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Thank you! We sailed on the Summit and thought it was a lovely ship. 

Starting to look at a Panama Canal Cruise in Fall of 2024 to celebrate my retirement right before then (woohoo!). Looks like a lot of lines don’t have sailings out that far yet-when could I expect to see most available? We have only cruised twice before-once on HAL and once on Celebrity-and loved both experiences, so are  pretty open. Would love old locks-if you have a favorite ship or line you can recommend for this itinerary I’d love to hear it. Looking for full transit, more interested in good food and educational opportunities than in a lot of activities on board. 

We took an HAL 2 week tour,7 days land ,7 days sea.It was excellent .Our tour guide on a tour in Denali was a college Professor from the University of Oregon .

Ha! That would be awesome since we live in Eugene :)

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My mom and I did a quilting cruise on the Noordam a few years back-11 day southern Caribbean, first cruise for both of us. It was really wonderful, though we did both feel like we missed out on a bit of the sea day experience. Would totally recommend though :).

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Thank you all-this is helpful!

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We are tentatively planning a small group cruise for a friend's birthday in June of 2019. We will have two parties of two adults, and one party of four (with 2 children, then 9 and 13). First cruise for the kids. We live in Oregon. Preference would be roundtrip from Vancouver, though Seattle is also an option. Preference is the week of June 15, which is right after kids get out of school, though we could go later in the summer (my guess is it gets more expensive in July and August?).

I've sailed both Celebrity and HAL before and had good experiences with both; I preferred the food on HAL but my Celebrity cruise was a charger (Blues Cruise) and so the food was secondary to some extent. It looks like a balcony on any of these lines will run us about 6 grand. I've heard Princess is the ideal ship to Alaska; unfortunately, their itinerary at this time is one way (better for ports, I'm sure, but more expensive when you add in flights).

Ships are:

HAL Noordam (I've been on this ship and loved the size)

Celebrity Eclipse

Royal or Golden Princess (depending on whether we do North or Southbound)

So, those of you who've done Alaska before, especially with a mixed-age group (two of our friends are in their 60s); which would you choose?

That is so appealing to me! Which lines are still sailing the old locks?

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When I looked, RCCL was about 15K and DCL about 12, for four in a balcony (I think that was the family verandah for DCL). I wonder if that was because RCCL considers our 13 year old an adult? Absolutely open to considering them.

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I really enjoyed the 11 day southern Caribbean Cruise I did on HAL-thought the food was better than on a later celebrity cruise-but was hard to picture the kids having much to do. Any thoughts about that? How about Princess? I see they do a PC cruise over Christmas which would help with the school schedule.

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Thank you, EM! That is such a helpful tool. I notice that Disney has fewer ports (and therefore more sea days) than many of the other lines-but is also cheaper than many-very unusual for Disney. Hmmmm.

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Oh man, EM. That’s a great point. I’d love to see the historic locks. Do you have thoughts about which other line with kids? Our kids are pretty self-sufficient and would love the trip regardless-but 14+ days is a long time for them.

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Yes it is! I am pretty into Disney myself-my husband, not so much.

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I’ve just looked at RCCL (as I’ve heard they are also great for kids)-surprisingly, they were 3K more!

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A Panama Canal Cruise has been on my bucket list, and for fun I priced out a DCL 14 day cruise in November 19. Not cheap, but surprisingly cheaper than the RCL Cruise I looked at. We would have two kids-10 and 13-who are both in Spanish Immersion, so the variety of Spanish speaking ports is appealing. They’ve never cruised, I’ve only cruised HALand Celebrity. What’s the best bang for your buck on this itinerary? Any tips?

Thanks!

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I am not sure about Luminae or Blu-I assumed they were reserved but will admit I didn't check. They were not pushing reservations there, fwiw. Yeah, the Tuscan push was pretty insane-they actually came by our table at MDT lunch to push the reservations-and were persistent about it, which felt really intrusive.

Music definitely went late into the night-I'm guessing 3 am was common-I am not at all a night owl so didn't stay up as late as midnight more than once or twice. The venues were great-I especially liked Michael's, Revelations, and the pool deck. Didn't love the theater quite as much, but no fault of the venue which is perfectly fine-I preferred more casual and being able to pop in and check it out then move on if it wasn't our thing.

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When we sailed the Noordam we were worried about the smoking allowed at the time on balconies-we got lucky and none of our neighbors smoked.

A couple more things I thought of:

-I was initially appalled at the price for internet-the only option they were advertising was $49 a day, I think. This turned out to be a blessing, though :)-it was so insane we weren't tempted and so were able to unplug (especially good the week before the election!).

-loved the ice cold towels at embarkation.

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We weren't staying in a suite-I wasn't aware Michael's Club was normally a suite amenity. It was one of the music venues on this cruise, used for pianists. We did not have access to Luminae. At the buffet in the afternoon, the only cheese available was sliced and cubed (what looked like cheddar and Swiss) and there was sandwich bread-the rolls available in the morning would have been perfect but weren't around-at least not that we saw.

We were a little taken aback by the heavy and frequent push to eat at Tuscan Grille-fortunately, you all had warned me so I knew to avoid it :). We even had a waiter come to our table in the MDR and try to get us to book-they we're very persistent. I think the specialty dining restaurants didn't get a lot of use on this trip through no fault of their own-many of the passengers were so focused on the music they'd just grab quick bites-but I'm guessing the Tuscan Grille is not doing well, which doesn't surprise me after reading reviews here.

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Thank you both! We loved both Dominica and Grenada (I had been to Dominica and Barbados before; Dominica is a port that I could see returning to stay and spend some time).

Ports, continued:

*Grenada: What a beautiful little island! We walked off the ship and into town to buy some spices, which was about the extent of the research we'd done :). Nutmeg and cinnamon and some spice "necklaces" (made to hang in your kitchen, not to wear); it felt a tiny bit cooler today but incredibly humid-I think I was sweating more than I ever have before. We caught a cab to Grande Anse beach with my sister and her boyfriend, which was such a good idea-rented chairs and umbrellas and just hung out by the ocean for the day. My husband loves to swim and he was able to do a long ocean swim today. Had a pina colada (my favorite drink of the cruise; had to compare in different areas!) and it was wonderful-they added fresh nutmeg to the top. We were bothered a little by folks asking for money, but nothing overwhelming and the guy we'd rented chairs from asked them to move on-and was very kind about it, which I also appreciated. We caught a water taxi back to the ship-fun little extra, and the same price but faster and a little less scary than the regular cab. We would definitely return here.

*Dominica: I had been here on my last cruise and did a private tour with Reyno Tours which was fabulous; this time we did a tour with Bumpiing tours. Both were fabulous and I'd do either again. Much less expensive than a ships' tour-$50 a person for about five hours. They picked us up right at the dock in an airconditioned van, stocked with drinks (including their local banana soda and beer); there were about ten people from two ships in the tour (Note: this was the only time we had another ship in port, which was great). We went snorkeling at Champagne Reef first; enjoyed this-lots of fish to see, including a moray eel, and the bubbling volcanic gas and heated water was really fascinating. Visibility wasn't great, as they'd had a lot of rain (if this had been Hawaii I'd never had gotten in the water due to shark concerns). I got a little motion sick-the only time of the whole trip due to the swell snorkeling, which was the only downer to the day. Next we went and swam in Titou Gorge. This was an absolute highlight; not to be missed. You climb into a pool of pretty cold water and swim into a crack between rock walls and through a channel, just a sliver of light above you, into an inner pool with a waterfall. So amazing! We ended by driving to Trafalgar Falls. When I was there in 2014, we climbed to the pools-warmed by geothermal activity. The hurricane since then has dramatically changed the landscape and we weren't able to do that but we could climb pretty close.

I really appreciated the chance to get off the ship and be in nature; the cruise was amazing but the music almost 24/7 got a little overwhelming for me and it was a nice change.

Drinks: I was sucked in by my second martini at the Martini Bar (so cool!) right after boarding and bought the drinks package. Probably wouldn't have if my husband hadn't been on antibiotics and not drinking as the cost would've seemed a little ridiculous. It's hard to tell if it was "worth it" financially, as I know there were times I ordered drinks when I wouldn't have if I hadn't had the package-especially bottled water and sparkling water. Still, it was worth it just for the ease; I loved being able to not think twice about an espresso or a glass of port. My husband had the deluxe non alcoholic and I definitely think he got his money's worth. I'd get up every morning and head to Cafe al Bacio and get us both espressos-they weren't amazing (we are from the Northwest so a little crazy about coffee) but definitely a step up from brewed coffee. He discovered a fabulous new drink-sparkling water and passionfruit, which we both became addicted to and I need to try and replicate at home. Speaking of drinks, I made it my mission to find the best pina colada-both our hotel in puerto rico and Barrachina's claim to have invented the drink so we had them both places; I preferred the Hilton's version. The very best was the one on the beach in Grenada, but the ship version with a float of rum was pretty darn good. Wine selection was decent; I discovered Cellar Masters about halfway through and appreciated that :). Celebrity has the win here.

I won't compare entertainment as we took advantage of very little on the Noordam (except the BB King Blues lounge, which was fabulous) and it wouldn't be fair to compare to the special charter. I will say the music on this cruise was absolutely amazing; if you are a fan at all, I definitely encourage you to explore one of their cruises. Everyone we met was so friendly and enthusiastic; we sat with other people most night's at dinner and really enjoyed sharing stories with people brought together by this mutual love. It was amazing to find yourself in line next to a legendary musician, and to experience them jamming with each other and allowing passengers to join in. So much fun!

I would sail either line again; our next cruise will probably be with our children so neither line would be my first choice for that but we will be back on Celebrity, I'm sure! Thank you all for the tips that helped us prepare-happy to answer any questions.

We just got back from our week long cruise on the Summit out of Puerto Rico, and I thought I'd post a brief report and a comparison to my only other cruise-11 day Southern Caribbean on HAL Noordam.

Details: This was my husband's first cruise and first time in the Caribbean. We live on the West Coast; a long day of flying both ways for us! We cruised with my parents and my sister and her boyfriend; my folks are huge fans of Blues Music and the cruise was a very generous gift from them to us. Artists on the ship included Buddy Guy, Taj Mahal, Los Lobos, Keb Mo, plus many amazing and lesser known performers.

Itinerary: Puerto Rico, Guadeloupe, Barbados, Grenada, Dominica.

Cabin: We had 7112-balcony, midship. Great location. The cabin was roomier than I expected (probably a similar size to the balcony cabin on the Noordam but seemed roomier as beds were pushed together this time). Excellent storage-very well organized and we had plenty of room-and the bathroom was much nicer than on the Noordam. The one disappointment was the balcony-plenty of room, but had a moldy smell that never dissipated; I don't know if it was because it was so humid this time (my last cruise was in January and not nearly as humid) or just moldy carpet, but it made sitting out there unpleasant unless we were at sea with a good breeze. Winner here: Celebrity.

Ship: I think these ships are fairly comparable in class and size, though I'll admit I haven't researched. They both are beautiful ships and I have no complaints about either one. I really liked the spa/thassalotherapy area on the Summit; I loved the promenade deck on the Noordam. I missed the fresh flowers that were everywhere on the Noordam, and didn't love most the art on the Summit-especially the weird beaded heads in the stairwells. I loved some of the more intimate spaces on the Summit-Cellarmasters and Michael's Club, for instance. I'd call this a close tie.

Dining: Well, bright side is that I didn't gain any weight on this cruise! That was due to a couple of factors-the high heat and humidity really dampened our appetites, and the food just wasn't fabulous. My husband is not at all picky, but he compared the buffet to being just a cut above Hometown Buffet. We enjoyed eggs benedict and fresh fruit at breakfast, but had a hard time finding much we loved at the buffet the rest of the day (except for ice cream!). I found the serving a little odd; for instance, when we'd get back on the ship after a day in port there just wasn't a lot available until dinner time, especially if you didn't want something sweet. For instance, I would have loved to have been able to pick up a plate of cheese and crackers to have with a glass of wine before dinner and that was nowhere to be found. We ate in the dining room every night, except one night in Qsine, and had better experiences there. The food in the dining room was good, not fabulous, with a couple stand out dishes: dulce de leche creme brulee, lamb, one night excellent steak (though the steak diane later was tough), and some really beautiful composed salads. Qsine was a lot of fun-we celebrated two birthdays there and had five of us. We loved the M's favorites-thought the sushi was good and the ceviche ok. Egg rolls were good, dessert was great. I found the food across the board to be better on HAL and would give them the win here.

Service: This was really a mixed bag. We had fabulous service from Bailey, our cabin attendant. One thing that was so much fun on this cruise was to watch the crew enjoy the music-we would be watching a concert on the pool deck and the alcohol servers would be dancing along while serving. Many of them mentioned to me that they really enjoyed having this cruise on board; passengers were happier than their average sailing and they were able to enjoy the music throughout the trip. I found bartenders to be almost universally less friendly. Service in the dining room was friendly but somewhat of a disaster-this cruise had no assigned dining times and I heard they really had a hard time adjusting to this. I didn't like having to order from three different people-the waiter, then the sommelier for my wine, and then the bartender for my husband, who wasn't drinking alcohol and was ordering fancy non alcoholic drinks off the menu. The wine was often wrong-brought chardonnay instead of cabernet my first night, for instance. I appreciated their attempts to manage the crowds, but have to give HAL the lead here.

Itinerary: Well, the HAL trip was 11 days, so that was awesome-11 is always better than 7, right? :) However, this ship left out of Puerto Rico; we had never been and just loved it (we'd love to head back). We stayed at the Hilton Caribe, and were able to walk to some wonderful restaurants-El Ropa Vieja and Casita Miramar (the latter serving one of the best meals we've had in a long time), and spent a day exploring Old San Juan. When we returned, we caught a cab to Barrachina's restaurant, which offers luggage storage, and spent a couple hours in OSJ again.

*Guadeloupe: This was a disappointment; I should have researched more and arranged an excursion or cab ride somewhere to see the island. The town around the cruise port is pretty grim and it was incredibly hot; highlight was a beautiful cemetery up on a hill.

*Barbados: We were there on the 50th anniversary of their independence, which was neat! We walked to the Boatyard and had a mellow beach day. A little excitement going back; the independence celebration jammed traffic up and the van took almost an hour to get us back to the ship. We had ship's crew in our van that were very worried; they had to be back on board by 4 and we arrived back at port at 3:57.

More later....

Man, there is sure a culture on cruise critic of unpleasant responses, regardless of the topic of the post. I have no idea why that should be-if folks don't like a post or aren't interested, move on! Life is short! It'd be like me going to comment on every post about a ship I'm not on just to say "who cares about this? Not everyone is on the Silhouette".

Thank you for the posts on these deals! They don't work for us but I hope someone can take advantage!

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These were great! Our cruise this week will be my husband's first-he's a little skeptical but I'm giving him some of these stories in hopes of inspiring him with the thought he might see some naked people.

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Shoot! We were hoping they might have one of those current lap pools.

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Heading out next Saturday and my husband would love to be able to do a daily hour or so of lap winning-possible on the Summit?

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Thank you both! Does this seem like a reasonable deal in your experience? Leaning towards putting the deposit down and going from there

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We are looking at the June 27 8 day Norwegian ports sailing from Southampton on the Indeoendence with this promotion I see about $4800 for a balcony for our family of four. We have not sailed RCCL before and are just starting to look-how does this fare seem in your experience? Do they typically have one sale r bother going on or is this a truly special deal? And we will be on Celebrity in three weeks-would you suggest waiting to book on board instead? Help! I'm clueless!

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