Honeymoon Cruises - Panama Canal Princess vs. Hawaii Norwegian

[TravlnStyle3]

Hi all,

 

I am in charge of planning our honeymoon for anytime between the middle of September 2013 and January 2014.

 

Background: I'm 26 and a seasoned traveler (first vacation was at the tender age of 3 months!) and there aren't many places I haven't been before. My fiance is 35 and has only been to a few other countries and islands outside of the US (Mexico, a few Caribbean islands, Jamaica with me, Central America with me, and Italy with me). We both LOVE cruises...we went on one together last year...a Carnival (ugh) cruise to Central America (Roatan Bay in Honduras, Belize, Cayman Islands, Cancun) and although we weren't happy with the cruise line itself, we had a great time.

 

We decided the most economical way to travel for our honeymoon would be to cruise again. I looked into quite a few options and i've narrowed it down to 7-night Hawaii on Norwegian (i've never sailed on this line before) and the 10-night Panama Canal partial transit on Princess (i have sailed on princess numerous times and loved all of them). We'd like to do spend 3 nights pre- or post-cruise in Disney World at Universal Studios if possible.

 

I've been to Hawaii before and know that there are a lot of things i haven't seen, as well as many things i'd like to see again and show my fiancé who hasn't been there before. Diamond Head, Haleakala Crater, black sand beaches, Pearl Harbor, etc. I know we'd have a great time with all the awesome excursions, but here are my questions: How is norwegian cruise line in terms of experience, food, excursions, etc.? Is it more worth it to do resort stays on a few islands than to have only one day at each island by cruising? Is the flight to and from Hawaii from Florida going to break the bank? (we live in New York and the flight to Orlando is very cheap but i wonder how much it will be from FL to HI).

 

The Panama Canal cruise goes to a ton of cool places: Aruba, Cartegna Columbia, Colon Panama, Limon Costa Rica, Ocho Rios Jamaica (we've only been to Jamaica out of all of them). It is convenient because it leaves from Ft. Lauderdale which is only a short drive from Orlando. I am really interested in seeing the mud volcanos in Columbia and the sloth sanctuary in Costa Rica. My biggest issue is that a travel agent my mom has used for years told us that the Panama Canal cruises are very popular with the older crowd (no offense intended). It doesn't bother me at all but it WOULD be nice if there were was a younger crowd that we could make friends with and spend some time with. When we went on our last cruise we met 2 great young couples and spent the entire vacation with them.

 

SO, all you experienced travelers/cruisers who have insight on what i've mentioned above... what are your suggestions??! Thanks in advance!

[Working 2 Cruise]

First, congratulations on your wedding!

 

From everything I have read, I would not pick Norwegian... I would pick the Panama Canal hands down. If you had the time and wanted a little bit of Hawaii, Princess does a fantastic job of their cruises to Hawaii, but, of course, this leaves out of Los Angeles.

 

The Panama Canal cruise is absolutely on my have to do list.

 

Have a wonderful honeymoon!

[O2Bcrusin]

I would stick with Princess and do the Panama. We did a full transit Panama and it was by far one of my favorite cruises. Not a fan of NCL. If you didn't like Carnival you probably won't like NCL. I would take Carnival over NCL anytime.

[melody hounddog]

I would stick with Princess. The Panama Canal trip is on my list of cruises. I would go there in a heartbeat. I sailed Carnival once and will never do it again.

 

Our next trip is on Princess to Hawaii. 15 days leaving from LA. I look forward to all those relaxing sea days.

[TravlnStyle3]

Are these responses coming from past NCL cruisers who have a preference or is it because we're all loyal to Princess and on the Princess board? :) Just curious!

[Working 2 Cruise]

Also, try to book a balcony (if you do Princess)... You can do an Ultimate Balcony Dinner with your new husband.... You will be served an incredible meal on your balcony, with flowers and a photograph... Wonderful at any time, but especially on a honeymoon. There is a charge however, $100 per couple, which is well worth it.

[Northender]

Hi all,

 

I am in charge of planning our honeymoon for anytime between the middle of September 2013 and January 2014.

 

Background: I'm 26 and a seasoned traveler (first vacation was at the tender age of 3 months!) and there aren't many places I haven't been before. My fiance is 35 and has only been to a few other countries and islands outside of the US (Mexico, a few Caribbean islands, Jamaica with me, Central America with me, and Italy with me). We both LOVE cruises...we went on one together last year...a Carnival (ugh) cruise to Central America (Roatan Bay in Honduras, Belize, Cayman Islands, Cancun) and although we weren't happy with the cruise line itself, we had a great time.

 

We decided the most economical way to travel for our honeymoon would be to cruise again. I looked into quite a few options and i've narrowed it down to 7-night Hawaii on Norwegian (i've never sailed on this line before) and the 10-night Panama Canal partial transit on Princess (i have sailed on princess numerous times and loved all of them). We'd like to do spend 3 nights pre- or post-cruise in Disney World at Universal Studios if possible.

 

I've been to Hawaii before and know that there are a lot of things i haven't seen, as well as many things i'd like to see again and show my fiancé who hasn't been there before. Diamond Head, Haleakala Crater, black sand beaches, Pearl Harbor, etc. I know we'd have a great time with all the awesome excursions, but here are my questions: How is norwegian cruise line in terms of experience, food, excursions, etc.? Is it more worth it to do resort stays on a few islands than to have only one day at each island by cruising? Is the flight to and from Hawaii from Florida going to break the bank? (we live in New York and the flight to Orlando is very cheap but i wonder how much it will be from FL to HI).

 

The Panama Canal cruise goes to a ton of cool places: Aruba, Cartegna Columbia, Colon Panama, Limon Costa Rica, Ocho Rios Jamaica (we've only been to Jamaica out of all of them). It is convenient because it leaves from Ft. Lauderdale which is only a short drive from Orlando. I am really interested in seeing the mud volcanos in Columbia and the sloth sanctuary in Costa Rica. My biggest issue is that a travel agent my mom has used for years told us that the Panama Canal cruises are very popular with the older crowd (no offense intended). It doesn't bother me at all but it WOULD be nice if there were was a younger crowd that we could make friends with and spend some time with. When we went on our last cruise we met 2 great young couples and spent the entire vacation with them.

 

SO, all you experienced travelers/cruisers who have insight on what i've mentioned above... what are your suggestions??! Thanks in advance!

 

Chances are that you will meet at least 2 more young couples on Princess doing the Panama Canal.:cool:

To me, that is quite a bit of travelling for a 7 night cruise.;)

[TravlnStyle3]

Also, try to book a balcony (if you do Princess)... You can do an Ultimate Balcony Dinner with your new husband.... You will be served an incredible meal on your balcony, with flowers and a photograph... Wonderful at any time, but especially on a honeymoon. There is a charge however, $100 per couple, which is well worth it.

 

That sounds awesome! Thanks for the congratulations by the way. I think i saw your thread on the Panama Canal cruise... can you tell me if there were younger couples aboard when you went? My travel agent said it skews older and i don't have a problem with that but it would be nice to have some younger couples to do activities with.

[Waterloomarc]

Don't know if its an issue for you but does NCL have a casino on the Pride since it never leaves us waters? If you don't gamble it's a moot point but I thought I'd mention it.

 

Fwiw I'd do the Canal. Firstly when is a longer honeymoon not better? Secondly no jet lag. Third who cares about the demographics on your honeymoon cruise!? For obvious reasons you probably won't be socializing as much as normal anyway ;)

 

Sorry to stick my nose in a princess thread when I haven't done one... But it showed up on my phone and piqued my interest. But fwiw we enjoyed NCL much (much) more than Carnival.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[tikipeople]

Congratulations on your upcoming wedding! How exciting!!

 

My husband and I have done both of these cruises. We did the 10 day Panama Canal (Coral Princess) for our 10th anniversary and loved it so much we did the 14 day full transit two years later. We just came back from Hawaii two weeks ago after celebrating our 15th anniversary on NCL's Pride of America.

 

Here's our honest opinion: Both cruises were stellar for different reasons. While the cruise experience on the Coral was, hands down, far superior to the POA, we enjoyed the Hawaii cruise more. Being our first trip together to Hawaii, it was awesome to have two days on each island to explore and explore we did. Helicopter tour over the volcano, doors off helicopter over the Na Pali coast in Kauai, hiking to waterfalls in Kona, etc. The itinerary and beauty was unmatched for us so far. With that said, the cruising experience is very different. We were warned many times by various people about the ship being older, the casual atmosphere, the quality of food but honestly, we were very seldom on the ship. We thought of it more as a travelling hotel than the usual "cruise" experience and we had a blast. (Just for clarification though, we are Princess people through and through, but NCL has a lock on this particular itinerary and we wouldn't choose to sail NCL in other destinations.)

 

We live in Florida and we broke up the trip by stopping over in LA and in SFO for a few days. Round trip air is not going to be inexpensive from here. The cost of your airfare would probably come close to paying for a big portion of your Panama Canal cruise. We had great excursions on the PC cruise also (ziplining in Costa Rica, boating in the Rosario Islands in Columbia) and of course, the ship/food/staff is awesome, so I don't think you would be sorry for that choice either.

 

As far as demographics that we encountered, the PC cruise skewed a bit older but the Hawaii cruise was also a mostly older clientel. However, there was a mix of passengers (unlike our 14 day transit, we were by far the youngest folks on that cruise and we are in our early 40's).

 

With all that rambling aside, even though the Hawaii trip was the winner for us, I don't think you can go wrong with either one! If we can be of further help, just ask.

[Astro Flyer]

My 1st cruise was in '86 on NCL but haven't sailed them since then & primarily on Princess. So I'm in the "older crowd" category but like many others on Princess very active. I recently sailed RCCL for a family cruise & it was a younger party crowd than on Princess. Based on what I read NCL also has a younger crowd so NCL may better provide you with that experience & more days in Hawaii with fewer days at sea like the Princess 14 day roundtrip LA cruise we enjoy so much. I participate in the Hawaii board and it's full of people who have enjoyed their NCL POA cruise in the Islands. When NCL originally started cruising within the Hawaiian Islands there were many problems however I haven't read of any lately.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=62

 

I've sailed the full transit of the Panama Canal twice and doing the partial cruise that you're considering it only goes up one set of locks into a lake & you'd miss other parts of the Canal. Since you want to experience those ports you mentioned & having already been to Hawaii then the Canal may be for you.

 

I enjoyed the Hawaiian ports better than on our Canal cruises. On a cruise you get a quick taste of each island & possibly return for more time on your favorite island. Our 1st trip to Hawaii was 2 weeks for our 10th anniversary island hopping to discover our favorite one which was Maui where we've returned often.

 

You have a lot of great ideas for a honeymoon & sure that any one will be absolutely wonderful. :D

[waltd]

Kind of sounds like you have already made up your mind with the Panama Canal. You know you like Princess. If you were not crazy about Carnaval you might not like NCL even though the islands are great. I would fly to Hawaii, rent a car and do Hawaii your way. It's easy to get around. If you love cruising do the Panama Canal.

[TravlnStyle3]

You all bring up really good points and are very helpful.

 

Yes, i am definitely siding more toward the Panama Canal cruise for many of the reasons you all mentioned. Longer, more convenient for the Disney pre or post-tour, a good mix of beachy relaxation, adventure, and history.

 

I think we've made up our minds on it but i'd like to hear more as this thread gets older...particularly from people who've been on both cruises. Tikipeople, your review was an incredible help because comparing these exact two cruises is really what i'm trying to do.

 

Additionally, since you all know this is for my honeymoon, i welcome any OTHER suggestions you might throw out... in terms of other cruises or just other destinations.

 

Our original intent was Tahiti and we seriously considered the Princess cruise from Tahiti to Hawaii in January 2014. My only qualm was the 5 days of sailing in between. I'm the kind of person who likes a day on, a day off so that i can re-energize for the next day of activities. It's a long cruise with one VERY long flight to Tahiti, and i also question how much we'd really enjoy the Tahiti excursions when most of it is beach and snorkel and such that we can see pretty much anywhere. But maybe i'm wrong. Any insight?

[xltiny]

Chances are that you will meet at least 2 more young couples on Princess doing the Panama Canal.:cool:

To me, that is quite a bit of travelling for a 7 night cruise.;)

 

I think the Panama cruise for 10 nights is a great idea, lots of interesting things to see. Just be warned in our experience my wife and I in our early 30's took a 14 night Panama cruise in early 2012 and loved it however there was a huge age gap as the majority of the passengers were 60 and over and there were only a few people under the age of 45.

 

Other than people travelling with what appeared to be grand kids there were almost no younger folks on that particular cruise.(Contrary to all our other 7-12 day cruises) and the night-time venues were empty and the ship was "dead" by around 10pm. Talking to some folks onboard some of them said it was quite common for the demographics of the cruise to be older the longer it is as other folk have trouble getting those multiple weeks of time off.(This is not to say that older people are not fun but if you are looking specifically for younger folks you may be disappointed with the longer itinerary.)

[TravlnStyle3]

I think the Panama cruise for 10 nights is a great idea, lots of interesting things to see. Just be warned in our experience my wife and I in our early 30's took a 14 night Panama cruise in early 2012 and loved it however there was a huge age gap as the majority of the passengers were 60 and over and there were only a few people under the age of 45.

 

Other than people travelling with what appeared to be grand kids there were almost no younger folks on that particular cruise.(Contrary to all our other 7-12 day cruises) and the night-time venues were empty and the ship was "dead" by around 10pm. Talking to some folks onboard some of them said it was quite common for the demographics of the cruise to be older the longer it is as other folk have trouble getting those multiple weeks of time off.(This is not to say that older people are not fun but if you are looking specifically for younger folks you may be disappointed with the longer itinerary.)

 

I heard this was the case from the travel agent and it does make sense, however i think everyone refers to the 14 night cruise, as opposed to the 10 night cruise we're looking into. From what i can tell the longer cruises skew older. There's also the consideration of time of year. We'd be going in October, November or January, although i'm not sure what time of year would yield a younger demo.

[tikipeople]

I heard this was the case from the travel agent and it does make sense, however i think everyone refers to the 14 night cruise, as opposed to the 10 night cruise we're looking into. From what i can tell the longer cruises skew older. There's also the consideration of time of year. We'd be going in October, November or January, although i'm not sure what time of year would yield a younger demo.

 

The 10 night cruise was definately a younger mix than our 14 night full transit. By a long shot. :)

[Starlaker]

We have done both and loved them both. We had been warned off NCL here on the Princess boards, but we found the crew to be young, fun, and extremely friendly. We went with the NCL cruise to Hawaii because we didn't want to spend all the days at sea from LA. We rented a car on each Island and snorkeled at some great spots. The night cruise by of the active volcano and the cruise along the Napali Coast were spectacular. This was our only cruise with NCL, but I think that the Pride of America is unique to NCL because it is a US based ship and has all US crew.

 

We also thoroughly enjoyed the Panama Canal cruise. We did the full transit and would recommend that for the full canal experience. That cruise was much more laid back than the Hawaii cruise. Also an older crowd, but we cruise more for the destination, not necessarily the shipboard experience.

 

Hawaii is the more romantic option.

[bubba98]

I am 34 and my wife is 29 and we did the 10 day transit on the Island back in November. We went on a family trip with my parents and my youger brother and his girlfriend we had a great time. There were about 25 other younger couples onboard as well. It was a little bit older but not like walker and wheel chair old. I thought it was a good mix the islands were great except colon but you are only there for a few hours. I would do this sailing again in a heart beat. The island was a great ship nice size and easy to get around. We have sailed Carnival, Celebrity, Rc and princess now several times and Princess is our favorite. Hope this helps

[tikipeople]

[quote=Starlaker;

Hawaii is the more romantic option.

 

We completely agree. :D

[TravlnStyle3]

You know, i hope no one is taking my "older demographic" thing personally, and maybe it's better that i explain what i'm talking about.

 

A few years ago i went on a Princess cruise to Northern Europe... Finland, Russia, Denmark...a SPECTACULAR trip by the way, i highly recommend. BUT it was the last leg of a world cruise and i will tell you that i was the youngest person on the boat by at least 20 years. As a result, my boyfriend and I (23 at the time) would go to the disco around 9:30, 10:00pm and there wouldn't be a single soul there. The ENTIRE cruise was like that. I enjoyed talking to a number of my fellow passengers but the nightlife was so nonexistent it left me wanting.

 

My fiance and I are the party type... we like to dance and have fun til the wee hours of the night (at least on the nights before a sea day). The importance is not on the age, but rather on the inclination to party! (and i know many of you, regardless of age, like to party too!)

[partybarbie]

I started cruising in my early 20's and I'm now in my early 50's. I have done 2 Tahiti/Hawaii cruises, 3 Hawaii only cruises and 3 Panama Canal cruises (2 full-transit and 1 partial transit). I only cruise on Princess now, so NCL would be out of the question for us. I have never cruised with them, but based on the reviews of various friends and family members, I don't think I would like NCL.

 

As far as the demographics go, the average ages on my canal cruises have been about 75, but don't let that stop you from going. The canal transit is amazing. From experience, I will tell you that you will meet people your own age. On the first sea day go to the pool and look for them. They'll be easy to find because they will stand out from all of the older people on the ship (no offense, but it's true). Introduce yourselves and ask if they would be interested in meeting up in the disco later for a drink or dancing. Do this at least 20 times! Even if only half the passengers you meet respond, you will have a party, every night, in the disco! This has worked for us on every cruise. Be the party-starter.:D

 

Save Hawaii for another time when you can island-hop or spend more time there. If I lived on the East coast, I would go to the Caribbean. The water is warmer and you won't have that horrible plane flight either. Have you looked at the 10-day Caribbean cruises on Princess? That would be my choice for a honeymoon, if you just want beaches. But it sounded like you are interested in history too, so I would pick the Canal cruise.

[TravlnStyle3]

We have done both and loved them both. We had been warned off NCL here on the Princess boards, but we found the crew to be young, fun, and extremely friendly. We went with the NCL cruise to Hawaii because we didn't want to spend all the days at sea from LA. We rented a car on each Island and snorkeled at some great spots. The night cruise by of the active volcano and the cruise along the Napali Coast were spectacular. This was our only cruise with NCL, but I think that the Pride of America is unique to NCL because it is a US based ship and has all US crew.

 

We also thoroughly enjoyed the Panama Canal cruise. We did the full transit and would recommend that for the full canal experience. That cruise was much more laid back than the Hawaii cruise. Also an older crowd, but we cruise more for the destination, not necessarily the shipboard experience.

 

Hawaii is the more romantic option.

 

Cruising any longer than 10, 11 days is not an option for us because i only get a certain amount of days off and have to keep time for air travel in mind. We also have 2 dogs at home and i'm a sad mommy when i'm away from them TOO long. HAHA.

 

I'm interested to know why you think hawaii is the more romantic option because, to me, a cruise is a cruise...the onboard experience is pretty similar regardless of the destination...is it because of the choice of excursions? Obviously hawaii seems more "honeymoon" than the panama canal but in my opinion, everything is what you make it and we fully intend to make this a romantic vacation wherever we go.

 

Sidenote: Both my fiance and I have travelled to other states and countries for mission work. Not together, yet, but i believe even that type of "vacation" can be romantic if you want it to be. We considered honeymooning in Ecuador where we'd be assisting at a big cat sanctuary. Now THAT is a dream vacation for a serious animal lover like me :) Definitely someday...

[partybarbie]

You know, i hope no one is taking my "older demographic" thing personally, and maybe it's better that i explain what i'm talking about.

 

A few years ago i went on a Princess cruise to Northern Europe... Finland, Russia, Denmark...a SPECTACULAR trip by the way, i highly recommend. BUT it was the last leg of a world cruise and i will tell you that i was the youngest person on the boat by at least 20 years. As a result, my boyfriend and I (23 at the time) would go to the disco around 9:30, 10:00pm and there wouldn't be a single soul there. The ENTIRE cruise was like that. I enjoyed talking to a number of my fellow passengers but the nightlife was so nonexistent it left me wanting.

 

My fiance and I are the party type... we like to dance and have fun til the wee hours of the night (at least on the nights before a sea day). The importance is not on the age, but rather on the inclination to party! (and i know many of you, regardless of age, like to party too!)

 

This is too funny. I must have been reading your mind.:D

[TravlnStyle3]

I started cruising in my early 20's and I'm now in my early 50's. I have done 2 Tahiti/Hawaii cruises, 3 Hawaii only cruises and 3 Panama Canal cruises (2 full-transit and 1 partial transit). I only cruise on Princess now, so NCL would be out of the question for us. I have never cruised with them, but based on the reviews of various friends and family members, I don't think I would like NCL.

 

As far as the demographics go, the average ages on my canal cruises have been about 75, but don't let that stop you from going. The canal transit is amazing. From experience, I will tell you that you will meet people your own age. On the first sea day go to the pool and look for them. They'll be easy to find because they will stand out from all of the older people on the ship (no offense, but it's true). Introduce yourselves and ask if they would be interested in meeting up in the disco later for a drink or dancing. Do this at least 20 times! Even if only half the passengers you meet respond, you will have a party, every night, in the disco! This has worked for us on every cruise. Be the party-starter.:D

 

Save Hawaii for another time when you can island-hop or spend more time there. If I lived on the East coast, I would go to the Caribbean. The water is warmer and you won't have that horrible plane flight either. Have you looked at the 10-day Caribbean cruises on Princess? That would be my choice for a honeymoon, if you just want beaches. But it sounded like you are interested in history too, so I would pick the Canal cruise.

 

Great insight! I like your style...being the party starter is always the way to go.

 

We've gone on a Southern caribbean cruise together, and i've been on a western caribbean cruise with family. I've pretty much been to EVERY caribbean island with the exception of Aruba, St. Martin and St. Kitts. While i always enjoy the caribbean, i'm looking for something memorable and different. I'm sure all of the seasoned travelers can relate that it's almost difficult to choose where to go as you get older because you've already experienced so much that your biggest decision factor is that it's unique.

[partybarbie]

I wanted to add that my last Panama Canal cruise, on the Regal Princess, was a honeymoon cruise for my second marriage. DH and I are still together and doing a cruise to Hawaii for our 7-year-anniversary. The Canal was lucky and special for us, so maybe it would be for you too.:)