jim wrote:
> took partial cruise through the canal with Brilliance of the Sea in
> Feb 2007. Dropped anchor in Gatun Lake for the day and took the
> railway excursion to the Pacific. What an incredible experience. The
> Panama Canal should be 1 of the seven wonders of the world! Read up
> on the canal before you go so you can appreciate it more.
>
We did the sailing before yours on the Brilliance in late January. What
a great cruise!
In Gatun Lake we took the tender to shore and then a bus to the Ariel
Tram ride. We drove through the countryside seeing lots of great sights.
Our tour guide narrated as we rolled along. We stopped at an Eco-hotel
and took the narrated tram from there. I enjoyed being at the top of the
rain forest being even with the tops of trees.
There was a tall tower to climb at the end of the tram ride and the
views of the canal and Gatun Lake were spectacular. After the tram we
toured the orchid garden, butterfly house, snake house and aquarium at
the Eco-hotel.
The other memorable excursion was the Bus, Boat and Train Tour in Costa
Rica. We toured a banana plantation, took a boat ride in a national park
to watch the birds, monkeys, iguanas and teeny baby bats, had a lovely
fruit buffet then boarded our bus that took us to the narrow gage
railroad for a train trip back to town. We saw lots of howler monkeys in
the trees, too. The bus had to take us from the train to the ship, but
it was a short distance. It wasn't an athletic trip, but we enjoyed it.
Friends we were cruising with took the zip line at one of the ports and
they said it was a lot of fun.
There are several snorkeling packages, IIRC, too.
When you get about a month away from your cruise, check the RCI web site
for the excursions. You can book the ones sponsored by the ship right there.
I know you'll have a wonderful time. We did.
--
Janet Wilder
Bad spelling. Bad punctuation
Good Friends. Good Life |