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Mom & Dad's 30th Anniversary Cruise

January 4th
to
January 18th, 2004

California, Mexico, Costa Rica, Panama, Aruba, & Florida

Journal created: Wednesday, February 11, 2004 - 11:59:29 PM
Journal last updated: Wednesday, February 11, 2004 - 11:59:29 PM

The path between the seas. Ever since I can remember my dad has spoken of his desire to visit the Panama Canal. After a visit to Alaska a few years ago his talk of going on a cruise through the canal became a near-weekly conversation. Mom seemed interested but didn't show the same level of enthusiasm as dad did. Regardless, Irv and I knew their 30th anniversary (August 2002) was special and as such we decided to send them off on a fourteen day cruise. The itinerary: San Diego to Fort Lauderdale directly through the Panama Canal. When we gave the gift to mom and dad they were both extremely excited, but there was a catch: they wanted Irv and I along with our grandmother to go with them. Of course, Irv and I couldn't say no; however, we needed to save some cash and the trip was ultimately put off to 2004. And so the planning began, well over a year ago, for embarkation: January 4th, 2004.

Although the actual cruise spanned from Sunday, January 4th, 2004 through Sunday, January 18th, 2004 our adventure began a few days earlier on January 2nd when Irv and I flew out to Long Beach, CA on Friday, January 2nd where we met mom, dad, and grandma. We enjoyed the rest of the day venturing around Long Beach where we spent the evening. On Saturday we headed south to the San Diego Zoo where we were fortunate enough to see many wonderful animals including both giant Pandas. Sunday morning marked our last morning that we would wake up on land for two weeks so we enjoyed a relaxing breakfast before heading over to the San Diego cruise ship port where we embarked on the beautiful Celebrity Infinity.

The cruise itself was a truly wonderful experience. Our itinerary took us from San Diego, California south to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico; Acapulco, Mexico; and, Huatulco, Mexico. Following the western shore line of central America we continued south to Puntarenas, Costa Rica before entering the western entrance of the Panama Canal. Traversing the canal took us through the Miraflores and Pedro Miguel Lockes on the western side, through the canal into Gatun Lake, and ultimately through the Gatun Lockes before entering the Atlantic Ocean on the eastern end of the canal. Continuing northeast we stopped at Aruba and then headed to Fort Lauderdale, Florida which was where we, sadly, disembarked.

During the two week long adventure I was very fortunate to have seen many amazing places, indulged in wonderful food and desserts, enjoyed countless cocktails, relaxed in the sunshine, and met many interesting and fun people. I am excited to have been able to prosper in spending quality time with my family. Unfortunately, in today's hustle and bustle rat race atmosphere of the northeast I feel as though often times I am so caught up in the day-to-day life that I'm not able to visit family as often as I'd like. This trip truly was a wonderful experience to enjoy time with family away from the normal routine of life. Although I'm certain that no number of pictures will ever be able to replace actually being somewhere, I do think they help convey a glimpse of what one saw for that special moment. The photos, videos, and info displayed here are from many people, reflected in the image copyright, and are my attempt at sharing memories of this wonderful experience. I invite you to kick back, relax, and enjoy but also would like to say "thanks" for taking the time to view this site.

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