Panama Canal Questions

[skyview851]

We are seriously looking at Canal cruise for '06. I need all the advice you can give me. What is the best time of year to go? Should we do FL to Ca, Ca to Fl, or the Galveston roundtrip? I've never cruised the Pacific, but I am very prone to seesickness, and I'm wondering what the cruise up the coast would be like. I do fine in the Carribean, but I did get sick as a dog on a NY to Bermuda cruise. Is a veranda a "must have" for the canal? Thanks in advance for any help you can give!

[DON2]

Did the San Juan to LA canal 1996. Month of April. Had very smooth trip up to and thru the canal. Pacific was like glass all the way to LA. Hope this helps relieve your thoughts of rough seas. Maybe we were just lucky but we certainly enjoyed the trip. Was on the NCL Norwegian Windward at the time and that ship has been stretched and renamed "Norwegian Wind". Happy sailing. A veranda is not necessary going thru the canal. We had an outside room and just went up to the forward observation lounge and had a front row seat going thru the canal. Another tip. For a different view, try going to the back of the ship. You get a good site of where you have been and watch the gates opening and closing. I like to roam along the sides of the ship on the open decks to see the sides of the canal and the closeness of the ship and how they guide the ship thru the canal. Most interesting. Also all the ships have a canal guide that boards at the start of the canal trip and gives a running commentary over the PA system while you transit the canal. Our trip was a repositioning the ship from caribbean to Alaska for the summer months.

[Irishwhiskey]

We went last April on the Infinity from Fort Lauderdale Forida too San Diego.The weather was perfect 85/90 for the 14days.Very mild seas all the way.I would agree wth don2 about seeing the canal from the aft part of the ship.We had a front row seat with a table and breakfast,while everyone else was in the front crambed to the max at 6 AM.People had stayed up all night just to get a good vantage point.If seasickness is a concern get a room down low as close to the center of the ship as possible.We usually get a cabin in the same location with a window.Happy Sailing

[mr green]

:) I would advise Jan/Apl, the 'dry season'. As you are prone to sea sickness,try to go from the Pacific Ocean,take a cabin amidships, not too high up, this way you should have the least motion. And don't worry, just have fun.:) john taylor

[willy paul]

We sailed on 10/17 from San Diego on the infinity. The weather the entire trip was very good. Sunny, warm and not extremely humid. The ports of Acapulco and Cabo were tourist traps but interesting. Huatulco was a beautiful day at the beach, not much to do in the area on your own but the beach was great, right near the ship or you could go to one of the coves. It was very humid in Costa Rica, we went on the skywalk tour. It was interesting and you dd a lot of walking but it was gradual up and down. the mud from previous rain was the only problem.

 

the Canal was amazing. We had a balcony on Deck 9 forward and saw everything. It was very hot and humid early but weather cooled down a little during the day. The cabin gave us the advantge of going into the cabin to cool off when needed and we left the balcoy door open with the TV going to hear th narration going thru the Canal. I would do itagin.

[raudacruise]

Definitely aft end viewing going through the locks. We were on Mercury and Summit was on the other side of the locks. The aft was not very crowded and we could see those massive doors and the "mules" up close. Plus we one the race vs. the Summit ;).

 

As for the rest of the trip through the canal, a balcony is best. Topside was a free for all, three deep at times.

[CelebrityMan]

Skyview,

 

We love the Canal sailings on Celebrity, in fact they are our favorite cruise: good itinerary, nice variety, often spectacular scenery (i.e., the Canal transit and sailing the west coast of C. Am.). We are going again, May 1-16, 2005, Ft. Lauderdale to San Francisco.

 

I see that you live in Virginia. For that reason, and that reason alone, I would recommend taking a Canal sailing that goes from west to east, such as San Diego to Ft. Lauderdale. By doing this you will avoid the rigors of a post-cruise transcontinental flight. After enjoying 14-15 wonderful days aboard ship, the LAST thing you need is to undo all that relaxation with a wearying flight home.

 

Have a marvelous time!!

 

 

 

 

CM

[skyview851]

Thank you for all the tips, keep 'em coming. Many of you have brought up things that I hadn't even thought of yet. What would I do without this board?

[fierball]

Skyview , you might want to look at the trip the Zenith takes out of Jacksonville. We did it last Feb and it went to Colon Panama . We took the bus to Panama City and the ferry back part of the way thru the canal going thru the locks on tha Panama City side and returned by bus back to Colon. We felt like we saw both ends of the canal but didn't want to go all the way to Cal. Didn't want to mess with the flights back to the East coast. The Zenith makes the return trip back to Jacksonville. It is a 14 day cruise and we had a great time. We have also done a cruise that just went thru the Gatun Locks which is on the Atlantic side into Gatun Lake and back out that afternoon . It gives you a chance of the feeling of passing thru the locks . If you don't want to make the trip all the way around to California this is an option for you. The main thing to remember is to get out on the deck at the front of the ship and as high up on the ship so you will be able to see everything. We found that after we stood out on the deck and got us a good place to see that some people did a lot of pushing to try to get a place to see as we went thru the locks. That is why I said be sure to get out side and get you a good spot to see the passage. I have been 2 times to the canal and would go again tomorrow. It is the most amazing thing that I have ever seen. Be sure to take a tour of the locks also so you will understand how they work. Good luck on your cruise. Hank

[davis0056]

If you go to our Webshots connection at the end of this post it will lead you to our Panama Canal pictures. We had an aft cabin and the pictures we got were almost as great as the actual views. Because of the huge balcony, we invited all our new friends to stop by and so there was a steady stream of visitors. We had a bottle of champagne delivered mid morning along with orange juice for a special touch. Though we had to get up early we didn't want to miss a minute so we set our alarm for about an hour before we began to go thru the locks. I thought we'd be the only ones outside but the balconies were packed and it was very interesting to she the ships lining up and there was a great sunrise. We went from San Diego to FLL on the Summit.

 

Dave and Elaine

[LisadelRio]

Dave,

 

Those were great photos of the canal. I just have one question. How did that Texas flag get in the photo?

 

Lisa

[skyview851]

Dave & Elaine,

Thanks for the incredible pictures! I want to go right now!!! Did you have an aft corner cabin or one of the center cabins? My TA says that we can't book one of the corner FV staterooms unless we have 5 people! I don't like the idea of getting pushed & shoved, so maybe a center aft cabin would be the way to go.

[skyview851]

Fierball, your profile says you are from Manson, NC. Is that near Middleburg & Henderson?

[Druke I]

Gross generalization of course, but southbound along the Pacific coast usually smoother than northbound.

 

The Japanese Current flows S along the coast, so when going S you are "going with the flow", and when going N you are "bucking the current".

 

Particularly noticeable just outside the Golden Gate, in an area called "potato patch", where the currents from San Francisco Bay collide with the Japanese Current.

[canderson]

We are seriously looking at Canal cruise for '06. I need all the advice you can give me. What is the best time of year to go? Should we do FL to Ca, Ca to Fl, or the Galveston roundtrip? I've never cruised the Pacific, but I am very prone to seesickness, and I'm wondering what the cruise up the coast would be like. I do fine in the Carribean, but I did get sick as a dog on a NY to Bermuda cruise. Is a veranda a "must have" for the canal? Thanks in advance for any help you can give!

Did the 14 night San Diego to Ft. Lauderdale run on the Infinity last December. GREAT trip. You don't say how many / how much, but if you can snag one of the CC cabins AFT (across the back) between the FV cabins on deck 7 or 8 (9 gets a little noisy as they rearrange the furniture at night on 10 above you), you've got a ringside seat for the crossing itself. Those cabins have great verandas, too. One warning about crossing day -- You'll find people up well before the crack of dawn in the front lounge lined up six deep, so if that's the view you want, be prepared to get up early, and have someone with you that can hold the space while you grab coffee or hit the head.

 

We had an EXCELLENT speaker for 3 sessions before we got to the Canal area. The story behind it (both financially, technically and medically) was fascinating, and it was SRO in the big theater for his lectures.

 

If you plan to do some wandering on your own in Acapulco, mind the guys in the blue shirts as you leave the ship. They can sometimes be a real PITA. They do seem to have some local government sanction, but they'll follow you around, and even if you know where you're going, will expect a tip for walking there with you. Be firm that you don't want any assistance if you don't need it. If you do, they can be quite helpful.

[canderson]

We sailed on 10/17 from San Diego on the infinity... Huatulco was a beautiful day at the beach, not much to do in the area on your own...

One surprise in Huatulco was the golf course. It's very scenic, and apart from some recently aerated greens that were a little annoying (we were there in mid December), was very nice to play... and as far as I could tell, the dozen or so of us from the Infinity were the only ones on the course!

[CaptData]

Do go from SD to FL. I went in Nov. It was nice then but was told it would rain in afternoon. It sprinkled just a little, made it more humid. The seas were calm accept one day when we were going to Acolpoco (sp).

 

Take bonime, start night before you leave that way if it makes you tired you are sleeping anyway. Enjoy, it is the trip of a life tiem. I agree back of ship. Oceanview will be fine.

[fierball]

Skyview, you are right. I have a Manson address and live on Kerr Lake right across from Hibernia boat ramp if you know anything about the lake. I am about 3 miles from I-85 and 2 miles from Drewery. You must come to the lake to know where Manson is.. I am in the middle of nowhere. Hank

 

Also I wanted to tell you that I saw people on another ship that passed us in the locks holding up signs with there email wanting us to take their pictures and send then on there email. It would be a good picture from another ship with you being in the picture.

[kannna]

We are going on our holiday honeymoon next december on the infinity from ft. lauderdale to chile. Can't wait!! Goes right through the canal. woohoo!

 

ok i'm a lil excited and we still have a year to go

[davis0056]

Lisa, we see you are from Texas also! Elaine and I always travel with our little flags (USA & Texas) and then tape them (with duck tape) along the balcony. We like being able to show people where we are from and its very easy for someone to spot when you are trying to describe the location from ground level.

 

Skyview: We were able to book an inside FV and we were on deck nine. Many people say that they don’t like deck nine but we have had no problems; a little noise but nothing you can’t live with. We sailed three times on the M-class ship and have always been on deck nine (same cabin twice, 9201) and we have a cruise booked for next year - you guessed it, on deck nine (9201). As for being on the aft of the ship, there is no other place to be in our minds. We are sailing with the kids (son and daughter in law) at the end of January but were unable to get a cabin on deck nine, but do have an aft CC on deck seven. Some question the cost as to upgrade to a CC are not, we feel that it’s a cost saving to us we never had better service and even though your cabin steward isn’t dressed in tux all the time you get the same service as being in a suite. It a matter of taste and an aft CC or FV just happens to fit the bill real good.

Hope this helps, there no right answers, but we love our aft CC or FV cabins.

 

If anyone has questions we will try and answer them for you; just email us at the e-mail address under our profile.

 

Dave & Elaine

[skyview851]

Fierball, yes, I know the lake! I've spent the last 42 summers there. My folks had a place near Palmer Point when I was a kid. Now DH & kids & I camp at North Bend. Small world!

 

Dave & Elaine, You've convinced me. When we sail in Feb, I am going to try & book an aft cabin for the canal. In the meantime, I will keep looking at your pictures.

 

Thanks to everyone for the info so far. It really helps to have the advice of those who have been there & done that!

[cruisepest]

Having done the canal both ways it is more impressive from east to west. Entering from the Atlantic side you go up all 87 feet at once, the 3 locks are conected, on the Pacific side you enter one lock then sail around 1 hour then go up 2 conected locks. The seasons are reversed we also had better weather the whole cruise going from the Atlantic to the Pacific than the other way around when we dodged 3 huricanes. A balcolny or veranda is a must.

[fierball]

Skyview, you have cruised the two prettiest places on earth now. The Caribbean in the winter and Kerr Lake in the summer. We try not to tell to many people about the lake. I have grown up for the last 50 years on Kerr lake. We use to buy gas when there was a marina at Palmers Piont years ago. If your husban fishes tell him to holler for Fireball on the radio this summer.I am on the water about 8 hrs a day fishing. Have a good trip to the canal. Hank

[skyview851]

Hey fierball, you are right & when I sail Kerr, I always get to dine with the captain!

 

Cruisepest: What time of year did you sail? Was the Pacific rough at all?

[cruisepest]

We sailed on the Miami to San Fransico trip in early April, had seas like glass the whole trip. When we sailed from San Franscio to Miami it was in October and we had 3 huricanes on the trip one by Cabo San Lucas, one by the Caymans and finaly one by Miami. Other than it is always rough around San Fransico the seas on the Pacific for us have always been calm.