Caribbean Cruise w/ Panama Canal (January 3-16, 2026)

We decided to start the new year with a partial Panama Canal Cruise that includes several Caribbean islands and Latin American ports. This map shows our itinerary (except visiting Curacao instead of Bonaire).

All of these locations are new destinations for me, except Limon Costa Rica, and I was there way back in 1988, so I'm sure it has changed!

Days 0-1: Fly to Ft. Lauderdale, Florida

Days 2-3: At Sea

Day 4: Aruba

Day 5: Curacao

Day 6: At Sea

Day 7: Cartagena, Colombia

Day 8: Panama Canal  / Panama City

Day 9: Limon, Costa Rica

Day 10: At Sea

Day 11: Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands

Day 12: At Sea

Day 13: Ft. Lauderdale, Florida/home

Day 11: Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands

Because our stop in the Cayman Islands was a tender port, we waited until we were on shore before making any plans. Once at port, we booked a catamaran tour.

Our first stop was at stingray city.

Here we waded on a sandbar and could pet, feed, and even kiss stingrays.

Our next stop was at a snorkel spot.

Here we saw a sea turtle near the boat.

Our last stop was at starfish point, where we could hold starfish. I stayed on the boat, but Steve got off.

From there, we headed back to the dock.

Once back at the port, we took a tender 

back to the ship.

As we left the port, 

I enjoyed a mai tai before dinner 

I tried this appetizer: potato salad with grilled octopus and lemon dressing. The octopus was so bad that even Steve wouldn't eat it!

For my main, I ordered the chipotle roasted strip steak with avocado, tortilla chips, and chimichuri. This was tasty, but the beef wasn't strip steak and pickled vegetables are not chimichuri sauce!

For dessert, I had carrot cake. This was a little dry but had good flavor.