EMERALD PRINCESS--STILL AT SEA!

Saturday, January 4, 2020

Emerald Princess-At Sea

77F, according to the Princess Patter—hahahaha, feels like 60 to me.

Coffee was a bit stronger this morning, but TK still hunted down the best coffee on board at the “International Café,” basically a “coffee house.”

Chris Roberts, Princess Destination Expert, gave a great preview of the Panama Canal transit. We sat with Erie friends, Jeff and Doris.

We will be going through the new “canal,” and I learned that it is really considered a third lane for the original.
Some other facts:

• It will cost the Emerald Princess $633,000 for our passage, paid for by wire transfer-all passages are paid for like this. (3500 guests)
• $829,000 is the cost for a cargo container ship
• The new canal lane, parallel to the original, cost $5.4 billion, completed in June 2016.
• The new lane is 180 ft wide
• Original canal is 110 ft wide
• 35,000 cars per day cross the Bridge of the Americas (crosses the canal--connects Central and South America)
• Original canal gates weigh 700 tons
• New canal lane gates weigh 4200 tons
• A container ship can carry 13,000 containers (like the ones the trains carry)

We were surprised at dinner when there was no beef choice on the main menu. Three seafood, pork, pasta dish, and vegan dish. So three of us had hamburgers, always available, but not fine cuisine. What is Princess thinking? The key lime pie for dessert was delicious.

After dinner and after a quick change, we headed for the Movie Under the Stars again, Yesterday. We all agreed that this was a good movie, great music!!

Vines, one of the bars onboard on Deck 5-near the International Cafe, the Internet Cafe,

 and the central plaza

Wheelhouse Bar

Wheelhouse Bar