Panama Canal Cruise Recap: Day Twelve

Today was our next to last port on this 14-night journey and Grand Cayman certainly didn’t disappoint.

This morning we set anchor just off the island along with four other ships. Our neighbors were Royal Caribbean’s Freedom of the Seas, Norwegian Escape, MSC Divina and Pullmantur Monarch. Since the area around Grand Cayman is too shallow, this is a tender port where we use water taxis to travel from the ship to shore and vice versa.

After breakfast at Cabana’s (the ship’s buffet restaurant) we headed ashore. It was a lovely, sunny day with temps in the mid 80s. I’m often asked if it’s too cold to cruise the Caribbean in the winter and the answer is a definite no. It might be a bit chilly leaving Galveston, but before long you’re in the beautiful blue (and warm) waters of this gorgeous part of the Atlantic Ocean.

Most of us opted for snorkeling so once ashore we walked a short distance to the dock for the boat that would take us out for our day on the water. Our tour was a “two reef” snorkel and that meant that we would have two 45-minute sessions in the water. The first “reef” was an actual shipwreck from the 1940s. The water here is crystal clear and the ship is in about 30-40 feet of water. The wreck is spectacular and it’s easy to spend the entire time simply floating above it and examining the various parts of the ship. For a 70 year old relic, it is in fairly good shape and making out the various parts of the vessel is not difficult. There are also plenty of fish in the area and many are not shy and will swim very close to you. Our second reef was a natural one with lots of coral and fish. We even spotted a fairly large turtle towards the end of our second dive. All in all, a great day.

As our ship sailed away from the island, it was time for a Mixology Class in the Cadillac Lounge. This venue is one of the “adults-only” areas onboard Disney Wonder and throughout our voyage they have offered various “tastings” including sessions centered around beer, margaritas, whiskeys, wines and much more. Today we learned about making some of the ship’s signature cocktails, including a couple of fun shots and even one of the dessert drinks called a “Crème Brulee” martini. One of the ship’s bartenders led the session and he was very fun and informative.

Since tonight was our last “formal” night, we all headed back to our staterooms after the class and got dressed up for dinner and the show.

Tonight’s show was part of Disney Cruise Line’s “Stars Set Sail” series where they bring onboard performers who have starred in a Disney on Broadway show. I was very excited to find out months ago that Jenn Gambatese, who starred in “Tarzan the Musical” on Broadway, would be our special guest. Jenn and her accompanist played songs from her Broadway career plus a sprinkling of Disney classics. She also included songs from her latest CD, which focuses on the music of Rodgers and Hammerstein.

Here’s her set list from tonight’s early show:

It’s a Grand Night for Singing (from “State Fair”)
Waiting for This Moment (from “Tarzan”)
Out of My Dreams (from “Oklahoma!”)
Part of Your World (from “The Little Mermaid”)
I Have Confidence (from “The Sound of Music”)
Practically Perfect (from “Mary Poppins”)
Medley: Getting to Know You/You’ll Be in My Heart/You’ve Got to Be Carefully Taught/Circle of Life (from “The King & I”/”Tarzan”/”South Pacific”/”The Lion King”)
Poor Unfortunate Souls (from “The Little Mermaid”)
A Cockeyed Optimist (from “South Pacific”)
A Change in Me (from “Beauty and the Beast”)

Encore: Sing-a-long: Do-Re-Mi/Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious (from “The Sound of Music”/”Mary Poppins”)

Following Jenn’s fantastic show, it was time to head off to dinner at Tiana’s Place. Tonight was our Mardi Gras celebration, complete with a live jazz band including Louis on the trumpet and Tiana singing for us, a parade with beads and even all of us doing the limbo. The dinner was also spectacular, with plenty of New Orleans favorites including beignets for dessert.

Tomorrow, we arrive at our final port – Cozumel. Until then, good night from onboard Disney Wonder.