West Bound Panama Canal Cruise - getting there

Here we go again!!! So we booked this cruise last year as we absolutely loved this itinerary when we did it in 2022. Who wouldn't love to spend 14 nights on a Disney cruise ship!!!?? The price per night is so much more affordable on these longer cruises that it just 'makes sense' to do them! (you see that 'Disney' logic there, lol)! I am one who doesn't like to 'wait' to see if airfare will come down since it so rarely does, so we booked our flights last August. Of course come November, American did away with our 'non-stop' flight from Philly to Houston, so we were rebooked on a connecting flight for that same day, getting us into Houston the afternoon before the cruise. Well, March of 2026 hit and TSA had a shut down, airports were so crowded for people waiting to get through security that many were missing their flights. When this went on for a bit, we realized we needed to do something, fly in a day earlier. So, first things first, before I change any thing, I check with our pet-sitter, because, if she isn't available, this can't happen. Luckily, she is, so I change our flights and book an extra night at the hotel and all was right in the world.

Going away is always hard when you are leaving your furkids behind. Whitney (who has no eyes or teeth) doesn't realize where we are and Bandit, who we just adopted in August is like velcro. They both got some extra snuggle time before it was time to go to the airport.

I had arranged for Blue Hen Limo to pick us up and drop us at the airport (local company who is great, and cheaper than parking a vehicle for the 18 days we are away. Our driver texted that he was on the way (a little earlier than we had originally planned) but with the recent issues figured no worries. We got the pups settled and in no time it was off the the airport.

We checked our bags and truly walked right on through TSA with no one at all in the line at all; terminal C was for those with pre-check only. We had the new TSA touchless id, but didn't even need that. We were on the other side of security in no time at all. Only issue with coming 'early' was we were a little too early to enter the Centurion Lounge. We had to wait until our three hour window (only ten minutes) and then had to 'join' the waiting list. We were notified in about ten minutes that we could enter (we had just started walking in that direction anyway). There was someone sitting outside that I showed my code to, but they already knew our names and were sent right upstairs to the lounge. 

We knew we would be getting dinner on the plane so I opted for a small salad while Dale had some appetizers. We both enjoyed a relaxing drink or two, lol. I finished off with some amazing cold brew, probably the best I've had. We left as it was getting close to boarding time and we had a little walk to our gate (which had change three times that day). We met up with friends who were on the same flight and chatted until time to board.

Once on board we were offered a drink and as soon as we took off, warm nuts and another beverage. The seats were comfy and the extra legroom did my hamstring good (for those not familiar, I've got a tear in my hamstring that I've been 'nursing' for months. We had a delicious dinner on board and some ice cream for dessert. Then we both relaxed, I watched The Pitt on the free wi-fi while Dale napped on and off, lol.

We landed in Houston a half hour earlier than anticipated but their luggage claim ranks up with Philly, it was quite a wait for our luggage to make it to the area, thankfully, our bags were some of the first ones off. We took the 'subway' which was like a mini Disney ride, lol, to the Marriott right next door. Got checked in and settled into our room. 

Had a very restful night sleep, first in a while and woke up refreshed. I hit the gym first thing and then we grabbed breakfast from the coffee shop in the lobby, The Grind, which was tasty. A few hours later though, when we wanted coffee (other than that in the room) the coffee shop was closed so I use DoorDash to get Starbucks delivered and it honestly tasted so good!!!

Later in the afternoon, we met up with the friends we will be cruising with and all enjoyed some food, drinks and lots of laughs. I am looking forward to our dinners this trip as we haven't shared our table with other cruisers since before Covid times.