Theme Cruise to the Panama Canal – Episode 113

categories: central america travel

Panama Canal Cruise

Chris (The Amateur Traveler himself) talks about his recent themed cruise (Shakespeare at Sea / MacMania) on the Holland America ship the ms Volendam to the Panama Canal with stops at Half Moon Cay (private island), Aruba, Curaçao, and Costa Rica.

A quick two-week spin around the western Caribbean that included lounging on a private island, kayaking, and sightseeing in Aruba, sailing and snorkeling a shallow wreck in Curaçao, transiting the Panama Canal, and exploring the rainforest in Costa Rica.

click here to download (mp3)
click here to download (iTunes enhanced)

Show Notes

Episode 19 – Cruising – Formal or Barefoot?
Episode 37 – Ashland Oregon’s Shakespeare Festival
Insight Cruises
10 day Panama cruise itinerary
Shakespeare at Sea I
Shakespeare at Sea I – Speakers / Actors
MacMania 7 Cruise
MacMania 7 Cruise – Speakers
David Pogue’s review of the Sanyo’s Xacti E1 (underwater camera)
ms Volendam cruise ship
Half Moon Cay private island
Aruba
Curaçao
Curaçao
ShoreTrips.com
Panama
Panama Canal Map
Sir Ronald Ross theorized that mosquitoes carry Yellow Fever
Walter Reed
William Gorgas surgeon major for the U.S. of the Panama Canal zone
Richard Halliburton (swam the canal)
Costa Rica
Theme Cruises

News

Internet Resources

Tourist Remover

Community

Sherry will turn 60 while treking in Nepal
Andrew was also on a cruise in the Panama Canal
Should we have an Amateur Traveler trip? When? Where?

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Chris Christensen

by Chris Christensen

Chris Christensen is the creator of the Amateur Traveler blog and podcast. He has been a travel creator since 2005 and has won awards including being named the "Best Independent Travel Journalist" by Travel+Leisure Magazine.

4 Responses to “Theme Cruise to the Panama Canal – Episode 113”

Nan

Says:

Hi Chris-

I see that you were recently on the Volendam with “Rev. Neal”. Were you aware that he was posting photographs of passengers who were not dressed “appropriately in his eyes”?

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=654783

Right around page 13, he posted the pics. Some were thankfully deleted by the moderator, but some were not. It created quite the stir on Cruise Critic. I referred to his actions as “despicable”, and many, many posters agreed.

Just wanted to give you a heads-up in case any of these folks are friends of yours…. they might not want their images on the internet in the form of a “joke” and castigation from the Rev.

NoNoNanette

chris2x

Says:

Thanks for the heads up. All the people who I hung out with dress a little more upscale than this. 🙂

RevNeal

Says:

Dear Chris,

It WAS a great cruise aboard the Volendam, wasn’t it? If you’d like to see my photos from this cruise, as well as a video I produced of the passage through the canal, check out my photo page here:

http://homepage.mac.com/revneal/volendam2007/Menu234.html

I noticed the reference to me by “NoNoNanette.” It might be helpful to know that I did NOT go around the ship specifically photographing people; instead, I simply posted cropped out-takes of underdressed people who had wandered into the backgrounds and sides of other photos that we were taking. I posted these because there are people who will deny that people ever dress so poorly during Formal Evenings aboard HAL ships. These photos were not taken, nor posted, with an intent to ridicule … despite how they were characterized.

As for how one knows that these people were “under-dressed” … the HAL dress code is clear, yet these people were wearing shorts and t-shirts on Formal Nights in the Main Dining Room and elsewhere around ship. And, in all cases, faces are obscured. There was no attempt to ridicule anyone (well, not by me … I was viciously attacked, name-called, and ridiculed in response to this).

Emily

Says:

I dont usually comment, but after reading through so much info I had to say thanks

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