Sunday Magazine – August 25, 2019

S MAGAZINE ★ 25 AUGUST 2019 31

including an adults-only deck

and a library.

Next stop after Cartagena was

the Panama Canal, where we

found our inner geek. It is an

incredible feat of engineering and

eye-wateringly expensive to pass

through – we are talking hundreds

of thousands of pounds in some

cases, depending on your cargo.

The 82km route connects the

Atlantic with the Pacific and takes

between eight and 10 hours –

compared to three weeks if you

travel all the way around South

America. We watched with

fascination as the water levels

dropped and the locks opened. A

true modern wonder of the world.

Our final destination was Costa

Rica where we took advantage of

a fantastic ship excursion to go zip

lining in the rainforest. With the

safety lesson over and harnesses

and hard hats on, we went to the

highest platform and began to

zigzag our way through the trees

as beautiful birds chirruped

around us. It really brought out the

big kids in us – even more so

when we munched on bananas

and chocolate at the end, Costa

Rica’s biggest exports. On terra

firma, we headed to the Tortuguero

National Park where we took a

boat along the canal and spotted

lizards camouflaged against the

leaves and sloths being, well,

slothful. Costa Ricans are said to

be one of the happiest people in

the world and it is easy to see

why. With an extraordinary

biodiversity, sunshine, beaches

and chocolate, what’s not to like?

Back at the ship, we had one

last day at sea before returning

to Montego Bay. With 1,800

passengers and 750 crew,

everyone is cared for brilliantly

• and never once did we feel
  overwhelmed or overcrowded. The
  ship’s captain Chris Douglass ran
  a brilliant operation and his joy at
  being in charge certainly filtered
  down to the passengers.
  On the home stretch, we left
  our balcony door open. There
  is something so blissful about
  hearing the water rippling against
  the sides, and the vastness of the
  ocean also makes you realise how
  small we are in the world. Now I
  just want to explore more of it...
  Margaret Hussey

Marella Cruises offers a seven-night Pride of Panama cruise on Marella Discovery 2 from £965 per person departing from Montego Bay, Jamaica.

The price is based on two adults sharing an inside cabin on an all-inclusive basis, departing on December 17 from London Gatwick, and including

return flights, transfers, port taxes, tips and service charges. For more information and to book, call 0871 230 2800 or visit tui.co.uk/cruise/.

From left: A sunset view over

the rooftops of the old city

of Cartagena; a Colombian

woman in traditional dress

and the Miraflores locks

on the Panama Canal

The white cathedral

of Santa Marta

Jamaica’s Montego Bay

offers beautiful beaches

●S