BillB48

What happens if you miss the ship, and you don't have your passport? Isn't that going to make it a tad difficult to travel?

You are absolutely correct, however most instances the tourist is more apt to become separated from the passport because of theft, carelessness etc. Much less of a chance of missing a ship. Of course if you insist on being the chug-a-lug champ at Sr. Frog's...... well:D??? The best thing is to do what you are comfortable with.

:) Yes , next level is Diamond,

 

I think I was having a senior moment :eek:

 

Is anyone one else Diamond? what is the nightly event?

The Diamond event is held on ships without a Diamond Lounge for Diamond and above C&A members. They serve complimentary wine, champagne, soft drinks and trail mix. They also offer mixed drinks at slightly reduced prices.

This may be the same complimentary cruise....??.....

Hi WolfCH, just off the Freedom today and Capt. Tor said he was going off and Capt. Rob will be behind the wheel or maybe the joystick:).

After it's time with Carnival it became the Island Breeze, then the Big Red Boat III. She was scrapped in Alang in 2003.

The name sounds familiar but I can't say I actually remember him as I was a bit young. In the photo the fellow on he right was the last master of the Cristobal, last name was Craig. Don't know the other person. The pic was taken on the just before the Cristobal's final voyage from Cristobal on her way to New Orleans, in 1981.

Can sum it up in one word: tie.

 

Worthless piece of fabric!

AMEN! I could not have said it better. You can have it your way, even at Mickey D's!!!;)

Here is the latest on the Independence.....

http://maritimematters.com/2010/06/brokeback-platinum/

I forgot to include this site; http://www.simplonpc.co.uk/ Just enter "Independence" in the search box and it will direct you to a link that has the whole history of the her.

The last I know of the Independence is she is at Alang awaiting scrapping. Take a look at this website, scroll down a little more than halfway and there is some info on her. http://www.savetheclassicliners.com/

From: http://www.simplonpc.co.uk/Galileo/Meridian 1963: Entered service as Galileo Galilei for Lloyd Triestino on their Italy-Australia service.

1979: Re-entered service for Italia Crociere after conversion to fulltime cruise ship.

1983: Sold to Chandris, re-entering service on Caribbean cruising as Galileo in 1984.

1988: After further rebuilding, renamed Meridian as a member of Chandris' new upmarket Celebrity Cruises.

1997: Sold to Sun Cruises (Singapore) and renamed Sun Vista.

20th May 1999: Sun Vista, ex-Galileo Galilei sunk off the Malaysian coast following an engine room fire. No fatalities reported.

Follow this link to see the earlier Lloyd Triestino and Italia career of Galileo Galilei.

An official Chandris Fantasy Cruises card of Galileo, printed in USA.

Here's my nomination, the SS Cristobal of the Panama Line. Built in 1939 and served as a transport for over 4 years in WWII. Returned to the Panama Line and remained in service until 1981. There were two other sister ships, the Ancon and the Panama sailing from to New York- Port-au-Prince to Cristobal. The fleet was trimmed down to one ship, the Cristobal and she then sailed out of New Orleans to Cristobal. Originally designed to carry about 220 passengers, in the early 70s was converted to cargo only and 12 passengers. I took this pic of her as she sailed from Cristobal to New Orleans for the last time. She was scrapped in Texas. The last time I sailed on her was in July 1981.

I only have a few years on you, not that many actually! Comfortably between being able to draw on the IRA and not able to get Soc. Sec!!! I don't remember exactly when she went to 12 passenger,, but it was sometime in early 70s. There certainly was not the same level of activity when took a roundtrip on her in 1974, but it was still very enjoyable. All the passengers were up on the pool deck staterooms and they were air conditioned.. WOW.. what an improvement! The pool was still in use and at least it wasn't crammed with kids. They turned the promenade deck into an area in which they shipped vehicles and more of the crew stayed in the former passenger staterooms. The upper and lower lounges were still intact, in fact with advent of video tapes, they had a huge tape player in the purser's office where you go and select a movie that would play in the upper lounge on a giant 21" TV. The machine used a 3/4" tape.. it was huge. The food wasn't as elaborate, but it was still very good. One evening just below the pool I saw the Captain and a few other crew grilling the biggest steaks I have ever seen on a BBQ, no more startched white uniforms at the Captain's dinner:rolleyes::D. It was different but still great.

We were married in Ft. Clayton, flew to Miami and took a cruise on NCL to the Bahamas. We then drove to New Orleans and went back to Panama on the Cristobal while she was still a passenger ship.

I don't recall how many times I sailed on those ships but it was all great!

While I was looking for photos I found this one .... it is the Panama, taken from either the Cristobal or Ancon. My Dad took the slide using Anscochrome film, I believe, not very good color. The ships met in Port-au-Prince. The date was sometime in the 50s.

As promised.........

Leaving Cristobal, Panama Sept. 1980. At the time she was the oldest seagoing ship under the US flag. There were some older ships at the time but they were up on the Great Lakes and not seagoing.

I'm sorry , I would have answered this but I was on a Panama Canal Cruise:p! Glad you bumped it back up. Honestly we were on a cruise the time you asked this question!! I assume you are on a cruise that only stops in Panama?? If this is the case I would certainly reccomend the Panama Canal tour. It will give you a chance to see some of the countryside, but you will also get to the best part of the Canal. Not that the entire Canal is not worth the trip, it's just that the Canal you will see will be the most dramatic in a visual sense. You will be in the Pacific Ocean for a short time, I imagine you will sail under the Bridge of the Americas, then on to Miraflores and Pedro Miguel Locks. When you transit the Gaillard Cut, which is where the bulk of the excavation took place in the construction of the Canal, you will have to think back that the original cut was only 300' wide. Now it is a minimum of 750' and is wider than than that in most places, it truly was a monumental task. A side note, more soil has been removed from the Canal since it was built, than was removed in the original construction.

It should be a great cruise and hopefully you will want to return and do a full transit, you will see it all from a different perspective. This is a destination you can easily do more than once!

Hi Jeff,

I had not been on this section of the board for sometime and just thought I 'd drop by and see if anything new was going on! I too remember well the boat train and that dinner xylophone.... those meals were the fabulous. Those stops in Port au Prince were a riot, as mischevious kids we would wrap pennies in tinfoil! Did not please the guys diving off the rowboats!!! That was when some not so polite verbal exchanges developed:rolleyes:.

In the years I was down there, I travelled on all of the ships, but mostly on the Cristobal. Heck our honeymoon cruise we on the Cristobal:D. The Cristobal stayed in service with the Canal until 1981. Somewhere around 1970 she was used as a cargo ship and only carried 12 passengers. The last trip I made on her was in 1981, about 2 months before they laid her up and latter scrapped in Texas. I have a picture somewhere of the last time she left from Cristobal, I'll try to find it and put it up here in the next few days.

I guess I can blame my desire to cruise on the Cristobal!! Great fun!!!!

I was going to respond to this thread earlier but considering the direction it was going, fearing that I might have to make a full confession to Owl Gore;):eek:. Back in the early 80's my daughter threw a message in a bottle off of a ship probably most never heard of, fairly deep in the Gulf of Mexico. About 5 years later she received a letter from some fellow in Florida. Seems to me it southern Florida, but I really not sure now. I would like to conclude with they were married, became wealthy and famous, but that didn't happen. The story ended at receiving the letter 5 years latter and she responded. The End.

PS Dear EPA NOAA and all the other intials that may have dog in this fight... We're sorry but the bottle was recycled.... eventually:D.

October in Panama is nearing the end of the rainy season. There is a chance you will get some rain but don't let that worry you. Usually rains are just a breif local shower and not an all day event. We went through the Canal in early November and received a breif shower around 9AM. Cleared the decks beautifully and clogged the breakfast buffet! You had your choice viewing spots on deck! Don't let the possibility of rain in October enter into your plans. Even in the dry season, late December through April, does not mean NO rain, just LESS rain! Go and enjoy!

The latest the sun goes down in that part of Panama is about 6:40pm, so I would guess that time of year around 6:10. You're pretty close to the equator and there is not much swing in sunrise/sunset times. Fairly close to 12 hours day and 12 hours night year round.

I don't believe any of the Caribbean or Gulf of Mexico areas are more likely to be rougher than anywhere else, although I have no evidence to back that up. Just as an example we were on the Enchantment of the Seas off the coast of Cuba just two days after hurricane Ike, just as it was hitting Galveston, the water was like glass and beautiful sunny skies. You would not have been able to guess that a huge storm had ever been there. Go figure!?

I have found in most cases the ship's AC handles the heat and humidity reasonably well. If are in an inside cabin absolutley no problem, if you have afternoon sun on your side with an outside or balcony I just keep the drapes shut and the cabin will do ok.

We lived in Panama for a number of years and I am more uncomfortable with Florida'a summer than I ever was in Panama. If you are used to summer in Florida Panama will be a piece of cake. Actually December, January and February in my opinion are the best months weather wise. Dec. 21 marks the begining of dry season in Panama, just remember dry season in Panama does not mean no rain, just less rain:D. Rain during this time of the year usually is not long lasting, just a brief shower.

As far as the temps go in December, 80s is correct, (and the lows are not very low, maybe 78/79) rarely will find them in the 90s at that time of the year. Even though it will not be real hot temp wise, the humidity will make seem warmer than what the thermometer states, but as I said, compared to Florida... no problem!!

Here's to smoothe sailing!

I'm guessing the Dec. 3 sailing on the Zuiderdam is the Panama Canal partial transit, round trip from Ft. Lauderdale. You won't be in the Atlantic very much at all, that aside, if you are going to get rough weather the Caribbean (and the Gulf of Mexico) can supply more than you want! Even though hurricane season officially closes at the end of November, there can be some residual activity. I remember reading somewhere that there have been named tropical systems in every month of the year:eek:! Don't let that worry you however, I have had many cruises in that part of the world and on some pretty small ships and have had very few rough days.

As far as comfort in the Canal, your biggest problem maybe the heat and humidity. There is nothing to be concerned about as far movement of the ship, that all happens at a slow pace, particularly in the locks. On the partial transit you will go through Gatun Locks early in the morning, so the heat won't be a real big problem. The ship will clear the Locks and go to the Gatun Lake anchorage around 9..ish. Passengers will tender off the ship for tours, (optional) and then ship will go back through Gatun Locks and dock in Cristobal/Colon.

The partial transit cruise is a great cruise and by combining some of the tours with your ship going through Gatun Locks you can see almost the whole Canal.

As far as the Canal is concerned you should not worry too much. Chances are the weather will be decent. As I mentioned in an earlier post, usually when it does rain it is not an all day affair. We made a full transit last November, November 4 to be exact, on a cruise from San Diego to FLL and we did have a little rain. It rained about a half hour just as we cleared Miraflores Locks and heading to Pedro Miguel Locks. The rain made getting a good viewing spot great and horrible if you wanted to go to the breakfast buffet;):D! Cleared up after that and was a pretty pleasant day.

The only other thing that might cause you problems is November is still hurricane season in both the Pacific and Atlantic, (Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean included). While they don't really pose a threat to you, if a hurricane did develope it could cause you to drop a port of call. We had excellent weather throughout our early November cruise last year.

There is some pretty good anecdotal evidence in the other thread about the weather in Panama in the November time frame. I can add that November is at the end of the rainy season and like the end of any season you can get all extremes. In general it starts to dry somewhat in November and on into December. The closer you are to December the better off you will be. In most cases you will not see an all day toad choker but that is not out of the realm of possibility.

As far as prices go the only thing I can say is fall is normally the cheapest time to take a cruise. The period between T-giving and Christmas have always been the least expensive of all. I guess people don't travel or at least cruise as much during that time. Of course at Christmas everyone is on vacation and then in January and beyond everyone is tired of winter!

I was mostly a Pacific sider but I did live 4 good years in Gatun..... what a place! (in a nice way)