There’s a natural allure to the world’s wonders, I think. Manmade or natural, the awe of the spectacles is real. Sometimes books and videos are not enough to quell the curiosity. For me one of these is the Panama Canal. So we decided to check it out for real.

Our excursion begins a mere 7 days after our winter migration is over. We leave Florida (by train as you may know) and are in Canada exactly one week; there’s a lot to squish into a week when you know you’re off again imminently. Priority one is always my folks, but other errands and priorities weigh in, too.

Flying out of Toronto is never a pleasure, and the weather (cold, rainy and generally nasty) means probable delays. We are heading to Ft Lauderdale to spend a night before we embark on the Island Princess. Pearson is busy. The people who think that travel is slow are misinformed. The airport and our flight are full.

The flight was, as expected, delayed by 35 minutes and we can see the driving rain pummel the tarmac. Once on board we settle in and the Captain informs us that he will make up some time. En route we experienced quite a bit of turbulence; luckily it’s a short flight. Only 3 hours.

We land in Ft Lauderdale and immediately feel the warmth. A can takes us to our hotel and we quickly get to bed. It’s almost 9:30 pm and a day in transit has taken its toll. The next day will be another full day of getting settled into our “home” for the next couple of weeks.

I arrange an Uber to pick us up and make a couple of stops before getting to the ship. First stop: a new Yeti for Rudy (he left his other 4 water bottles at home 🤣). Second stop: refill Rudy’s cannabis prescription as we don’t travel with anything like that. Final stop: the Island Princess.

The embarkation process is super quick and easy. We are informed that the cabin will be ready at 1:30 pm. It’s 11:30 am so we grab a seat and a cocktail.

Our cabin is D517 (the 9th floor Dolphin Deck). It’s a mini suite and we are very happy with the accommodation.

We enjoy the inter coastal view from our balcony and watch the water craft of every size and description coast by. Everything from small fishing boats to mega yachts to pontoons to commercial touring boats. And then suddenly a loud booming noise crashes into the otherwise peaceful scenery. We look up and around only to find a group of fighter jets swooping in.

It was a spectacular private air show. Wow. What a start to our adventure on the high seas!

Our dinner reservations are for 5 pm. A table for four arranged by our travelling companions awaits. But first, a welcome aboard pre dinner drink is in order.

The ship is older and smaller but it has a feeling of elegance and dignity. The common areas are beautifully decorated and full of natural light.

After dinner we are lured to our bed another transit day has sapped our energy.

The next two days are spent at sea. Eating, relaxing, strolling, eating, being entertained, drinking, sleeping, eating, reading … ahhhhh.

We make our way to Cartagena Colombia.