Cruisin'

Thanks to Panama for having free WiFi all over the country for anyone to use, but it is too slow for pictures, so next time.  I have to say that we are having a good time on this cruise in that we have good dining companions, good food, and some lectures which is new in our cruising.  Notice, I did not say good lectures…they have been interesting to some degree, I just wish that they were more informative about the ports for people who are not going on excursions.  I know that half the point is for the cruise lines to make it clear that you can’t get along in a port without them, but come on, they can’t take all 1600 of us with them.  We did not want to do another excursion since the one in Citavecchia left such a bad taste in our mouth, but you can’t get off the boat in the Panama Canal at all unless you are on an excursion.  I do want to see Old Panama City and watch a boat go through the locks, so we’re going to give it another whirl.  In asking about the different tours available to us, we have found that even the Princess staff don’t know a thing about the places that we are going.  I don’t understand how you can man the tour excursion desk and not have been on these trips, or know the destinations at all.  The woman that we talked to didn’t know the difference between the Unesco site of Old Panama which is ruined by Sir Henry Morgan (yes, Captain Morgan) and the old city that still exists.  Hello, these people are supposed to help me make an informed decision.