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Published: January 13th 2023
Our first destination on the original itinerary for Holland America’s 75-day Grand South America and Antarctica Voyage aboard the MS Volendam had been Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands but had been changed to Ocho Rios, Jamaica a week or two before the cruise began. I had not yet signed up for the Dolphin Encounter & Cayman Turtle Centre shore excursion offered in Grand Cayman but was planning to do so after I had had a peek at the weather forecast. Instead, our first port of call was now Ocho Rios, Jamaica. I had been to Runaway Bay, Jamaica (less than twenty miles from Ocho Rios) twice before and had seen most of the area’s tourist destinations, so I had decided to save my “shore excursion dollars” for something new and different.
Cruise Day 2, Wednesday, January 4, 2023 was a Day at Sea with lots of shipboard activities. I was mostly interested in the presentations titled Port Talk: XXX, which I was confident would continue throughout the cruise. The first was, of course, Port Talk: Ocho Rios, Jamaica our port of call on Cruise Day 3. The informative talk offered a brief history of the area, noted the
Reggae Ally Bar & Grill – Ocho Rios, Jamaica
Red Stripe Lager Beer Is a Jamaican Traditiondistance from the dock to the various points of interest, mentioned the best places to visit for shopping and dining, identified landmarks within walking distance, related the local currency as well as the exchange rates and offered the weather forecast in an hour-by-hour format for better planning. The presentation was well worth the time invested. Because several presentations were planned for Panama Canal topics, Port Talk: Puerto Limon, Coasta Rica, the Cruise Day 4 port of call, was also made on Cruise Day 2.
The ship had docked at Ocho Rios by the time I made my way to the breakfast buffet in the Lido Market on Cruise Day 3, Thursday, January 5, 2023. The temperature was predicted to be in the upper 80’s with high humidity, so I made my way ashore as early as was vacationly possible so I could get my Jamaican souvenir before they were all sold out and before the heatmidity became oppressive!!! A taxi driver offered a lift to the downtown area for $3.00 which I accepted. I strolled the shops until I found a refrigerator magnet that suited my mood and made my way to an open-air bar for a Red Stripe
beer. Okay, it wasn’t noon just yet, but a Red Stripe is a Jamaican requirement, and I planned to be back on the ship before noon anyway. At the bar, I had a nice conversation with a farmer from northeast Iowa while his wife was shopping. She returned just as I was taking my last sip from the bottle. That made my quandary about ordering a second beer a no-brainer. Back on the street, the taxi driver from earlier in the day just happened to be passing by. Yup, another $3.00 ride back to the cruise terminal.
To this point, I had suffered “coffeeless” mornings until I could get my eyes opened and get prepared for the day. Perusing the ship’s literature, I had learned room service was complimentary and offered 24-hours, so I completed the hanger (as instructed) and left it on the door knob. Walla! Within the +/- 15-minute time frame (actually, ten minutes before my 7 AM request), coffee, juice and a banana were delivered to my room. Wow, no more stumbling through the shower blindly! Cruise Day 4, Friday, January 6, 203 was another day at sea that offered a handful of interesting presentations including
Traversing the Panama Canal
Much of the Canal Is Wide Enough for Two-Way Traffic “History and Construction of the Panama Canal.” Never really having thought much about the Canal transit fee, I was surprised to learn the fee for our ship to use the canal shortcut was just south of $250,000! On Cruise Day 5, Saturday, January 7, 2023, our port of call was Puerto Limon, Coasta Rica. Although I have never been to Coasta Rica, there was little on the shore excursion list that piqued my interest, so I only made my way as far as the adjacent souvenir stands to purchase the mandatory refrigerator magnet and returned to the ship while the heatmidity was still low.
Cruise Day 6, Sunday, January 8, 2023, was one of the highlights of the cruise – the transit of the Panama Canal. The ship had entered the Canal before I emerged from my cabin full of coffee and ready for the day. A guest expert was aboard to offer a real-time narrative and interesting morsels about the Canal during our passage. Traversing the Canal is a “ya just plain gotta be there” journeys. Words cannot begin to describe the magnitude of this mad-made wonder. For an engineering-minded nerd like Uncle Larry, it’s just plain cool!
Traversing the Panama Canal
Passing Under the Puente Centenario Bridge Clearance Below the Bridge Is 262 Feet We had entered the Canal early and arrived at Fuerte Amador, Panama early as well. Go figure! There was time for Disco Dan and Dancing Debbie to head into town for some frivolity, but it was much too close to my bedtime for any festivities. On Cruise Day 7, Monday, January 9, 2023, the explorer in me was humming along at about the same level as it had been while in Ocho Rios, Jamaica and Puerto Limon, Coasta Rica, and the result was the same – I procured the never-elusive refrigerator magnet.
As the ship departed Fuerte Amador, I suddenly got this sense of adventure and enthusiasm about the cruise that had evaded me for weeks. I was back to my old normal “what’s on the other side of that hill” mindset. Perhaps there was something more intriguing about South America than there had been about the Caribbean and Central America. I couldn’t put a finger on the reason but was sure glad my attitude had normalized.
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John Burton
non-member comment
My trip.
We are going to the Philippines in April this year. I also live San Antonio, Texas now. I real enjoy your trips. Have fun