Panama Canal Cruise Recap: Day Four

Our time on the Mexican Riviera is over. Next stop: The Panama Canal.

Today we enjoyed a port day in beautiful Puerto Vallarta. Our group split up to divide and conquer, with some visiting a tequila factory, others headed for the nearest snorkel boat, and I joined the rest in a visit to the downtown shopping and dining area. We took a taxi from the pier to the center of town and walked up and down the seaside promenade.

We’re approaching “Day of the Dead” and there were many displays along the path plus some stunning statues. We also got to see a quartet of very brave men climb a tower, play some music and then spin their way down to the ground on a series of ropes.

After some shopping and walking the full length of the promenade, we started to head back with the goal of finding a good restaurant for lunch. We wound up at a lovely cantina with delicious food.

Following lunch, we walked the remaining length of the seaside path back to the taxi stand and headed back to the ship.

This evening, we returned to Triton’s restaurant for its “rotational” night. The menu theme was French cuisine with escargot, French onion soup and Chateaubriand among the choices. After dinner, we split up again with some visiting the pub, while others chose to visit the ship’s shops or the nightclub. Disney ships have a dedicated 18+ area of the ship so adults can enjoy some kid-free time if they like. On the Disney Wonder, there are three adults-only venues in the “After Hours” section: Cadillac Lounge (a piano bar), Azure (a nightclub and performance venue), and Crown & Fin Pub (a British pub and sports bar). There are also three pools on this ship, including a kids-only splash pool, the main pool, and and adults-only “Quiet Cove.”

Tomorrow is the first of four sea days before we arrive at the Pacific entrance to the Panama Canal. Lots on the agenda including more lectures from Captain Ken Puckett and many other fun sea day activities.

Good night from just south of Puerto Vallarta.