Turtles06

Assuming that you will be entering the Canal from the Atlantic, Princess is referring to the shore excursions that depart from Gatun Lake after the ship has gone through the locks on the Atlantic side. And yes, you must be on a ship-sponsored tour. This is true for all mainstream cruise lines. I’ve done four full transits of the Canal, but never a partial, so I can’t advise you on the specific excursions, but the Canal of course is not far from the Equator, and it will typically be a hot and humid day.

I agree with you. And Princess is not the only cruise line doing this. NCL, for example, has several September 2025 cruises on the Getaway that it is marketing as visiting Bar Harbor. I’m booked on one of those cruises. But since I’m here on CC and am not the average “Jane Passenger,” I do know that it is highly unlikely that we will call at Bar Harbor. But I’ll bet most folks booked on that cruise do not.

The same itinerary question is being discussed in another thread just a bit higher up in the forum, at this link:

Thank you again to @mking8288 for sharing this adventure with us, and to everyone else on the Prima who contributed as well. To all of you, safe travels home or to wherever you are heading.

So happy you were all in the right place at the right time. Thanks for sharing those great photos.

Folks, check the skies tonight — a very strong geomagnetic storm has hit the earth today, which will make the Aurora Borealis visible (weather permitting) further south than usual, including down into Northern Europe. Even if you just see a patch of dark sky, take a photo with your cellphone or other camera. Cameras capture light that our eyes can’t see, and you may be surprised. https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2024/05/10/northern-lights-solar-storm-where-to-watch/ Good luck!

One suggestion in Southampton: the Sea City Museum. It has a very interesting exhibit called "Southampton's Titanic Story." As you may know, many people from Southampton worked on the ship, and so the disaster was especially devastating for the city. The Museum is very walkable through the center of town from wherever you are likely to be staying https://seacitymuseum.co.uk/exhibitions/southamptons-titanic-story/

I don't agree. I don't think of a cruise ship as just a floating hotel or resort. I think of it first and foremost as a ship; a key reason for me to be on it is to be on the water, feel like I'm on the water, and see the water. The trend with newer builds (and it's not just Celebrity) is to disconnect guests from the water. You feel differently, that's fine.

Thanks, that’s very helpful. We are looking at International Friends. Enjoy your trip!

Thanks very much. I do know about International Friends and I’m glad to know you’ll be a repeat customer. We’ve been to Salisbury and Stonehenge before, but not Windsor, so we just want to visit that on the transfer from Southampton to London. That would also give us more time there. It might require a private transfer/tour with them, and I plan to inquire about that. Have fun planning your trip!

@kflietst Do you mind sharing the name/website/contact info for this guide? We may be interested in doing the reverse at the end of a transatlantic cruise arriving in Southampton. Thank you!

As others have noted, you have a chock full itinerary, even without the British Museum. I'm not trying to add to it, I just wanted to suggest something you may not have considered, perhaps in lieu of something else (maybe Buckingham Palace), and that's a guided tour of the Palace of Westminster (aka the Houses of Parliament). We did this in 2018; the tour is about 90 minutes long, and it was one of the best tours we've ever taken, anywhere. The Palace has incredibly opulent rooms, and you walk through many of them, learning about history and about what you are seeing. And then, a major highlight, we visited the Chamber of the House of Commons. We got to stand in the rows of seats (only elected Members may sit in those seats, as we learned) while the guide discusses what happens in the Chamber, who sits where, the history of the Chamber, etc. It was a "pinch me" moment to actually be inside such an iconic place that I'd only seen on TV. (And I say that as an American.) Just throwing that out there (especially since your hotel is so convenient to Parliament). https://www.parliament.uk/visiting/visiting-and-tours/

On another thread you'd started, I posted about doing exactly that (so perhaps it was me 🙂). Arrived at the Abbey at 9:30, immediately went to the desk to book the Verger Tour for a time after our visit to the Diamond Jubilee Galleries (per our pre-booked timed ticket). That was all fabulous and took up the entire morning. Walked toward the Churchill War Rooms (had a 3pm booking) and had lunch at some pub along the way. Might have been able to make an earlier time for the War Rooms but we of course didn't know in advance exactly how long we would spend in the Abbey and definitely did not want to feel rushed for time. And I totally agree with @markeb that you can (and we did) spend hours in the Churchill War Rooms. It depends on your interest in the subjects. I found the entire place fascinating and probably stopped to read just about every exhibit sign.

Very glad you were able to see Keukenhof just before they closed for the season. Thanks for sharing the beautiful photos.

Thanks so much for that helpful information!