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| Photo by Freeimages.com/Paul Caputo |
Guests sailing on Windstar Cruises' Costa Rica & Panama Canal itineraries have a new way to celebrate: The Canal Celebration, a deckside festival, invites guests to experience the sights and sounds of the Panama Canal while enjoying amenities and activities that highlight the Panamanian culture.
New for 2015 and 2016, Windstar guests can enjoy a nighttime passage through the Panama Canal, during which lights illuminate the inner workings of the waterway, during the Canal Celebration. As the ship approaches the first locks in the early evening, a speaker from the Panama Port Authority comes on board to introduce guests to the complex lock system.
As the yacht navigates the passage, guests can drink local beverages, beers, and cocktails from a mobile drink cart while listening to local festive music from various regions around the country.
In the evening, guests can dine on a custom-made Panamanian menu, curated by Windstar’s Executive Chef Michael Sabourin. Upon completion of the passage, guests find in their stateroom a certification of The Order of the Ditch, a Navy tradition that recognizes “sailors” who have passed through the Panama Canal.
Windstar’s Costa Rica & Panama Canal itinerary stops in Drake Bay, Balboa, Puerto Jimenez, Quepos, and more. Itinerary highlights include stops near several national parks, including Corcovado National Park, home to Scarlet Macaws, howler monkeys, sloths; and Isla de Coiba where Windstar Cruises holds an Island Experience Private Event that offers guests a chance to view wildlife in their natural environment. Additionally, guests can enjoy beach and sport activities such as volleyball, snorkeling, and bocce ball, as well as a full beach barbeque.
Windstar Cruises also offers a series of new land tours, including the following Cruise-Tour Packages:
Arenal Volcano 3-day/2-night Pre/Post-Cruise
Guests have the opportunity to experience a bird's-eye-view over the biologically diverse rainforest around the Arenal Volcano, an active volcano located 56 miles outside of San Jose, and lunch at a local restaurant. Starting at $1,149 per person.
Monteverde 3-day/2-night Pre/Post-Cruise
Travelers explore the private biological reserve and cloudforests of Monteverde, Costa Rica. The package includes hiking through through the clouds in this wildlife sanctuary and learning about local culture during a sugar mill tour. Starting at $999 per person.
Tortuguero 5-day/4-night Pre/Post-Cruise
On this tour guests get a private journey through the canals of Tortuguero (or “Land of Turtles”), with the chance to see leatherback and green turtle nesting sites. (Turtle sightings are not guaranteed.) Starting at $1,699 per person.
Jeff Corwin Joins Windstar Cruise
Windstar Cruises recently announced TV personality and conservationist Jeff Corwin as Windstar’s first Private Event host of 2016. Corwin will host the Isla de Coiba: Island Experience Private Event on Windstar’s Costa Rica & Panama Canal itinerary on the March 5, 2016 voyage.
Visit www.windstarcruises.com