Friday, 29 November 2024

Tucson

Will and I are finally getting everything together for our upcoming trip--which begins in five days. We start with a two-day visit with my brother and his wife in Austin, Texas, and then move to Miami for our Oceania cruise to Peru.

As a reminder, here is the complete itinerary, with some changes and additions since I first posted it about a month ago.

Oceania Cruise:  Maya & Inca Discovery

Wed   04 Dec  08:00am  lv Tucson (MVRV) 

                        09:45am  av Phoenix (PHX)

                        12:40pm  lv Phoenix (PHX) / Southwest #0554  

                        03:45pm  av Austin (AUS) / Steve & Akiko Laban

Thu   05 Dec                   Austin

Fri    06 Dec    12:15pm  lv Austin (AUS) / Southwest #0510

                        03:50pm  av Miami (MIA) / Regency Miami Airport by Sonesta

Sat    07 Dec    11:00am  E-Life Car to Cruiseport

                         11:30am  Embark Oceania ms Marina (14 nights) / "Maya & Inca Discovery" / Concierge Veranda Stateroom 9057

                         06:00pm  ms Marina Sails from Miami    

 

Sun   08 Dec                    Day at Sea

Mon  09 Dec  09:00am  Av Costa Maya, Mexico

         10:00am  Viator Excursion: Chacchoben Day Trip

         06:00pm  Lv Costa Maya

         08:00pm  Dinner: Red Ginger (Specialty Restaurant)

Tue  10 Dec  08:00am  Av Harvest Caye, Belize

                         09:30am  Shore Excursion: Placencia Lagoon Wildlife & Mangrove

                         06:00pm  Lv Harvest Caye

Wed 11 Dec  07:00am  Av Roatan, Honduras

                         09:00am  Shore Excursion: The Best of the West in Roatan

                         05:00pm  Lv Roatan

Thu 12 Dec                       Day at Sea

                         08:00pm  Dinner: Jacque's (Specialty Restaurant)

Fri   13 Dec     08:00am  Av Puerto Limon, Costa Rica

        08:30am Shore Excursion: Veragua Rain Forest and Aerial Tram

                        05:00pm  Lv Puerto Limon

Sat    14 Dec                    Panama Canal Transit

                        08:00pm  Av Panama City (overnight)

Sun   15 Dec   07:00am  Shore Excursion (L): Highlights of Panama City

                        08:00am  Shore Excursion (W): Two Oceans by Railroad

Mon   16 Dec                   Day at Sea

Tue    17 Dec  08:00am   Av Manta, Ecuador      

        08:30am  Viator Excursion: Manta's highlights and Montecristi Hats

                        08:00pm   Dinner: Toscana (Specialty Restaurant)

Wed  18 Dec                   Day at Sea

        08:00pm Dinner:  Polo Grill (Specialty Restaurant)

Thu  19 Dec    07:00am  Av Salaverry, Peru

                        11:00am  Shore Excursion: Colonial Houses

                        05:00pm  Lv Salaverry

Fri    20 Dec    10:00am  Av Lima, Peru

                        11:00am  Shore Excursion: Lima Highlights

Sa     21 Dec    06:00am Disembark ms Marina

         09:55am Lv Lima (LIM) / Lantam #2037

                         11:15am  Av Cusco, Peru (CUS) / Hilton Garden Inn 

                                       

Sun   22 Dec                   Cusco

Mon  23 Dec                   Cusco

                        05:00am  Viator (L): Machu Picchu Day Trip  

Tue    24 Dec  10:30am  Lv Cusco (CUS) / Lantam #2018

                        12:00nn   Av Lima (LIM) / Costa del Sol Wyndham Lima Airport

                        09:00pm  Andean Royalty Taxi to Airport  

Wed  25 Dec   12:50am  Lv Lima (LIM) / Lantam-Delta #6549, Premium Business Class

                        06:55am  Av Los Angeles (LAX)

                        11:20am  Lv Los Angeles / Delta #3951, 1st Class

                        12:53pm  Av Phoenix (PHX)

                        02:45pm  Lv Phoenix (PHX) / Groome Shuttle       

                        04:15pm  Av Tucson (Tiffany Loop)

Oceania ms Marina

Guests: 1,250 / Staff: 800

Built: 2011 / Refurbished: 2024

Tonnage: 66,084 / Length: 784.95 feet

Concierge Veranda Stateroom Amenities

Veranda Stateroom Amenities

•  Tranquility Bed, an Oceania Cruises exclusive, with 1,000-thread-count linens
• Complimentary soft drinks replenished daily in your refrigerated mini-bar
• Complimentary still & sparkling Vero Water
• Private teak veranda
• Luxury bath amenities
• Room service menu 24 hours a day
• Twice-daily maid service
• Gourmet chocolates with turndown service
• Interactive television system with on-demand movies, weather and more
• Wireless Internet access and cellular service
• Writing desk and stationery
• Plush cotton towels
• Thick cotton robes and slippers
• Handheld hair dryer
• Security safe

Additional Concierge Veranda Stateroom Amenities

• Expanded lunch and dinner room service menu from The Grand Dining Room
• Complimentary laundry service – up to 3 bags per stateroom 
• Exclusive card-only access to private Concierge Lounge staffed by a dedicated Concierge featuring complimentary soft drinks, coffees and snacks throughout the day
• Complimentary welcome bottle of Champagne
• Priority online specialty restaurant reservations
• Unlimited access to the Aquamar Spa Terrace
• Complimentary Oceania Cruises logo tote bag
• Cashmere lap blankets, perfect for relaxing on your veranda
• Complimentary pressing of garmets upon embarkation 
• Complimentary shoeshine service

This will be my 34th ocean cruise since 2007, and Will's 15th. I previously sailed through the Panama Canal in April 2013 on Holland America's ms Veendam. That 18-day cruise took me from Valparaiso, Chile, to Ft Lauderdale, sailing through the canal from the Pacific to the Atlantic. This will be Will's first sailing through the canal; it will take the opposite direction, sailing from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Additionally, in 2013 the new, larger locks of the canal were still under construction; today the old and new locks are fully operational. Because the ms Marina is a smaller ship, we will sail through the old locks, hopefully with good views of the new ones.

We have both sailed on ms Marina once before, a 14-day Mediterranean cruise in 2014. This will be my eighth cruise on Oceania, and Will's fourth.