I'm Outnumbered! Parenting Alone Through The Panama Canal (EBPC 2017)

[arielmomma]

 

[arielmomma]

Here's my plate.



Emily's plate







Lunch was good. We ate our food then left Cabana's to wander the upper decks.



Yes, ladies and gentlemen. My daughter got a popsicle and a hot cocoa - silly girl!



The popsicle melted very quickly in the heat.





So quickly that Emily ended up a sticky mess and we had to return to the cabin to wash up.

 

[arielmomma]

Jimmy was awake now and ready for breakfast. So, once again, we headed off to eat. This time, we went to Triton's.



I was full, but since I was here, I ordered the Portobello Mushroom Carpaccio. This was SO good, especially the cheese. Emily sampled it and had to order one for herself.



I also ordered a macadamia nut brownie pie.



Jimmy went straight for dessert. He ordered a sundae....



and the cherry crepes.



Emily joined me in having the macadamia nut brownie pie. You can see how she felt about it.





Emily also ordered a side of vanilla ice cream.



This is Emily's "I'm so full but everything tastes so good I can't stop myself from eating" face.

 

[arielmomma]

We left Triton's before Emily made herself sick from overeating. We went to the atrium so that Jimmy and I could play Chip It Golf. Emily wasn't old enough to play, so she acted as caddy for the players.







Neither Jimmy or I came close to winning, but we had fun. I was simply happy to have scored a point. The only one of us to walk away with a prize was Emily. The CM running the game gave her a DCL ball cap for being such a great caddy.



She loved her gift!



Outside, the skies had let loose and the kids couldn't resist the opportunity to play in the rain. So they donned their swimwear and we headed to the upper decks.



While they got drenched, I helped myself to a complimentary mango smoothie. It was wonderful!



It wasn't long before Jimmy realized he needed more in his belly than just dessert, so he got himself some pepperoni pizza.

 

[arielmomma]

Emily went on a hunt for popsicles. As you can see, the rain was really coming down. There was standing water everywhere.



After a bit of work, Emily tracked down her prize.



She was kind enough to get one for her brother, too.





Then it was off again to play in the rain.





They used the benches as water slides.



Where was I while they got drenched? I remained semi-dry under one of the awnings that was added after the Wonder's refurbishment. These were a excellent additions!



I didn't stay dry for too long, however. Not once the kids discovered that the basketball court had become a makeshift slip and slide. Kids ranging in age from toddlers to older teens were slipping and sliding and squealing with joy all while the CM's manning the cookie station cheered them on.



By the time the kids wore themselves out, the rain had begun to slow. It was just a tease, though. It rained pretty heavily for the rest of the day.

 

[arielmomma]

We returned to our cabin where the kids cleaned up and got ready to go to dance class. Today we learned the Tango. We were much better at this than were the Foxtrot. From dance we went to another Vibe open house. Emily joined Jimmy and I this time. The kids played Guitar Hero until it was time to go to dinner.





Tonight we were Tiana's Place with the Panama Canal Menu.







Emily started with buttered asparagus...



and the smoked salmon napoleon. She didn't care for this.



Jimmy started with the steamed crab legs...



and the smoked bacon tartlet.

 

[arielmomma]

For his main course, Jimmy had a double serving of the crab legs appetizer.



I had the morel mushroom pasta with chicken. The sauce on this is amazing!



Emily had the lobster tail.



Emily's dinnertime artwork.



For dessert, I had a double portion of the tres leches. I love this! Mmmm!



Emily had the churros.



While Jimmy had a simple bowl of chocolate ice cream.



After dinner, we made our way to the Walt Disney Theater for the Crew Talent Show. This is Jimmy's favorite show offered on all of our Panama Canal Cruises. As always, the crew did not disappoint. What a talented group of people!



After dinner, the kids skittered off to the Oceaneer Lab open house while I walked off dinner on deck 4. When the open house ended, the kids returned to the cabin to watch TV and dip into their Halloween candy.



While I, on the other hand, went to see Thor: Ragnorok again. I think I enjoyed it even more the second time.

movpins.com

By the time I returned to the cabin it was 1am. We all got ready for bed and settled in for the night. What a busy day it had been crossing into the Atlantic Ocean!



Up Next...A Pirate's Life for Me!

 

[arielmomma]

Day 12, Sunday, November 5, 2017, Cartagena, Columbia

The roar of the ship's engine woke me at 8am as we pulled into the port of Cartagena. I tried to go back to sleep to no avail, so I laid in bed and watched TV on my tablet. When the kids eventually woke, we slid right into pirate mode.





Emily only put on part of her costume for now.



By the time we left the cabin, the restaurants were serving lunch. We went straight to Triton's.



While we waited for our food, Emily built tableware sculptures.



To start, Emily had a bowl of French fries.



For his starter and main course, Jimmy had a double order of beef skewers.



I had the cobb salad.



For her main course, Emily had the farfalle pasta.



Jimmy ended up not caring for his skewer this time, so he also ordered the children's barbecue pizza.

 

[arielmomma]

For dessert, Jimmy ordered the sundae and Emily had the chocolate raspberry cheesecake tart.



None of our meals were particularly good in Triton's today. We were still hungry when we left. So we headed up to Cabana's.

Emily got barbecued ribs, sautéed mushrooms, and strawberry ice cream.



Jimmy had a bowl of rainbow sherbet...



and a single rib.



I had sautéed mushrooms, a couple of French fries, sautéed zucchini, a chicken tender, tres leches, sautéed shrimp, and a rib. Everything was delicious!



Emily also had a bowl of fruit...



and a few French fries, including this monster. That was one big potato!



I also joined the kids having a bit of ice cream.

 

[arielmomma]

Emily and Jimmy weren't quite done eating yet. We also had to hit the soft-serve ice cream machine on deck.





This is when Jimmy parted ways with Emily and I. While Em and I went to the Buena Vista Theater to watch Beauty and the Beast, Jimmy went to deck 4 to watch the waves and listen to his audiobook of Read Player One. He was really into that book and can't wait for the movie (I'm pretty excited for it myself!).



After the movie, we met back up in the cabin to finish getting pirate-y before dance class.

 

[arielmomma]

While Jimmy and I danced, Emily took a little nap.



Which meant that her brother had to make fun of her.



And CMs Brian and Melissa did too.



We left dance class and went straight to Triton's for the Pirate's menu.







Meet our incredible tablemates, The Church Family.

 

[arielmomma]

This evening's bread service included Johnny cakes (corn bread). Our table ordered seconds of this.



For her appetizer, Emily ordered the Grilled Chicken Skewer off of the children's menu.



I had the crab cake.



Jimmy had the shrimp cocktail. Yes, there really is shrimp buried in there.



All three of us had the chilled mango soup.



Emily left the meal before she even finished her appetizers. She was so tired that she returned to the cabin to take a nap. I got her settled then returned to finish the meal.

For my main course, I had the grouper. The last time I had this it was fantastic. This time it was just okay.



Jimmy had the jerk chicken.



For dessert, Jimmy had a bowl of chocolate ice cream.



I ordered the Bananas in Paradise to-go for Emily, and...



the Caramel Macadamia Nut Cheesecake Tart for myself.

 

[jedijill]

You guys sampled a lot of food! I really want to go through the locks some of these days!

Hope you enjoy Ready Player One. I saw it last night.

Jill in CO

 

[Dumbo777]

Following along. I love your trip report.I might have to convince myself we need a cruise also. Im hoping to wait until the littles are a bit older. I'm loving all the food pics. Everything looks so yummy.

 

[kid-at-heart]

I am so enjoying your report. I do have a question, when you bring your desert back to the room (to eat for breakfast), do you just pick up the saucer/bowl and carry it out of the dining room with you? I often end up leaving my desert and that seems such a waste. I would much prefer to save it for later.

Thanks,
Kate

 

[MickeyEarrings]

Joy, can I ask you what photo site you use for your reports? I’m thinking of writing up the wbpc next year as well, but photo bucket went wacky on me and wants me to pay hundreds of dollars a year to keep the photos uncovered!

 

[arielmomma]

You guys sampled a lot of food! I really want to go through the locks some of these days!

Hope you enjoy Ready Player One. I saw it last night.

Jill in CO

Eating is our favorite part of cruising! We all love sampling new dishes. I hope you get to go through the canal someday. Its an incredible experience.

I hope the movie is good. Jimmy is really looking forward to it.

Following along. I love your trip report.I might have to convince myself we need a cruise also. Im hoping to wait until the littles are a bit older. I'm loving all the food pics. Everything looks so yummy.

Thank you. I would recommend a DCL Panama Canal cruise to anyone. We waited to start cruising until Emily was 8 years old and we felt that was perfect for our family. Now we're addicted!

I am so enjoying your report. I do have a question, when you bring your desert back to the room (to eat for breakfast), do you just pick up the saucer/bowl and carry it out of the dining room with you? I often end up leaving my desert and that seems such a waste. I would much prefer to save it for later.

Thanks,
Kate

I tell our servers that I intend to take the dessert to go. They provide me with a lid for the plate and I simply carry it from the dining room. They will provide you with a cover in Cabana's as well.

Joy, can I ask you what photo site you use for your reports? I’m thinking of writing up the wbpc next year as well, but photo bucket went wacky on me and wants me to pay hundreds of dollars a year to keep the photos uncovered!

I do not use a photo site. I simply upload the pics from my computer. Sounds like Photobucket has lost its mind!

 

[arielmomma]

After dinner, I checked on Emily. She was sound asleep in the cabin. Jimmy and I let her sleep and went to see John Charles perform in the Walt Disney Theater. He was fun as usual. Jimmy really got a kick out of him.





After John's performance we returned to the cabin. Emily was awake and feeling better. She and Jimmy opted to stay in the cabin with their Halloween Candy and watch TV, while I went for a walk on Deck 4.





I was still on Deck 4 at 10:30p, so I stuck around to watch the fireworks. It was so peaceful! I enjoy the pirate party, but this was even better!



Immediately after the fireworks, I hopped in the aft elevators and went up to Cabana's for the pirate buffet. I was fortunate enough to be one of the first passengers in line.

 

[arielmomma]

 

[arielmomma]

I piled up a plate of goodies from the buffet and took it back to the cabin.





Since Emily missed dinner, she was ravenous! She ate the entire turkey leg by herself. I thought the chicken enchilada was delicious!



Other than setting aside a couple of the desserts, this is what the plate looked like about 10 minutes after I delivered it to the kids. I suppose I should be grateful they left the plate unscathed.



Bellies full, we decided it was best to call it a night. Only on a cruise is going to bed at midnight considered turning in early. (Well, for my family, anyway.)



Up Next...Swing, Snacks, and Sea Bass - Oh My!