Panama Canal Cruise - Day 1 - Embarkation - February 12, 2022

It's cruise day!!  We were up super early and watched the Emerald Princess come into the harbor from our hotel room.

We then walked down to the pier to get some close up photos.

The walk back to the hotel from the pier is along this narrow park/walkway where we found more beautiful flowers.

After checking out of our hotel, we took the 10am shuttle to the port to begin the embarkation process.  About a month earlier, with the rise of Omicron COVID cases, Princess had put in place additional protocols for longer voyages.  So in addition to having to do a covid test within 2 days of embarkation, I expected we would also be tested again at the port.  After dropping off bags, they shuttled us to the building at a different pier where we took a COVID test and then waiting in groups of about 25-30 to be released once our test results came back negative.  We then were shuttled back to the pier where we went through the normal check in process which included reviewing our vaccination cards and pre-cruise COVID test results.  That process went quite smoothly.  Once we were all checked in, we only had to wait a short time until they started letting people on the ship.  We were the third group to be let on the ship (after back to back passengers which were already on and then elite passengers).

Waiting for test results

It was so great to be back on the ship again.  We headed straight to my parents room where we dropped off our carry on bags.  (They had been on the cruise before.) We then headed to the Sanctuary to book chairs for a couple half-days and found lunch on the lido deck.

It wasn't long until we could get into our rooms and start unpacking and relax before dinner.  At dinner and afterwards it was really nice to catch up with my parents.

Here are a few photos from our balcony before leaving port.

Our ship was very late leaving San Pedro and so it was quite dark as we left port.  My husband took this time-lapse video of our ship leaving from the perspective of our aft balcony.  The ship backs out of its birth first before proceeding forward through the channel.