Was it a mistake booking Panama Canal as my first Princess Cruise?

I've been reading everything I can find to learn the ins and outs of a Princess Cruise.

I've also seen the first episode of "The Cruise".

These are the takeaways from my research.

Panama Canal cruises usually have a high ratio of frequent Princess cruisers. Thus a high number of Platinum/Elite passengers.

Princess gives priority to these customers in almost every area where there is a possibility for a queue.

Add to that there is priority given to people booked in Suites and Club Class Mini Suites.

All these priority/status passengers are allowed to jump or join an existing queue whenever they like.

As a first time cruiser I will be easily identified by staff and other passengers by my blue room key.

Was it a mistake to book Panama Canal as my first Princess Cruise?

It appears that I will be the last asked to board. Behind everyone with Status.

I will be the last on any Tender to port.

When calling the DINE line I have a high probability of being put on hold, hung up on, or being told no reservations are available.

I am not a fan of cruise ship buffets. (Pick your own reason, they all apply here)

I like to eat when I'm hungry not when I'm assigned.

With everyone else having priority at ATD. It looks like if I want to eat at all, I have to be wait-listed in Traditional Dining.

Do Princess passengers actually go out of their way to flout their Status (Black Cards) as depicted on "The Cruise"?

Do I have to book a Suite just to be on equal standing with the rest of the passengers?

Or will I still be by-passed by all the Platinum/Elites/Ruby/Golds and end up at the back of the bus?

I'm looking forward to my First Princess Cruise.

Should I have waited a few years for Panama Canal, at least until I have the Status to be "on par" with everyone else?

My DW and I did the 10-day round trip out of FLL a few years ago--second Princess Cruise, and did not have any issues (our cabin was a balcony, but not a mini-suite). We did ATD, but we generally eat early so not an issue with lines (we too do not like the buffet). As for tendering, if you have an excursion booked through Princess, you will get off in plenty of time-most ports were not tendered.

I did not see anyone "Flouting" a black card.

Is there a chance you may have to wait a bit? perhaps.

As for embarkation, it is more dependent on when you arrive, as there will be a lot of other "non-status" cruisers on the ship. Disembarkation might be a bit later unless you do the walk off, which will get you off in plenty of time.

If the itinerary is one you like, and you are willing to relax on the cruise, you have not made a mistake. The Coral/Island are both good ships (In fact my father is currently on this cruise getting back tomorrow).

If you go into a cruise with a negative attitude, you will not enjoy the cruise. Everybody did their first Princess cruise.

We weren't platinum or elite when we did the Panama Canal cruise and we did not have any of the problems that you are anticipating. It was a great cruise.

I've been reading everything I can find to learn the ins and outs of a Princess Cruise.

 

I've also seen the first episode of "The Cruise".

 

These are the takeaways from my research.

 

Panama Canal cruises usually have a high ratio of frequent Princess cruisers. Thus a high number of Platinum/Elite passengers.

 

Princess gives priority to these customers in almost every area where there is a possibility for a queue.

Boarding

Only Suites and Elities

Sanctuary (result of priority boarding

Not true

Dining reservations (ATD and Speciaity)

Not true

Customer Service Desk

Suites and Elites have a special line

Tendering

Only suites and Elites

Add to that there is priority given to people booked in Suites and Club Class Mini Suites.

 

All these priority/status passengers are allowed to jump or join an existing queue whenever they like.

 

As a first time cruiser I will be easily identified by staff and other passengers by my blue room key.

 

Was it a mistake to book Panama Canal as my first Princess Cruise?

 

 

It appears that I will be the last asked to board. Behind everyone with Status.

Missing lunch in the MDR.

Likely miss out on Sanctuary reservation.

I will be the last on any Tender to port.

 

When calling the DINE line I have a high probability of being put on hold, hung up on, or being told no reservations are available.

 

I am not a fan of cruise ship buffets. (Pick your own reason, they all apply here)

 

I like to eat when I'm hungry not when I'm assigned.

 

With everyone else having priority at ATD. It looks like if I want to eat at all, I have to be wait-listed in Traditional Dining.

 

Do Princess passengers actually go out of their way to flout their Status (Black Cards) as depicted on "The Cruise"?

 

Do I have to book a Suite just to be on equal standing with the rest of the passengers?

Or will I still be by-passed by all the Platinum/Elites/Ruby/Golds and end up at the back of the bus?

 

I'm looking forward to my First Princess Cruise.

Should I have waited a few years for Panama Canal, at least until I have the Status to be "on par" with everyone else? book a suite and get all the perks as well .

The Panama Canal was our first cruise of 20 days. A friend we where nuts to do such a long cruise the first one. We wanted to see the Canal and Florida. Enjoyed so much we haven't stopped yet .

If you are only looking for negatives and problems then you should cancel now. Go with a positive attitude and enjoy the cruise.

The words "over analysis" leaps to mind...

My DW and I did the 10-day round trip out of FLL a few years ago--second Princess Cruise, and did not have any issues (our cabin was a balcony, but not a mini-suite). We did ATD, but we generally eat early so not an issue with lines (we too do not like the buffet). As for tendering, if you have an excursion booked through Princess, you will get off in plenty of time-most ports were not tendered.

 

I did not see anyone "Flouting" a black card.

 

Is there a chance you may have to wait a bit? perhaps.

 

As for embarkation, it is more dependent on when you arrive, as there will be a lot of other "non-status" cruisers on the ship. Disembarkation might be a bit later unless you do the walk off, which will get you off in plenty of time.

 

If the itinerary is one you like, and you are willing to relax on the cruise, you have not made a mistake. The Coral/Island are both good ships (In fact my father is currently on this cruise getting back tomorrow).

The Panama Canal was our first cruise of 20 days. A friend we where nuts to do such a long cruise the first one. We wanted to see the Canal and Florida. Enjoyed so much we haven't stopped yet .

intriguedkp & Kamloops50

Thank you for taking the time to answer some of my questions.

To the others.

This was not intended to project a negative attitude.

Simply questioning information that I've read here on the Princess Boards.

{Snipped}

This was not intended to project a negative attitude.

Should that have been "a negative attitude project" as that is what it came over as?

The words "over analysis" leaps to mind...

No. The words Post Count come to my mind.

Thanks for the informative response

If I hadn't ever cruised with Princess and had watched one of their idiotic TV shows I would likely never sail the line. In my opinion those shows would turn off just about anybody. I don't understand why they insist on highlighting any boorish behavior or any type of problem that can occur.

We sailed the Panama Canal not too long ago. We did the full transit from SF to FLL for 17 days. We had a great cruise and never had any issues with the type of thing those stupid TV shows like to highlight. We ported in LA (to pick up more passengers), Mexico, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Colombia, and Aruba. The only place where we had to tender was Cabo San Lucas in Mexico and there was no problem at all.

I think the Princess TV shows are about the worst advertising they could possibly have for their cruise line. It's kind of like having a show about Carnival Cruise Line and featuring people puking in the elevator and constantly using the "F" word. Why illustrate the most negative things possible?

Hi,

My upcoming Panama Canal cruise will be my first Princess cruise too and I am excited to be going! My last cruise was on Celebrity to Alaska (7 day) in 2010 and there was a four day Carnival Fun Cruise out of San Pedro about 20 years ago.

I know a lot of people who sing praise for Princess and I am learning a lot from this board about what to expect on this cruise. CC really helped me have an awesome cruise 7 years ago and I am learning some good tips for this one as well.

By the way, I booked an Ocean View (no balcony!), but did go through a travel agent (which I never do, but they offer some nice amenities - like transport from Sacramento to SF).

It took me all these years to convince DH to go on another, so I went for the longest and best cruise we could afford. He's a pessimist in general and is good at coming up with things to worry about, although he did fine and actually enjoyed our last cruise! The good news is that he has learned to leave all the planning, research and CC stalking to me! I expect no issues with the dinner option we selected, nor with booking what I want in Sanctuary! I'm bringing 6 bottles of wine/champagne, 2 free ones for me and DH and 4 for which I'll pay $15 each and will share with others. I've also got tips on making my own Martini's - yeah! And I plan to sign up for all the spin classes I can as well as getting to the gym early to keep from gaining 20 lbs!

I've seen some of the negative things on the board, but I use those to plan my strategy around them. I can't control my boarding time as we're being bussed in with a group, but I do plan to head straight to Sanctuary to make my reservations as well as to head to MDR for first day lunch. Well that is subject to change, if something more fun comes up!

If I hadn't ever cruised with Princess and had watched one of their idiotic TV shows I would likely never sail the line. In my opinion those shows would turn off just about anybody. I don't understand why they insist on highlighting any boorish behavior or any type of problem that can occur.

 

We sailed the Panama Canal not too long ago. We did the full transit from SF to FLL for 17 days. We had a great cruise and never had any issues with the type of thing those stupid TV shows like to highlight. We ported in LA (to pick up more passengers), Mexico, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Colombia, and Aruba. The only place where we had to tender was Cabo San Lucas in Mexico and there was no problem at all.

 

I think the Princess TV shows are about the worst advertising they could possibly have for their cruise line. It's kind of like having a show about Carnival Cruise Line and featuring people puking in the elevator and constantly using the "F" word. Why illustrate the most negative things possible?

Thank You Thrak,

I'm glad to hear that "The Cruise" is not the norm for Princess.

We took the full transit from San Pedro to Port Everglades last year as our second only cruise. We had a wonderful time and didn't feel our lack of status spoiled our enjoyment. To address some of your concerns:

We weren't interested in the Sanctuary or speciality dining so I can't help with those.

We didn't wait unduly long to embark and we made it to the MDR in time for lunch.

Experience of ATD was more dependent on the time you went for dinner rather than status (though this was before the new club class was introduced). Lines were long for early ATD and very long for the 8pm theatre show so we switched our schedule. We saw the early show and ate afterwards at around 7.30pm. That way we could turn up to the theatre 5 mins before performance to find plenty of seats and we only ever had to wait about 5 mins for ATD.

We only had to tender once and we were on a Princess excursion so the timing was all arranged for us. I don't know what it was like if you were on a private excursion.

I hope this helps. I'm sure you will have a lovely time.

WYTinman,We too are doing the Canal (partial transit) as our first Princess Cruise. It seems as though you have been on the boards awhile, so know that there will be plenty of critical posters, along with the cheerleaders on the forums (no different from any other board).

I am having a bit of difficulty adjusting to some of the differences from our usual cruise experiences (inability to make specialty dining reservations pre-cruise, no unlimited internet packages, comments about the small theaters - hence the need to arrive for shows early, and waits for ATD - we do NOT like to dine early ...)

That being said, I am going with an open mind hoping that I find plenty of positive differences. If not, we'll we just move on as we have from some other lines. We have never had a bad cruise, but over time we have learned what we prefer in terms of service.

We are very much looking forward to our cruise next month.

I'm glad to hear that "The Cruise" is not the norm for Princess.

I watched the first that arrived in New Zealand and no more. Since when have "Reality Shows" shown "Reality"?

We cruised Princess a number of years ago, to Alaska, and then turned to NCL as they were the only cruise line that "did" Hawai'i the way we wanted.

Now we have returned to Princess as they are "doing" cruises that NCL don't. I read the Princess threads to find out the positives and go with a positive attitude. If there are negatives on board then I deal with them then not try to preempt them.

I've been reading everything I can find to learn the ins and outs of a Princess Cruise.

 

I've also seen the first episode of "The Cruise".

 

These are the takeaways from my research.

 

Panama Canal cruises usually have a high ratio of frequent Princess cruisers. Thus a high number of Platinum/Elite passengers. Yes, this is true. On my recent Panama Cruise, there were about 1400 elite and platinum members. During cocktail hour, from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm, this was a good thing. Most of these passengers were in the Explorer's lounge, leaving the rest of the ship's lounges free for everyone else, about 700 passengers.

 

Princess gives priority to these customers in almost every area where there is a possibility for a queue.

Boarding

Sanctuary (result of priority boarding

Dining reservations (ATD and Speciaity)

Customer Service Desk

Tendering

Add to that there is priority given to people booked in Suites and Club Class Mini Suites.

 

All these priority/status passengers are allowed to jump or join an existing queue whenever they like.

If you book a ship's tour, then you will tender with your tour. It doesn't matter what color your card is. Believe me, I've been elite for a long time and I still have to wait in line. When a third of the ship is elite, your "black card" is not going to mean that much. A smile and a thank you will go a lot farther that waving your black card in someone's face.

As a first time cruiser I will be easily identified by staff and other passengers by my blue room key.

 

Was it a mistake to book Panama Canal as my first Princess Cruise?

 

Only if you get seasick or don't like being around senior citizens. The average age on our cruise was 78, and there were a few of us in our 50's, and a couple of kids, that brought the average down.

 

It appears that I will be the last asked to board. Behind everyone with Status.

Missing lunch in the MDR.

Likely miss out on Sanctuary reservation.

I will be the last on any Tender to port.

You might miss lunch the first day. I wouldn't worry about the Sanctuary as there were always plenty of loungers by the pool. On a 7-day Caribbean cruise, you might have a problem with the tenders. On this cruise, not so much. A lot of passenger never get off the ship.

When calling the DINE line I have a high probability of being put on hold, hung up on, or being told no reservations are available.

 

I am not a fan of cruise ship buffets. (Pick your own reason, they all apply here)

 

I like to eat when I'm hungry not when I'm assigned.

 

With everyone else having priority at ATD. It looks like if I want to eat at all, I have to be wait-listed in Traditional Dining.

When you call the "dine line" there's no special phone number for elite passengers. You wait on hold, or get hung up on, like everyone else. Being elite doesn't let one "cut in line" for dinner. If you don't have a reservation, you wait in line.

Do Princess passengers actually go out of their way to flout their Status (Black Cards) as depicted on "The Cruise"?

Not usually.

 

Do I have to book a Suite just to be on equal standing with the rest of the passengers?

Or will I still be by-passed by all the Platinum/Elites/Ruby/Golds and end up at the back of the bus?

I wouldn't worry about what other's are getting. Having a blue card means that the staff will go out of their way to help you. Princess wants you to come back.

 

I'm looking forward to my First Princess Cruise.

Should I have waited a few years for Panama Canal, at least until I have the Status to be "on par" with everyone else?

If you are in good health, then travel now. You don't know what tomorrow will bring. Have a great cruise. The Panama Canal cruise is one of my favorites.

Sackat60, FirstCruiseBeth, & sippican

Thanks for your input.

I will go with the flow.

Only make tentative plans and adjust accordingly.

casofilia

Surely you read (or looked at the pictures of) my review of the Norwegian Dawn. To do a review like that requires planning. I know I can't preempt every hurdle. Hopefully I can plan my way around most.

Panama cruises are longer than a week. You WILL see more older cruisers (with more cruise points) than on short cruises. Princess has an older clientele than other lines and on these cruises you will see a fair number of walkers and scooters. You will see a few cruise cards (some of us use lanyards to keep from losing them or because we are used to wearing lanyards on the job). Nobody cares what color they are.

The passenger services desk does have a Suite/Elite line with maybe one agent. The main line may have four agents and can easily move faster. Usually the only time we stop there is to have our cards punched for a lanyard or if my keycard quits working.

Anyone can get on "early." Just show up at the port around 10:30. Yes, suites and elites and platinum board first - takes about 10 minutes after boarding starts. You will likely be on by 11:30.

Sanctuary - if interested in reserving a lounger for $30 a day for the cruise, head up there when you board. Very hot on this cruise. You are better off heading for the indoor Lotus Pool area. Nice padded loungers, air conditioning and free. We spend probably 80% of our time there. You can watch the scenery and step outside for photos.

Dining reservations - if you want at two-top, they usually don't take reservations in Anytime Dining. Just show up when you want. Avoid 6:30-7:30 or the dining room will be full and you will have to wait. We prefer to eat early and while they push you towards sharing a table they will let you have a two-top. Just smile and ask. And talk to the greeters at the door - the headwaiter likes to remain aloof and stuffy. Its a game with them.

Specialty dining - If you want that, just go to the restaurant when you board. You might get lucky with the DINE line, but frankly you spend a lot of time on hold if you call on the first day.

When you get onboard dump your carry-ons in your cabin and head to the Lido deck. Buffet is good although seating can be tough in there (staff will help you find a seat, though). Lots of tables out by the pools, as well as the grill (burgers, great fries, brats, chicken), pizza, soft serve ice cream. Some folks eat in the MDR but we find it takes too long.

Tendering - unless you are on a two-day Panama or stopping at Grand Cayman, you won't see tendering. If you do, then ship tours will get the first few tenders and a few elite/suite people. Otherwise you just show up at the dining room with your group and they stick you on to the next available tender.

Coral and Island are pretty special ships with great staff. All you really need to do is talk to them, ask where they came from and how they like their jobs and they will treat you like family. With a Panama Canal cruise you will have more time to relax and enjoy the ride - and get hooked.

If you are in good health, then travel now. You don't know what tomorrow will bring. Have a great cruise. The Panama Canal cruise is one of my favorites.

You have the same attitude we have.

We prefer longer cruises and have done numerous TransAtlantics. We are also in our 50's and are usually among the "younger" crowd on those cruises.

Nice! I am 57 and will love being a youngster for a few weeks. I'm the oldest in my team at work, which is in a pretty young field overall (IT). My DH and other friends in the group are late 60's to early 80's (and all are retired!). I've reserved Ziplining with my 67 and 82 year old very active friends and hope I can keep up :-).

You have the same attitude we have.

 

We prefer longer cruises and have done numerous TransAtlantics. We are also in our 50's and are usually among the "younger" crowd on those cruises.

 

Then I think you will have a fabulous cruise. We were also on the Island, and even with the remodel, it's still one of our favorite ships. My DH and I loved hanging out at Crooner's. Hopefully you will have a great piano player. Ours was Jim Long. He was fantastic. Since we had booked under a "sip and sail" promotion, we never did go to the Elite cocktail lounge. The martini's in Crooner's are the best. The bar supervisor, Darshaun, should be back from his shore leave. He makes the best key lime and raspberry creme brulee martini's. They aren't on the menu, so just ask. I'm so jealous! Don't miss the mint juleps and Cajun food at the Bayou Grill. There's also a great production show, "On the Bayou", that is a must see.

Then I think you will have a fabulous cruise. We were also on the Island, and even with the remodel, it's still one of our favorite ships. My DH and I loved hanging out at Crooner's. Hopefully you will have a great piano player. Ours was Jim Long. He was fantastic. Since we had booked under a "sip and sail" promotion, we never did go to the Elite cocktail lounge. The martini's in Crooner's are the best. The bar supervisor, Darshaun, should be back from his shore leave. He makes the best key lime and raspberry creme brulee martini's. They aren't on the menu, so just ask. I'm so jealous! Don't miss the mint juleps and Cajun food at the Bayou Grill. There's also a great production show, "On the Bayou", that is a must see.

Thank You partybarbie,

You just made my day.

My pre-dinner Drink of choice:

Vodka....Filthy...Crooner's... My go to place.

:D They make a "Dean's Dirty" martini, and also a "Chairman of the Board". Also you can ask for the complimentary dish of stuffed olives. Yes, you are in for a good time. :cool:

Don't worry about small stuff and enjoy.