Panama Canal Cruise Update: Day Fourteen

It’s our last night on the ship and our epic Panama Canal journey has almost come to a close.

Today was our final sea day before we arrive in Galveston tomorrow morning. There’s certainly a bit of a different mood on the ship today as everyone starts to realize our time together is almost over.

This morning we enjoyed one final lecture from retired Panama Canal pilot Captain Kenneth Puckett. Today, he spoke about the Axis plan to destroy the Panama Canal during World War II. He had some fascinating information, some of which had recently been declassified. For example, did you know the Japanese navy developed submarines that could launch fighters? It’s true — we saw the unbelievable photos and models to prove it. I consider myself fairly educated on the world wars and this was new info to me. I have to say that Captain Ken’s lectures were instrumental in making this a great cruise. His knowledge and his humor made these sessions lots of fun and I can’t imagine sailing through the canal without him onboard.

Next up was the battle of the chefs, our final cooking demo, where officers from the ship battled it out in an “Iron Chef” like challenge. As I’ve mentioned in earlier blogs, there were some great recipes featured during these cooking classes and I’ll be posting some over the coming weeks and months.

After lunch, it was (sadly) time to pack. On most cruise lines (including Disney) you have to set your bags out the night before, and since we had lots of plans for the final evening onboard, the only time left to pack was in the afternoon.

At 4pm, I returned to the spa for one last appointment with Torey, my new friend from Australia. On every cruise I take, I go to the spa and get the Gentleman’s package, which includes a shave, neck and arm massage, facial and if you want it, a haircut too. I did two during this cruise since it was 14 nights long, although I typically like to schedule these appointments for the formal nights.

Once I was done at the spa, it was time to head to the final production show of the cruise – “Disney Dreams: An Enchanted Classic.” This show is classic Disney storytelling at its best, featuring a young girl named Anne Marie who goes on a journey to learn to fly with the help of some familiar faces. The show features scenes from Aladdin, The Lion King, Peter Pan and Beauty and the Beast, among others. I know I’ve said it in other posts but the production shows on Disney Cruise Line are always excellent and the quality is right up there with Broadway shows. It’s incredibly impressive what they can do in that limited space (not to mention on a moving ship).

Our final dinner was in Animator’s Palate and they saved the best for last. Not only did we dine on a delicious Beef Wellington, but we all also got to be Disney animators for a day. Animator’s Palate has the potential to do several different fun “shows” during dinner so you never know for sure what to expect. When we arrived in the restaurant, there were special placemats at our table that had areas we could use to draw a favorite character (or create one of our own). Once we were done creating our character, the placemats were taken by our waiters and dinner began. After dessert, the video picture frames around the restaurant came to life and our creations danced around the restaurant and even in some of the most famous scenes from classic Disney films. At the end, there were even scrolling credits featuring all of our names. And as one final surprise, we each received our placemats back with a sticker now affixed certifying us as “Honorary Disney Animators.” The technology in this restaurant is incredible and no matter which show you see, you’re sure to have a great time.

Following dinner, we headed to the adults-only lounge for one last show with comedian Wayne Cotter, a very funny guy, and after his show, a fun 80s themed party to cap off the last night on the ship.

Tomorrow we’ll enjoy one final breakfast onboard and then disembark. Thanks for following all these blogs.