Hawaii or Panama Canal? Please help me choose

Greetings,

I'd like to draw on the collective wisdom of my fellow Princess cruisers. I'm looking at booking my next cruise vacation. I usually always travel towards the end of January/early February. In the past, all of my cruises have been in the Caribbean with the exception of my last one which was a Mexico cruise.

For 2016, I'll be cruising alone (long story; not germane to this discussion). I tend to keep mostly to myself when on the ship, content to hang by the pool (or on my stateroom balcony if I have one) and read a good book or just wander around and people watch. When in port, I don't often take organised excursions but rather wander around aimlessly or, better yet, go for a nice run.

I've narrowed my selection down to two potential choices:

The 15-day Hawaii cruise round trip from San Francisco on 19 January on the Grand Princess.

OR

The 10-day partial transit of the Panama Canal from Ft. Lauderdale on 24 January on the Island Princess e.

Both of these cruises will end up costing me pretty much the same amount of money although for the Panama Canal trip, I could book an Oceanview whereas the Hawaii cruise I'd be booking an Interior (unless there is a big price drop that applies to solo cruisers -- not holding my breath).

Hawaii:

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For the same money, I get 5 more days than the Panama Canal cruise (pretty much all sea days but I'm good with that). And I would finally realise my dream of visiting Hawaii. On the other hand, I'm worried about the weather at the beginning and end of the cruise. I like hot weather -- after all, I'm trying to escape the long Canadian winter -- and the Mexico cruise that we did this past January showed me that San Francisco (and even some of the ports in Mexico were just not as warm as we were hoping for).

I don't think I would have any qualms about heading out on my own for a nice 5-10k run on any of the Hawaiian islands that we would be visiting.

Panama Canal:

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Reviews of this itinerary always seem to be glowingly positive and from what I've read, I'd definitely be escaping the winter weather. But it would be 5 days shorter than the Hawaii cruise for the same money. Further, I'm not so sure how comfortable I'd be running on my own in Columbia or Panama. Perhaps I'd have to bite the bullet and actually take some excursions.

Any and all advice and suggestions would be gratefully received.

If you have never done either itinerary I would choose Hawaii based on your information. We found the 10 days at sea wonderful on the Hawaii cruise.

Also the Hawaii cruise will have 10 days at sea where as Panama has much fewer. I tell my wife if she wants to go th Hawai that we will fly there and spend more time on land.

We have sailed both and really enjoyed both.

The issues with weather in the Pacific is a crap shoot at that time of the year....(we lived in Hawaii so traveled back and forth from the mainland often). Sometimes the weather was great, other times, the plane ride could be quite rough because of cold fronts pushing thru (which would correlate to rough seas).

I think wind, rain and rough seas would be a POSSIBILITY with this El Nino thing going on, but seeing the islands is wonderful, so worth the risk! If you COULD be happy with a windy, cooler, possibly cloudy ride TO Hawaii for a day or two of the sea days, then I would chose that!

The weather should be much calmer for Panama Canal, we did it in Feb from Ft Lauderdale and it was typical Caribbean weather....very nice, hot and humid in Panama itself. Loved both cruises, but if weather is #1 issue (especially with long sea days), would have to say Panama is more of a sure thing weather wise....

Panama Canal hands down.

When I mentioned a Hawaii cruise to my TA for last January he told me he would not recommend booking it then-seas often 30-40 feet,cold weather versus the warm Caribbean.

He did that itinerary that time of year as did another person in their office and they were so turned off from doing a Hawaii cruise that time of year they actively discouraged clients from going in January-February. That was enough for me to not book it.

I have been to Hawaii many times for a land trip. I just can't endorse seeing Hawaii on a cruise. Much better experience to see Hawaii on a land trip. I used to live in California so it made the trip easier. It is really tough flying from the eastern part of the US to visit Hawaii so a land trip in my opinion is so much better than a cruise.

DH and I have done both of those a number of times, and enjoy them both for different reasons.

No, you would not want to run in Columbia or Panama, in fact, getting off the ship in Panama means missing part of going through the locks. The weather is just hot, humid and unrelenting any time of year in the canal zone. The engineering of the canal never ceases to fascinate us - we are geeks.

Yes, you could run on each island, but frankly, you should consider some excursions and see the islands if you are going there. You would probably have time for a tour and then a run on most of the islands. The islands are beautiful...and there is so much to see and do. Some of the excursions are very active - kayaking, hiking....

We happen to love sea days. I disagree with the poster who has never sailed there and said it was because of the weather. The first day or two going out of San Francisco might be choppy and a bit on the cool side, but generally we have had pleasant crossings both directions and love the sea days.

I would go for the longer cruise. Also, the changes made to the Island Princess destroyed its unique charm IMHO. They added more cabins and took away public space....big negative in my book.

Because of the time of year you'll be cruising, I'd pick the Panama Canal. ;)

LuLu

Hawaii - Great trip but you have enjoy hanging around like on sea days, as there are 9 full sea days. In Hawaii you are able to 'wander around' on your own. I would not wander in Ensenanda, but you could do running loops around the port area. Weather can be cool over and back, and seas are known to sometimes be a little rough until you get into the tropics during day three.

Panama Canal - Weather will probably the tropical Caribbean weather you are used to. This cruise stops in Cartagena, Col., Limon, Costa Rica, and Ocho Rio, Jamaica. I would not feel comfortable going far out on my own in any of these ports. Limon, is a very small town and not much there, you have to take some sort of tour either private or Princess. Colon is a 4 hour stop and it is really not a tour stop, you just get off and look through the shops in the port warehouse. Passengers are not allowed to disembark the ship in the Panama Canal unless they are part of a Princess organized tour.

I would go for the 15 day Hawaii or select one of the full transits.

We've been on both and they were amoung my favorite cruises. I would choose Hawaii. It's a truly magical place.

We liked Hawaii so much that we did it again a year later. Yes, the weather can be cool when closer to the mainland and the sea can be rough. It's worth it!

I will have to say Hawaii for the simple fact that the PC cruise is a partial transit. We have done both several times and there is nothing like the full transit which would be the same length as your Hawaii cruise. :)

Couple of things -

1) Your Hawaii cruise is going to have a lot of consecutive sea days each way. I hate sea days. What is your attitude toward them?

2) I feel that the Panama canal is something that everyone should do once. It is unique. Hawaii is nice but is basically just another bunch of islands.

3) If you do decide on the Panama Canal option, do a full transit and not a partial transit. You do not want to miss half of the canal.

DON

Personally I would take Hawaii over the Partial Panama Cruise.

After having done the full transit twice a partial transit won't interest me at all. You don't get the full impression of the amount of work was done to build the canal.

For some reason, I'm not a big fan of Hawaii but in this case, I would choose Hawaii.

I'm all about full transit of the canal, I've done LA to San Juan and San Juan to LA. I don't know why partial transits are popular unless people don't have the days or means to do a full transit.

I think to get an overview of Hawaii, see if you like it, a cruise is ideal. Later, you can go back and visit the islands you found interesting. I spent weeks in Hawaii visiting friends stationed at the Navy base so for me, it is a case been there done that, not a priority to actually stay in the islands.

I have been back but always with a cruise, which I enjoy, no need to stay in one spot. I travel alone and find more than a night or two, going out to eat by myself, gets very old very fast.

A vote for Hawaii. Five extra days. The weather there seldom changes...temperature is about 20C to 29C most days. I understand that meterologists hate being stationed there because their job is so boring.

I have lived in Hawaii, cruised Hawaii several times and disagree with the poster that said "land based vacations there are better" for several reasons....there are areas of Hawaii that you will ONLY get to see as you cruise from island to island that are BREATHTAKINGLY BEAUTIFUL!!!! We cruised the islands a total of 5 times when we lived there, and each time I would sit on the deck all day watching the beautiful coastline mountains going by....no roads, no people, no buildings, just awesome beauty you can ONLY see from the deck of your ship. The other HUGE reason to cruise vs fly to Hawaii is the sea days to adjust your body clock to the time difference!!! Both coming and going it will be a BLESSING to get back from vacation RESTED vs all wacked out because of the time difference (and for us, that is 6 hours difference, so it REALLY messes with you!). Getting to Hawaii and being fresh and ready to meet the day headon is SO much better than wanting to fall asleep at 3pm and struggling to stay awake after you arrive. ;)

Another reason to perhaps wait on the Panama trip is that the new locks are suppose to be operational in April 2016, which means LARGER ships will be able to sale thru there. Our trip was on the Coral, which at the time was the largest of the Princess fleet that could make the locks because of width.

Soon they will have larger ships (I assume) to sail on if you chose to see the newest section completed.

Just food for thought in making your decision.

How disappointed will you be if you can' t run? If this is a deal breaker then you only choice is Hawaii . The ports on the Panama cruise are not ones you want to stray from the tourist areas. Personal safety is concern one when traveling .

I haven't done the Panama Canal YET and reallllly want to, BUT I have done the Hawaii cruise, and it was one of my absolutely most favs! I would say based on all of your criteria, the Hawaii one would be best. You'd get the most bang for your buck with cruise time, and it'd be totally safe since you'd be in the U.S. I personally loved the seas days on the Hawaii cruise. We went in March, and though it was cooler the beginning and end days, it wasn't bad. Either one would be a win, though, IMO! Happy cruising! [emoji568]

I have sailed full transits twice & to me a partial transit is not nearly as good. I researched the building of the PC & knew the great sacrifices made while completing the Culebra Cut to connect the locks. Also the other ports in the Caribbean are not nearly as interesting to us.

We much prefer the Hawaiian ports where you can take a run or I'd suggest to rent cars in each port except in Oahu. Honolulu is only rated behind LA for the worst US traffic & instead you can use their excellent public transportation system...The Bus. I feel more comfortable in Hawaii & have enjoyed the relaxing days at sea plus island hopping.

If you were sailing a full PC transit & appreciated the history of it then I might recommend it. I heard too many comments by uninformed passengers who wondered what the big thing was about the PC...only a couple of locks, a lake & a river. For some of those unaware of the engineering marvel & the 20,000 deaths during the construction they were unimpressed.

I was very impressed & would recommend everyone to experience it once but didn't really need to go again. I could cruise repeatedly to Hawaii but not to the Caribbean & Central America although that's merely a personal preference & others may feel differently.

Since you enjoy running then run around Promenade deck during the crossing & in Hawaii. I'd recommend saving the Panama Canal for another time when you could experience a full transit.

The main reason I won't do the Canal cruise is the heat. I cannot tolerate high heat and the humidity. Why put myself in that misery for 10 days? We cruised out of San Francisco (our home port) and totally enjoyed the open sea and all the sea days. All Princess ships have pretty decent gyms with a dozen or so good treadmills if you really need to get your running "fix" in plus there is the promenade deck where you will find an occasional deck runner. Hawaii has lots of options for runners.There are many gorgeous trails in Kauai on the way up to Waimea Canyon. Renting a car in Hawaii is very easy and inexpensive for the day. Do a little research on Trip Advisor or such and see what other runners find enjoyable there.

By the way, we cruised to Hawaii twice in the same year, April and late November (2013) because we found it perfect for relaxing and seeing the islands. In fact we are going again in late November. We really didn't find the weather any different in those months.

We've done the Hawaiian cruise twice and decided to do the Panama Canal on the Island Princess again in December - full transit from FLL ending in Los Angeles. We love sea days which the Hawaiian cruise fits the bill. But, we like the history of the Panama Canal and want to see the progress of the new canal. We also want longer time on the ship so the Panama Canal was our choice.

Also, the Island Princess is being retrofitted, I don't know how we're going to like the Promenade deck setup and the other changes they are making to her. We took the Grand to Hawaii - the cruise right before the refurbishing. We wish we would have waited as the Grand had issues. We hit a severe storm 2 days out and it was a ride of a lifetime! Blew out the slider in the cabin next to us, and on the opposite side the ceiling came down on a couple in bed at 2:00 AM. That has nothing to do with your cruise, but be aware that the seas can be quite rough at that time of year between SF and Hawaii. There's also nothing to see - no land, just water. No other ships, not even a jet liner. We were happy to see land when we got to Hawaii.

Thank you all so much for the responses so far. Very much appreciated. You have all made some very compelling arguments in favour of both itineraries and rather than making my decision easier, it's actually gotten a bit more difficult!

I don't mind sea days but I've never done more than 2 in a row so I don't know how I would react to the 4 or 5 days on the transit to/from Hawaii. I *think* I would like them but I guess I'll only know for sure when I actually do it.

As for doing a full transit of the Canal rather than a partial, I totally agree but unfortunately, a full transit is just a bit beyond my means financially at the moment.

Taking into account all of the advice you've shared with me, I'm now leaning towards the Hawaii cruise.

However, it also seems like perhaps January isn't the right time to do that particular journey. For those of you who have been recommending Hawaii, would waiting until late February/early March make an appreciable difference weather-wise or do I have to wait until April? (Remember, I'm attempting to escape winter for a bit).

Thanks again.

We did Hawaii in November, that's where we hit the big storm. The other Hawaiian cruise we did in January and it was pretty much smooth sailing. It is cold for the first 3 days out so take warm clothing. As you get closer to Hawaii it starts to warm up. Maybe it was just a fluke the storm hit us in November. But, just be aware that you're going against the current. Also, we missed the port where we tendered due to waves in November. either itinerary, you'll have fun. Pick Hawaii, it's beautiful, especially Maui.

Concerning weather my favorite month in Hawaii is January! :D

The temperatures are perfect for me in the upper 70s to low 89s, there are many fewer tourists & rarely a rained out day! I base that on having lived in Maui & still living there part time. We've also cruised there a couple of times from LA (November & January) & the crossing wasn't bad. There's no way to accurately predict when storms will affect the crossing but this is the best website I've found for Hawaii weather including monthly average conditions.

http://www.hawaiiweathertoday.com

Whale activity usually peaks about February & March and when snorkeling or diving we can sometimes hear the Humpbacks "songs". :)

Here's another vote for Hawaii. I've done both cruises, but if the full transit of one of the man-made wonders of the world is a bit much financially, I'd go to Hawaii. The islands are spectacular in and of themselves, and I'd love the relaxing sea days.