During the final two days of our 2-week cruise, we couldn’t believe the vacation was almost over. We spent the days getting the maximum enjoyment out of our vacation. We relaxed on the Oasis deck for hours. Funny, but only a handful of people seemed to find the Oasis during the entire cruise. We were always able to go there and be alone. I think one reason may be that there was no elevator access. You had to climb a couple of sets of stairs, and that deterred some of the passengers. We absolutely loved it.

One of the things we truly enjoyed about our cruise was meeting new people. We absolutely love dinner time on a cruise, because you get to know the people at your table, and you become involved in their lives and their vacation. We met Sallie and Joel, and Duane and Sharlia. Lovely people, and by the end of the cruise we felt like they were long-time friends. During the final dinner, the dining room staff put on a show for us, dancing and singing, and we all joined in by swinging our napkins in the air and singing along.

Besides that, we met tons of people in other venues during the cruise. Every evening after dinner we went up to the Crow’s Nest lounge, and the same crowd gathered nightly, so we got to know them. One man was actually from my home town of Danville, Kentucky! What are the odds?

I think that’s what makes the cruise worthwhile – the people we meet. As a writer, I really enjoy observing people, and studying their personalitites and lifestyles. (Sorry, new cruise friends! You might show up in a book someday, but hopefully you won’t recognize yourself!!!) That, and of course the time Ted and I spent with each other. We went through 14 whole days without a single disagreement! In fact, we ended the cruise even closer to each other than we started. That makes me want to go on another long cruise SOON. (Like, maybe, a scuba diving cruise in the Western Caribbean in March. Oh, yeah! We ARE doing that!!! Woo hoo!)

I hope you’ve enjoyed sharing my memories of our incredible Panama Canal cruise aboard Holland America’s Statendam. If you ever get the chance to do this trip yourself, I hope you’ll return the favor!