Our trip began with a flight from Detroit to San Jose, Costa Rica.  We spent the night in San Jose and then boarded a tour bus for a 4-5 hour tour/ride to the ship at Puerto Caldera.  The map at the right shows the route our ship took before returning to Ft. Lauderdale FL and our flight home.

This is a steel church we visited in Costa Rica on our way to the ship from the hotel where we spent the night before the cruise.  The steel was imported from overseas (Netherlands I believe) and then assembled in Costa Rica. 

This is the inside of the steel church pictured above.

A volcano in Nicaragua.  Sorry, can't remember the name at the moment.

Patty "on the edge" at the volcano.

The America's bridge in Panama.  The link between North and South America.  Panama City, Panama is just to the right.

Approaching the Miraflores lock.  The first lock of the Panama Canal on the Pacific ocean side.

A little closer view

And a little closer...

One of the "Mules" that keep the ship centered in the lock as you go through.

Here's a shot showing the tight fit in the lock.

Looking back while in the lock.  (We're in the second set of locks on the Pacific side)

Another view looking back.  (From the port side)  That's the LEFT side for you non-nautical types.

Some traffic in the canal near the Atlantic side.

Here we're following a car hauler into one of the Atlantic side locks.  There are actually three locks in a row.  He's in the lock we will enter in just a few minutes.

Here we are side by side with a car hauler.  We're both heading for the Atlantic.  We got out of our lock first.  (Just in case you wonder who won the race)

We had an unexpected stop after exiting the locks on the Atlantic side.  We had to anchor in the harbor while divers went under our ship.   Somehow along the way, a line handler dropped a 100 foot rope and it got wound around our propeller.  That small pile of rope by the yellow air tank is it. 

Here's downtown Oranjestad, the capital city of Aruba.

The public harbor in Aruba.

A colorful government building in Aruba.

Same building, different side.

A church.  Don't ask me the name, I just thought I should take a picture of a church.

The back of the same church.

The date of the church.

The Radisson Diamond cruise ship backing into a slip in Aruba.

A couple of Royal Caribbean ships docked in Aruba.

Same ships, different view.

Here is our ship (The Amsterdam) docked in St. Thomas.

Some of the ships in port the day we were in St. Thomas.  The Grand Princess, us, The Explorer of the Seas, and the Ryndam (I think).  The Norway and the Westerdam were also in port that day.  It was a busy place.

A stern (back) view of the Grand Princess.

The Explorer of the Seas.

The docks at Coast Guard Station St. Thomas.

Our cabin looking toward the door.  Luann is packing the night before we arrive back in Ft. Lauderdale.

Our cabin looking toward the outside.  In retrospect, I should have taken these pics BEFORE our cruise.  WHAT A MESS!!!!