Our daily activities on our 10-day Panama Canal cruise aboard Azamara Quest.
Day 11 - Puntarenas, Costa Rica
Rickee touches a crocodile, we have lunch at a 5-star resort, we see monkeys go crazy and have an amazing dinner at Prime C.
This morning, Quest is docked in Puntarenas, Costa Rica. The last time we were here (2014), we only walked from the ship to the beach at the end of the pier, did some souvenir shopping, and headed back to the ship.
Azamara Quest docked in Puntarenas
Today, we have decided to do something a little more adventurous. We pre-booked a "7-in-1" tour with Arenas Travel through their website a few weeks earlier. We disembarked Quest at 8:00 am and our local guide for the day, Geovanna, was waiting for us at the bottom of the gangway with a sign bearing my name.
Geovanna, local guide with Arenas Travel
After introducing herself, and welcoming us to Puntarenas, Geovanna led us down the long pier to where a new Toyota van was waiting for us. We were introduced to Alex, our driver for the day, and off we went. Our first stop was Esparza, purported to be the oldest town in Costa Rica, where we toured a unique Catholic church. Next, we drove to the Tarcoles River where we boarded a small open tour boat to hunt for crocodiles. We saw tons of interesting birds, iguana, lizards and yes, crocodiles. Not only did we see a croc, but Rickee actually got to touch one! And, this was no baby croc, this was "Tornado", one of the two largest crocs in the area at around 15 feet long!
Tornado hanging out next to our boat
The crocodile river tour took a little over an hour, after which Alex and Geovanna drove us to an incredible hotel on top of a mountain for lunch. Villa Caletas has to be one of the most magical places we have ever visited.
The view from the restaurant at Villa Caletas
The property is perched overlooking the ocean and the mountains. It was breathtaking. We were seated at a table for two and served a beautiful meal. We were offered our choice of chicken or fish, and we both chose chicken. It was a meal and a place we will not soon forget. And, should we have the opportunity to return to Costa Rica, a stay at Villa Caletas will be on our itinerary.
After lunch, we drove to a local market where we had the opportunity to shop for souvenirs. It was one of the largest and nicest souvenir shops we have ever visited. Afterwards, we drove a few minutes to a fruit stand where we enjoyed a sample of locally grown fruits. When we mentioned how much we loved the mango, the proprietor brought us a plate of sliced mango to take with us!
Our next stop: monkeys! Just a few more miles down the highway, we pull off on an unmarked gravel road (you would have to know where this place is) to what could best be described as a clearing in the forest with a small structure/building. As soon as we come to a stop, Geovanna and Alex start blowing loud whistles. We have no idea what is going on. We don't see a monkey anywhere, other than a stuffed toy monkey hanging from a tree in the yard. Geovanna keeps yelling in Spanish what translates to "Monkey come, Monkeys come" and blowing the whistle. Suddenly, there is a rustling in the surrounding trees and dozens of Capuchin monkeys are running all over the place, hanging from branches, chasing each other, and eventually, one climbs onto Rickee!
Mr. Monkey tries to steal Rickee's sunglasses
The little monkeys are very curious and friendly and a blast to watch. This was the highlight of the tour for us. We will be posting a full review of Arenas Travel's 7-in-1 tour on CruiseReport.com soon, so keep an eye out for it. We will also have a short video of our day's activities. For more information, visit their website at ArenasTravelCR.com.
After a brief tour of the downtown Puntarenas area, Geovanna and Alex returned us to Azamara Quest right at 4pm, as promised. We had plenty of time to get ready for our 6pm reservation at Prime C steakhouse. Prime C is one of the two specialty restaurants on board Azamara Quest ($30pp). While the decor at Prime C may be a little dated (can you say 1980s steakhouse?), the menu is modern and offers a lot of variety. I ordered the chicken lollipop starter, and it has been improved over what we had a few years ago on Journey.
Chicken lollipops with three dipping sauces
There are two different types of lollipops, each with a different batter. The three dipping sauces were all delicious, but the Thai sweet chili is my personal favorite. Rickee had the cheese and onion soup, reminiscent of a French Onion soup. For my main, I had the NY Strip and Rickee had the 5oz. Filet. Both steaks were cooked perfectly to order. My creamed spinach side was also perfectly seasoned and delicious. We declined offers for a souffle and opted for the signature cinnamon-sugar donuts. The little donut holes are served warm and fresh with caramel, chocolate and vanilla dipping sauces. These are to DIE FOR.
Cinnamon sugar donuts with dipping sauces
We thoroughly enjoyed our meal at Prime C and look forward to dining there again on our next Azamara cruise.
Tomorrow, we disembark Azamara Quest in Caldera, Costa Rica
Day 9 - Golfito, Costa Rica
We ride horses in the rain forest, get rained on, then have dinner with the Hotel Director.
This morning, Azamara Quest is still docked in Golfito, Costa Rica. While most guests book tours through the Land Discoveries desk on board, we have gone rogue and booked our own excursion directly with a local tour company: Golfito Monkey Tours.
Disembarking Azamara Quest in Golfito
After a quick lunch in The Patio, we disembarked Quest around 1:45pm, in time to meet up with our guide at 2pm as instructed. Our guide for the day, Hariel, was waiting for us just outside the gates to the port, as was the owner of Golfito Monkey Tours, Adriana, and another GMT guide.
Our guide, Hariel, waiting for us at the pier
We all piled into a minivan, with Adriana driving, and headed off to the nearby rain forest. The drive to the horseback tour location took about 30 minutes. When we arrived, we were given helmets and soon mounted up for the ride.
Rickee gets familiar with her horse
Another local guide, probably the gentlemen who owns the horses, was the lead guide on the tour. He did not speak English, so having Hariel along to translate really helped. Along the way, he would point out flora and fauna as we passed them.
After about 30 minutes of riding, we soon learned why this is referred to as a "rain forest". It began raining, then it began pouring rain. This is something we had not prepared for. Rickee and I were soaked by the end of the ride! So, it is a good idea to pack a portable, disposable poncho just to be safe. Lesson learned. Adriana also pointed out later that most people do the tour in the morning when rain is less likely. The ride ended with a short hike to a beautiful waterfall. Our initial plan was to swim under the waterfall, but we were already so soaked from the rain, we decided to forego the experience. As my primary camera was not waterproof, we had to use the GoPro to take photos at the waterfall, and the quality is not that good.
We will be posting a complete review of Golfito Monkey Tours Horseback Riding tour on CruiseReport.com soon, so watch for more photos, video (from my GoPro) and detailed information. Adriana drove us back down the mountain to the pier and got us "home" at 5:30pm, as promised. Along the way, Adriana mentioned that their company also does dolphin tours, whale-watching (in season), mangrove tours, and much more. Check out their website for more details.
We had only about an hour to get ready for our dinner this evening in Discoveries Restaurant. We have accepted an invitation from Phillip, the ship's Hotel Director, to dine at his table. Our invitation requests that we meet in Mosaic Cafe at 6:45pm. When we got back to our stateroom, we were hanging wet clothes any place we could find so they could dry. Some went out on the balcony. We hoped none would blow away when the ship set sail!
Table setting for Hotel Director's table
We somehow made it to Mosaic by 6:45, where we met Phillip and six other guests for before-dinner drinks. We had met Phillip on our last cruise with Azamara in 2014. I am pretty sure we were the only Americans at the table. Most were from Great Britain and Australia. At 7pm, we all headed to the large, round table in the center of the dining room for dinner. A special multi-course menu has been prepared just for our table. I had the scallops with Thai Risotto (I know, it sounds weird) which was quite spicy, but delicious. The Cream of Mushroom soup was as good as I have ever had, and the main course, Surf & Turf (tenderloin and lobster) was quite good.
Surf and Turf
The meal ended with an unusual dessert resembling a lemon panna cotta with a brulée floating in an orange butter sauce. It was very good! But, the best part of the meal was making new friends and swapping stories. We all regaled each other with tales of past travels and Azamara adventures. A great time was had by all. Thank you to our host, Phillip, for including us.
Tomorrow is an early day. Quest will be in Quepos, Costa Rica, and we have a tour scheduled for 7:15 in the morning. Yikes! The blog may be delayed a bit.
Day 8 - Another Day at Sea
Q&A with the Captain, an Officers' BBQ and dinner at Aqualina on our first evening in Costa Rica.
This morning, Azamara Quest is sailing toward the tiny village of Golfito, Costa Rica. We are not scheduled to arrive until 6pm this evening, so, in essence, we have another day at sea. And, a beautiful day it is, with calm waters and moderate temperatures. Our first stop this morning is at The Cabaret Lounge for a "Behind the Scenes" visit with Captain Jose Vilarinho. Captain Jose went through a slide show describing every department on the ship, explaining what goes on behind the scenes to make every cruise memorable for the guests. It was very enlightening, and shows that this Captain is involved with every department on the ship.
Captain Jose Vilarinho
After Captain Jose's talk, some of the senior staff came on stage to take questions from the audience. After the Q&A, I headed up to Deck 10 aft to Prime C for another cooking demonstration by Chef Joao. Today, he showed us how they prepare Mushroom Risotto. Even though I have prepared this dish many times, it is always good to learn new techniques from a professional chef.
Chef Joao prepares Mushroom Risotto
I learned that you can actually peel a Portabello mushroom! Who knew? At the conclusion of the demo, wait staff passed around samples of the delicious rice dish. After the cooking demo, it is time for the Officers' BBQ lunch on Deck 10. Once again, The Patio is converted into a large buffet serving line, and the crowd soon begins to line up for food that is being served by the ship's senior staff.
Hotel Manager, Phillip, serves up delicious tacos
The highlights, for me anyway, were the whole roasted pig and the BBQ pork ribs. Both were delicious. However, we had to show restraint because we have a very special dinner scheduled for later this evening.
Whole roasted suckling pig
Because of the Deck barbeque, we skipped Team Trivia today, yet our team apparently won the progressive point award! Someone showed up at our stateroom with a couple of Azamara logo t-shirts and a refrigerator magnet as our prize winnings. Pretty cool.
I also decided that today would be a good day to take advantage of the Free Bag of Laundry (available to Le Club Voyage members at Explorer level and above). This is another good benefit that loyal Azamara guests can enjoy.
Le Club Voyage Members can get a bag of laundry done free for every 7-day cruise
This afternoon, we stayed in our stateroom and I watched the Green Bay Packers get smoked by the Atlanta Falcons for the NFC Championship while RIckee enjoyed some time in the sun on our balcony. Before the end of the game, Quest was pulling up to the dock at Golfito, Costa Rica. And, by 5:00pm, a message came over the ship's PA system that guests would be required to meet with Costa Rica Immigration officials. Since we have an early dinner reservation at 6pm, we went to The Cabaret Lounge with the first group called.
Rickee gets her passport stamped by Immigration officers in Golfito
The Immigration process was very efficient and quick. Afterwards, we had enough time to visit The Living Room for a cocktail before our dinner reservation. We were the first to arrive at Aqualina on Deck 10 aft, right on time for our 6pm reservation. Aqualina is one of Azamara Quest's two specialty restaurants, the other being Prime C Steakhouse.
Table setting at Aqualina is a step above Discoveries restaurant
Aqualina is an Italian-themed restaurant, which is different from our last sailing aboard Quest in 2014. On our last cruise, Aqualina was described as "Contemporary American Cuisine with a Mediterranean flair." We had no idea what the heck that meant, and found the theme to be confusing. So, we did not dine there in 2014. But, we completely understand "Italian" and wasted no time in making a reservation on this voyage.
About to experience an incredible meal at Aqualina
Our waiter for the evening, Emmanuel, greeted us and explained the menu, which is very straightforward. After a Bruschetta amuse bouche, my antipasti (starter) soon arrived: three Proscuitto-wrapped Seared Scallops with a Garlic Cauliflower Purée and Balsamic drizzle. The scallops were small, but the preparation and presentation were excellent. They were delicious.
Seared Scallop Antipasti
Rickee ordered the Carpaccio of Beef as her starter, and loved it. For my Zuppa and Insalata course (soup and salad), I ordered the Lobster Bisque while Rickee went with the more interesting Tomato and Watermelon salad with Basil and Balsamic glaze. It was very different, and very good.
Tomato and Watermelon salad with balsamic glaze
For our Secondi (main course), we both ordered the Crispy Duck Confit with Mushroom Risotto. We primarily ordered it for the Risotto that we had sampled earlier in the day at the cooking demo. The mushroom Risotto was as creamy and delicious as we remembered and the duck was juicy and flavorful with a light, crispy skin.
Crispy Duck Confit with Mushroom Risotto
We were both way too stuffed by the end of the meal to enjoy the signature souffle dessert, so I had a scoop of gelato and Rickee, a scoop of lemon sorbet. It was the perfect end to a wonderful dining experience. So far, this has been our favorite meal of the entire cruise, and well-worth the $30/pp additional cost.
Tomorrow, Quest remains in Golfito where we will enjoy a horseback ride!
Day 6 - Panama Canal Transit
We transit the Panama Canal, a new President is sworn into office and Azamara throws its signature White Night party.
This morning, Azamara Quest is waiting its turn to enter the Gatun locks at the north end of the Panama Canal. The fifty-mile long, man-made marvel was completed in 1914 to connect the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
Dozens of ships on the horizon, lined up to wait their turn to enter the canal
The canal transit is so smooth and painless for cruise ship guests that is is easy to ignore the monumental task of constructing the canal. The French tried first, and lost thousands of workers to malaria and other disease, only to finally give up. When America took over in 1904 and purchased the engineering rights from France, it only took ten years before the canal was open for business.
Transiting the canal requires ships to pass through three sets of locks, raising the vessels from sea level to the level of the man-made Gatun Lake, the largest man-made lake in the world.
Azamara Quest prepares to enter the first Gatun lock
We have a pretty good view of the action from our private balcony, and watch from there as Quest enters the Gatun locks. I was able to rig up my GoPro camera to the railing in an effort to create a time lapse of the transit into Gatun Lake.
Many guests go to the outer decks to watch the lock transit. However, Azamara's bridge cam allowed us to see the Captain's view of the locks from the bridge while remaining in our cabin.
Bridge cam is displayed on our stateroom television
Dr. Dave Roberts, the destination lecturer, also provided commentary over the ship's PA system and stateroom TV on points of interest and canal history. There are several news channels on the ship's satellite TV system, all of which were broadcasting the swearing-in ceremonies of the 45th President of the United States.
Donald Trump is sworn in as 45th President while we transit the Canal
So, from the comfort of our stateroom, we were able to watch from our balcony, go inside to see what the Captain sees, and periodically switch channels to watch the inauguration!
Enjoying the view of Gatun locks
After we entered Gatun Lake and began sailing toward the Pacific, we soon approached the first large bridge which spans the canal. We decided to head up to Deck 11 to get a good view.
Azamara Quest approaches the bridge
Soon, we were into the Pedro Miguel locks, followed by the Miraflores locks, after which Azamara Quest is in the Pacific Ocean! By the time Quest is anchoring off the coast of Panama City, it is time for the signature White Night Deck BBQ and Party. Guests are encouraged to dress in something white for the event and dine "under the stars" on the pool deck. The Patio (pool grill) has been converted into a large buffet area serving every food imaginable. Steaks and lobster tails are grilled over charcoal, and are delicious!
Steaks and lobster tails
There are tables filled with salads, desserts, vegetables, breads...you name it. A stir fry station is making stir fry to order. There is a huge salt-crusted baked Cod that Rickee really liked. The Oxtail stew was one of my favorites.
Desserts, desserts and more desserts!
Soon after the sun went down, Cruise Director, Russ Grieve, kicked off the evening’s entertainment by introducing a group of local musicians and dancers who entertained with local music and dance while wearing colorful costumes.
Local entertainers
After the local entertainment, the Quest Singers and Dancers took the stage, along with the ship's musicians, and began a dance party that got everyone up on their feet and dancing.
Guests dance to the music of the Quest Singers and Dancers
The party lasted late into the night and a great time was had by all. White Night is always something special on an Azamara cruise!
Tomorrow, we will tender into Fuerte Amador, Panama.