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Windstar Cruises

Costa Rica & The Panama Canal

By CHRIS OWEN

March 24^th, 2017

Windstar Cruises 7-day Panama & Costa Rica itinerary begins at the port of Colon, about an hour's transfer from Panama City.

arriving in panama city

At the port, embarkation went quickly as did settling in, touring staterooms, dining and more. 212-passenger Star Pride's intimate size made that possible.

easy embarkation

Imagine if most of the passengers on a big ship arrived to check in at exactly the same time. It would take forever. At the port of Colon, we barely stopped moving between walking on the ship and arriving in our staterooms.

gateway to the panama canal

Shown here, scenes of the Port of Colon, along with outside areas of Star Pride .

preparing to transit

Sailing with Windstar Cruises, the 7-day itinerary provides a full transit of the Panama Canal, a travel experience requiring 14 or more days on other cruise lines. Here are scenes from our day with Windstar Cruises going through the canal.

We began the process before dawn then continued throughout the day. As we did, Windstar passengers roamed the upper decks as transit-specific events took place.

A day-long event, we watched as continuous dredging occurred with Windstar passengers wandering in and out of cool inside spaces and amazingly wonderful sunny deck spaces.

On hand, a ship's photographer framed the moment for guests so inclined while others watched as we passed varied topography on the way to the Continental Divide.

To some it was a triumphant moment they had dreamed of experiencing one day. Others had done the transit a number of times and remained fascinated by passing through one of the seven wonders of the world.

the owners suite

Actually one of two with a forward view much like that of officers on the bridge

windstar crew

On hand for our Panama Canal transit, a variety of Windstar crew members including the ship's doctor who was available to chat with passengers throughout the day. I can not recall that happening before on any cruise line we have ever sailed. Impressive.

magnificent sunrises

It's one of my favorite times of the day. Early, while it seems everyone else is sleeping save for me and the guys cleaning the deck, we wait for the sun to come up.

COSTA RICA SUNRISE

Some of the prettiest on the planet

dining done right

From a cheeseburger via room service to a gala dinner in the dining room, there are things you can do when cooking for only 212 passengers that can not be done on larger ships.

nice variety, nicely done

From fine dining in the AmphorA dining room to al fresco seating in Candles and simply snacks here and there, Windstar Cruises has all the culinary bases covered.

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