Cruising Panama’s Canal by Al Lockwood & Sunny Lockwood
Who would have guessed that it would have taken an almost fatal car accident to motivate Al and Sunny Lockwood to take a cruise ship vacation to the Panama Canal? Riveted by their near death experience. this charming couple decided to make their bucket list dream cruise vacation come true, and now they want to…
Who would have guessed that it would have taken an almost fatal car accident to motivate Al and Sunny Lockwood to take a cruise ship vacation to the Panama Canal?
Riveted by their near death experience. this charming couple decided to make their bucket list dream cruise vacation come true, and now they want to share it with you!
Come along with them as they share intimate details of their 17-day odyssey from San Francisco to Fort Lauderdale via the Panama Canal. Sunny provides the facts. Al adds delicious humor. A perfect recipe for cruise travel fun!
Get a firsthand look into what ocean cruising is really like: the service, the staterooms, the entertainment, the surprises, and of course the food — from endless buffets to amazing gourmet dinners and decadent desserts, Al’s enthusiastic descriptions will have your mouth watering.
Stand on the bow of Holland America’s MS Zuiderdam with Al and Sunny as they share the sights, sounds and feelings of transiting the Canal; watch as the sun rises over the Pacific Ocean and then sets into the Atlantic on the same day. Miraculous!
Let Al and Sunny be your guides to exotic ports of call such as: Zihuatanejo, Mexico, Putarenas, Costa Rica, Cartagena, Colombia and Half Moon Cay in the Bahamas.
Learn about the building of the Panama Canal and how the locks actually work as huge, modern ships squeeze into 100-year-old chambers to take the world’s most famous short cut.
What readers and experts are saying about this book:
“Their writing is inviting, funny, contagious and just flat out a joy to read.”
Amazon top reviewer William D. Curnett
“The pages just flew when I picked this book up.”
Janice Condit
“Al’s descriptions of desserts made me want to rip the pages out and eat them!”
Karen Zaccheo
Finalist in the 2014 National Indie Excellence Awards
Whether you are thinking of a Panama Canal cruise, looking for a humorous and heart-felt travel memoir, or are an armchair traveler seeking a fun and entertaining read about cruise travel, you are going to love Cruising Panama’s Canal. Order your copy today!
“All Aboard!”
Five Star Review on Amazon By Arletta Dawdy
To read Al and Sunny Lockwood’s CRUISING PANAMA’S CANAL is to join them in an adventurous tour. Seventeen days and evenings glide along smoothly in their alternating commentary on the sights, sounds and tastings of their ship. Al’s wonder as he sails under the Golden Gate Bridge on departure brings back memories of his return from Vietnam so many years earlier. A former minister, he fills in unexpectedly as “Father Al” for morning mass while Sunny finds meditation in gym, yoga or guided sessions.
Culinary treats and indulgences differ with the couple; ChocALholic vs SunnySlim. The latter is determined to not gain weight and provides hints how to avoid doing so on board while Al delights his sweet-tooth in great abundance. Sunny engages the reader in her tour of the many art features of Holland America’s Zuiderdam, one of the attractions that brought her aboard this particular ship. In eloquence and reverence, she provides visions of the paintings and sculptures throughout the ship.The couple knows well how to have fun, economize, take advantage of the entertainments, shore excursions and on-board classes. They are skilled at knowing and following their limits, resting, reading and watching the sea and its critters slide by. Sunny’s passages wax poetic as she revels in the flora and fauna on shore, the lowering sun and sky-lit darkness in her Sweetheart’s arms. An engineer by training and experience, Al paints a vivid picture of the canal, taking the reader through the locks and across the lakes with amazing detail. The couple watches much of the encounter at the rail’s edge in the early morning hours where their exhilaration fulfills their expectations with occasional surprises.
In Cartagena, a scary encounter with Columbia’s aggressive vendors results in an infestation of bedbugs that alarm but result in an upgraded room for their last few days on board…and a massive cleaning of their effects.
In the end, Sunny and Al are left with “OH, the memories!” And, so is the reader.
About the Author
Al and Sunny Lockwood have traveled by foot, car, rail, air and cruise ship. They’ve camped in national parks, hiked mountain trails, photographed flowers in Death Valley and buffalo in Yellowstone. And everywhere they go, they capture unforgettable moments — Al with his camera and Sunny with her reporter’s notebook. Their work has been published in magazines and newspapers. Cruising Panama’s Canal, their no-holds-barred account of a 17-day cruise from San Francisco to Fort Lauderdale by way of the Panama Canal, is their first travel memoir.
Cruising Panama’s Canal, savoring 5,000 nautical miles and 500,000 decadent calories nas been named the 2014 National Indie Excellence Awards Finalist (in travel).
Sunny is also the author of the award-winning ebook “Living the Velvet Revolution,” a behind-the-scenes look at how the Czech people overthrew their communist government in 1989.