Turtles06

I almost did the same thing. 😂 We sailed on the Summit in 2019, shortly after she’d been “revolutionized,” and while we enjoyed the ship and how spiffed up she was, the closing off of the sun deck to non-suite guests was one of the things we really disliked. It is the only forward facing exterior deck space on the ship.

I had to smile at your reference to Celebrity and cheese, as I enjoy both Celebrity and good cheese, but I still recall the following that I posted back in 2019 in a review of a cruise on the Celebrity Summit: "[W]hile the buffet had a 'fromagerie' station, it closed down after lunch. No cheese and crackers were available for a late afternoon snack, as they have been on other Celebrity ships. I asked someone about this, and just got a shrug and an offer to bring me some wrapped Saltines. (I did not make that up.)" 😂

The issue (or rule) as to what vaccinations, if any, are required in order to travel to country X is not determined by the country in which the traveler lives, but by country X. Some travelers reside in countries that publish helpful info for their residents traveling to other countries as to what the requirements are to visit those other countries. Here in the U.S., the CDC does that, and it sounds like the NHS does the same in the U.K. I'm not sure why what your doctor (or a travel clinic) says is not sufficient. Also, there are recommended vaccines for travel to certain areas, and, again, your doctor or travel clinic is the best source for that info. Speaking of recommended vaccines, you asked about tetanus. I'm not a doctor, and you should certainly ask your GP, but it's always been my understanding that one ought to be up to date on that regardless of travel. You can injure yourself at home, too. (Hope you don't.) FWIW, I've done four full transits of the Canal. Two of those were preceded by port calls to Cartagena (although neither of those transits involved an off-the-ship excursion in Panama). We were on land in Panama in between transits a year ago. I have never been vaccinated against Yellow Fever (and my age would counsel against it). I have gotten recommended typhoid vaccinations for those trips, as well as Hep A (which is prevalent around the world and imho is a good idea regardless of travel). YMMV as to recommended jabs and, again, your doctor is the one to consult here. Have an enjoyable and healthy trip!

Also, Deck 8 has the public spaces of Deck 7 below it. On the Jewel-class ships (including the Gem), I think Deck 10 is a good choice, with cabins above and below.

The Gem is one of our favorite ships. Comfortable size, excellent public spaces, especially the Great Outdoors and the traditional promenade deck.

Both itineraries that the OP is considering are northbound transits (they both start at the Pacific entrance to the Canal), so the lecturer’s opinion is a non-factor for them. 😊 Thanks for the reply. There’s no question that for a ship going through the Gatun Locks, and depending on other traffic (in front of your ship and behind, as well as coming toward you in the other lane), the Atlantic entrance is pretty dramatic. 😊 (photo by turtles06; southbound through the Gatun Locks)

I agree it's doubtful (and I don't expect our Getaway cruise in Sept. 2025 to call at Bar Harbor), but according to comment 47 in the thread linked below, it depends on whether Bar Harbor had accepted the cruise line reservation before Nov. 2022 when the town voted on the new restrictions (that were recently upheld in court). Add to this the fact that the port schedule shows the Breakaway in Bar Harbor in 2025 and not the Getaway. Assuming NCL made that reservation before Nov. 2022, was the Breakaway booked specifically, or just a Breakaway-class ship? https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2913460-restrictions-on-cruise-calls-to-bar-harbor/page/2/

Having fully transited the Canal in both directions, I’m wondering if he explained the basis for his opinion. Thanks.

Possibly someone had been smoking in there although they should not have been.

From my personal experience, I think you should be okay getting a taxi from the cruise port (unless there's been a dramatic change in the past four years), and also that taking the ship's On Your Own excursion into the Old Town could well be problematic (time wise) in terms of what you want to do. We first visited Cartagena by cruise ship in 2017, and took a private tour (with Dora) of the Old City (which was fabulous). We saw the Castillo de San Felipe de Barajas (the Fort) from the outside, but of course there was no time to explore inside. On our second visit, in early 2020 (just before the pandemic, as it turned out), we planned to visit the Castillo on our own, walk through the passageways, and take in the views from the outside, including from the top. Because it is so hot and humid in Cartagena, we wanted to get as early a start as possible. (Apart from everything else, it's a long uphill walk to the entrance of the Fort as you've no doubt seen from photos.) We were off the ship as early as permitted, and we exited the cruise terminal area to where the taxis are all lined up, and picked a cab. My best recollection is that we told the driver where we were going and confirmed the price. It's possible the cabbies wanted to sell people on tours, etc., but I don't recall having any major hassle, just telling the drivers where we intended to go. If things have changed substantially in four years, I can't speak to that. When we were there, the Castillo opened at 8am, and we were ready and waiting. (We'd arrived about half an hour earlier, which gave us time to walk around outside and take photos.) I think it may open now at 7am, but those may be summer hours. We spent at least an hour and a half on our visit, which included climbing to the top. Could we have done it more quickly? I suppose so, but there was no need for us to rush. When we were finished, we hailed a cab on the street, returned to the cruise terminal, and enjoyed the free little zoo and aviary. (Don't miss those!) In terms of taking the ship's excursion into town -- when would it leave the ship? (In other words, how much hotter will it already be in the morning? Perhaps that's not a concern for you.) Are you prepared for/willing to do a speed walk through the Castillo, and perhaps just head right to the top for a photo op? Interestingly, I just Googled "how long does it take to tour inside of Castillo de San Felipe de Barajas in Cartagena, Colombia" and the first answer that same up (from a Trip Advisor review) was this: "Visit early in the day as it gets hot up on the walls later on. Well worth the time, 1.5 to 2 hours to see it well." Where will the ship's tour drop you off? At the Clock Tower? Google says that's a walk of about 1.3 km to the Castillo (although you probably could find a taxi to take you over). If you are still concerned about taking a cab from the cruise port to the Castillo, you could take the ship's tour into the Old City, get yourself over to the Castillo, take all the time you wanted there, and take a cab back to the cruise port. (Maybe let someone running the ship's tour know that's your plan so they are not looking for you on a return bus. If they even take names at all, I have no idea.) I hope this was helpful. Have a great time, whatever you decide! (And bring water!)

I've been to Cabo twice. You might see some whales from the ship, generally with binoculars. But it's nothing like being on a whale watching excursion. (See my photos above.)

That is definitely a big plus for the Joy's itinerary. Our first Canal transit put us in PV and Cabo in early February, and we went whale watching in both places. PV was interesting, but Cabo was extraordinary. We had a great morning seeing humpbacks from a small boat, at one point following (from the required distance) a mama humpback and her calf as she taught the calf how to breach. It was one of the most incredible things we've ever seen. Baby gives it a try: Here comes mama: (photos by turtles06)

I think so. I have done four full transits of the Panama Canal, all through the historic locks on Jewel-class ships (the Gem and the Jewel). I do believe that for a first-timer, going through the historic locks would be more interesting (and I think if you ask this over in the Panama Canal Ports of Call forum, folks would tell you the same). My first two transits were on "classic" East Coast to West Coast routes, very similar to the Joy's itinerary that you are considering (in the opposite direction). The second two were B2B cruises from NY to Panama City and Panama City to NY, with an itinerary similar to what you are looking at on the Jade (although you have the addition of a couple of more interesting ports, imho, St. Kitts and Tortola). I'm not a huge fan of the ABC islands (I realize i'm probably in the minority there). I think the Joy's overall itinerary is much more interesting, but I would prefer as a first-timer to go through the historic locks. Also, speaking only for myself, I love the Jewel-class ships. They are a really comfortable size, with great public areas. I looked at the Joy's itinerary, and, if I'm not mistaken, you will have a full day in port in Panama City the day before you transit the Canal. If that's the case, you may well have the opportunity to take a shore excursion on a small, ferry-sized vessel that will take you through the historic locks on the Pacific side. That excursion really depends on the timing, since the Canal regulates the transits, and the Joy might arrive too late in the morning for this. Even if you could not do such an excursion, you should be able to visit the Miraflores Visitors Center, and see the operation of those historic locks up close. It's a hard decision. The ships and the itineraries are very different. You'd have an amazing experience either way; enjoy whatever you decide!

The Gem is one of our favorite ships and we've sailed on her many times. I hate being around cigarette smoke and that's not an issue on the Gem, unless you are in the casino or around the limited outdoor areas where smoking is permitted. And specifically about the casino, I'm not aware of any "designated smoking room" in it, but the design is unlike that on the Breakaway, where the smoke in the casino wafts into large common areas outside the casino. Just terribly designed on the Breakaway. Not an issue on the Gem.

Thanks for the great information in this thread!

We had a port call to Puerto Chiapas in the winter of 2017 during a full transit cruise of the Panama Canal from Miami to LA. I covered what we did there in Comments 59 and 60 in my review of the trip at the link below. My bottom line then: "a sea day would have been far preferable." Maybe things have changed in seven years. 😁

Based on my experience, it will be the larger MDR — the beautiful Grand Pacific. If crew are trying to direct you to the buffet after you board, just keep walking back to the MDR. Enjoy your cruise. We love the Gem.

The Florida Departures forum would be a great place to ask your question.

Welcome to Cruise Critic! NCL does sometimes dock at Amber Cove, but the official Amber Cove port web site is not showing any NCL ships there in June. I agree with the folks above that you should expect to be docking in Taino Bay. https://www.ambercove.com/Port-Schedule.aspx

In 1939, a shameful turning away by Cuba, the U.S., and Canada of Jews fleeing N A Z I Germany aboard a ship called the St. Louis. Here’s an overview. In fact, your country did far better. Thank you. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MS_St._Louis Edit note: Cruise Critic censors out the use of the word N A Z I, even in an historical, factual context, so I had to put spaces between the letters for this to post.

And to add to this, unless there's been a dramatic change, in order to "kiss" the Blarney Stone, you must lie down on your back and pretty much bend the top part of your body backwards over the edge to reach the stone, while an Irish guy is holding onto you (maybe in places you don't want to be held). 😁

Thank you, that's fascinating. I wonder how many guests have ever actually noticed this book, or realized that it contains embassy and consulate information? And query whether that information is up to date (especially regarding consulate locations). Here's what appears to be the relevant section of the Cruise Vessel Security and Safety Act of 2010 (it's on page 124 Stat. 2246): ‘‘(2) EMBASSY AND CONSULATE LOCATIONS.—The owner of a vessel to which this section applies shall provide in each passenger stateroom, and post in a location readily accessible to all crew and in other places specified by the Secretary, information regarding the locations of the United States embassy and each consulate of the United States for each country the vessel will visit during the course of the voyage." https://www.congress.gov/111/plaws/publ207/PLAW-111publ207.pdf

I've never seen any embassy info on an NCL ship. (I'm not questioning Flip's experience above.) As noted in a prior comment, the port agent and their contact info is listed in the Freestyle Daily. Be sure to take that info ashore with you. Prior to any international travel, I make a list of the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate with their contact info. It's not hard to do. Also, well prior to departure, I register our trip with STEP. (This is most important on a land-based vacation, but it still doesn't hurt to do it for a cruise.) https://step.state.gov/

I’m very sorry this has happened to you and everyone else booked on this cruise. Vigo and Gibraltar are just not in the same league. It’s probably hard right now to think about making lemonade out of lemons, but from Vigo I would suggest a shore excursion or private tour to the UNESCO World Heritage site of Santiago de Compostela. The Cathedral is historically and architecturally very interesting (whatever one’s religious beliefs).

It’s only while on land. As others have said, please be sure your Mom has her phone in airplane mode when she’s on the ship. Once in airplane mode, she can turn WiFi on. I hope she has a great cruise!