Wonder and Panama Canal

[swatts1]

4 adults are considering a 14 day Panama Canal repo East to West or West to East. The water slides and pools are not that interesting to us. The prices are quite good and we are all Disney lovers. I've seen some less than wonderful comments about the Wonder. There aren't many port calls on these cruises. Is 14 days on Wonder too long? We haven't done a Disney Cruise, but are sailing on Magic next month. I called DCL and they said that if we wait until we are on our Magic cruise to book we will save 10% and get a Cabin dollars based on the length of the cruise. Any comments???

[okstate_angel]

We did a 7 day in 2013 on the Wonder and could have easily gone 7 more. I literally cried the last day not wanting to get off and we didn't even do half the activities or go to any movies... 14 days would be awesome!!! (JMO)

[Shmoo here]

4 adults are considering a 14 day Panama Canal repo East to West or West to East. The water slides and pools are not that interesting to us. The prices are quite good and we are all Disney lovers. I've seen some less than wonderful comments about the Wonder. There aren't many port calls on these cruises. Is 14 days on Wonder too long? We haven't done a Disney Cruise, but are sailing on Magic next month. I called DCL and they said that if we wait until we are on our Magic cruise to book we will save 10% and get a Cabin dollars based on the length of the cruise. Any comments???

 

We were on the Wonder last October, I'm not sure what the "less than wonderful comments" were, but we've taken 4 cruises on her and she's a fine ship.

 

Be aware that onboard booking, while a good option, may not be the best deal.

 

I'd suggest that you go ahead and book your room now, and "reshop" the reservation onboard. If the prices haven't raised enough between now and then, then the onboard booking will save you money. The discount is taken on the prevailing price at the time you book the cruise. If it's a better deal, you can cancel the current reservation and book it onboard.

 

If the prices have risen so much as to negate the savings, then you've gotten the better deal booking now, since prices tend to rise as a cruise gets closer (sometimes quite dramatically).

[STHCruising]

We did the eastbound Panama Canal cruise last Fall in October from San Diego to Galveston. We had a great time and the ship was in good shape. We are taking another cruise on her in a few weeks (Southern Caribbean). The onboard experience was lots of fun, we enjoyed our dining both in the MDR and at Palo's. The Cruise Staff that managed adult entertainment (Anthony) was simply amazing and we made some great friends playing trivia, etc. There was plenty to do and we never got bored. The ports of call can be a bit ho-hum, especially if you have previously done a Mexican Riviera Cruise. We were happy to see Cartagena, but don't need to see it again. But, the day going through the Panama Canal is very interesting and we are very glad to have made the transit through the canal. It truly is an engineering marvel. Hopefully, Captain Ken Puckett (a retired Panama Canal Pilot) will do his lecturer series, which was both educational and fun.

Edited January 18, 2016 by STHCruising

[moki'smommy]

While I've read some negative reports on the Wonder, I think these issues have been resolved or were blown out of proportion to begin with. She is in fine shape.

 

And a Panama crossing is a great cruise! Enjoy.

[xCDOGx]

My family did the East to West (Miami -> San Diego) Panama Canal Cruise in 2016. And we had a great time. There weren't many stops (and we even had one canceled in Puerto Vallarta), but I felt like it was a fun cruise. The ship was fine and none of us had any complaints at all.

[LocustPoint]

I was on the West Bound Panama Canal cruise as well and had no complaints about the Wonder. I'm looking forward to my time on her in a few weeks.

[Granana]

We were on the Wonder for last year's westbound Panama Canal crossing. We are booked again this year for the identical sailing!

[gkbiiii]

I sailed the Wonder Panama Canal cruise a few years back and was not impressed by the total lack of time in ports and having no stops in Panama!

 

I really should have booked Holland or Princess and will in the future.

[chictravel227]

We too were on the EBPC on the Wonder this last October. It was a blast! There is plenty to do, between tastings, sleeping, walking, delivering FE's, and the many many many activities that are on-board, unless you don't like anything, you won't be bored. Download some books on your kindle and have a blast catching up on reading. Some activities were cooking demos, napkin folding, dance lessons, I am probably forgetting a ton! The ship is older, but is kept up nicely. I did notice that the hallway floors were starting to buckle more, but other than that, it is still a nice ship.

[chirurgeon]

The PC Repo is my dream cruise. I booked it for all the sea days. And I will be on the cruise in 77 days. Which reminds me, I need to get started on my FE gifts.