Coral Princess-Panama Canal

[Iceberg2]

Bienvenue Iceberg2,

 

We are on the Island Princess Panama Canal crossing Jan. 5/08. I didn't realize that Princess has two ships going through at the same time. Is it necessary to leave the ship while traversing the canal or are we missing an opportunity to see sites that shouldn't be missed? We are travelling west to east. Have you looked into any excursions in other ports? If anyone has any ideas about what to see and do in Huatulco, Guatemala, Nicaragua or Costa Rica, I would love to hear about them!!

 

Thanks,

 

We are going to Aruba, Cartagena, Panama Canal at Gatun Lake, Cristobal Panama, Limon Costa Rica and Montego Bay Jamaica. Have not thought about tours yet, I have read that Mario seems to be very popular as a tour guide. Its too early to be deciding about tours - I need to do a lot of reading and see what's out there, prices and who gives the best tours. We are just do excited about going, I love looking a photos e.g.AlainBob who already did the cruise. Should be fun, Rhona

[Celest1022]

Fabulous, fabulous, fabulous cruise. My favorite so far. We had a full suite on Dolphin deck mid ship and had a great view. Also walked to the back of the ship onto an open deck for a view of the locks closing behind you. We also did the excursion through the canal on the smaller boat. You get a whole different perspective when you are in a small boat. We were the only boat in each of the locks so it was pretty awesome. It is a very long day and a bit expensive, but well worth the money in my opinion. I also read the book mentioned in the other posts. I could have led the tour myself after reading that! It is very in depth and very interesting if you are a history buff. Have a great time. Wish I was going again.

 

RosieRoo,,,,,,Please tell me about your suite. We booked a full suite mid ship for the Oct sailing. Is the balcony large and what kind of furniture do they have on it. Did you utilize the in room dining? Would love to hear all about it and if you have pictures would love to see them,,thank you in advance Susan

[RosieRoo]

Celest1022,

 

Yes, the balcony is large, about twice the length of a regular balcony. I believe it had the teak furniture with cushions. I know that we enjoyed having breakfast on the balcony in the morning because when you book a suite you can order a full breakfast delivered to your room not just continental. The suite perks will spoil you, the canapes every evening, the chocolate covered strawberries, etc. The room is also very nice. Plenty of open space and the size of the bathroom is really obscene. Separate whirlpool tub and shower, separate room for the toilet and a separate area for the sink. I believe there was also a large walk-in closet. I will have to search for pictures, but I know you can also look at the suites on princess.com. If you have any other questions I will try to answer. You are going to love it!!!!:)

[jerseymax]

Just returned from Coral April 28 - Panama Canal cruise. Loved it! Our cabin was A333 Aloha deck 12 starboard side midship. Pros included fully covered balcony compared to Caribe (10) and Baja (11) whose balconies were below us in full view - limited privacy and shade for those folks. Fireworks in Cristobal were on starboard side so we were lucky to watch from balcony. Cons included noise from Lido pool area on party night. Basically you might not stay in your cabin while going through the canal - we did not. Viewed from above deck 15 splash pool at the front of the ship when we entered the canal and promenade deck 7 on return trip. I enjoyed deck 7 much more. You were actually level with the canal workers and could talk to them. Both port and starboard have something to offer and ship could enter either side on any given day. Another Princess ship entered behind us on the opposite side of the canal.

 

The Panama Canal Experience by Boat (PC1-T) - we did not hear overly positive comments from our table mates. Long trip including 3 hours of bus rides along rough roads. Regardless, I personally found the return through the canal more interesting do not regret staying on the boat.

 

Overall a great itinerary and nice ship. Further questions, just ask.

[safety]

Sorry For The Delay In Response---please Visit Princess Website---look Under Excursions-in Panama--there Is A Description Of The Small Boat Trip--