Another time change, from Central Standard Time to Eastern Standard Time, accompanied our departure last night, marking the eighth time zone experienced on this trip.

We used another day at sea for “executive time”, i.e. we basically did very little except for reading email, talking with other cruisers, watching television, etc. while sailing from Costa Rica to the Panama Canal. As expected, the pool area was packed from daylight on. 

We again had dinner with birders Don and Marianne from Dallas, after which we watched the Broadway-style “Blazing Boots” show presented by the exceptional cast of Norwegian Gem singers and dancers, and liked it so well we watched it again later in the evening. 

As the ship anchored about 10 PM to take on fuel and get in queue for locking through the Canal, we retired for the night to get television feedback on the State of the Union speech and rebuttal.