Making History! A 2017 Westbound Panama Canal Trip Report **Complete**

Before James and I arrived, the servers passed out Mardi Gras beads to everyone. Emily was being silly with hers.

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We started with the herbed brioche. This bread was amazing! It was flaky and flavorful. Our table ordered a second (and third) basket.

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For our appetizers, Emily and I had the artichoke ravioli. They were wonderful!

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James had the Ahi tuna tartare. It wasn't quite what he was expecting. He said that it was okay.

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Jimmy had the Boudin sausage fritters. He really enjoyed them.

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For his main course, James had the prime rib. He said it was delicious.

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I had the sea bass. OH MY GOODNESS! This was phenomenal! This was probably my favorite main-course dish of the entire cruise. If you like fish, I can't recommend this enough.

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The kids opted to pass on a main course tonight. They claimed that after the appetizers, they had just enough room for dessert. :)

However, before they got a chance to order it, it was parade time! Putu lead us around the restaurant, while the Crawfish Crooners played as loud as ever.

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Limbo time!

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The parade was fun. By the time it ended, we were ready for something sweet.

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James, Jimmy, and Emily all had the beignets. The consensus was that the sauce was gross, but he beignets themselves were fantastic! They all ordered seconds.

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I had the pecan tart, which was good, but not as good as the pecan pie I make at home, and...

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the white chocolate pudding. This was fabulous!

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We also ordered the bananas foster sundae to sample it. I didn't try it, but the kids liked it.

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Overall, I have to say that I LOVED this menu. It instantly became one of my favorites.
 
Amazing trip report! I love all of the photos, and thank you for such detail! Going on the Wonder in October and it is so much fun to read these trip reports :)
 
Amazing trip report! I love all of the photos, and thank you for such detail! Going on the Wonder in October and it is so much fun to read these trip reports :)

Thank you and you're welcome! I hope you have a WONDERful time on your upcoming vacation.
 


At 7:30p, we left Tiana's Place and went straight to the Buena Vista Theater to save seats for the PremEar of Guardians of the Galaxy II. It was also showing in the Walt Disney Theater in 3D as the main stage show for the evening, but we preferred watching it in 2D in the Buena Vista Theater. It was far less crowded (in other words, we could spread a bit), and 3D movies make Emily's head spin - not a fun way to watch a flick.

The movie was excellent! Baby Groot and Drax stole the show. If you like Marvel movies, this is one you can't miss!

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After GOG2, we went up to deck 9 so that the boys could get a few slices of pizza then returned to the Buena Vista Theater to catch the late-night showing of Beauty and the Beast.

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At first, we felt like we had tons of energy. However, Belle was still singing about her poor, provincial life when we all began to doze off. It was time to return to the cabin.

This guy was monkeying around when we arrived. We added him to the menagerie and said goodnight.

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Up Next: Our last full day aboard the Wonder :(
 
Saturday, May 6, Sea Day

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I woke before the rest of my family. I got cleaned up and read for a bit, but eventually I got hungry. With the rest of my family showing no sign of waking anytime soon, I slipped out of the cabin and headed to Cabana's.

Today would be a splurge day food-wise. I know what you're thinking. You've seen me order three desserts at dinner - that's not splurging? We've discovered that we have to pace ourselves on these long cruises. Believe it or not, most of the time, I would have eaten more. Today, though, was the last day. There was no reason to hold back. I fully intended to make a piggy of myself!


Here's my very full plate. The pound cake was lovely!

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The day was gray and very cold. If you've read other WBPC trip reports, you've heard others talk about how cold and windy it can be when travelling up the Baja California coast. They weren't kidding! If you plan on taking this cruise in the future, be sure to pack long pants and a sweatshirt or jacket for this final day.

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Before long, James joined me. We talked while he enjoyed his usual breakfast and a couple slices of the addictive pound cake. At 10am, we decided we needed to wake the children. We knew they, too, would want to splurge today. So rather than take them breakfast, we hauled them out of bed.

Jimmy wasn't exactly functional yet.

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Emily was a little more with-it.

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We all liked the pound cake so much, we got a plate to share. There was chocolate, lemon, vanilla, and walnut.

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After breakfast, the kids continued their splurging with ice cream. They may have gotten a tad greedy for the size of the cones.

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After breakfast, we headed back to our cabin to pack a few more items. The menagerie had grown to monumental proportions.

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When we finished our tasks, we went to the Buena Vista Theater to watch Guardians of the Galaxy 2 one more time. It was that good.

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During the movie, I slipped out of the theater and made up a couple of lunch plates for us to share from Cabana's. But I hadn't gotten dessert. Being this was splurge day, the oversight was practically a crime. So, after the movie, Jimmy and I headed back to Cabana's for a little ice cream, cookies, and lemon meringue.

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Jimmy and I finished our treats and went our separate ways. I met James in Azure for dance class. Today was a recap class where Willem and Natalia allowed us to take videos of them performing all of the dances we learned during the cruise so that we might practice at home. I wonder how many people actually do this. James and I have vowed that we would after both of our PC cruises, but have yet to actually follow through. The most I've done is teach my son how to Waltz. I suppose that's something, right?

After dance, James and I attempted one last reading session out on deck 4. It was futile. Even covered in blankets it was simply too cold and windy to stay out on the open deck for long.

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We weren't ready to go inside yet. So, we went to deck 9 where there was some protection from the wind. What to you eat when you're freezing? Why ice cream, of course!

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Yeah, we're a tad looney, I know. But who can resist banana and blueberry?

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I also had one last chicken pita. I could only eat a little of it because my eyes were bigger than my belly, but it was good.

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We stayed in our cozy little corner on deck 9, protected from the wind, and read for a while.

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Shortly before 5p, we went to the Oceaneer Lab to check on Emily and verify that she would not be participating in Friendship Rocks, the end-of-cruise stage performance put on by the children age 3-12. Emily participated in it on our last PC cruise, but did not enjoy it. Despite her extraordinarily social personality, she gets terrible stage fright. When we found her, our little butterfly assured us, under no uncertain terms, that she would NOT be going up on stage today. She was just going to hang out in the Lab until dinner.

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Without the need to head to the Walt Disney Theater for Friendship Rocks, James and I returned to Azure for our last dance class. As usual, we had a wonderful time.
 
Our final dinner was in Triton's with the 'Till We Meet Again Menu.

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I started with the gruyere cheese soufflé. Oh my goodness! This was amazing! This was a new dish for me, and I really hope its on the menu in the future.

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The kids both had the marinated shrimp.

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James skipped the appetizer portion and went straight for the main course. He had the beef tenderloin.

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I had the roasted venison. This was a tad undercooked for my tastes. However, it had a lovely flavor.

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Here is a final look at our incredible dining team. In my opinion, having an extraordinary dining team is one of the most critical elements of having a great cruise. These gentlemen made this cruise one of our favorites.

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After splurging so much today, the kids opted to skip the main course and went straight from appetizer to dessert.

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Emily had the Rocky Road Sundae.

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Jimmy, who was disappointed not to find Baked Alaska (his usual final dessert of a cruise) on the menu, decided to make his own. He ordered the lemon cake and...

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vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry ice cream.
He said it was an acceptable substitute.

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I had the warm banana bread pudding, which was fantastic, and...

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and the caramel apple cheesecake. This, too, was good. Just not as good as the pudding. James had his usual bowl of ice cream.

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I had to throw in this picture. This was Patricia, an honorary member of our dining team. She, along with server Jude, served us lunch nearly every day that we ate in Triton's. She, too, helped make this cruise special.

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Levi and Putu being silly.

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Finally, here is a photo of our amazing tablemates. They asked to remain nameless in this report but gave me permission to post their picture. They, too, were another critical component in making our experience as positive as it was. Thank you for making our evening meals so much fun!

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We left Triton's and stuck around the atrium to watch a mini-encore performance by Chuck Wagner. As expected, he was fabulous once again. At the end of his performance, one of the singers from ABBA Fab joined him in a duet from Into the Woods. These are two incredibly talented men.

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Here I am with The Beast himself.

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We finished in the atrium and returned to our cabin. We said goodbye to Nan and showered so that we wouldn't have to deal with it in the morning. This was harder than it sounded because the ship was REALLY rocking! Tonight the simple act of washing was more like a white-water adventure.

Once cleaned up, the kids skittered off to their clubs to soak in a few more hours of fun. James and I returned to the atrium (or above it, at least) to catch the See You Real Soon show.

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We then went to Azure to watch comedian, Wayne Cotter. He was on our last PC cruise, and his act was nearly identical to the one we'd seen before, but we still enjoyed him. He is one funny man.

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After Wayne's performance, we stuck around Azure for a game called 80's Flashback. There weren't many adults out tonight because most people were packing, so the two teams were fairly small. This made it easier to decide on our answers to questions. It also required the same few people to participate in all of the audience participation portions of the game. I got to be one of those people.

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Here's my team preparing to demonstrate The Cabbage Patch.

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Here I am preparing to attempt to Moon Walk. Thank you Gary Lovini for demonstrating this move earlier in the cruise!

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In the end, our team won 80's Flashback. Woo hoo! It was a fun game - the perfect way to end our cruise. We left Azure and began the chore of collecting our riled up children. Emily was very sad to leave the Oceaneer Club. In fact, she was the last to go.

We returned her wrist band at precisely midnight and finally made it back to our cabin. The ship was still rockin' and rollin'. We were all feeling a little queasy. Maybe splurging so much today hadn't been such a great idea. Fortunately, once we got in bed, the queasiness subsided and the waves rocked us all quickly to sleep.

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Up Next: All Ashore who's going ashore!
 
Sunday, May 7, Disembarkation

An honest-to-goodness miracle occurred this morning. The alarm clock we'd set for 6:30am not only went off, but (most of) my family actually woke to it! If you read my previous trip report, you know this has never happened before at the end of a cruise.


The kids asked for a final photo of the menagerie. That's a lot of towel animals.
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Someone didn't want to get up.

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This one was up, but I wouldn't exactly call her functional.

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Eventually, I roused them all, and we were ready to say goodbye to our cabin. They were sad...

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until I promised them that we'd be back next spring (or sooner ;) )

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At 7am we took our luggage with us to Triton's. We left our bags outside by the piano (as directed by a CM) and went inside. From the two other times we actually woke early enough to have a sit-down breakfast on disembarkation day, we knew to expect it to feel rushed and a tad chaotic.

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I had the Chef's Farewell, a bowl of fruit, and a blueberry muffin. Emily joined me in having the Chef's Farewell. I really enjoyed the barbeque chicken.

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Jimmy had a bagel and a cheese omelet.

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James had a bagel, a ham and cheese omelet, bacon, and a hash brown, which he turned into a giant breakfast sandwich.

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Here was the view of the port of San Diego from the porthole alongside our table. It was raining on and off throughout breakfast.

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The food was good and satisfying. We were also happy to share one final meal with our tablemates.

The only negative part of the meal was when the kids decided they needed to use the restroom. Thank goodness I accompanied them. Several of the people in line acted like we were evil fiends trying to steal their place in line as we made our way to the bathroom. For some, it seemed, the Disney magic was already gone. :(
 
Jimmy decided to take a nap while he waited for Emily to come out of the bathroom.

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When we finished eating, we discovered the biggest advantage of having breakfast in Triton's on the last day. Englebert, the head server, walked us out of the front of the restaurant and to our luggage beside the piano, placing us near the front of the line to exit the ship. This was definitely a first for us. Usually we tried to remain on the ship as long as possible, but this was rather nice, too.

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It took a while longer than we'd expected before we were allowed to disembark. However, once we did, we were through customs in a snap.

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Though it was sprinkling outside, we decided to skip the free shuttle and walk to our hotel, the Hampton Inn San Diego Downtown. It was about a two and a half block walk.

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Within minutes, we reached the Hampton Inn San Diego Downtown.

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www.hhonors.com

At check in, we were informed that there was only one room available, and it was given to us. Hurray! I guess it pays to get off the ship early. That, and James' Hilton Diamond status. Our room had a king-sized bed and a sofa bed. We quickly made ourselves at home.

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This was the view from our window.

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While the hotel was still offering breakfast downstairs, we decided to grab a few snacks for later. On our way to the elevator, Emily wanted to take a picture of the artwork.

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From the breakfast area, I took a bowl of fruit, a couple slices of poppy bread, and mango-flavored water.

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Emily took a chocolate pastry and a bowl of fruit.

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The boys each snagged a bagel.

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When we returned to the room, Emily began begging for us to take her to the park across the street. So, James, Emily, and I headed out. Jimmy, claiming to be too tired, stayed behind with the TV.

This was Emily's favorite art sculpture at the park.

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What a gorgeous view!

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We all liked this little nook. It was like a human-sized fairy house.

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Emily loved the early spring flowers.

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We left the garden and entered the playground. This was the part of being in San Diego that Emily had been waiting for.

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While Emily and James played, I took a stroll along the port. *Sigh* I missed her already.

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Another beautiful ship - The Star of India.

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It began to rain, so I headed back to the park. Emily wanted me to take another picture. The blur in the middle of the photo was a rain drop. The rain was falling heavier by the minute, so despite Emily's protestations, we headed back to the hotel.

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Shortly after we returned to our room, the rain slowed again. So, we decided it would be a good time to grab lunch. Leaving the kids in the room, James and I walked half a block to the Jack-in-the-Box on the corner.

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Jimmy only wanted onion rings.

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Emily and I each had a spicy chicken sandwich, which turned out to be quite spicy. It was perfect for me, but a bit too much for Em. More for me! Luckily, we'd also gotten a few orders of French fries, which tided Emily over nicely.

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James had a double bacon cheeseburger.

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After lunch, Emily retired to the tiny bed she'd made for herself in the closet. She does this at every hotel we stay at. She made it into a her own private playhouse.

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This was when we also remembered the sparkling cider we'd received on the cruise from guest services. We'd forgotten about it until I started packing. When we tried to open it, we discovered it wasn't a twist-top. We needed a bottle opener. Hampton Inn to the rescue!

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We shared a toast to another successful vacation behind us.

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We spent the rest of the day being couch potatoes, while the rain continued to fall outside. Not exactly how we'd hoped to spend our day in San Diego, but Mother Nature didn't cooperate. Instead of exploring, we watched Iron Man 2 and 3, Brave, and Frozen. At 4pm we heard the muster drill taking place on the Wonder *Sigh*

We went to bed early because we had a very early morning ahead of us.

Up Next: Heading home, sweet home
 
I feel a wistfulness reading this, but I realize as I read it that you are about to cruise again.. lol
 

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