After staying in bed a goodly long time following the long canal day, we took our time getting ready to board the tender. Had breakfast and kind of piddled around a bit, so by the time we picked up tickets in the Rubens, the waiting list had dwindled to less than one boatload, so they sent us all down to deck 3 and stopped issuing tickets. That's a normal occurrence for shore tenders, but it doesn't happen until the rush has abated and all the early excursion-goers are ashore.

A tender loads on the starboard side while we liesurely get ready for our trip ashore.

Our view of Fuerte Amador from the ship--a little place, with a marina, some shops, not much else.

After getting off the tender at the marina, we soon discovered that there wasn't much to see. A small shopping center looked nearly abandoned. We gathered it was new and not yet fully rented, and it was also Saturday morning, when many shops that would be open during the week would now be closed.

Took the requisite "you are there" pictures; Jill strikes a carefree pose.

Dad and Mom smile on the north side of the breakwater. Behind them is the channel leading to the canal. From this perspective, ships pass left to right to begin their canal transit.

And Mark looks happy to be here.

Mom and Dad went back to the little market to sit in the shade while Jill and I walked over to the embankment to take a picture of the ship.

The Veendam is seen here moored in Panama City Bay.

On our way back to M&D, we discovered where the souvenir shops were. After Jill selected a number of things, we decided I should send Mom over to meet Jill to continue shopping while I took Dad back to the ship. Which is what we did.

It was hot that day, so I decided I should shower and go to the pool. J&M were back before I finished showering, and Mom joined me a bit later while Dad decided to rest after enduring the heat and humidity. Jill made a spa date, but then came out to the pool for a few minutes before we went in. I showered again and took a nap.

Then I tried to update the journal. The problem is that if I wait more than 24 hours to make an entry I forget details. Jill helped me reconstruct parts of day 3 through 5. I wrote day 6, which was still fresh, especially since we'd just looked at all the pictures the night before.

After that it was time for the sail away party on the aft deck. The featured drink was something called a Panama Jack. Fruity but not overly sweet, and refreshing. We had a pleasant time on deck. The wind picked up a bit and they had to take down the umbrellas, but it wasn't bad enough to send the drinks flying off the table.

Jill relaxes with a Panama Jack on the aft Lido deck. Some of the skyline of Panama City is seen in the background.

Our actual sail away was delayed due to a medical emergency. A woman had to be tendered to the marina for transport to a Panama City hospital. Jill and I watched from the portside sports deck as the luggage and (presumably) the husband boarded the tender from the lower prom (as we would during a lifeboat evac) instead of the gangway of deck 3.

Adjourned to the Crow's Nest to await the ship's departure from Panama Bay. Mom and Dad found us not too much later (they're learning!), and we spent a leisurely hour or so watching the sun go down and the ship get underway. Time to change out of shorts and tees for dinner. M&D had been to Mass while we were on the aft deck, so were already good to go. They stayed in the Crow's Nest to do some dancing while we dressed.

Had a nice dinner, then headed forward to the Piano Bar to play Name that Tune with Randall. The night's theme was movies, and Mom and I each won a coffee cup for posting the best team score (we scored 33 out of 45, easily smashing the competition). M&D said good night after that while Jill and I stayed for the next set (Randall playing requests) before heading to the stateroom just before midnight.