Turtles06

Indeed. And @KeithJenner has published a helpful guide to booking specialty dining in advance (pre-cruise) and making sure you book the restaurants in a certain order so you don’t get charged in advance when you shouldn’t. I believe this link is to his most recent guide, but if it isn’t, I hope he’ll let us know. (Some of the info is out of date, but I think it’s still the case that you should book the fixed price venues first if you have FAS meals.) (And huge thanks to Keith for all this helpful info over the years.) https://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/topic/2561613-updated-speciality-restaurant-booking-guide/#comment-55222117

On the Gem and the Jewel, the access to the bow is directly from Deck 8 forward. (The Promenade Deck is Deck 7, which is lower.) I can’t make out what you are seeing in that photo that you believe to be stairs, but on the Gem and the Jewel there’s a very high step that you must climb over just before you get outside. There are always crew members there to help. This is the Gem. P.S. I love The Lion King. 😊

No, it doesn’t really “change the scope of the change.” This was not an expedition cruise with landings on the Continent. It was a “drive by” (scenic cruising), with Paradise Bay (which is stunningly beautiful) being a highlight. (Big cruise ships don’t have “stops” in Antarctica.) The new itinerary, as I understand it, will not have scenic cruising off the Continent; that would be a huge change from the original. I don’t blame people on board for being upset.

Yes you did, and we really appreciated it. 😊 (I’m a she, btw 😊)

OP: I appreciate your taking the time to post the detailed comparisons, and I'm glad you enjoyed your VV cruise. I haven't sailed on Virgin, but I just want to mention for those not aware of it that there's a "documentary" called "The Cruise" streaming on Prime Video that follows several voyages of the Scarlet Lady out of Miami. Might be helpful in determining whether VV is a good fit for you. https://www.amazon.com/The-Cruise/dp/B0CHG2GPGJ

Flagging @WYB!

We’ll be on the Eclipse this fall and I’m happy she won’t have been revolutionized by then, as the forward-facing outdoor Solstice Deck (Deck 16) won’t have been closed off as the Retreat Sundeck. I hate what they did to the Silhouette.

It’s a fabulous book and one that I recommend to everyone going to the Canal for the first time. I’m glad you’re reading it! (Of course, it’s not a novel. It’s non-fiction, even if what it recounts may seem almost impossible. 😉) Enjoy your trip!

You’ve asked a non-NCL-related general question that is more appropriate for posting in the Canada/NE ports of call forum. Great itinerary; enjoy your cruise!

That was my conclusion.

It's hard to predict about the itinerary you posit, especially since the end point is Miami, and ours was New York. I do want to make clear that I wasn't saying anything negative about the demographics on our second leg, just noting a difference. The crowd skewed a bit younger, and there were some more children, but no bad behavior that we noticed, Also, the music on the second leg was much better-- there was a terrific Latin band that played at the pool most days. I would seek them out, they were really enjoyable to listen to. Definitely was not a "party cruise," and we enjoyed both legs very much. No question that a 25-night cruise will have an "older and/or more sedate crowd."😂

It was absolutely spectacular. I have to believe that with no crew out there yet, the bow hadn't been opened (especially given the darkness). As I said in an earlier comment, the estimated arrival time at the Bridge hadn't even been listed in the Freestyle Daily. I will note one observation. This was the 2d leg of our B2B, and left out of Panama City. The demographics of the guests on this leg were very different than on the leg coming down from NY. On this NB leg, there were a huge number of guests from Central and South America who clearly were booked to take a (mostly) warm weather cruise to NY, and who, as best I could tell, exhibited very little interest in the Canal. The crowds on the bow, once opened, were much smaller than on the first leg down from NY (and on any of our prior SB transits).

Wow, that looks like an amazing book! (But please find a way to read The Path Between the Seas. You are so dedicated in your research, don't skimp on yourself here. 🙂 )

I hope you don’t overthink your decision. 😉 Seriously, I realize it’s a big one. All I can say about when you reach the Cut is that the relative lateness of the day on our 3 SB transits did not stop me from enjoying that part of the transit. If you go SB, use the time crossing Gatun Lake to get a recharge. In fact, it’s a really long day as you know, so pacing and hydration are important. I hope you enjoy whichever ship you choose. I do know that you will be blown away by the Canal, given everything you’ve written. 😊

The Sun Deck on Deck 14. Take a look at the folks in my photos in comment 10 above. (There is of course a transparent barrier in front of them.)

We'll be leaving on a cruise out of Miami next January, but staying in a hotel there a couple of nights pre-cruise. Looking at air fares, they are much cheaper if we fly into FLL than into MIA. I know that there are shared shuttle services (like SAS) that would take us from FLL to the Miami cruise port, but what we'd need is a transfer from FLL to our hotel in Miami. If you have any car, limo, van or other transfer services to recommend for this, I'd really appreciate it.. Thanks in advance for any information!

Sailaways from a port or sails into one are very different from full transits of the Panama Canal. It is quite common on cruise lines for the bow to be open to all guests during a Canal transit, which takes an entire day.

Excellent! You were fortunate to be there in January, during the height of the humpback whale migration season. For future reference for anyone reading this, taking a whale-watching excursion in Cabo during those months is well worth it.

Thanks for your kind words. I don’t recall any announcements of a specific time that the bow would be open. They did post in the Freestyle Daily the expected arrival time at the various locks, etc. I was surprised, though, that for our NB transit, the list of estimated arrivals did not include the Bridge of the Americas, but instead began with the Miraflores Locks. We went under the Bridge just after 5:30am; it was still dark out, and a beautiful, quiet approach. I think some folks missed this because of the lack of notice. (BTW, as you can see, the crew hadn’t set up the bow yet.)

On our three SB transits, the bow was pretty much packed well before the ship entered the Canal. I'd say that if you really want to be "at the very front," you'll want to be down there around 6am, maybe even a little earlier. Just by way of example of the crowds, these are photos I took aboard the Jewel in the winter of 2017. In the first one, the ship hadn't even reached the new Atlantic Bridge yet (obviously, still under construction). The second of course is in the Gatun Locks. By late in the day, the crowds tend to thin out. This is the Jewel entering the Miraflores Locks.

As noted above, you need to post your question on the Roll Call for your cruise. Here’s it is:

We’ve eaten there several times over many years. Walk up or with a reservation. Frankly, and with the caveat that food is very subjective, it’s not that good a place. We go there for apps, mainly; haven’t found the entrees very good. On long cruises (which is what we tend to take now), it’s an alternative when we’re looking for a break from the other dining venues.

You definitely want to experience the Canal from all over the ship -- forward, aft, high, low, midship. From the promenade deck, you'll get great closeup views of the locomotives, as well as the lock walls and how little space there is between the ship and the walls. Besides being up front as the ship goes through a lock, it's good to look back at the locks from the Great Outdoors. And get up high on the sun deck. The transit is slow, so you'll have plenty of time to move around. And as you already know, it will be a hot and humid day, so pace yourself. If you are sailing SB, once you get to Gatun Lake it will probably be a good time to get back in the a/c and have some lunch. But don't miss the traffic coming from the opposite direction. Incredibly interesting cargo, LNG carriers, and other commercial ships. And the occasional cruise ship. Last year in Gatun Lake on the Gem going SB, we passed the Jewel going NB. It was pretty exciting, since our first transit was on the Jewel.

We did two-week Med cruise on the Jade, years ago, in the winter (!). It was great. We love the Jewel-class ships. They are a comfortable size, with great public spaces, including the Spinnaker Lounge, the Great Outdoors, and a true promenade deck. We don't need an amusement park at sea. 🙂

You’ve definitely been doing your research! 😊 Yes, these were taken on B2B cruises. The NCL Gem sailed one-way from NY to Panama City, and then returned to NY. Quite a good-sized group doing the 23-day B2B. It was a great trip! The second leg was our first northbound transit, and it turned out to be so much more than just seeing things in reverse order. We loved the whole experience. Re Centennial Bridge — I’m pretty short, so it’s hard for me to see over the bow. I don’t go down there when it’s very crowded, usually during the first locks. But on our NB transit, the bow crowds were small, and so I went down there after Miraflores, and had a nice view of the Gem passing under the Bridge.