SUNNY DELIGHT
Want some Caribbean sun or Latin American adventures? This Panama cruise offers up both, and then some…
As the tender sped towards a blaze of crushed-white Bahamian sand lapped by turquoise sea, a fellow
Brit riding near me let out a huge sigh, then a single word: ‘Wow!’
It was our first morning aboard the MS Zuiderdam and, for the next six hours, we’d swim, go beachcombing and soak up the sun while sampling a rainbow of cocktails. Best of all, we didn’t have to share Half Moon Cay with anyone, as the cruise company owns the island!
We’d boarded our cruise ship with around 2,000 fellow passengers in
Fort Lauderdale, Florida, the day before, then spent the first few hours familiarising ourselves with its layout: the numerous restaurants, bars and shops; the two pools, theatre and impressive gym; plus the blues club and classical music venue.
Following our visit to Half Moon Cay, the next couple of days provided plenty of other beach opportunities, with stops on Aruba and Curaçao. In between these sorties, we sunbathed on deck. The sea was calm, the weather set to perfect and the sky a pastel baby blue, through which frigate birds and pelicans executed perfectly choreographed flypasts.
Then we were just a slingshot from Cartagena, Colombia, perhaps the prettiest city in South America. In its colonial walled centre – a UNESCO World Heritage Site – we strolled under wooden balconies erupting with bougainvillea and sat in vibrant squares, such as Plaza Santo Domingo, which hummed with street life and alfresco cafes. We also discovered the city’s favourite landmark: a bronze statue by Colombian sculptor Fernando Botero of a bountiful reclining lady whose rear had been tapped for good luck so often it was buffed to the colour of gold.
At 6am the next day, early risers were on deck, some even raising Champagne flutes, as we entered the enormous locks providing access to the 50-mile Panama Canal that connects the Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific. With only a foot to spare on either side of the ship, the Zuiderdam was raised 80 feet in a staircase of three locks and was soon sailing the glassy waters of the vast Gatún Lake.
Now in Panama, we took an excursion to the Chagres National Park. Here, we boarded a dug-out canoe, captained by a heavily tattooed man dressed solely in a thong, who steered us to a village inhabited by the indigenous Emberá.
The next few hours gave us a glimpse into the everyday world of these friendly people who live in raised thatched huts on the riverbank with only jaguars, pumas and crocodiles for company. Over a fish and plantain lunch, we learned of their determination to continue their ancient culture, light years removed from TVS, smartphones and the internet.
Back on the Zuiderdam, our evenings revolved around the elegant Dining Room, which oozes old-fashioned grace and courtesy. We also made occasional visits to Canaletto, which serves Italian favourites, and the upmarket Pinnacle Grill, with its Washington State steak and Alaskan salmon. And we invariably ended up at the blues club where BB King’s All Stars had everyone dancing.
Our final port of call was Puerto Limón in Costa Rica. On an Eco Adventure outing we spent 45 spellbound minutes inching along the copper-coloured Tortuguero Canal in a flat-bottomed boat. Around every bend was a new discovery: a pregnant sloth snoozing in a tree; a dazzling great white egret tiptoeing the riverbank; darting humming birds; and a blue heron spearing the water’s surface as it hunted.
Sadly, when we moved on to the Veragua Rainforest, the beauty of the setting was marred by a crocodile of coach parties shuffling around the various habitats. Unless you’re into frogs, toads and snakes, I’d stick to the canal trip (though the butterflies were gorgeous).
At breakfast on our last day at sea, a woman from Arizona summed up the lure of cruising perfectly: ‘When we go
on holiday, we want it to be stress-free. Who needs stress on holiday? Your hotel comes with you, so there’s no packing or unpacking. Your only decisions are where to eat and which excursions to take.’
There are so many cruise companies to choose from and they offer some of the best value you’ll find when it comes to holidaying (remember, you’re getting three meals a day thrown in), but do also factor in the £11.50pp a day charge for crew tips (thoroughly deserved!) and the price of excursions. Drinks in the bars were reasonably priced (£7 for a Bombay Gin and tonic), though for wine at meals, the cheapest bottle was around £27.
The cruise is worth every penny, as you get the balm of the Caribbean sun with the adventure of a Latin American taster all in one hit. By Paul Gogerty
GO WITH Holland America’s 11-Day Panama Canal Sunfarer cruise costs from £1,338pp, excluding flights (hollandamerica.com)