New Years Eve

Last night was New Years Eve on the m/s Amsterdam and again we had one

of the ship's officers at our table for dinner. The beauty of having a

ship's officer at dinner is that he (or she) signs the check for wine

after dinner. Last night's officer was Mark from Mumbai, the ship's

Security Officer.

After dinner, we (as in Pat finally won something at the Roulette
table. It was only $50 but better than nothing. Who knows maybe this
is the start. This afternoon's Bingo session will tell.
At around 4.00 PM we will reach Amador on Flamenco Island where we will
stay until 1.00 AM on Saturday morning. Later in the morning we will
begin our transit of the Panama Canal. As we have seen in the past,
there will be close to a hundred freighter waiting to be let into the
canal. It is necessary to pay the transit fee prior to entering the
canal. Cruise ship companies pay the fee well before arriving at the
entrance. Freighter companies generally wait until the ship arrives and
pays the fee based on its weight.