The

Friday, 25 October 2024

Tucson, Arizona

To My LFLatSea Companions and 

Friends Far and Near:

Over five months have passed since you last heard from LFLatSEA, and nearly seven months since Will and I set sail on Oceania’s ms Sirena from Miami to the island of Gran Canaria in Spain. Since we returned from that six-week trip to Spain, Morocco, and Britain, we have been enjoying our quiet life with friends and family in Tucson.

But the summer heat, with its record number of days when temperatures climbed over 100 degrees, is fading and our wanderlusts have returned. Will and I have planned a three week trip starting in early December. But before we sail off together, I will be taking a much shorter sea trip at the very start of November.

I'll first outline our major journey in December. On 4 December we fly from Phoenix to Austin, TX, for a two-day visit with my brother, Steve, and sister-in-law, Akiko. Blog readers may recall that I saw Akiko in Osaka a year ago on my trip to Japan and So Korea. But I haven’t seen my brother for a much longer time.

From Austin we fly to Miami on 6 November, where the next day we board Oceania’s ms Marina for a two-week cruise through the Panama Canal to Lima, Peru. From Lima we fly to Cusco for four days, which will include a one-day trip to Machu Picchu. We fly home, Lima-Los Angeles-Phoenix, on Christmas Day.

Maya & Inca Discovery

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

                        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: 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 Ride 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.

As in previous blogs I will post pre-departure photos of the ports I have visited on other cruises.

Classic California Coast

Fri   01 Nov     10:55am  lv Tucson (TUS) / Southwest #1292

                        12:20pm  av San Diego (SAN) / DoubleTree by Hilton San Diego Downtown

Sat  02 Nov     11:00am  Embark Holland America ms Koningsdam (7 nights) / "Classic California Coast" / Veranda Stateroom 6126

                        05:00pm  ms Koningsdam sails from San Diego 

Sun 03 Nov 07:00am Av Avalon, Catalina Island

                        09:15am GYG Excursion: Two-Hour Inside Adventure Tour 

03:30pm Shore Excursion:  Catalina Seal Rock Safari Small-Group Tour

05:00pm  Lv Avalon

Mon  04 Nov           Day at Sea

Tue  05 Nov 09:00am Av San Francisco (overnight)

Wed  06 Nov 10:00pm   Lv San Francisco

Thu  07 Nov            Day at Sea

Fri  08 Nov 08:00am Av Ensenada, Mexico

10:00am Shore Excursion: Ensenada City & Shopping

05:00pm Lv Ensenada

Sat  09 Nov 07:00am Av San Diego (Cruiseport)

09:00am  Disembarkation  

12:00nn Dollar Rental Car (SAN) 

12:30pm Lv San Diego (SAN)

I-5 N from Car Rental

I-5 N from Wasington Street / 1.1 miles

Follow I-5 N to US-101 N / 116 miles

Take exit 1A from US-101

Take E 4th St to E 4th Pl to E 3rd St to Flower Street / 2.3 miles

Hotel will be on the right

04:00pm Av Los Angeles / Westin Bonaventure Hotel  

Sun 10 Nov           Los Angeles

Mon 11 Nov         Los Angeles 

11:00am Academy Museum of Motion Pictures 

Tue 12 Nov 10:00am Return Dollar Rental Car (LAX)

  01:05pm   Lv Los Angeles (LAX) / Southwest #0055  

  03:30pm Av Tucson (TUS)

Holland America ms Koningsdam

Guests: 2,650 / Staff: 1,036  

Built: 2016 

Tonnage: 99,500 / Length: 975 feet

This will be my 21st Holland America cruise since 2007, and the shortest since the very first cruise (my longest HAL voyage has been 28 days). I previously sailed on the Koningsdam in October 2016, shortly after her maiden voyage. Originally planned for 12 days, from Rome to Barcelona, my cruise lasted only ten days, from Rome to Cartagena, Spain, where I was carted off to hospital for 12 twelve days for hip replacement surgery. If you are one of the few blog readers who hasn't seen all the details, you may link back to October 2016 at the bottom of this page.

I have just one week left to get ready for this cruise and I will be very busy. You may expect to hear from me again on 1 November, as I fly from Tucson to San Diego.