BillB48

Here's what you looked like a little while ago...

and as seen from the bridge..

These pics are also on the regular Princess board. Enjoy!

Let's hope that "nightly" is the key word!

Baby steps, first double points, next let's tackle that single supplement.

You may not be able to eliminate the supplement but at 340 cruise points it drops to a 150% for most of the year... double points will make that goal easier!!:D

Glad you found Cruise Critic, a good place to get info for your ports of call is here: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=283 This the roll call for the Infinity (roll calls provide a place to connect with passengers on your sailing), just look through all the threads until you find your particular sailing... often times your fellow passengers can provide a great deal more info on your ports of call.

Speaking in the most general terms, I would say it is probably OK to go with an independent tour as opposed to a ship's tour in the ports you are visiting. The other issue is in some of the ports most items of interest are some distance from the port over roads that are the sole access to the port. If you happen to be on the wrong side of an accident or incident, you could have a problem getting back to the ship on time.

Since this is the Panama board I will pass on a little info on your stop in Colon. While Panama is generally safe, you do not want to beyond the shopping mall in Colon where the ship docks on your own with out a tour or at least in a cab. Colon proper is a pretty rough area even though it may not look like it, just don't strike out on foot in hopes of soaking up some local atmosphere. The only stop that I know there is a Hop on Off Bus, but that is in Panama City which is a little over an hour away, so won't be that convenient for you to use at the the port. If all you wanted to do at the Colon stop is grab a cab and go see the Gatun Locks and the construction site of the new Expansion Locks, you could engage a cab at the pier area. Other than that most items of interest are on the Pacific side of Panama.

Here is a link to a short video, (not mine) that will give you a look at the cayucos (dugout canoes) used to travel to the village. They really are very stable and should not present a problem.

While most of the ships doing the Canal transit allow passengers on the bow, not all of them do. On those that do allow it, if you wait until the afternoon passage through the Locks on the other side of the Canal, it is usually less crowded. Of course the first opening of the gates at the first Lock is the picture everyone wants. You still can get a very good view as long as you are on any of the forward facing decks. While you don't need to throw your towel over the deckchair at 2:AM, you do need to be a little bit of the early bird. I always get up early so it is not a problem for me, on my last trip through I was up on top around 4:AM and I was not alone! But, it wasn't really that crowded either... in any case it is not a day I try to get a few extra winks in the morning!

Does anyone know if the tour visits Casa Viejo or if that is too far as we are on a celebrity cruise in February and read about this quaint area.

Hopefully to clarify the names that are used in referring to the Casco Viejo area in Panama City, this area is also referred to as Casco Antiguo, San Felipe District and sometimes Colonial Panama. The names are used interchangeably with the Colonial Panama used more in travel and tour descriptions. It is not too far to travel to this area from the pier in Colon, only about an hour on a nice new road.

As I pointed out in post #2, from Celebrity's description a lot is left desired as to exactly what the tour covered. However, I am fairly certain that the tour the OP was asking about would include the Casco Viejo portion of Panama City. It really is a very nice area and there has been a lot of work done to maintain it. The pictures I included in that post are from the Casco Viejo.

As long as we have the "on" ship part taken care of, side is not a concern!! Seriously, I prefer the side that has the least amount of afternoon sun... but even that is not a deal breaker. That's an advantage to inside cabins... either side works. The only problem is I just can't sell DW on the that idea;)!

I was too late to edit... I went to Celeb's web site and look at the Colon excursions and the CO52 is "probably" the same/similar excursion I was referencing. However, the description is certainly vague enough that it could almost be whatever they wished it to be! In any event I would think if someone in your party had difficulty in the walking portion, they could just wait with the bus.

Without being certain that what I am mentioning is the same tour you are referencing... during the portion of the tour that goes to the Casco Antiguo, you walk through Las Bovedas, then down a series of stairs to the Plaza Francia and then walk through a section of the Casco Antiguo. While I would not call it "strenuous" Celebrity may have to. The walk was at a leisure pace and the you went down the stairs as opposed to going up, I guess it could present problems to some guests.

Is it safe to walk around Panama? Do leave your diamond encrusted Rolex at home:D! Are you speaking Panama in general or on this particular tour? On the tour where you will do the most walking in the Casco Antiguo, in the large group you will be with absolutely nothing to be concerned about. In fact the Presidential Palace is in the general vicinity and there is ample security.

Las Bovedas

Street in Casco Antiguo with Plaza Francia in the background

Stairs from Las Bovedas to Plaza Francia

Here's a question. Cruising out of Galveston with late dining we never had a problem ordering a bottle of wine the first night. We got a big surprise when we had early dinner on a group trip and could not order wine because we had not yet reached that magic location where TX laws no longer ruled. Got to love our state. Does anyone know how long it will take to that magic spot when leaving from Houston. Exactly how late would one have to eat dinner to get a bottle of wine. :rolleyes:

I got bit by that on the Voyager leaving Galveston, but it was a bottle was from my wine package. They "offered" to sell me some wine from their wines that were blessed by Texas. We did have early dinner and we had not cleared the fine waters of Texas. PS I do love Texas... just not that little quirk!

A little while ago they were talking about a April 2015 opening, maybe a little optimism has set in because the latest unofficial rumblings are January 2015. So perhaps in any event the first half of 2015 might be a good target date.

As Bob pointed out with the Bridge of Americas is somewhat of a problem, but I don't think it is a complete deal killer. The Bridge presently has a clearance of 201' at max high water, Freedom/Voyager class have to be under 213' in order to clear the Great Belt Bridge for delivery from the shipyard. Looks like it's a no fit... however present Canal policies allow ships with an air draft of 205' to pass on a case by case basis. Now you add into the calculations that the tides at the Bridge have a range of 20'... so "theoretically" you could add another almost 20' to the 201' clearance with timing of max low water. There is some wiggle room here, I just really don't know how far they would wish to go. also, I really don't know what the exact air draft of the Freedom/Voyager ships is or what (or if any) modifications that could be made to trim their air draft.

Not sure but believe you are incorrect. The Jones Act makes no distinction between distinct and near foreign ports. Vancouver is to Seattle just as Los Angeles is to Bali. Distance has no reverence

Actually cruisestich is largely correct. Presently the VI are exempt from provisions of the PVSA, it is legal to transport passengers between a US port and the VI. Whether or not Celebrity wants to do it maybe another issue, it could be something as simple as the CBP not wanting to set up to permit permanent disembarking of passengers. The PVSA came first in 1886 concerning passengers, while the Jones Act did not come along until around 1920 and applies to cargo. The PVSA does make distinctions between nearby and distant foreign ports. In order for a non US flagged ship to transport a passenger between say Ft. Lauderdale and San Diego it must call on a "distant foreign port." Here is a snip of the definition from a CBP publication....

" A “nearby foreign port” is defined as "any port in North America, Central America,

the Bermuda Islands, or

the West Indies (including t

he Bahama Islands, but not incl

uding the Leeward Islands of

the Netherlands Antilles, i.e., Aruba, B

onaire, and Curacao)." 19 CFR § 4.80a(a)(2).

However, there is no violation of the

PVSA when a passenger is on a voyage to one or

more coastwise ports and a “distant foreign

port” .

In your example Vancouver would be considered a nearby foreign port and Bali would be the distant. In terms of the PVSA it would be a moot point for either of those voyages as they do not involve transportation between two US ports.

Now we can all rest a little easier now that we know the government has this all under control;):D!

Happy sails....

Thanks!

 

So, just to clarify...the excursion ENDS at Colon? Meaning, we won't be on the Coral when she exits the canal at 3:30PM, correct?

 

Can you tell me more about the ferry. You said 300 passengers. Is it covered? Uncovered? Will it just be passengers from the Coral?

 

I found this picture searching google - http://yourfriendinpanama.com/images/Boat.JPG

 

Would that be similar to what we would expect for this excursion?

That is the boat that is normally used, as far as I know it will only be passengers from your ship. Your excursion will end in Colon after the ship clears the Canal. Here is a link from the company that provides the excursion where the boat is described.

http://www.pmatours.net/pacific_queen/index.html#

Without going and looking, I think that the Vision is doing 7 day cruises ot of Colon this winter, that's when they would use the Home Port pier. I'm just making an educated (?) guess here because I believe that facility is set up to process passengers who are at the embark portion of their cruise. The Legend would just making a port call and the Colon 2000 facility would certainly lend it self to that.

As far as the pic of Colon.... it really doesn't look to bad at a distance;):D! It's the up close that's a problem!! Don't let it put you off, there's lots of neat stuff to see at the Canal stop. The transit will be the icing on the cake!

Thanks, BillB48! Ours will be the only ship in port. The picture really does explain the relationship of the 2 ports.

 

While searching these forums, I came across an older post that, if I recall correctly, was yours, mentioning an ex pat who sells his shirts at the port. I wonder if he is still doing that?

 

Thanks again for the answer to my questions.

As far as I know he is still, have not heard anything about/from him in over a year... but that is not unusual. He would be very easy to spot, tall, longish blond hair, although it was thinning a bit, picture the quintessential surfer. Oh yes, he has a web site so you can browse his offerings, he had more to offer at the pier. If you find something you like, it probably would be better to wait and contact him at the pier. Past experience he does not monitor the web site all that much.

http://www.matthewtomlet.com/index.html

Trying to do the picture vs a 1000 words thing.... but I can't answer your question completely. The two facilities are very close to each other, but I don't know how they are connected. I thought I saw a walkway between the two but I don't want to be the farm on it. Also it is my understanding that if you are only ship in Colon on the day you are there, they will dock at the Colon 2000 pier. In any event they are not far apart physically. I would think that the "better" shopping would be over at the mall that is basically connected with the Colon 2000 pier. Hope this helps.

I have an idea that the $350 "Canal fee" just might be the total government fees and taxes that are charged on any cruise, not just for the passage through the Canal. Panama Canal cruises generally have higher fee and tax charges which is a reflection of what the ship is charged to go through the Canal in part. I was just looking at Princess and while their fee and taxes are not quite as high as the NCL figure, they are over $300 pp. So on balance it doesn't seem like a bad total price. The Panama Canal does charge the cruise ship $134 per berth, even if the berth is not occupied. Subtracting the 134 from the 350 leaves 216 to grease all the other outstretched hands along the route.

Welcome to Cruise Critic.

Thank you for all your great response. I ran all these great suggestions by my friends, who have never been to the Panama Canal, and we all decided to stay on the ship and enjoy the locks that way.

 

To respond to the post "My first question is why you would take a partial transit that does not give you the full canal experience twice? Makes no sense to me but I assume that you must have a good reason."

 

My reason: This cruise takes 11 nights. That for me is already 4 nights longer than I like to be on a ship. The main reason for me is this particular cruise leaves from Ft.Lauderdale and returns there. For some reason all other cruise lines are going for the 15 nights full transit now.

We are from Michigan and flying to Florida is easier. I don't like to fly to and from the West cost. Just had a nightmare of a round trip to San Jose, CA.

Even though you and your cruise partners are going to stay on the ship for the return trip through Gatun Locks, just thought I would provide you with some more food for thought. Even though the roundtrip through Gatun will provide you with an excellent picture on the workings of the Locks, you will be a little short changed when it comes to getting a good glimpse of the entire Canal. The in and out at Gatun will provide you with about 9 miles of the Canal, meanwhile there is still over 40 miles of Panama Canal left to see. There is also an opportunity to see some of the construction presently under way for the Canal expansion. You can see some of this on the partial transit tour of the Pacific Locks and there is also a tour that will take you to shoreside at Gatun Locks. On this tour you will also go to an observation area that will give an up close look at the construction of the new locks on the Atlantic side. Gives you a chance to see some history in the making.

Whatever you ultimately decide to do, it's a great cruise and I hope you and your friends enjoy!

I do not believe "mall" this exists anymore.

I believe the "mall" you are referring to was on the Cristobal piers and has been demolished. That was the favored stop for ships doing a partial transit. Basically it is all part of Colon, the Cristobal piers are on the west side of Colon and where the cruise ships now dock is on the East side of the city about 2 miles away. The company the operates the Cristobal piers believed the operations were better served by eliminating the cruise ships and using the space for container operations. There is a mall adjacent to the docks where the cruise ships now are berthed when they stop after a partial transit to pick up those passengers who on a shore excursion. Many of the items you could find on the Cristobal piers can be found at the other mall.

There are a couple of "pros" to consider if you take the tour that takes you through the two Pacific Locks and Gaillard Cut. While not trying to sell the Atlantic Locks (Gatun) short, the bulk of the eye candy is on the Pacific side. You will have locked through all the locks on the Panama Canal, passed under two impressive bridges and transited the Gaillard Cut, which is where the bulk of the excavation took place in both the French effort and US completion of the Canal. As you sail through the "Cut," crossing the Continental Divide just think back what went on just a 100 years ago..... over a hundred steam shovels loading 200 spoil trains every day. Now a days it probably take that much effort just to haul the environmental impact statement;):).

Another "pro" is seeing the lock operations from two completely different perspectives. It really is something to see as you move into and through the locks from your Panamax cruise ship and then be able to see the operation from the smaller "ferry." A great way to be able to compare the operation, very easy to do on the partial transit cruise.

It's a pleasant drive to and from the Pacific side, you get to see some more of the country to boot. Even though you will have been through a large portion of the Canal, you still we need to come back and do the Canal in its' entirety. The Gatun Lake portion of the Canal, the part you will not transit on this tour, is a treat as well.

The links will take you to a couple of short youtube videos that have examples of what a cayuco (the dugout canoe) looks like.

PS: If I was a lawyer this is where I would place the disclaimer concerning the company that posted the first video.... I don't know anything about them:).

Is there a cap on how many are on My Time? I would imagine more people would want assigned early then My Time, so if I change now, it would likely not be possible to change back later....

Yes there is a limit as to how many they can handle. When we have booked a last minute cruise we have often been told that MTD was maxed out and had to go with one of the traditional times. Have not tried to change back from one to the other.

How important is a balcony? Really depends on who you ask..... to me not so important.... to the DW mucho important! Seriously, as Bob pointed out, even if you don't actually use the the balcony to sit out on, it is great for the abundance of natural light.

Pia:

 

What can you tell us about the new locks and when they will be finished? I heard 2014. Any photos from Mike for us to view?

 

 

 

Tom:)

They were originally shooting for Aug 2014, the 100th anniversary, the latest estimate is April 2015.

Here are a couple of shots from the Canal's construction cam. The first pic is of the construction of the new Pacific Locks just a little west of the present Miraflores Locks which are hidden by the hill in the background.

The next pic is of the construction of the new Atlantic Locks. Even though the present locks are near the construction, there is not much you can see from the ship of the construction of the new locks except for the cranes. The Atlantic Locks are expected to be completed ahead of the Pacific Locks.

I think I know why.

 

If you remember back in 2011, the ship was stuck in port for two days due to fog. Carnival had backed in and caught a 1 hour window to get out, I think the next morning. Since Royal was going to need more time to turn around to head out, they were stuck for another day when the fog rolled back in.

 

Lesson learned, every since then they back in so they are headed the right direction if they have to get out in a hurry.

 

Tucker in Texas

Ah... That makes perfect sense, thanks. I know about those fog cruises:eek:! We were on one on arrival, had to wait outside Galveston until around 2PM. What mayhem with folks trying to rearrange flights and such. Thank goodness we had driven.