Day 1
We flew from ATL to Ft Lauderdale on Southwest. We were a little concerned about delays since their 737 Max 8s were grounded. Everything was fine though.
It was rainy and cloudy in Ft Lauderdale when we arrived. The Volendam is a sister ship of the Vandam with slight variations, so, we were right at home. It seemed like we hadn't even been off the ship for the last 6 weeks. It was still rainy and cloudy when we departed the port. That night we did the usual Trivia, show and dancing. The Crow's Nest and dancing area were much nicer on this ship than any other HAL ships we have been on.
Day 2 - Half Moon Cay, Bahamas
It was a cloudy day at the Cay. Nevertheless, we got plenty of sun and walking on the beach.
We won afternoon Team Trivia in a playoff! Both teams only missed one and we won on the extra question! We also came in 2nd at evening Trivia.
Had a great female singer, Coleen Williamson on the Main Stage. She did mostly show tunes. Very surprisingly, there were many people at Dancing to the Hits. An hour earlier and Happy Hour brought a lot of people to the dance floor.
Day 3 - Sea Day
Beautiful sunny day at sea! Started the day with 12 laps around the Promenade deck. After that we played Apples to Apples. It was fun, especially since Zach won. Mister competitive. Spent sometime on the sundeck working on our tans. We cruised past Cuba around noon.
Later we missed both trivias because of conflicts with meals and we don't even eat that much, unlike most passengers,. The Volendam singers and dancers performed a very entertaining, high energy show that evening. It was our 1st Gala night of the cruise and we forgot to take a picture. Oh my!
Day 4 - Sea Day
Another beautiful sunny day at sea! We did our deck walk and then played Scattagories and won. We spent some more time on the sundeck. At Team Trivia we went three bonus questions before losing. Went to another great show on Main Stage. Hilby the juggler. He was more of a comedian. Very funny!
Day 5 - Cartagena, Columbia
Our day started early. We were on the Hop-on-Hop-off bus at 730am. We had to be back on this bus at 11pm and back on the ship by 1230pm for departure. The morning was rush, rush, rush. It was also very hot and very humid.
Cartagena, a UNESCO World Heritage Site was founded in 1553. After Sir Francis Drake sacked the city, the city walls and the Castillo de San Felipe de Barajas were constructed. We hopped off the bus at the Castillo. It's built on the San Lazaro Hill, which has a commanding view of the city and surrounding area. It is the largest fortification built by the Spanish in Central America.We only has a half hour to spend at the Castillo. We walked around, on top of, and under as fast as we could trying to see all the parts of the Castillo.
From the ramparts we saw the next bus to hop on and had to hurry down to catch it to get us to Old Walled City as quickly as possible. We didn't have a lot of time left, but we made the most of what little time we had.
We started at the Clock Tower which is at the main entrance to the Old Walled City.
In the nearby square were 2 mimes by a mortar. Zach just had to have a picture with them.
From there we went to Santuario de San Pedro Claver. In the square in front of the church was a series of interesting metal sculptures.
Peter Claver was the 1st Saint in the New World for his work among the indigenous population. The church and museum are dedicated to his life. His mummified remains are under the altar.
The sculpture with San Pedro.
Next we walked to Iglesia de Santo Domingo, the oldest church in the city. It was a little surprising to see this sculpture in the square in front of the church.
Our last stop were the walls of the Old City.
Across the street was our return bus stop. Locals were selling beer and they were very refreshing (and reasonable 2 for $5) after walking in the heat and humidity for 3 hours.
Once back at the port we went to the EcoPark and saw lots of birds.
Back on the ship we went to a presentation on the Panama Canal in preparation for our transit the next day.
We also went to Mass. Holland America is the only cruise line that has a visiting priest and daily mass on every cruise on all 14 ships in their fleet.
The show on Main Stage was Hyperion Knight, an amazing pianist. He has been playing Trivia with us and doesn't miss many questions.
That night we won Trivia, missing only 2, with our new teammates this cruise Rick and Wendy and Maryann!
Day 6 - Panama Canal Transit
It was up at 5am for our transit though the Canal. The commentary and viewing started at 6am. We went all over the ship trying to find the best spot that wasn't already crowded. We settled on the Lido pool deck aft. It wasn't crowded at all. We would just see the different parts of the canal after we passed them on the bow. It was a reverse image.
First, we went under the bridge that was completed, but, the roads to the bridge are not. People wanting to cross the canal in that area still had to take a ferry to cross.
After that we went through the Gatun Locks. We transitioned through the canal through the original locks that were completed in 1914; not the newer locks built to accommodate larger ships open in 2016. There are 3 locks up on the Caribbean side and 3 locks down on the Pacific side. Gatun goes up.
After we passed through the 3 locks we entered Gatun Lake. After waiting for some ships coming from the other direction we continued on our passage.
Then we passed under the Centennial Bridge completed in 2014, marking the 100th anniversary of the Canal.
Right after the bridge was Pedro Miguel Locks. This is only one step down.
Shortly after this was the last set of locks. Miraflores has 2 locks and is the last locks before the Pacific. This is also where the visitor center is located and that day there were lots of visitors.
Finally, we passed under the Bridge of the Americas which is at Panama City with its huge port and a surprisingly modern city with many skyscrapers.
After dinner we took a picture of the sunset, the sun goes down very fast here and we haven't seen any spectacular ones.
That night we tied Trivia, but lost again in a tie breaker. Dancing to the Hits again had a good crowd.
Day 7 - Sea Day
Today we did the usual, 5 mile deck walk, weights in the gym, Pictionary (was the game of the day), and some sun time. We had our 2nd Gala Night and remembered to take a selfie.
We did terrible at afternoon Team Trivia, but made up for it by winning night time Trivia again. That was the 3rd win this cruise!!
Day 8 - Puerto Caldera, Costa Rica
We were supposed to dock in Puntarenas, but port issues moved us to Puerto Caldera. No worries though, the Volendam provided bus transportation for the 30 minute ride into Puntarenas. Puntarenas is an island and small beach town. Not a lot of money here but they have put a lot of effort into making their beach area nice.
First, we went to the Cathedral built in 1902. Just by its size and décor you can tell it's not a wealthy area.
After that we won afternoon Team Trivia. The Cruise Director bought us drinks because we had won so many games! That might we missed winning by one point.
At dinner we had the nicest sunset of the cruise.
Day 9 - Corinto, Nicaragua
This place was really impoverished. Socialist country... Hardly any cars in this town. Bicycle and bike taxis were the main mode of transportation. We walked around town for a while. Not much there. We did take pictures in the main square area.
When we 1st came off ship there were many vendors as is usual for a cruise port. We stopped at one table to buy something for our neighbors, Sam and Meryl, who watch our house and water our plants. We told the guy we would come back. When we got to the beach he was there and reminded us of the exact piece we wanted. We told him we'd see him back in town. Sure enough, when we returned to the market area, there he was at his table with our piece. Never did figure that out??
We were one point away from winning at both trivias again.
Day 10 - Antigua (Puerto Quetzal), Guatemala
Today we went to Antigua, another UNESCO World Heritage Site because there's not anything happening in Puerto Quetzal except port activities. What an amazing difference between socialist poverty-stricken Nicaragua and capitalist prosperous Guatemala.
It was 1.5 hour bus ride to Antigua but we'll worth it. We passed coffee plantations, cemeteries, and workers in bean fields.
In Antigua, we started our walk about at Central Park. The Palacio de Capitanes and Palacio del Ayuntamiento are both on the square.
The other building on the square is the Catedral de San Jose. It was a privilege to watch some parishioners construct an elaborate "carpet" out of saw dust.
There were a number of people walking on knees in the church for repentance during Lent.
The convent's courtyard contains the largest fountain in Latin America.
Then we walked the streets to the Iglesia de San Pedro where the Franciscan Friars also run a hospital to care for people with disabilities. There were ruins of other churches and convents throughout the city. Walking along the streets is mostly unimpressive, but walk into many a door way had we'd be quite surprised by what we saw.
Our last stop of the day was the Jade Museum. We went there mostly for the free WiFi. Watching the artisans shape the stones and looking at the historical exhibits were interesting.
Did badly in both trivias that day.
Day 11 - Huatulco, Mexico
We weren't going to arrive in this port till 1pm, so, we had plenty of time for our deck walk and weights in gym. It was really windy on deck; Zach couldn't wear his hat. Between walking the halls and the deck, once the winds died down, and in town we did over 20K steps for the 1st time on cruise.
This place was basically a beach stop for the ship and us. The beach was right off the ship. It was the best beach of the trip.
Day 12 - Sea Day
We walked 5 miles around the deck; that's 17.5 laps. We had a Mexican culture show aboard the ship.
We lost the tiebreaker again in Trivia. We have not been the only ones Dancing to the Hits, but, it's still lots of fun. Our DJ/Assistant Cruise Director, Caycelynn always plays our favorites.
Day 13 - Puerta Vallarta
We had been here 20 years ago for a week at a time share. It was voted the best place to retire by AARP 2010. We arrived in port at 10am. We took a taxi to Old Town Vallarta about 3.5 miles from the port.
We walked on the Malecon, the boardwalk overlooking the Bay of Banderas. Many interesting things to see there, especially the sculptures.
We walked along the river than went over to the Cathedral of Our Lady of Guadalupe. The Cathedral look exactly the same as it did 20 years ago. The rest the of city not so much. We did stop for a beer and a little something to eat at Zoo Restaurant on the Malecon.
We decided to walk the 3.5 miles back to the ship. After walking 3 miles, we took a beer break at Hot Wings Sports Bar. This wasn't our beer but we were impressed by the size.
In the rocks near the ship we saw some iguanas.
At dinner one of the chefs and some cooks came out to say hi.
Tonight we finally won Trivia again!!
We also Danced to the Hits till after midnight after walking over 13.5 miles today!!
Day 14 - Sea Day
Our legs were a little tired today, so, we just did our minimum 10k steps.
This afternoon we had cultural ambassadors providing authentic Mexican song and dance.
We lost Trivia by one point because we changed an answer that was right to wrong.
It was our last Dancing to the Hits night, as well.
Day 15 - Sea Day
Our last day on the ship. We did our 10k steps plus. We came up a little short on both trivias. We can't complain too much; we won 5 times, lost 2 tiebreakers and took 2nd a bunch of times. We also had our share of not very good games.
We had great weather throughout the cruise. Got to transit the Panama Canal, which was pretty spectacular, and got to go to new countries and new places. The food on HAL ships is always great and the service from the crew, especially, our stewards was exceptional. All good reasons to be loyal HAL cruisers, but the most important reason we cruise with HAL is that they are a destination cruise line!
Day 16 - San Diego Departure and Stay with Mike and Gloria
We disembarked midmorning. Mike and Gloria met us at the cruise dock. We put our bags in their trunk and went walking through the port area. The aircraft carrier Midway is docked here.
The Star of India and the ship used in the movie Master and Commander are also docked here along with a number of other boats.
After lunch, we went to downtown Chula Vista. We went to the 2 microbreweries that were open.
Day 17 - Mt Woodson Trail Hike and Potato Chip Rock
Today we drove to Lake Poway and hiked the Mt Woodson Trail to Potato Chip Rock just below the summit. It had been a while since we had hiked a mountain and a longer distance. It was good to get out on the trail again.
We went to Borrego Springs in the Anza-Borrego Desert to see the mega bloom from all the rain they had this year. We were on the tail end of the bloom, but had a great day anyway. Our 1st stop was at Galetta Meadows Estate. There are over 130 animal sculptures by Ricardo Breceda on the Estate. It all started when Dennis Avery's (now deceased) daughter wanted a dinosaur sculpture. Amazing work! The serpent is the best.
We also saw lots of caterpillars and butterflies that were eating blooms and lizards mating.
After lunch we went to Hellhole Canyon. Saw some desert bloom but spent most of the time fighting the wind.
From there we walked the primitive Cactus Loop Trail.
Then we headed back to San Diego. Had to go back over the mountains. This time we stopped in Julian, an old mining town. It was 30 degrees colder than the desert. It was also rainy and foggy. We stopped at Mom's Pies which bakes over 500 pies a day. Pretty amazingly considering the size of the town. Pretty well know place even in San Diego though.
Day 19 - Disc Golf and Point Loma
In the am we played disc golf at Morley Field. It's one of the 1st disc courses in the US and is the most used. That I can believe. It took us 2.5 hours to play when it normally takes 1.5 hours to play.
From there we went to the Tide pools. The only problem was low tide was 439pm and the Monument closed at 430pm.
On the way out we drove by the Rosecrans National Cemetery. There are over100k veterans buried there.
Day 20 - Coronado Beach Day
We started the day with a short run around the golf course.
Then we went to Coronado Beach. It was sunny, but a bit windy. Nice wide beach in front of the world-famous Hotel Del Coronado.
Day 21 - Bike ride on Silver Strand
Rode on Mikes bikes on the Silver Strand bike trail from Imperial Beach to the ferry at Coronado Beach.
Day 22 - Home
