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Mini Brilliance review 2/24-3/6 Panma Canal Cruise


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Hi all,

Wrona did a very detailed review so I don't need to! I will do a mini review just because I did some different things on the cruise, however we both consumed a large amount of alcohol :;)

 

Embarkation:

Simple easy and we are Platinum, plus had a JS so we really just about walked right on. Bags were in the room before muster!

 

My first impression of BOS was she is a classy lady, very lovely decor, hardwoods and nautical themed. I really liked it! The Schooner Bar was the nicest of all the Schooners on any ship I've been on. The spa was nice, Themal Suite was very relaxing and worth the $15.00 I spent for using it on the last day. It was kinda windy and a little chilly the last day so I hit the thermal suite w/ the DH.

 

Cabin:

We had JS 1578 deck 10. Very nice room, decor was wood and creams and navy, I really liked it, subdued and classy. Balcony was tight, but I am used to aft balconies so I am kinda spoiled there :o The room was quite roomy and plenty of storage space. Bed was hard though.

 

Food:

The dining room food was the usual fare, some great, some good and some not so good. We ate there 5 of the nights. Our table mates were wonderful and we ate with them in Portofinos, and Chops on the other nights. They were both wonderful as always. Seaview cafe is a nice little spot above the Windjammer and had great pasta, pannini sandwiches, and pizza. well worth the wait.

 

Entertainment:

We only saw the magician, whom was OK, and the comedian was funny. On the Caymen Island night Marty Allen (from the old days) and his wife Karin Kate entertained and they were well liked by the crowd. She did some Beatles and Tina Turner, he did his older routines that still stand funny today. They are not my era, but were good. The music in the Colony Club was good, nice band, and the piano player in Schooner was lively and had a nice crowd there every night.

 

Gambling:

Nice casino, never felt too cramped like some ships. Dealers were generous, pit staff nice and we won some so no complaints there.

 

Staff:

Very nice, friendly, and happy to be on the ship, they all seemed to like their job and I will say the omlete guy in the windjammer was so happy, he sang while he made your omlete every morning.

 

Crown and Anchor stuff:

I usually go to these things, the cocktail party, luncheon and so on, I didn't make to one of these this time....was too busy sunning and drinking!

 

Ports:

Aruba, I have been here before so we decided to take the ATV adventure, it was awesome! Had an absolute blast on this tour. Everyone gets their own ATV and we were all over the island. Went into the park, up to the top of the tallest point and then to the natural bridge. I highly recommend this tour if you like adventure and aren't afraid to drive on big boulders and rocks. Also did the sunset cruise...it could have been a bit better, too crowded, but the sunset was nice and the seas smooth. We also thought the private yacht was awesome and surrounded by mystery...I don't really like the casinos in Aruba, not too friendly.

 

Panama:

Locks were cool, we were up at 5:30 and watched the pilot boat load a pilot on the ship and it was so cool to be hanging out in the waiting area with all the other ships. Going through the locks is really and engineering lesson! We didn't get off the ship here...next time.

 

Costa Rica:

Took the canal tour, a long bus ride through the banana plantations and got to have some bananas, best darn banana I have ever eaten. On the boats we saw Sloths, Howler Monkeys, a Jesus Christ Lizard, bats, crocks, tons of birds and several odd looking bugs. It was nice and I felt we got to see a lot of the rain forest. We shopped a bit here off the boat.

 

Caymen:

Been here soooo many times that there isn't much left to do. We did the Spanish Bay resort. It was nice, relaxing and open bar and buffet lunch and good snorkeling area. I'd like to go back and hang out there for a few days.

Shopping here is no bargin but we always buy a few little things.

 

 

 

Spa:

I had the Cleopatra Wrap and shoulder/back/neck combo. Very nice! I am one of those people who tan really dark and don't burn, but I do flake so the exfoliation was good, if your burnt at all I'd avoid this one.

DH had hot stone, and facial, plus he did the tooth whitening thing. It really whitened his teeth about 8 shades! He has some graying on his teeth and it really did a nice job without sensitivity. He was pleased. The spa was nice except the ladies changing area was small...I kept thinking there had to be a different room but I never found one...

 

Debarkation:

This was almost too fast off the boat, we were off by 7:15! But the immigration line was slow and then they lost one of our bags, took 2 hours to find it! We skipped the prepaid transfer b/c we had to get to the airport fast after that holdup. MY bag weighed 58 pound so Delta charged me $25.00 fee. Oh well the suitcase is heavy empty, and the I bought some stuff...

 

Conclusion:

I loved the BOS, she is so lovely, smooth and friendly. I would book a cruise on her again in a minute...most likely will do the one across the pond. Smooth seas and perfect weather, passengers were a nice bunch, crew very friendly and the place is clean clean! Bed was hard though, and food in dinning room was not as good as a few, but not bad either.

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The nice ladies at American didn't charge me for my overweight bags - either direction. I guess it helped that I was a single female traveling by myself. It sounds like we were getting off the ship at the same time. Did you see my claw marks where they had to drag me off the ship?

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I know in Panama that you said you didn't get off. but do you remember what time they let people off for their tours? I would like to do the Grand tour but I still want to have time to shop by the piers.

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We hit the pier around 1:00 or so I think....can't quite recall could have been 2:00. We went through the Gaton Lock and then anchored in Gaton Lake for about 3 hours then went back through the lock and then docked.

 

The tooth Whitening was over $200.00 for initial treatment including a 14 day supply of "after care" you could also buy a years worth of the stuff, that goes on once every two weeks or so after the initial period. I think that was close to $400.00. DH thought it was worth it b/c of the no sensitivity factor...Crest strips light up his teeth like fire.

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The nice ladies at American didn't charge me for my overweight bags - either direction. I guess it helped that I was a single female traveling by myself. It sounds like we were getting off the ship at the same time. Did you see my claw marks where they had to drag me off the ship?

 

 

I saw your claw marks...I think the painting crew were busy covering them up right as we were getting off! :D

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I tried to post earlier. On my excursion, we got off around 9:15, 9:30ish (first ones off) and we were the last ones back to the ship at Cristobal Pier. We still had time to do some shopping at Cristobal Pier, although not a lot. The actual time you get off the ship depends on the other traffic in the canal the day you are going through.

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