Princess increasing days

[jeansaussie1]

I was looking at Princess RT for mid-2013 when I noticed they are changing the number of days for the end of 2013 into 2014.

 

10 day RT's are becoming 11. 14 days FT's are becoming 15. The extra day is a sea day. Some of the 11 days are actually priced below the 10 days.

 

So now I'm tossed. Do I do a 10 day in 2013 to use less vacation days, or hold off for 2014 with an extra sea day at lower price?

[Loonbeam]

On the 11s you get longer in Aruba as well I think. That would be a difference maker for me as that was way too short of a stop on the 10 day. I felt rushed.

[BillB48]

After a brief perusal of the various itineraries,the partial transits 10/11 day itins are basically the same except for the inclusion of sea day in between Aruba and Cartagena. As for the differences between the 14 and 15 day full transits there is a little more than just an extra sea day. On the 14 day FT they offer a full day stop at Ft. Amador in Panama in addition to the Canal transit. On some of the 15 day itins the stop at Ft. Amador is replaced be other stops on the Pacific Coast. Of course the longer the cruise the better the cruise...... but then again I am not taking into consideration vacation days;)! One thing I would consider though, is the additional day stop at Ft. Amador. Having the full transit and then an extra day to take in the other items of interest in Panama is a great idea. There is just too much to take in with just one day in Panama.

[Richard in Panama]

I concur with Bill: Princess' 2 day Panama is the best thing going for a Panama Canal Cruise. Who wants to come to Panama and miss the country? Going through the Panama Canal is a must-do bucket-list experience, but who wants to come all the way to Panama and miss seeing the country? As exciting as the day in the Canal may be, you've got to also experience something of the country. Just going through the Canal would be like sailing into New York and never getting off the ship but saying you "saw" New York City! Or going to Civitavecchia, staying on the ship, and saying you "saw" Rome! I've blogged and written extensively about the tour choices in Panama and there is something for everyone depending on your interests. When I worked Holland America I could say "Get off the Dam ship!" But it's true for all the Canal cruises. Get an itinerary that gives you the opportunity to see Panama and not just barrel through the Canal.

 

Regards, Richard

[Loonbeam]

I have to agree. When we did the partial, in order to get a full transit we had to use our tour day on that, and I really wish we had the opportunity to do more..

 

I concur with Bill: Princess' 2 day Panama is the best thing going for a Panama Canal Cruise. Who wants to come to Panama and miss the country? Going through the Panama Canal is a must-do bucket-list experience, but who wants to come all the way to Panama and miss seeing the country? As exciting as the day in the Canal may be, you've got to also experience something of the country. Just going through the Canal would be like sailing into New York and never getting off the ship but saying you "saw" New York City! Or going to Civitavecchia, staying on the ship, and saying you "saw" Rome! I've blogged and written extensively about the tour choices in Panama and there is something for everyone depending on your interests. When I worked Holland America I could say "Get off the Dam ship!" But it's true for all the Canal cruises. Get an itinerary that gives you the opportunity to see Panama and not just barrel through the Canal.

 

Regards, Richard

[jeansaussie1]

On the 11s you get longer in Aruba as well I think. That would be a difference maker for me as that was way too short of a stop on the 10 day. I felt rushed.

 

As much as I want to go in 2013, 2014 is looking better. Aruba was my honeymoon so we saw the whole island. The snorkling was incredible. The short stop on the RT would be disappointing.

 

The reason I was focused on 2013 was because of the canal expansion. Still trying to take in all the information but it looks like in April 2014, the Island Princess will still be using the smaller channel. Right???

[BillB48]

With the realistic completion date for the Canal expansion moved to sometime 2015 and not the original target date of Aug. 15, 2014, the IP will definitely use the present locks:).

[Keith1010]

I am sure whichever one you pick out will be great.

 

Keith

[Emma]

We did the 15 day FT and on the extra day did the ferry through the locks, it really spelled out the difference in experiences from going through the locks on the ship the next day. A highlight of this amazing cruise

[GoochDSA]

I was looking at Princess RT for mid-2013 when I noticed they are changing the number of days for the end of 2013 into 2014.

 

10 day RT's are becoming 11. 14 days FT's are becoming 15. The extra day is a sea day. Some of the 11 days are actually priced below the 10 days.

 

So now I'm tossed. Do I do a 10 day in 2013 to use less vacation days, or hold off for 2014 with an extra sea day at lower price?

 

My fiancee and I are taking a PT on the Coral next October for our honeymoon (we get the full day in Aruba and extra day at sea). When deciding between the full transit and partial transit, our deciding factor ended up being the difference in days at sea. Our cruise has 5 days at sea, not counting the canal day since we will be able to take an excursion that day. The full transit has 9 days at sea, including the canal day since you can't get off the ship that day, 4 of which were consecutive. For us, that was just a bit too much time at sea (my fiancee is hit or miss when it comes to sea-sickness and didn't want to chance that many days at sea, in a row, in the Pacific).