Travel

[reiki604]

We're thinking of taking a cruise through the Panama Canal in either January or Febuary. Has anybody been. We are considering Princess. Can anyone give me some info?

[patbz]

We went about 5 years ago on Celebrity.  You really want to see going thru the locks from beginning to end.  The best way to do this is to stake out your spots in one of the upper deck lounges looking forward ( do this by eight am and plan on staying for the duration).  One of us would run and bring back lunch for both of us and we alternated bathroom breaks.  Some on board were worried that their balcony was on right or wrong side of ship; we saw it all ( and we opted for an inside cabin as usual).  It's really a magnificent experience.  We made a brief stop in Panama City (prior medical emergency made it a very brief stop).  We bought fantastic indigenous baskets in the port shop and were able to bargain because we had U.S. Dollars (couldn't bargain with credit cards).

[Turbosmom]

We went two years ago on the Princess ship (can't recall the name, but it was the one built especially to go through the canal).  It was an interestng experience but not really the highlight of our cruise for me although I did enjoy the scenery.  We also visited Cartagena, Jamaica, Aruba and Costa Rica, whch I enjoyed a lot more.  The ship is nice, but a little dated.  Overall, it's definitely a vacation I'd recommend.

[kaydee50]

Yes, doing the full transit of the canal is worth it.  We did it on Celebrity LA to San Juan a few years ago.  Plan on doing it again in the near future with an overnight stop in Panama. 

[CinNC]

We did a half Panama Canal cruise on Carnival out of Tampa - 8 days. The old canal and turned around in Lake Gatun. It was the best cruise we have taken so far - mostly a 50+ year old crowd and veteran cruisers. 

By all means, go for it.

[bonnielu]

We travel with a group.  Trying to get them to select it.  Going to read carefully all these replies.  

[VaBelle35]

My Dad went on this and loved it.  He is an ocean/boat person and the whole canal experience was right up his ally.

[reiki604]

I think we’ve made up our mind, There is a Holland America cruise from Ft. Lauderdale that stops in the Caribbean, Central America and goes into the Panama Canal. It looks like it’s goes in, cruises around a bit and comes out the same side and then a stop in Mexico, then back to Ft Lauderdale. It’s 11 days and pretty reasonable. Will be booking with a Travel agent if she. Can meet the perks online or offer better ones.