Island Princess 10-Day Panama Canal Review - Not quite LIVE ... but close

[highheel girl]

I just found this review and I am very excited to read it all the way through. I briefly scan through it. We just booked the 10 day partial transit for Dec 20, 2012. We are in cabins A341 & A343 does anyone know if these cabins have a cover balcony or not? I am also excited to read about the transit through the canal and interested to see what excursions are recommended as we would like to see as much of the canal as possible. We will be traveling with our 21 & 23 year old children (one of which is a history buff) Thanks in advance for any information you can provide, also if you recommend any other reviews on this itinerary.

 

Check this website....

 

http://mysite.verizon.net/res76zxu/princessbalconies/index.html

[AmberTeka]

Hey, Sweet Angel, nice to know there are a few other Nebraskans cruising! I find it quietly hilarious to tell people, especially from the East Coast (sorry, east-coasters) we're from Nebraska and see their eyes glaze over as they so obviously try to figure out just where that is--I've had people mistake us for Alaskans and almost any other 'middle of the country' state. We've also had TWO different people ask us if we weren't afraid of the "Indians"! (Sorry, Native Americans, now I've offended you too.) That one just left us speechless.

 

But that's ok, I'd have a hard time myself filling in all those teeny east coast states on a blank map.

 

Oh boy, what's with those Huskers this year? We had a son who actually was on the team in the 90's, so we're especially big fans. Gloom and doom around here.

 

It sounds like there must not be a waffle station on the Island, or else it's so hidden people don't find it. On the CB it was outside the buffet, through the pool area on the far side--not many people found it. It's probably just as well; they are so delicious I'd probably gain 5 more pounds!

 

Keep up the great review!

 

NEBRASKA....the straightesT roads in the world. they go on and on..never curve..never bend.....lots of grain crops..lots of wheat...on the way to relatives in Utah and Montana....nice, nice people. Very clean. Homes well taken care off..Nice place. It seems like a sort of safe haven to me. Kansas...was a lot like it to me. ditto parts of Oklahoma. Liked them all. Been there several times.............on longgggggggggggggg road trips from Alabama

 

NEBRASKA.,..the state from which giant brutes...came in red suits to occasionally whip our beloved Alabama Crimson Tide. They had the biggest players in the world. Roll Tide...and it is this year. Yeah. Coach Sabin. This week they must tangle with Brutes from LSU. Also usually quite large with mean tempers.

[Nebr.cruiser]

Thanks for all the good words about our beloved Nebraska. We always enjoy our drives through Alabama too, and a good game now and then. You've got some great players there! I wouldn't say they are exactly tiny. Good luck today; we are at Michigan State. We're still not used to being in the Big Ten!

 

Since I'm from a part of Nebraska that is not all straight roads and flat land (ok, maybe flattish compared to, say, Colorado or most anyplace else!), I always forget that others see us as what they experience, usually, on the interstate heading west. Now that is mostly flat.

 

We have relatives in Montana too! And I thought our 1000 mile trip out to see son and family was long!

[SCDM]

Day 6 – Panama Canal Experience by Boat

 

At the Pacific entrance to the canal, we passed under the Bridge of the Americas.

 

 

It was a great feeling to see the Pacific Ocean and to know that you just crossed the Panama Canal, the eighth wonder of the world.

 

Pacific Ocean

 

Panama City, situated at the end of the canal, is another megalopolis of over one million people.

 

 

Back on the bus, we took a short driving tour through Panama City before heading back on the long road to Cristobal, where Island Princess was waiting for us.

 

We stopped by the YMCA …

 

 

… and a very nice monument that I was too tired to catch the name of.

 

 

If anyone can use that picture-clue to tell me anything about that monument, I would appreciate it.

 

I was exhausted and slept on and off during the bus ride back. The seats were not the greatest for napping, but at least I had both seats to myself.

 

The pier in Cristobal

 

When we reached the pier, we had only five minutes to shop. The Panamanians were closing down their stores and covering their tables, but I managed to buy an ornament and a darling headband ($5) for my daughter. The headband had twelve little native dolls going across it, and all the girls at my daughter's school loved it.

 

Our tour was nearly 10 hours long!

Those who stayed onboard the Island Princess sat in Gatun Lake for 4 ½ hours and then went back through the same three locks to Cristobal (3 hours). In Cristobal, they had another 2 ½ hours to walk around and shop at the pier.

 

I am glad I took the “Panama Canal Experience by Boat Tour” for these reasons:

1) To finish the canal, traverse all six locks and reach the Pacific Ocean.

2) To actually touch the historic canal walls from the boat.

3) To see the surrounding countryside of Panama.

4) To get a better understanding and learn more about the Panama Canal.

5) To drink actual Panamanian soda pop.

 

The things I did not like about this tour:

1) It was expensive ($169) … probably due to the high cost of going through the locks and also having a buffet lunch.

2) It was very crowded and hard to move around the boat.

3) It was a very long day. The bus ride back was long. It could not be helped, yet still was unpleasant.

4) The bus died at several stoplights and was sometimes hard to get started again, making me wonder if we’d be walking back to the ship. It was dark, and the neighborhoods near the pier did not exactly look the safest.

 

When talking to others on the boat tour, most of them seemed to feel that this tour, with its small boat, gave them a better, more intimate view of the locks. I, on the other hand, felt that I got the best views on Island Princess. Most people were stationary on Island Princess and did not move about like I did. Most were either on their balconies (getting a side view of the surrounding land) or crowded up trying to see through the plexiglass windows on Lido Deck. Too bad, because it was easy and relaxing to move around the Island Princess.

 

Moving around on the small boat was sometimes difficult, especially when the rainstorms blew in and everyone crowded even tighter. There were seats up front on the small boat, and if you were lucky enough to be the first to grab those, you would have a great view. I could not get into that area. Even to get close to that area, I had to squeeze my way through. I ended up standing precariously on a bench lifting my camera high into the air to get the sequence of pictures I took from the front. Side views were good, though, and there were plenty of those. The boat even angled itself so that you could see better from the side.

 

Even with the few unpleasantries, I am glad I took the tour, if only for one reason: that opportunity to finish the canal! And, yes, everyone on the tour got certificates for making the transit.

I was very interested in your account of Panama Canal Experience by Boat, Does anyone know if Princess still offers this tour (Dec '12)? I don't see it and would love to go all the way to the Pacific!

[westendgirl]

I read on another blog that the unidentified bldg. is a Mormon church. That does look a bit like the Angel Moroni atop the spire. Thanks for your 'Live' and photos.

[SCDM]

Thanks I found that website after I asked the question.

[SCDM]

I was very interested in your account of Panama Canal Experience by Boat, Does anyone know if Princess still offers this tour (Dec '12)? I don't see it and would love to go all the way to the Pacific!

Nevermind I found what appears to be the same tour.

Panama Canal & Locks Transit by Boat

 

PC1615A | Panama Canal, Panama

[grams98]

Thanks, Angel, for such a wonderful review. I am so glad I found it. It will really help with our planning. Grams98

[onthehighseas606]

I was very interested in your account of Panama Canal Experience by Boat, Does anyone know if Princess still offers this tour (Dec '12)? I don't see it and would love to go all the way to the Pacific!

 

The monument shown with the angel on top is the Mormon Temple. We were out on our balcony just passing the temple and the man next to our cabin asked me if I knew what it was. I told him it looks Mormon. He scoffed and said "no way in a Catholic country?" Just as we passed the temple, the commentator came over the speaker and said that it was the Mormon temple. :rolleyes: