Aft veranda

We are going to cruise the Panama Canal on the Zuiderdam and I don’t know if I should book an aft cabin (stern) port or starboard. We have had stern cabins previously and enjoy them but would the port or starboard be better while going thru the canal. Any help would be appreciated

We are going to cruise the Panama Canal on the Zuiderdam and I don’t know if I should book an aft cabin (stern) port or starboard. We have had stern cabins previously and enjoy them but would the port or starboard be better while going thru the canal. Any help would be appreciated

We had one port side...either side would be wonderful

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My experience is that any aft stateroom puts you in the best spot to see and photograph all of the action. Choose Deck 5 for complete coverage of your balcony. Others may disagree but you can experience the canal without leaving your balcony, not have to fight for a spot near the outside decks railings, have your own private bathroom, a cold beverage from your own minibar, and a phone for Room Service nearby.

Canal photos from my aft-stateroom balcony:

http://www.rogerjett-photography.com/place/panama-canal/panama-canal-eastbound-gatun-locks

http://www.rogerjett-photography.com/place/panama-canal/panama-canal-westbound

Our view of the canal was so spectacular we were glad we did not get off the boat for a tour. As we were in the lake waiting for our turn to go back through, we loved watching the freighters line up and go through. Weather was hot, we were comfortable and cool. If we did it again, we would do the same thing...stay on the ship

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To go through the canal, definitely the aft!

I agree with CrewNews for aft cabins, but I always prefer deck 4 on Vista class ships. On deck 5 and above, your view over the railing of your balcony is the balconies below you. On deck 4, the only thing below you is the beautiful prop wash and water. Yes, the balconies on deck 4 are mostly uncovered, so wear a shirt and hat or you will be a red as a lobster after canal passage.

Definitely aft for the Panama Canal. It is like your own private show watching the locks in action.

Thank you everyone for your great ideas I just booked an aft cabin on level six right in the center.

My experience is that any aft stateroom puts you in the best spot to see and photograph all of the action. Choose Deck 5 for complete coverage of your balcony. Others may disagree but you can experience the canal without leaving your balcony, not have to fight for a spot near the outside decks railings, have your own private bathroom, a cold beverage from your own minibar, and a phone for Room Service nearby.

 

Canal photos from my aft-stateroom balcony:

 

http://www.rogerjett-photography.com/place/panama-canal/panama-canal-eastbound-gatun-locks

 

http://www.rogerjett-photography.com/place/panama-canal/panama-canal-westbound

Great pictures, thanks!

If you book an aft balcony (not one of the corner-wrap suites, be careful of soot. My parents had an aft balcony and it was unusable due to the covering of soot all the time. They will never book another aft balcony.

Definitely aft for the Panama Canal. It is like your own private show watching the locks in action.

Do the aft cabins have lounge chairs or just the 2 arm chairs and small table.

We always book aft cabins when available. The minor soot problem from the stacks usually doesn't get down to our favorite deck 4, where there is nothing below you but water. We have had some soot on higher decks, but the cabin stewards seem to be aware of this problem and wash down the furniture and deck each day. The soot we had, however, certainly wasn't bad enough to cause us to stop booking aft cabins.

There is usually one lounge chair, a regular chair and a table. We have asked for a 2nd lounge chair and it always was delivered by the next day. That's the beauty of the aft cabins. The balcony is usually 8 to 10 feet deep, plus the cabins have a few feet more depth.

I should edit my post to say that we had an aft wrap Neptune suite. It was glorious!

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So glad I booked an aft cabin after reading all the replies. The only problem I can see is it’s on deck 6 maybe should have gone for a lower deck.

Again Thanks for all the advise!

We had an aft wrap on deck 6. No problems with soot, noise, too much sun. It was a wonderful cruise. You will love it. Take advantage of your views. The cruise is for the canal. In our opinion, the cruise through the canal beats any land excursion you could do. You miss a lot if you leave the ship, IMHO

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