Tour Managers Tales

Hello everyone, have been at home a week now, the laundry is all done just the ironing to do. Will be heading to Bristol this weekend, meet up with friends, and enjoy the wonderful Christmas Market. Going to be at home for a while, not heading back to work until March, then its off to the greatest place in the world (after Scotland) ..... New Zealand, really looking forward to it.  The Panama Canal cruise was great, visited some diverse ports, my favourite was San Juan del Sur in Nicaragua. But the overall experience of transiting the Panama Canal was as always an exciting and interesting day, all the cruise ships that go through, give a narration so no one misses a thing, from the size of the engines on the tugs to the crocodiles bathing in the sun, there is of course at the moment the building of a new super channel that will be able to take the larger ships, it is good to see the work progressing and hopefully will be completed in a few years.  I have posted a photo bel

Unbelievable ........  I am lost for words.

Hello from a very warm and humid San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua. Docked here for the day, a nice quiet little fishing town, with some great food... Lobster and shrimp are the best and the local beer Tona only a $1. Excellent value for money .. just a bit difficult to get to for a night out !! At sea until Sunday when we arrive in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. Nicaragua Population: 5.8 million - Capital: Managua - Area: 120,254 sq km Officially the Republic of Nicaragua, is the largest country in Central America. Nicaragua is bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. Nicaragua is located at the centre of the Central American isthmus that forms a land bridge between North and South America. The country's physical geography divides it into three major zones: Pacific lowlands, wet, cooler central highlands, and the Caribbean Lowlands. On the Pacific side of the country are the two largest fresh water lakes in Central America—Lake Managua and Lake Nicaragu

Hi Everyone, having a great time, stopped in Aruba a few days ago, and yesterday was in Cartagena, Colombia, a fine old Colonial City. Today a nice relaxing day as we pass through the Panama Canal. The weather has been too great but is very warm and humid, there was a fantastic storm last night that lasted for a couple of hours some brilliant flashes of lightning. Here are some facts all about the Canal. Catch you again soon. Panama Canal Travelling through the Canal The canal consists of dredged approaches and three sets of locks at each end; Gatún Lake, one of the largest artificially created bodies of water in the world; and the excavated portion of the crossing, called Gaillard Cut. At Gatún, on the Atlantic side, the locks form continuous steps; on the Pacific side, a small lake (Miraflores) separates the middle and upper locks. Because the Isthmus of Panama extends east-west, a ship sailing from the Atlantic to the Pacific through the canal actually travels from nort

Hello, what a lovely day here in Miami, sunny and a high expected of 80 degrees. We Depart from Miami later this morning for the short transfer to Fort Lauderdale and join the beautiful Coral Princess for a 14 day cruise to Los Angels via the Panama Canal. The first port is Aruba, a fantastic port some great bars and restaurants right beside the dock. Here is today's Update.   Destination Daily The Awe-Inspiring Panama  Canal Miami to Fort Lauderdale, boarding Coral Princess 8 th November 2011 Fort Lauderdale Incorporated on March 27, 1911, the City of Fort Lauderdale is situated on the south-east coast of Florida, centrally located between Miami and Palm Beach. Encompassing more than 33 square miles with a population of nearly 180,000, Fort Lauderdale is the largest of Broward County's 30 municipalities and the seventh largest city in Florida. Embraced by the Atlantic Ocean, New River and a myriad of scenic inland waterways, Fort Lauderdale truly l

Hello everyone, just returned from another great California with a really nice bunch of folks. Laundry is done and re packed, and now on my way to Miami, Florida. Taking a cruise through the Panama Canal, and finish in Los Angeles. below is the information from today's Destination Daily.   Miami No city in the United States has evolved into as many disparate identities in so short a time as has Miami. A bit more than a hundred years ago this former Spanish settlement, located along the Miami River where it spills into Biscayne Bay (now the center of the city of Miami), attracted neither interest nor population. That's understandable since up until that point, the only way to reach Miami was by boat. That changed in 1896, when financier Henry Flagler extended his new Florida East Coast Railroad south from its previous terminus at West Palm Beach. By the turn of the 20th century the first of Miami's real estate booms was underway, a pattern that continued unabated