Panama City – Panama

I believe that Panama City is one of the most amazing places to visit in the Americas. Located at the Pacific entrance of the Panama Canal the city is one of the oldest settlements on the Western Hemisphere and offers plenty of entertainment and sights for vacationers.

After being established in 1519 Panama City was sacked and burned in 1671 by the pirate Henry Morgan. The ruins are still available today as a tourist attraction and are well worth the $4.00 admission charge to tour. Known as Panamá la Vieja (Old Panama) the ruins stretch for acres and feature a centuries old cathedral tower that you can go to the top of.

View from the top of the Cathedral Tower in Panama Vieja

View from the base of the Cathedral Tower

There are several places to dine in Panama City ranging from fast food to high end fine dining and everything in between. The MultiCintro Mall is located near the Old City ruins and offers air-conditioned shopping a food court and Panama’s Hard Rock Café. The Albrook Mall offers a better shopping atmosphere (In my opinion) and an incredible food court that even has a carousel ride. However, the best dining experience in Panama City is found on the Amador Causeway. There you can find several quality restaurants that overlook the Panama Canal, Bridge of Americas, the Bay of Panama and the Yacht Club.

Hard Rock Café, Panama

In addition to the aforementioned malls there are many other shopping opportunities at the markets, where hand crafted souvenirs can be purchased, located at Panama la Vieja and in Balboa.

Driving in Panama City can be tricky to say the least and taxis are very reasonable and abundant making it best mode of transportation.

Tell us where you've been!

Where Have I Been?

This whole travel agent thing is awesome! I was able to go on a trip to Panama last month and the family and I just returned from a 14 day trek through 11 states. Yeah, it was great and I have several photos and recommendations for you but first I have to finish showing you Panama City. Look for updates soon!

Been There Done That!

Hey, I’m excited about the newest feature of my blog. It’s called Been There Done That! Yeah, it’s a forum but here’s the thing, who doesn’t travel? Tell us where you plan to go and perhaps someone has been there and can pass on some tips. Tell us where you’ve been and what you liked or disliked about it. Do you know of a special travel discount or package deals? Let us know about it!

The thing that will keep this idea from bombing is you! If you like to talk about travel please plan on sticking around and visiting with us. I got the ball rolling by starting a thread about the Gamboa Resort in Panama.

Check it out and let me know what you think!

Gamboa Rainforest Resort

So, Mrs. World Traveler and I took off for a week in Panama to hang out at the Gamboa Rainforest Resort. While we spent some time in Panama City as well the resort also offered enough activities and tours to fill our schedule. Here’s a review of the resort and I’ll post about Panama City later.

Food
Gamboa Resort has three on location restaurants. The Corotu Restaurant is the resorts main restaurant and is open longer than the other. They offer a fantastic breakfast and lunch buffet as well as a fine dinner menu of international cuisine. World Traveler Ranking: 4 Stars!

One of the views while dining at Los Lagartos Restaurant.

The Los Lagartos Restaurant offers possibly the best atmosphere of all three restaurants (there really isn’t a bad dining atmosphere at the resort) but the food isn’t near the same quality of the Corotu. Located where the Chagres River meets the Panama Canal the Lagartos allows you to see the beauty of the Panamanian rainforest, the wildlife on the water and the container ships that traverse the canal while dining. World Traveler Ranking: 3 Stars!

The Chagres River View Restaurant offers a fine dining experience for those who enjoy coat and tie, reservation only restaurants. It is obviously the most expensive of the three restaurant options and the menu is more limited. World Traveler Ranking: 3 Stars!

Rooms

View of our balcony.

We stayed in a Deluxe River View Room which was more than spacious for the two of us. It offered a small couch, king sized bed, desk and balcony with a hammock overlooking the Chagres River. Many places in Panama are very noisy but the Gamboa Resort only has the background noise of the tropical rainforest. Only a more comfortable bed could have made it a better experience. World Traveler Ranking: 4 Stars!

Tours & Excursions

View From The Observation Tower: The Chagres River meets the Panama Canal with the Gamboa Rainforest Resort just off the bank.

The Gondola Tram Ride through the rainforest canopy offers some of the most breathtaking sights you’ll ever see. The two and a half hour tour carries you over the trees and wildlife of the rainforest and includes an observation tower that overlooks the canal, the Chagres River and the rainforest. There is a price per person for this tour but it is well worth it. World Traveler Ranking: 5 Stars!

The Walking Tour through the rainforest is an hour that you won’t forget. Make sure to wear long pants as you leave the paved road for a dirt trail that meanders through the forest. During this tour you’ll see the foliage and vegetation of the rainforest up-close and if you’re lucky you’ll spot a monkey or other wildlife. This is a free tour offered by the resort. World Traveler Ranking: 5 Stars!

The Monkey Island Excursion takes you from the Chagres River Delta into the Panama Canal to an island where capuchin monkeys jump to the boat for a piece of fruit. If the boat captain is in a good mood he’ll let you drive in the canal for a little while. There is a cost for this tour but again worth it. World Traveler Ranking: 5 Stars!

Monkey Island

Bicycling around Gamboa is an excursion that allows you to see the rainforest, resort and town itself at your own pace. Just grab a map and a bike and you are off. Be aware though there are some serious hills! This is a free excursion and could be physically strenuous. World Traveler Ranking: 3 Stars!

Want to see a croc or caiman up close? Take the Nocturnal Boat Safari!

The Nocturnal Boat Safari takes you out on the Chagres river an night to get a glance of the rainforest’s nightlife. Crocodiles, caiman and the two-toed sloth are just a few of the possibilities of what you could see. There is a price per person for this excursion but…well you know. World Traveler Ranking: 5 Stars!

Book your trip to Panama here!

Oklahoma City’s Historic Colcord Hotel

Mrs. World Traveler and I took some time a few weeks ago to get away for a night. We dropped off the little World Travelers with grandma and went to five miles from home to Oklahoma City. We stayed at the Colcord Hotel in downtown and were just blocks away from Bricktown which is the social center of the City.

The hotel was great. The rooms were large, the service was good and the atmosphere was fun. I would certainly recommend it to any business traveler coming to Oklahoma City or to any romantics just looking for a nice getaway.

While in Oklahoma City you’ll want to make sure that you visit Bricktown for a baseball, game, dinning, walking the canal and soaking up the atmosphere. The Big 12 and NCAA basketball tournaments have been to Oklahoma City. The Big 12 baseball tournament comes to OKC as well as the Women’s Softball World Series. The NBA will be here soon, so why not you?

Book your trip to OKC!

My First Check As A Travel Agent

Well, I keep telling myself that Rome wasn’t built in a day and that my new venture in the travel industry will slowly build as well. Last weekend was my first weekend where trips booked from my website were taken. Since I don’t get paid until after the trips are taken this weekend I received my first check.

It certainly isn’t anywhere near enough for me to consider quitting my “real job” but it is enough to give my bank account a little boost and contribute to the debt retirement plan. The best part is that I have many more trips that have already been booked so more moola is coming!

Want to know how you can get in the travel industry? Email me!

Constant Complaining Leads To Lifetime Cruise Ban

Very rarely does a vacation go off without any complications at all. In fact, it isn’t uncommon for vacationers to come home and, in the middle of their vacation stories, tell family and friends that they wish that at least one thing went differently. Be it weather, accommodations, food, travel or something else.

Then there’s Brenda and Gerald Moran who took complaining to a whole new level. Using internet forums the Moran’s complained repeatedly about their experiences and the service they received from Royal Caribbean. Some of their complaints seemed valid and yet others very petty and pointless. Regardless they continued to cruise with the company (they cruised a total of six times) and continued to voice complaints. So much so that they received discounts and personal phone calls from the cruise line.

When they mentioned on the forums that they were receiving discounts from the cruise line for their complaining many of the forum members suggested that they were “working the system” to exploit all they could and discounts beyond what normal passengers were able to receive. Some forum members contacted Royal Caribbean to make them aware of the complaints which would ultimately lead to the Moran’s being told that they could never again sail with the company.

Sure there is the right to free speech but there is a difference between speaking freely and working the system. If they were in fact working the system then the cruise line did the right thing in my mind but if not then we have to wonder to what extents the cruise lines are going through to silence what is being said about them on the internet.

I’m leaning more towards feeling like they were working the system for two reasons. 1) Why sail with a company that you are not satisfied with six times? With all the cruise options out there why not just pick another one? Vacation consumers are picky and when not satisfied they will tell friends and family and then will not return to the resort, hotel, cruise etc.

2) What does the cruise line gain by banning the Morans? I mean other than a migraine headache! This family will most likely continue to criticize Royal Caribbean so that won’t be silenced. They really don’t save face because they have opened themselves up to a whole new world of criticism. The only logical explanation was that they were being taken advantage of and found a way to put a stop to it.