked on the cabin door bearing medication to help. The next morning Jeanette preferred to stay in bed but not order room service breakfast. Instead she made her request of me and I set out to
Windows Cafe. As soon as I entered, the staff immediately asked for her by name and showed much concern when I explained that she had not been not feeling well. Without hesitation, this particular waiter remembered that Jeanette loved bread sticks, usually served at dinner only, and quickly promised to secure some for her.
This was just one of the many examples that would certainly make us choose this cruise line ahead of the others if we decide on another ocean cruise in the future.
The destinations Mazatland Sailing out of San Diego and past its naval base, we headed out to sea and turned south towards Mexico, eventually passing Cabo san Lucas in the distance. After two days at sea we docked at Mazatland, Mexico's largest commecrial port. Having evolved from a small fishing village, Mazatland, "the place of the deer" as named by the indigenous
Enjoying speciality coffee.
There were so many delicious choices. Nahuati in the Aztec language, this city thrived on the gold and silver mines nearby.
On this voyage, unlike previous cruises, Jeanette and I decided to organize our own shore excursions rather than use the Azamara ones and we set out to randevous with the tour company on shore. After a good tour of the city and its environs including one stop where I enjoyed ceviche (jeanette is alergic to shell fish and sensibly did not risk cross contamination), which was delightful, we returned to Journey.
Was there anything in Mazatland that would seriously motivate me to return for a longer visit? Frankly, in my opinion, I don't think so.
Acapulco In my mind images of romanticism spring to life when the name Acapulco is mentioned. Being our first visit to this famed resort we were both filled with excitement when we got there. And we were not disappointed. Personally Acapulco had an awesome beauty that captivated us immediately, making it for me, probably the most interesting place in Mexico. I reflected on its history as the main hub for Spanish trade in the colonial era as it received the huge galleons of a 1,000 men
Creme Brulee - one of my favourite deserts.
Much to Jeanette's consternation, I couldn't help but order this repeatedly despite the wonderful other choices. each, carrying the treasures of the Spice Islands, India, China, South Asia and the Americas that would ultimately reach Spain. From Manilla to Acapulco then overland and eventually on to Spain via Havana this enormous trade route attracted pirates and privateers as the English and Dutch in particular marauded the Pacific and Caribbean coasts in pursuit of wealth for their themselves and their countries.
Our arranged tour of the city and its environs gave us a sampling of the elegant hotels and mansions that attracted the rich and famous of Hollywood in particular in bygone years.
No visit to Acapulco should ever exclude the famous cliff diving made popular in many movies. It was spectacular. Large crowds gathered to witness young men of varying skills and experience ascend the cliff from the sea below for the seemingly perilous dive into the moving sea below. The novices and less experienced jumped off the rocks from lower heights while the obviously accomplished "stars" provided the climax by gracefully diving from the very top. We could not help but notice a small religious shrine at the top and wondered if there had ever been any previous mishaps. Witnessing the "real thing"
made us want to revisit those old movies.
Huatulco After another enjoyable day at sea with lots to keep us interested on board we arrived and docked at the finger pier at this quiet resort city. I was immediately struck by its good roads, road-side flowers and cleanliness as we headed out with another couple to tour the area in a taxi.
Huatulco is a resort community comprising nine large bays or bahias. The entire region and ecosystem including that under the sea was set aside as a federally protected national park where no discharge is released in to the pristine bays making it one of the most beautiful parts of Mexico.
Clearly this area seems specifically designed to attract visitors and new residents to Mexico and was perhaps somewhat set apart from the hustle and bustle of the indigenous culture and day to day lifestyle unlike some other parts of Mexico that we have visited. It seemed like a good area to spend a relaxing week under the sun.
San Juan Del Sur, Nicaragua.
Leaving Mexico behind we enjoyed another glorious day at sea
Enjoying the sun with new friends aft.
Sometimes we would enjoy our breakfast here as well as simply relaxing with a cocktail. then tendered in to this port in Nicaragua. What an impressively beautiful country Nicaragua is. Once again we arranged our own tour and took another couple we met on board along with us to explore, first the city of Granada then on past lake Nicaragua with its impressive volcanoes in the background then on to the famous
Masaya Volcano. How impressive that was! Looking down into the huge steaming crevasse of the crater, the awesome power of nature was evident before us. On our way back we stopped at a roadside fruit stand and indulged ourselves in fresh sapodila, one of my most favourite of fruits.
This country is surely worth another longer visit.
Puntarenas, Costa Rica Having arranged a private tour once again, we set out to meet the guide. Four other passengers made up the small group and we set off south for the day. Almost immediately the only other lady on board informed the guide that she did not want to go to a beach as part of the tour to which I hastily countered that the tour as described must not be changed in anyway. It turned out that she had mistakenly thought
Busy at reception.
Here is Jeanette, wearing one of my shirts, trying to organize her missing suitcase's recovery. It showed up at Mazatland, two days after sailing. that she had hired a private tour for her group of four's exclusive use. Her attitude unfortunately set up an initially uncomfortable atmosphere as herself and husband chose not to interact with us throughout the tour. Despite this we had a wonderful tour and we fully understood why many are captivated by Costa Rica. Walking through Manuel Antonio Park and its wildlife was really worth the trip.
Of course being from an area of beautiful beaches ourselves, we were anxious to experience Costa Rica's. I must confess to have been very pleasantly surprised by the beaches in the park. Somewhat tired from the walk, Jeanette headed for the shade of a broad-leafed tree and I immediately plunged into the tranquil water. It was February and I expected the water to be a little cool and was so shocked by the incredibly warm water that I entreated Jeanette to abandon her comfort and join me. It was almost like having a warm bath in a tub and we I momentarily wondered whether we were located above some subterranian volcanic heat.
I got talking to a young Canadian family whose obvious love for Costa Rica resulted in their moving permanently
Cabo San Lucas .
This was not a port of call. there. His type of work allowed him to work remotely for his international clients while his wife and children enjoyed the lifestyle of this attractive tropical country which seems to draw many new residents from its most northern neighbours. While we talked about common interests and of course, Canada, our new friends looked towards the beach and she yelled out a piercing scream as she tried to chase off one of the uncontrollable white-faced monkeys on the shore. The little animal had stealthily approached their knapsack and quickly worked through its food contents and hastily made away into the brush with a rewarding lunch.That certainly had an amusing element to it as he seemed to know what he wanted and vanished before our new friends could scamper out of the water.
I have friends who own a home on the beach about an hour away and I fully appreciate why they regularly vacation here.
Panama Canal After another day at sea we turned towards the famed canal, the high rise towers of Panama City clearly visible in the distance. By the time we got to the forward lounge most seats had already been taken but
we were lucky enough to find seating and enjoy our approach to the first lock while we enjoyed the special buffet that had been laid out for us. Later we enjoyed the passage across the isthmus from the open deck above and marveled at the incredible engineering feat that is the Panama Canal. Many a West Indian immigrant laboured under the sun to help build it and I recall an earlier trip I made to Panama and when I got talking with an older person in the port of Colon on the Caribbean. I first heard a distinct Vincentian accent and approached the gentleman. In conversation I politely inquired about his island of Saint Vincent, St. Lucia's neighbour to the south, to be stunned by his reply that he had never even visited although his parents had been born there and come to Panama for work. To flip from his native tong of Spanish to broad Vincentian slang without having even lived on that island was truly amazing.
Cartagena, Colombia And now our penultimate port of call - a city of my historic dreams, Cartagena de Indias (named after the famous port in the south-east of Spain). Just
thinking of it conjures up images of Spanish armadas, swashbuckling pirates, raucous drinking, gold and adventure of an era centuries ago. This South American city was the main departure point from which countless galleons sailed forth on their return voyage to mother Spain carrying the plundered silver, gold and jewels of the "New World".
Visiting the city on our own with a local guide brought that ancient past vividly back to mind as we immersed ourselves into the beautiful colonial architecture of the old city. Its magnificent walls and great fort are both important reminders of Spain's glorious colonial past. Rich in cultural heritage with a combination of Spanish, indigenous, African and Caribbean influences this city still bears divisions in social and economic demarcations common in many of the now liberated colonies of Europe. Cartagena has emerged as a bustling rejuvenated tourist industry far removed from the image of narco-terrorism that has unfortunately plagued Andean Colombia. A visit to Monastry was a bonus as it gave us a panoramic view of the city below.
Here's a little anecdote about our visit to Cartagena. We emerged from the dock to look for a local taxi and tour we were
greeted by a well spoken local gentleman who promised a tour in English and that he was going to put us in the care of his "cousin". Having settled into the back seat of the taxi our salesman began to make a quick exit to obviously pursue other business while we quickly realized that the "cousin" spoke not a word of English. We had been warned of this when we did our earlier research so we hastily grabbed our guy and made sure that he accompanied us, much to his chagrin. The exchange between himself and his "cousin" in Spanish did little to disguise how he initially felt but he actually turned out to be a very good and knowledgeable guide which of course earned him a nice tip. Overall we each ended the tour on a happy note.
Two more glorious days at sea before entering the familiar port of Miami and transferring to the airport for the flight back to Calgary.
In summary I can truly say, without any reservation whatever, that this cruise overall was the best we have taken so far. We had an awesome itinerary and visited culturally and historically
interesting places and had great weather throughout while the superb level of personal service and casually elegant atmosphere made it feel like a home away from home for those eighteen days during which we felt pampered and special.
Everything that I have written in this blog as well as the pictures I have shared are but a mere snippet of our experience on the Azamara Journey and are in no way remotely capable of adequately and comprehensively describing our experience. You'll have to try it for yourself! Check out the pictures that follow below; there are several.
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D MJ Binkley
Dave and Merry Jo Binkley
Azamara
Really enjoyed your blog. Thanks for sharing. So many places and so little time.