Review of Panama Canal Cruise–14 Nights on NCL Sun October 14–28, 2016 (with photos)

[SeahawkSiren]

Great review. We are looking at doing B2B Panama Cruise out of Miami in 10/2018. This was very helpful.

 

I am curious about the weather you experienced. Also what currency did you use in the ports.

Thank you!

Kate

 

Hi Kate. Glad you enjoyed the review.

 

We had hot and humid weather for a good portion of the trip with temperatures in the 80's and 90's and with over 90% humidity some of the time. And October is part of the rainy season but we did not have much rain during our cruise.

 

We did not exchange any currency and used American dollars in every port.

 

Have a great cruise! The Panama Canal is amazing!

[MaineYachtClub]

Really enjoyed the review--thank you.

DW and I are booked on the Sun for the Panama Canal cruise in Oct 2018 and I have a question. Your review looks like the transit was through the old locks, which is what I really want to do, but according to the Panamax dimensions, the locks will not accommodate a ship with a beam larger than 106 feet. The NCL site lists the Sun at 123.1. Please confirm to me that the cruise will be through the old locks.

Thanks.

[SeahawkSiren]

Really enjoyed the review--thank you.

DW and I are booked on the Sun for the Panama Canal cruise in Oct 2018 and I have a question. Your review looks like the transit was through the old locks, which is what I really want to do, but according to the Panamax dimensions, the locks will not accommodate a ship with a beam larger than 106 feet. The NCL site lists the Sun at 123.1. Please confirm to me that the cruise will be through the old locks.

Thanks.

 

Yes, we did go through the old locks and I'm presuming you will too. It is my understanding from listening to the person from the Panama Canal Authority who came onboard during our transit that most cruise ships will continue to use the old locks. The newer, larger ships that cannot fit into the old locks will of course use the new ones and there will be some exceptions of smaller ships going through the new locks but that is not going to be the norm.

 

And going through the old locks is more appealing visually IMO as you have the second parallel lane to watch other ships who may be going through at the same time you do. There is also very little clearance on either side of the ship (we had no more than 2 feet of clearance on either side of the ship - if a smaller ship is going through the new locks there would be a much greater gap of clearance on the sides). And I don't think the new locks have the mules either, I believe that feature is unique to the old locks. So there is definitely more to see going through the old locks. I have not been through the new locks yet. Someday. But for my very first transit I was glad to go through the old locks.

 

Make sure to watch the movie onboard the Sun in the theater a day or two before the transit. Gives really good history of the canal. Enjoy your cruise!

[MaineYachtClub]

Yes, we did go through the old locks and I'm presuming you will too. It is my understanding from listening to the person from the Panama Canal Authority who came onboard during our transit that most cruise ships will continue to use the old locks. The newer, larger ships that cannot fit into the old locks will of course use the new ones and there will be some exceptions of smaller ships going through the new locks but that is not going to be the norm.

 

And going through the old locks is more appealing visually IMO as you have the second parallel lane to watch other ships who may be going through at the same time you do. There is also very little clearance on either side of the ship (we had no more than 2 feet of clearance on either side of the ship - if a smaller ship is going through the new locks there would be a much greater gap of clearance on the sides). And I don't think the new locks have the mules either, I believe that feature is unique to the old locks. So there is definitely more to see going through the old locks. I have not been through the new locks yet. Someday. But for my very first transit I was glad to go through the old locks.

 

Make sure to watch the movie onboard the Sun in the theater a day or two before the transit. Gives really good history of the canal. Enjoy your cruise!

 

Thank you for the confirmation. My understanding is that the new locks are much more expensive for the transit. So, I expect that unless something unusual happens, the Sun will use the old locks, which is my preference.

[zazou]

Thank you so much for such a great review. I am doing the full Panama Canal in October and we will go to Costa Rica, Cabo, Antigua. Love your pictures! I copied all your info for further analysis.

[Multi-Cruiser]

Our excursion was the Old Cartagena Walking Tour which was roughly 3 hours long. We only had 6 hours in Cartagena so it was nice having an excursion that did not take up the entire time in port.

 

 

 

Castillo San Felipe de Barajas Fortress

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Good review, so far. Did you take a tour of the fort? We were there in 2014 and took a self-guided tour of the fort. What an interesting building. If anyone does the self-guided tour I recommend taking a flashlight. There are many tunnels and hallways to explore that have no light, either artificial or natural. It is good tour with a lot of walking and steep ramps. Thanks for your review.

 

 

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[Cuddlepuss]

Hi guys,

 

So glad I found your post. We were one of the regulars in the sports bar and I remember sitting with you guys. Not sure which couple you were though we sat with 2 couples in Seahawk jerseys. We were the couple from Vancouver, BC Brent & Brandy. Being our first cruise we didn't exchange info with anyone, I thought we could do last day. Silly me, lol. I sent you a friend request, we are scheduled for the next 5 day Pacific Coastal on The Bliss Sept 30, 2018. Would love to keep in touch with our Sports bar friends. Miss Chips Ahoy, lol hopefully he's on our next cruise.

 

(

Sunday, October 23. Another at sea day. This was a nice, relaxing day after a lot of walking and travelling with the Antigua excursion the day before.

 

Oh how I miss this aft balcony with lounger chairs. So relaxing just listening to the ocean, watching the waves and world go by

 

 

 

 

 

We need our football fix again! We really wanted to see the Seahawks game this week as it was the Sunday night nationally televised game on NBC against one of our division rivals, the Arizona Cardinals. So back up to Deck 11 to the Sports Bar we go sporting our Seahawks jerseys! Mission accomplished this week! Since that was the only game on in the evening we did get to see it in its entirety. There were a lot of people from the State of Washington on this cruise and a bunch of us (probably 20-25) took over a portion of the Sports Bar to watch the game, which ended up in a tie of all things! Ugh! But it was a lot of fun to watch the game at sea with our new friends. One of my favorite memories of this trip!

[SeahawkSiren]

Good review, so far. Did you take a tour of the fort? We were there in 2014 and took a self-guided tour of the fort. What an interesting building. If anyone does the self-guided tour I recommend taking a flashlight. There are many tunnels and hallways to explore that have no light, either artificial or natural. It is good tour with a lot of walking and steep ramps. Thanks for your review.

 

 

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No, we did not take a tour of the fort. I wish that would have been included with our excursion but we only had time to stop briefly and take photos from the outside. If I ever make it back to Cartagena I will definitely take the tour!

[SeahawkSiren]

Hi guys,

 

So glad I found your post. We were one of the regulars in the sports bar and I remember sitting with you guys. Not sure which couple you were though we sat with 2 couples in Seahawk jerseys. We were the couple from Vancouver, BC Brent & Brandy. Being our first cruise we didn't exchange info with anyone, I thought we could do last day. Silly me, lol. I sent you a friend request, we are scheduled for the next 5 day Pacific Coastal on The Bliss Sept 30, 2018. Would love to keep in touch with our Sports bar friends. Miss Chips Ahoy, lol hopefully he's on our next cruise.

 

 

Hi Brandy. Nice to hear from you. I do remember meeting you but I think it was the other couple (Bridgett and Gary) that you sat with the most in the sports bar, they were regulars there. But yes, we too had Seahawks jerseys on! Good memory. I will never forget that day in the sports bar watching the game with so many Seahawks fans. It is one of my favorite memories of the cruise.

 

Glad to hear you are going on the Bliss. We are going on the Bliss too, the inaugural Seattle to Alaska sailing on June 2, 2018. I think you and Brent need to book that one too! ;)

[Cuddlepuss]

Would love to join you but can only do the one in Sept, can't wait for your reviews though. What type of room are you in, we booked a balcony? Was great seeing all your pictures, we lost all of ours in a failed transfer. Just got in touch with Bridgett & Gary too. Sorry I believe I remember your name (Jill) but not your husbands? I hope I'm right. It was an excellent cruise and met so many great people. If you would like to stay in touch you can email me @ bstrach@telus.net. Once we have gone on the Bliss we plan to book an Alaska cruise, maybe we can get all together on that one.

 

Hi Brandy. Nice to hear from you. I do remember meeting you but I think it was the other couple (Bridgett and Gary) that you sat with the most in the sports bar, they were regulars there. But yes, we too had Seahawks jerseys on! Good memory. I will never forget that day in the sports bar watching the game with so many Seahawks fans. It is one of my favorite memories of the cruise.

 

Glad to hear you are going on the Bliss. We are going on the Bliss too, the inaugural Seattle to Alaska sailing on June 2, 2018. I think you and Brent need to book that one too! ;)

[ninefortythree]

Time to say goodbye to Cartagena!

 

 

NCL Pearl in Cartagena says goodbye to us!

 

 

 

 

Going to stop here for tonight!

 

Up next: The World's Greatest Shortcut!

 

 

Following. I love your pictures. I can't wait to read more.

[ninefortythree]

OP: so glad you had a great trip, and thank you for taking the time to do this review. In particular, I know it's quite time consuming to go through your photos, and select and post them. Much appreciated.

 

We'll be on our first Panama Canal cruise in a little over two months, on the NCL Jewel, same direction in which you traveled, so I'm reading along here with interest. I share your thoughts about the Canal and the engineering marvel that it is, and I'm so excited about our transit.

 

BTW -- I got a smile from your photo of the Panama Canal day balcony breakfast. I've read so much on here about NCL's Canal cruises, but this is the first anyone has mentioned that breakfast. I love huevos rancheros, so I hope the Jewel will be serving them as well. :)

 

Looking foward to the rest of your review.

 

I agree with you .

[SeahawkSiren]

Would love to join you but can only do the one in Sept, can't wait for your reviews though. What type of room are you in, we booked a balcony? Was great seeing all your pictures, we lost all of ours in a failed transfer. Just got in touch with Bridgett & Gary too. Sorry I believe I remember your name (Jill) but not your husbands? I hope I'm right. It was an excellent cruise and met so many great people. If you would like to stay in touch you can email me @ bstrach@telus.net. Once we have gone on the Bliss we plan to book an Alaska cruise, maybe we can get all together on that one.

 

Hi Brandy. Yes, my name is Jill (good memory!) and my husband is Tyler. We splurged a little extra and will be in an aft balcony cabin on the Bliss. We really wanted that aft cabin view for the beautiful Alaska scenery! Cannot wait for that cruise! And yes, I will certainly be doing another review with plenty of photos!

 

Following. I love your pictures. I can't wait to read more.

 

Welcome to Cruise Critic, ninefortythree! I see you just joined this month. You may have already discovered this by now, but my review is completed and this thread is currently 9 pages long. It appears you may have only read to the end of the first page.

 

It's hard to believe this Panama Canal cruise was a year ago!

[kpups]

OK - I'm sure I'm not alone in hoping you go on another cruise soon - your postings were/are wonderful! thank you so much. I am on the Seattle to Orlando cruise in April 2018 and will be re-reading this many times to help me figure out where I want to go and what I want to see. Not stalking you but definitely will look forward to more of your postings!

Kim in Vancouver, Canada :D:D:p:p

[SeahawkSiren]

Hi there Kim, my neighbor to the north in Vancouver! :) Thanks so much for the kind words. Glad you enjoyed the review. I have been on another cruise since this Panama Canal cruise. I went on a Mediterranean cruise earlier this year on the NCL Spirit. Here is a link to that review.

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2506769

 

Unfortunately my next cruise is not until June 2018. I will be going on the new NCL Bliss to Alaska. I am very excited about it! Have not been on a mega ship or a brand new ship before. And yes, I certainly plan to post another review after that cruise.

 

Enjoy your cruise! The Panama Canal is pretty amazing! And it was a total fluke that I even ended up getting to go to the Panama Canal as that was a replacement itinerary for a cancelled Mexican Riviera cruise. No way was I going to pass up the opportunity to experience the Panama Canal. Let me know if you have any other questions along the way while you are planning. I certainly find the planning is really part of the fun. I enjoy researching ports/excursions and figuring out what new and fun things I want to experience.

[herdingdogmom]

SeaHawkSiren, thanks so much for your terrific review and photos. We were on the Sun from San Francisco to Miami two weeks ago and had a wonderful time.

 

We booked the cruise last Thanksgiving after reading your review. I enjoyed reading your review again today. We had 3 different ports than you did but the rest of the voyage was the same. We loved the complimentary Panamanian style breakfast while going through the locks. We still need to watch the DVD and sort through all the pictures.

 

Thanks again for taking the time to do your review.

[riclop]

This is so old.

[SeahawkSiren]

SeaHawkSiren, thanks so much for your terrific review and photos. We were on the Sun from San Francisco to Miami two weeks ago and had a wonderful time.

 

We booked the cruise last Thanksgiving after reading your review. I enjoyed reading your review again today. We had 3 different ports than you did but the rest of the voyage was the same. We loved the complimentary Panamanian style breakfast while going through the locks. We still need to watch the DVD and sort through all the pictures.

 

Thanks again for taking the time to do your review.

 

Glad you enjoyed the review. And thank you for the nice comments. Good to hear the Sun is still doing that complimentary Panamanian style breakfast going through the locks. I thought that was a really nice touch. I got a chuckle about your DVD comment because it made me realize that I have not yet watched our DVD either and our cruise was over a year ago! :eek: I need to locate that DVD and actually watch it!

[iKarenE]

Thanks for the great review. Can I ask what you did about spending cash at each port? Did you do a currency exchange at each port. I know we can use a credit card but to buy small purchases what did you do?

[SeahawkSiren]

Hi Karen - we did not exchange currency, used American dollars in every port and/or credit cards. I would recommend making sure you have some smaller bills on hand in ports (less than a $20) for tips, small souvenirs, cab rides, etc.

 

I have a beautiful, hand painted plate in my office at work from Antigua, Guatemala that I purchased from a street vendor and paid cash for it. Just an example that not all scenarios or souvenirs purchased in other countries are conducive (nor should they be) to swiping credit cards, etc. I also remember I did not have cash on me in Cartagena, Colombia to purchase something I really wanted from a street vendor and didn't even have time to go get cash as it was in passing during an excursion. Lessons learned. Have some cash with you.

 

Enjoy your cruise and the ports.

Edited November 6, 2017 by SeahawkSiren

[eltigre]

I really enjoyed your review. Came across it when looking for the dailies for a 14 day Panama from Miami to LA. Got great info on the accessibility that I was needing to get as well. I will put the question here as also...Does anyone have the dailies for the 14 day east to west cruise? We are on the Star & heard the Great Outdoors is gone but otherwise pretty much the same ship & itinerary. Thanks so much.

[herdingdogmom]

I really enjoyed your review. Came across it when looking for the dailies for a 14 day Panama from Miami to LA. Got great info on the accessibility that I was needing to get as well. I will put the question here as also...Does anyone have the dailies for the 14 day east to west cruise? We are on the Star & heard the Great Outdoors is gone but otherwise pretty much the same ship & itinerary. Thanks so much.

 

 

 

Try asking on the Oct 20 Sun roll call for the dailies. They were a pretty active group. The Great Outdoors was my favorite spot to view the canal locks.

 

 

The Sun also has a forward observation lounge with an outside deck. The Star does not have a forward observation lounge but does open the crew area on the bow.

 

 

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Edited November 6, 2017 by herdingdogmom