kac0426

Are there any umbrellas at Red Stripe beach to rent?

 

Thank you.

I don't remember seeing any in 2013 when I was there, but that doesn't mean they didn't have them. If you got there early enough in the day, there were plenty of shady spots under trees to choose from.

kaco426, these are photos from the old city of Panama (Panama Viejo)

 

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MJFgRsE60o0/UQQery6vBBI/AAAAAAAAYZ0/thIjTTlDv24/s1600/DSC_4994.jpg

 

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_UbvWZXd_tY/UQQesCuXP7I/AAAAAAAAYZ4/K481OWpAtDY/s1600/DSC_4996.jpg

 

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-iH6q-Oi5_wU/UQQe-6ffFXI/AAAAAAAAYac/83Wsobbcuow/s1600/DSC_4999.jpg

 

Good to see this area just to get an appreciation of the history of Panama City.

 

Then here are a few photos of the Colonial City.

 

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cM9ZJsxl7i4/UQQihGaUaqI/AAAAAAAAYe8/rsE8wczq048/s1600/DSC_5007.jpg

 

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-che5aQFjpiA/UQQiiHzj41I/AAAAAAAAYfE/Khup1m3IODY/s1600/DSC_5013.jpg

 

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Vs_wtIx4RKM/UQQicJMrg9I/AAAAAAAAYes/yYafSxjdyOg/s1600/DSC_5008.jpg

 

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NHf9JzGIOwA/UQQkmVgek2I/AAAAAAAAYhY/Sflv7-J49X0/s1600/DSC_5031.jpg

 

I would do this tour to see both these areas.

 

The colonial city has gone through a major restoration and is absolutely beautiful.

 

We've been to Panama City several times and we enjoy the colonial city so much we have returned several times.

 

I have done the tour that includes the Miraflores Locks and do not recommend it. You will see far more and gain a much better knowledge of the canal from just transiting it by cruise ship.

 

Keith

Fantastic photos, Keith! Thank you for sharing. I now feel very confident in my decision to do this tour. Thank you!

That's an easy one... Panama Viejo or Old Panama is the original city founded in 1519, this is the one that in 1671, Morgan was not the most welcomed visitor;). The city was resettled in 1673 at the more defensible location and is called El Casco Antiguo (or Viejo). Casco Antiguo is the French Quarter style city.

 

Hadn't really thought about it, but maybe Panama Viejo and Casco Viejo (Antiguo) just could be adding to the confusion. Two similar names for two different places not that far apart!

You are absolutely right - it was the common name of "Viejo" that was throwing me off. Also that sometimes Casco Viejo is referred to as Casco Antiguo...I think I was misunderstanding and thinking that they are 2 separate places.

I now understand the difference between the 2. Thank you for all the advice and expertise!

While I do believe visit to Miraflores Locks interesting and worthwhile, you really are going to have a great opportunity to see the Locks. That would be on your morning transit through Gatun Locks you will be visiting the largest Locks on the Canal! Seeing a ship pass through the Locks from shore side is great, but you will be on your ship passing through the Locks, which is even better! What I am driving at, based on where I think your primary interest lie, you may be happier with the tour that takes you to the ruins of Old Panama as well as El Casco Viejo (also called Antiguo... same place, I knew it as Viejo first). Las Bovedas are in the Casco Viejo so you will see them regardless of which city tour you opt for.

 

You will just have to plan another Canal cruise so you see it all:)!

Thank you Bill! You are always so helpful. I hope you can clear up something for me because I am getting all the different Panama Cities confused. The shore excursion description is as follows:

"The pirate Sir Henry Morgan destroyed the city during a devastating fire on January 28, 1671. Panama City was then rebuilt and formally established two years later in a peninsula located eight kilometers from the original settlement. The new location was chosen to protect its settlers against future pirate attacks. The place where the previously devastated city was located is still in ruins, and has become known as Panama Viejo, or "Old Panama." Relax and take in the sights, sounds, and shopping at this historic location.

After visiting Panama Viejo, continue on to Casco Antiguo, the old colonial city. Casco Antiguo displays a mix of architectural styles, which in turn reflect the cultural diversity of the country. Caribbean, Republican, Art Deco, French and Colonial architecture mix in this historic area. Most of Panama City´s main monuments are located in Casco Antiguo. During your walking tour you will see the Metropolitan Cathedral and the National Theater among other buildings."

So, which is the old Panama City now in ruins and which is the "French quarter style" city? Confused by the references to Viejo and Antiguo. I've googled it and that seems to confuse me even more.

I'm so torn on which excursion to choose on my Princess partial transit Panama Canal cruise. I know a lot of people recommend the ferry boat tour, but I am more interested in seeing Panama City. But, I'm torn on which Panama City to see.

The first option tours Old Panama City ruins, etc. then goes on to Casco Antiguo, the old colonial city. You also see Las Bovedas on this tour.

The other option tours Casco Antiguo and then goes to the Miraflores Locks Observation Center.

I can't decide if I'd rather see "both" Panama Cities in the first tour or see the observation center in the second. Is it foolish to go on a Panama Canal cruise and do an excursion that doesn't see the canal at all?

I see there are 3 choices as when to go to the beach. Do they run out of chairs? Can you take any shuttle back to the ship? How late can you stay?

When I was there, they did run out of chairs later in the afternoon. I think we got there around 10:00 am and there were plenty of chairs and space to choose from. But by the time the last bus got there (maybe around 1?) there weren't any chairs available. So I would definitely recommend choosing one of the earlier times. I think they let you stay until around 3:00, but we left around 2:00 to have time to do some shopping before getting back on the boat. They had a shuttle that ran every hour or so, to take you back to the ship. You could choose whatever shuttle you wanted to leave when you were ready.

P.S. The jerk chicken was delicious!

The ferry tour is a wonderful option for people who want to see a large part of the Canal but only have time for the 10/11 day partial transit cruise and not a full transit which takes 14/15 days. There are two sets of locks on the Pacific side of the Canal and they function just like the one set of locks on the Atlantic side. While the Gatun Locks on the Atlantic side are scenic and interesting, there are more visual treats on the Pacific side. Not only do you have the two sets of locks separated by the second of two artificial lakes on the Canal, but you have Gaillard Cut. Gaillard Cut is where the lion's share of excavation took place to create a man made fjord. Throw in sailing beneath two really striking bridges and get a glimpse of the new expansion locks, this can give you a great overview of the Canal without a full transit when you include your morning trip through Gatun Locks.

 

I know all that does not help much in your decision, but then you will have decide on just how interested in the Canal you are. Panama City certainly is a very dynamic and diverse place. Are you going on Princess? Because that is the tour description I read... I know what they were trying to say, however I don't think too many others could get an accurate idea of what you will actually do on the tour. Looks like they will take you to the three Panama Cities... Old Panama (the one that Henry Morgan sacked) then on to Casco Viejo which is often compared to the French Quarter in New Orleans. This is where the City was relocated after Morgan carried out his version of urban renewal. Of course all in between those two sites you have all sorts of skyscrapers that make up the modern day Panama City.

 

Just a side note... when I did the Panama City tour, Old Panama part was just a drive by, you did not get to stop and play among the ruins.

 

Miraflores Locks is set up to be the showplace locks with a very nice observation tower, lots of displays and such. Worth a visit since you will be driving by anyway.

 

Hope this makes your decision easier and not harder!:)

Thanks Bill! But NO it does not make my decision easier because you make both excursions sound really interesting! :) Yes, we will be on Princess so the excursion to Panama that you described is correct. I really appreciate the extra detail on that one since, like you said, the website isn't 100% clear. I think I'll go with the Colonial Panama excursion. I know I'll get a decent overview of the locks as we go through them on the cruise ship, and then I can get a variety by doing the Panama tour. Thanks again!

Will be on a partial transit in Nov/Dec. I've read numerous things saying you absolutely must do the ferry boat tour and I've also read that Panama City is absolutely worth seeing. I find the canal interesting but I'm not fascinated by it like some, so I don't know that the ferry boat tour would mean that much to me. On the other hand, getting to tour Panama City sounds really neat. Would I be making a huge mistake in not taking the ferry tour?

Our Princess cruise stops in Jamaica in December. Nearly ever Princess shore excursion includes Dunns River Falls. Is it really that amazing that we need to see it no matter what, or would a different excursion be better? I'm honestly having trouble finding an excursion that does NOT include the falls, which is weird. Jamaica seems to have the least variety in shore excursions...

I had the same problem on my cruise and called the TA and they said that there is an issue with royal Caribbean's system and that some of the categories wont book through. they said for me to call or try again in the morning. your not alone!

I called and was put on hold for about 20 minutes and then told the studio room was not available for booking. They never said "sold out." They just said "not available." I get that RCI would rather book those rooms as the family suite since they can make more money that way. But it doesn't seem fair to solo cruisers who would like the option to book those rooms. I hope they get it straightened out!

Is that the studio interior that is connected with the JS and the balcony cabin. If so they like to book all 3 of those rooms together for one family but closer to sail date will release them to book as individual rooms.

Yes, that's the one I'm looking it. That is sort of frustrating - they offer studio rooms but you can't book them.

I'm looking at a studio room, for one person.

What does it mean if a stateroom category says it is not available for online booking? It does not say it's sold out.

I did this excursion in January 2013 and loved it. We just wanted a relaxing beach day which is exactly what this was. Being there in January, the weather and temperature were perfect. Not too hot with a nice breeze. We set up our chairs in the shade and it was really nice. They served limited food and drinks, including soft drinks and Red Stripe beer of course. We had the jerk chicken, which was amazing. (They may have had other food like hamburgers but I can't remember?) Honestly, the jerk chicken was one of the best things we ate the entire trip. I'd go back just for that chicken. :)

There was a same sex couple who played on my Liberty cruise 2 years ago...and they won! It was absolutely hilarious because some of the questions weren't really written for 2 men and the quick-witted cruise director had to think fast to reword them. It was the best and funniest I've seen.

I checked out the Parktologists' website and they look like a really good option. Thanks so much for the recommendation!

I've cruised several times before but have always flown to the port. Due to some snow predicted in our area this weekend, we may have to drive to Tampa. Can you tell me what I need to know about driving to the port and parking at the port? How much is parking per day? Would we be better to try to find a hotel for the night before that offers a cruise package where we could leave our car at the hotel? Would that be cheaper?

These may seem to be trivial questions but having never driven to a port before, I just have no idea what to expect!

Thank you for all the suggestions.

I have the email from Royal Caribbean confirming the best price guarantee that states the difference in price has been updated on my reservation as OBC. I also can print off the payment/charges page of my online reservation, but it shows the OBC as "other options" which seemed a bit vague to me. Hopefully between those 2 printouts I'll be okay but if I need to call as well, is there a specific number that's best?

I've read stories about people who were supposed to receive on board credit but when they got on the ship, there was no record of their OBC. I want to make sure this doesn't happen to me. Because the price of our cruise dropped after we booked it, we have some OBC in the amount of the price drop. When I look at our reservation online it lists this amount as a payment for "other options." It doesn't say "on board credit." Is this normal? I've never had OBC before so I just want to make sure that things go smoothly once we are on the ship.

I guess I assumed that an emailed copy of the reservation would look just like what I'm seeing online - where the price difference is listed as "other charges." I can definitely try this route, though, and see what happens. Just wondering if anyone had experience in receiving OBC this way and how it appeared on their online reservation. Thanks.

Thanks for the helpful replies. Anytime dining was a choice, but we prefer traditional. (Sorry, I called it My Time Dining in my original post - that is what Royal Caribbean calls it I believe.) I really enjoy the shows so I just wanted to be sure that eating at 5:45 wouldn't cause me to miss one. Thanks again!

I recently booked my first Princess cruise on the Island Princess. (I have cruised on other lines but never on Princess.) When I booked, I was given the option of 3 dining times: 5:15, 5:45, or 8:00 (not positive about the third time but I know the first 2 were 5:15 and 5:45). I chose 5:45 because it seemed to be a good "in-between" time. Not too early and not too late. However, I've never been on a cruise with 3 dining times. Most just have early and late seating (not counting my time dining) where people who eat early go to the late show after they eat and people who eat late go to the early show before they eat. How does having 3 dining times work with shows on Princess? If we eat at 5:45, would we be able to make it to the late show? Or is there only one show time?

The price of my cruise dropped 24 hours after I booked it so I submitted the Best Price Guarantee claim. I received an email from Royal Caribbean within a couple of hours confirming the price reduction and said I would receive on board credit in that amount (110% of the difference). When I view my reservation online, it now shows the lower cruise price, and the 110% price difference is listed as "other charges." Meaning, it looks like I still pay what I originally would have, but somehow the 110% amount will be applied as OBC. Has anyone had any experience with this? I guess I'm just afraid of paying the original amount and then not getting the OBC after all. Maybe I am just being paranoid?

We did the $89 NYC tour through NCL and, even though it was pricey, I felt like it was worth it. The convenience of having a special time to get off the ship in a smaller group, a ride to the terminal of the airport, someone to load your bags into the bus, etc. was really fantastic. The tour was about 4 hours of nonstop sightseeing and information. Our guide was great. We only made 2 stops - one at the 9/11 memorial and one at a Statue of Liberty viewing point. I really wanted to see the 9/11 memorial so I was glad we stopped there. The way I look at it is, you can pay $40 per person for the NCL transfer to the airport or add on $50 more and get a tour. Now, that said, we still arrived to the airport around 1:30. Our flight was at 4:30. Since yours is later, you'd still have a lot of time to kill at the airport so it may not be worth it for you but I did want to weigh in on the NYC tour since I took it just last week and really enjoyed it!

I didn't take any pictures of the ship, but I had hoped to post some of the pictures I took in port. Unfortunately, I am having difficulty. I never thought I was bad with technology until it came time to post pictures to CC!

Halifax, Nova Scotia

Victorian Public Gardens

Peggy's Point Lighthouse

Peggy's Cove

Fairview Lawn Cemetery