Borman51

We’re sailing on her right now.  No suggestions of problems.  So far, we have hit every port on time.

Well, we went through the locks yesterday.  How exciting!  I went to deck 10 forward at 5:30AM to make sure there would be room and I was the first one there.  Thank you all for your suggestions.  However, when we got aboard, I discovered that on our balcony ( we are in a mini suite), there are chairs with footstools.  So, I just brought a footstool with me and it worked out great.  I thought I had discovered this great solution, but saw several others who had the same idea. I hope this suggestion helps someone else worried about standing for long periods of time.

On 8/12/2019 at 4:00 PM, Tak8 said:

Voljeep:  Normally its 2x fuel points, but I wait for the 4x fuel points so that gets me 2000 points. That equals a dollar off a tank of gas 2x.

Thanks for this information.  I didn’t know that Kroger had Princess gift cards!  Our Kroger has the 4x deal this weekend.  We plan to get gift cards on Sunday so they will be gas credits for September.  Will save us a bunch of money on gas.  Love it!

3 hours ago, Colo Cruiser said:

Emerald deck is the only one left with no seating.

 

Ok, at first when I read this I thought you meant all the other ones have seating

now I realize that you mean that the Emerald deck is the only deck left and that it has no seating.

got it.

2 minutes ago, Lucky TGO said:

Hi Borman51,

I just wanted to show you one of my favorite pictures from the back of the Coral Princess.

one is of the back of the ship we’re I took the pictures from. No one was ever out there and there is lounge chairs out there you just can’t see them in this photo. The second picture is my favorite.  I hope you like it.

Tony

 

Thanks.  Is this an area that was taken away from the Island?

22 minutes ago, need2cruisesoon said:

So the Island does the old locks?

Yes

8 hours ago, skynight said:

We have been in the P.C. 5 times. Each time the schedule was basically the same. The ship arrived in the approach channel around 5am. Initial lock transit began around 6am. It takes around 1 1/2 to 2 hours to clear the 3 locks and arrive in Gatun Lake. A schedule will be delivered to your cabin. Passengers start gathering on the Sun Deck above the Horizon Ct. very early placing the lounge chairs in forward positions. Passengers also find locations all along the side rails of the Sun Deck, along the Promenade Deck, up on the Sports Deck 16 forward and aft. The decks you mention, 10 and 11 forward do not have any chairs. People come and go. If you bring your own chair you may have some difficulty seeing over the solid railing. The Sanctuary is available for the transit. There is a good sized fee. Book early on boarding day.

If you take a Princess tour you will not be able to see the exit through the locks. Tours return to the docks. If you stay on the ship you can experience the exit through the locks, without commentary. Viewing locations are readily available on exit as many passengers are on tours.

Thanks.  These are some great suggestions.

3 hours ago, Lucky TGO said:

We did this cruise on the Coral Princess there was no seating sorry. (See photos) 

I love the picture I took looking out from the back of the ship. The next ship was right behind us. Caribe Deck 

Tony

Great pictures!  This makes me even more excited.

6 hours ago, Nebr.cruiser said:

We've done two full transits with a partial coming up in Dec.

 

We, and others, did a lot of moving around various decks and areas to see the locks and various sights going through the lake and canal.  I think it would be difficult to find a chair in most areas that actually let you see much--but you could certainly use one to rest for awhile between viewings.  Maybe a table and chair near a window somewhere?  Areas with good views were very crowded most of the time

 

Your balcony is also an option, although of course then you can see only one side.  Maybe one of those canes that also have a little seat on them, to use when needed?

 

We loved both transits--so much to see.

Yes, I was just thinking of somewhere to rest while waiting for the first locks.  Otherwise, we plan to move around.  I’ll think about the chair cane.  We’re flying, so would probably hav to but it once in Fla and the leave it behind.

Thanks

16 hours ago, mevs904 said:

We did this cruise on the Coral which was the sister ship of the Island (before the unfortunate Island renovations ).  We were on the forward Deck 10 viewing area while going through the canal and there was no seating.

Thanks, that’s what I needed to know.

I want to thank everyone for all of these great ideas.  After seeing the first locks, we plan to move around.  We will be in a mini suite with a balcony, so look forward to even seeing the trip through the locks from our balcony.

8 hours ago, SargassoPirate said:

 

We had the same experience on the Coral.  The narrative through the canal was great (I think his name was Dr. Godwin) and could be heard in most areas of the ship and over the cabin TV.  We were all over the ship during the day and alternated between forward viewing stations and aft when entering and leaving the locks.  IMHO the people who stake out a single spot are missing out on a lot of the show.  

 

If you have standing issues, I would suggest taking a portable camp chair on board with you.  You can use it in your cabin in lieu of the barrel chair and it's easy to fold up and carry with you when you want to stand/sit on one of the many viewing areas.

 

 

We live in Georgia and had originally planned on driving to Fort Lauderdale.  However, when we saw the great deal we could get through EZ Air, we decided to fly.  Therefore, bringing this chair wouldn’t work.  Otherwise, this would have been a great idea! Thanks

4 hours ago, patrickmoran said:

The key is getting a good viewing spot for entering the 1st lock and seeing all the prep needed. Then move around on the ship while the ship moves through the locks.  We have gone out on the front deck at 5 am to get a primo spot. Stay there until the ship is completely in the 1st of 3 locks.  Then go done to the promenade deck as the ship moves into the 2nd lock.  Move to the rear of P deck to see gate operation. (Front will be packed.) Once the ship is raising walk around P deck to see how close the walls are. Once ship is entering 3rd lock, go have breakfast.  As the ship leaves the 3rd lock be at the rear of the ship. You'll get some great pix of the 3 locks and great perspective of the locks.

This sounds like an awesome excellent plan, except for getting a good viewing spot for the first lock- that’s where we have a problem.  Thanks for the suggestions.  I will definitely do the rest.

DH and I are going on a partial transit of the Panama Canal on the Island in October.  In researching when and where to go to get the best view of the first lock, I see that going to the 10th or 11th deck forward about 1- 11/2 hours before is suggested.  My question is whether or not there is somewhere to sit in that area while waiting.  I don’t think DH or I could stand for that long.  I know that some people secure seating in the Horizon, but I don’t want to take up a table where someone wants to have breakfast.

Thanks 

18 hours ago, beg3yrs said:

 

Not so sure about that. Paragraph four says otherwise. If you don't believe that, think about the extra labor involved in cleaning trash bins because there are no liners, having to wash more dispensers than ever and so on.

 

Does this also mean the demise of bottled water on the ships? Seems like it does. We always like to take these bottles on shore. Princess doesn't allow other beverages like coffee, to go on shore but water in bottles is ok. Now that they're going to be gone I suppose a passenger's personal water bottle might have to be allowed...

So, are you saying that presently passengers are not being allowed to take their personal water bottles off the ship?

Thanks so much for the information.

Is the Island Medallion yet?  Some sites say it won’t be until 12/20 and others say it became Medallion in May 2019.

Thank you all for your responses.  Now I have several options.

6 hours ago, Safety Squirrel said:

I will be on a 21 day full canal transit in September.  As I am a huge water drinker -- ordered five cases -- which is approximately three per day and knowing that weather will probably be hot and humid.

 

How many glasses of water do you each drink per day??  I would base the purchasing of water on your daily water consumption.

DH loves to drink water, me not so much.  I’m just looking at having one or two apiece for shore excursions since it will be hot and humid in Panama, etc.

2 hours ago, Jersey42 said:

You may want to consider bringing your own refillable bottle and use the tap water which is excellent.  You can get ice from your room steward or the buffet.  If you have already elected not to do this, then here are some answers:

• Princess charges for all bottled water - no freebies unless you have the premium beverage package.  Just curious if you have seen  free bottled water on any of the other "mass market" lines, or only the upscale ones?
• The brand will vary based on location and whatever brand offers the best deal to Princess. 
• See the thread below for other thoughts.  Several recent cruisers of the Caribbean Princess mentioned the current brand on that ship.

 

Thanks for the information.  I guess the cruise I’m remembering with the free water was Oceania.

Thanks to CC, we are looking at ordering bottled water before our 10 day Panama cruise out of Fll for convenience.  Just a couple of questions.  

In trying to decide how many bottles we will need ( I know it will be hot and humid on shore excursions), does Princess offer a free bottle as you disembark for excursions or do they charge for one?  We have cruised on other lines and some charge, others don’t

Also, we lived in Florida in the 80s and found we needed to be careful where water was bottled to avoid the sulfur taste of some Florida water.  Has anyone bought the water on Princess and noticed a slight taste of sulfur ( I’m wondering if Princess sources their bottled water from the port of origin).

8 minutes ago, neptuno said:

"Safe parking" in Florida is an oxymoron, but we always try to park off site, as Port Evergaldes and POM (@$22/day) terminal parking is just too expensive.  Having said that, FLL Fairfield Inn is less expensive, but PEG Park N Go has the quickest shuttles.  Uber from most FLL airport longterm  parking is a good alternative to save a few bucks.  You just have to weigh your own convenience factor. We just don't drive our best car, and bring a second set of car keys, along with zero deductible glass insurance, but so far have not had any breakage.

Thank you so much!  This is very helpful.

1 hour ago, katiel53 said:

My husband and I lived in Clay several years ago.  We then moved to Vestal and lived there for many years before moving to FL.  Now, back Upstate to the Rochester area.  It's a long day traveling home, and that's why I fly back.  My daughter in law doesn't like to fly and she is very nervous doing so, so they drive both ways.

 

I didn't think Value Trip rates would include the parking for the week, but thought that if you added that to their rate, it might be lower.  Enjoy your cruise.

Thank you so much for the suggestion!

3 hours ago, katiel53 said:

I don't know about the other hotels you have mentioned, but the Hyatt Place 17th St charges for parking every night.  We have stayed there a few of our last cruises and even as a guest we had to pay $10 per night for parking.

 

I don't believe you will be able to get free parking for the week, unless they have a cruise/park package that is a lot higher than just the room rate.

I found a cruise/park package with 7 days free parking and $7/ day for extra days for not much more than regular rate through stay123.com

1 hour ago, Cienfuegos said:

Fort Lauderdale crime map

 

Crime in Fort Lauderdale

 

There are areas of Dania Beach, just south of the Port, which are safer than 8% of US neighborhoods

 

Dania Beach map

Thank you.  This is the information I needed.  Guess I will use parkngo