Traveling on Cruise Ships
Trips
2. March 2021
Manfred Goschler
Halfway through our virtual cruise, it’s time to take stock.
It’s not much different from a real trip, regardless of whether you have a fixed holiday destination or a boat trip. In the first few days of a trip, especially to an unfamiliar place, we often encounter new or unusual things with particular interest. We encounter other cultures, landscapes and people and deal with them.
A boat trip on board a cruise ship is a special change for me, which I am happy to accept for a limited time. A stay on some of these large ships can perhaps be compared to a stay in a large hotel complex, where many people of different nationalities are traveling. In contrast to a hotel complex, this floating hotel, with its infrastructure, offers its passengers places of encounter and an extensive range of services. What I find particularly impressive about a cruise is that on board you are constantly exposed to the movement of the ship and the rhythm of the waves. In addition, such ships are also floating viewing platforms to observe the beauties of nature, the sky, the sea, surrounding islands and cities from an excellent perspective. Perhaps these are the main reasons why many people find a special calm and inner contemplation there. Despite many positive feelings, one should of course not ignore some of the downsides of this means of transport, e.g. the environmental impact.
But now back to our interim results. On a ship, it is easy to see how many people find their rhythm during a voyage. You often meet them at the same time in the same place for the same activity. The infrastructure of the ship together with the excursion possibilities form a framework within which individual leisure activities are possible, even if you are traveling as a couple or group. You can devote yourself to your hobbies or work all day on board the ship during a day at sea, e.g. if you are traveling as a freelance journalist. There are few distractions when reading, writing, or doing other activities, apart from special events such as a school of flying fish or passing dolphins or whales. I usually found my personal rhythm after a short time on a boat trip, which also enabled me to concentrate on a few things particularly well during the further course of the trip.
I have come closer to this point on this (virtual) trip and have found a good balance between exertion and relaxation. On the one side it is about personal development and the elaboration of thoughts that are geared to a topic that I would like to take up again at the end of this trip. On the other side the is also to “relax” through further virtual day trips, as pleasant interruptions to take in other impressions. In addition, this boat trip also fulfills a very important function. As a convenient means of transport, the ship takes us to a new destination from the east coast of the United States to the west coast. And it gives us some time for further preparations. This journey will then be continued by car.
From Miami and the east coast of the USA we wanted to take the boat to Los Angeles via the Panama Canal
First we drove around Cuba to get to the Caribbean Sea and then to our next stop, Cartagena in Colombia. We enjoyed a varied sightseeing tour through this beautiful city, which was founded by Pedro de Heredia in 1533 as part of the colonization in 1533 (more here on Wikipedia).
Often there are only small moments that are particularly pleasing and that you keep in memory, such as the figures on the bench or a street painter who particularly impressed me with his skills.
A highlight was the passage through the approximately 82 km long Panama Canal, which was expanded in June 2016 so that larger ships up to 366 meters in length and 49 meters in width (New Panamax) can also pass. The channel is particularly important for transport between the east and west coast of the United States and for imports from Asia to the east coast of the United States (source Wikipedia).
At the first lock we were early in the morning and had to wait for the container ship in front of us until we could pass ourselves. On the way, there were other locks to compensate for the Gabon Sea, which is up to 26 m higher. The varied journey through the canal that leads across Lake Gabon was impressive. In narrower sections the jungle often reached up to the fairway and you could see crocodiles on the banks, which we thought were drifting tree trunks when we first saw them.
In the late afternoon we came to the exit of the canal, where we also had a fantastic view of the Panama City skyline.
After passing the Bridge of the Americas (Puente de las Americas), which connects Panama City with the western part of the country, we were in the Pacific Ocean.
I spent a large part of the mornings and afternoons on the ship doing studies, online lectures or sports. For sport, I went to the gym, where I did gymnastics or strength exercises to strengthen the back muscles. In addition, I often ran a lap on the deck of the ship. I had signed up for a few online lectures at Harvard University, which are free and positively surprised me because of the good quality. I had completed two introductory events on IT and artificial intelligence in the last two weeks. A third event, dealing with science, is still ongoing.
