WB Panama Canal | Mar 4 - Mar 18 | Cruise-Along Thread

[iannovich]

We were Green from New Orleans all the way to Puerto Vallarta... I was checking it daily because I fully expected us to go Yellow at some point. The day we docked at PV we went Yellow... The Wonder went orange a day or two after we disembarked... I can't remember now which day it was, but we stayed Yellow from PV to San Diego.

 

[braysmommy]

Regarding no more Panama Canal cruises...Take this for what you will....
One server told us that starting next year the Wonder will be doing Mexican Rivera. The Magic will be doing Panama Canal and the Alaska cruises.
I sooo want to believe what she said.

In the future they couldn't DCL do Panama Canal B2B with one of the ships?

 

[iannovich]

In the future they couldn't DCL do Panama Canal B2B with one of the ships?

That's exactly what I've been hoping would happen. You'd definitely have some folks booking it as a B2B...

 

[braysmommy]

That's exactly what I've been hoping would happen. You'd definitely have some folks booking it as a B2B...

So many!

 

[lilsonicfan]

My 6yo son really liked it... and having been a teeny-bopper teen in the 00s... I don't think the emotion was as overblown as you did. I've seen people faint at boy band concerts because they were so overcome with emotion just being there

I was a teen in the 90s and totally agree. NKOTB concerts, anyone?? So loud and screamy. Also I thought that the emotions being extreme were kind of reflective of teenagehood. Remember when everything was a massive big deal, like when your parents were SO EMBARRASSING hehehe.

 

[AquaDame]

"No no, darling, its just the most embarrassing moment of your life so far."

 

[holula]

That's exactly what I've been hoping would happen. You'd definitely have some folks booking it as a B2B...

This is what I’m hoping they’ll do. Run the PC cruise over Christmas/NY one way and then back the other way in non holiday times.

 

[scrappinginontario]

In the future they couldn't DCL do Panama Canal B2B with one of the ships?

While B2B might be great for cruisers, I'm not sure it's cost worthy for DCL. Friends were on this sailing and went to many of the lectures. The numbers they were given for the fees alone just to go through the Panama Canal was approx. $800,000!

Unless the made the cruise astronomically expensive, I can't see them offering B2B cruises purely for the option of going through the locks.

But, that's only a guess on my part based on the totals they were given on their cruise.

 

[happycamper47]

While B2B might be great for cruisers, I'm not sure it's cost worthy for DCL. Friends were on this sailing and went to many of the lectures. The numbers they were given for the fees alone just to go through the Panama Canal was approx. $800,000!

Unless the made the cruise astronomically expensive, I can't see them offering B2B cruises purely for the option of going through the locks.

But, that's only a guess on my part based on the totals they were given on their cruise.

Could be pretty close. After we turned the Canal back over to Panama in 1999 (Jimmy Carter, in 1977, signed a treaty to give the Canal back to Panama in 99) they have used it for their "cash cow". When the US was still running it the fees were kept very low.

In 2017 when DCL did their first crossing through the new canal (first cruise ship through) it was approximately $500,000 and DCL pays the 10% up charge for a priority time slot. Cruise ships pay per bed, occupied or not.

This is from our first PC cruise in 2014, as you can see it was almost $400,000 then,

 

[iannovich]

A new Panama Canal toll structure went into place in February for passenger vessels. They don't charge per berth any longer, now it's a formula based on weight. Based on the Wonder's listed 83k gross tonnage, the transit would currently cost $409,300. The speaker did say that the highest tolls are often as high as $800k, and the record was over $1m.

 

[iannovich]

We booked our cabin with FCC after a Transatlantic cancelation. At that point (a month or two after the initial sale date) we were only able to snag an inside guarantee (10C) when it suddenly appeared and the cost was about $5.6k for two people.

Just before sailing, there were cabins that opened up and the lowest cabin rate was around $8.5k (also for 2 people, either inside or Oceanview... can't remember which) and if I remember correctly there was only one cabin at that rate and then from there it jumped to around 11k for a GTY 7A, and I think concierge was close to 18k. If we just stick with the lowest cabin rate of around $5.6k and know that the wonder has 875 cabins we get a minimum of $4.9m with only 2 people per cabin (if it is fully booked). Add in the higher charges for higher category cabins and the families boosting cabin occupancy beyond just 2 passengers, I think Disney would happily pay the transit toll.

We also spent another $2k in onboard charges, so that adds to their bottomline. I can admit that I have a bingo problem and cannot resist a visit to Palo, a tasting class or two, or the Drink of the Day.

Some people would go for the B2B, most would probably just take the EB or WB (I don't think I could get away long enough for both sides unfortunately). And if they did it only once per year, they could keep it exclusive and special enough to keep it a 'bucket list' cruise.

... my Bingo problem is only that I don't win.
#ShakeItUpBetty

 

[happycamper47]

A new Panama Canal toll structure went into place in February for passenger vessels. They don't charge per berth any longer, now it's a formula based on weight. Based on the Wonder's listed 83k gross tonnage, the transit would currently cost $409,300. The speaker did say that the highest tolls are often as high as $800k, and the record was over $1m.

Interesting since that means it is cheaper than it was in 2017 when they first went through the new canal. That was listed as close to $500,000, unless that tonnage fee didn't included the 10% premium for a priority reservation.

 

[Sykes]

Partial transits are also always a possibility. My guess is they could charge pretty close to the same amount per-night for a 10-day partial transit roundtrip from Florida. Having said that, it really seems like on a per-night basis they aren’t getting enough of a premium to justify the additional cost of unnecessary PC crossings.

 

[iannovich]

Interesting since that means it is cheaper than it was in 2017 when they first went through the new canal. That was listed as close to $500,000, unless that tonnage fee didn't included the 10% premium for a priority reservation.

I'll bet the $500,000 fee included a premium to be the first. The information that I was looking at for calculating the fee didn't mention a 10% premium for getting a choice transit time, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was still in place, driving the cost up to more like $450,230.

 

[happycamper47]

I'll bet the $500,000 fee included a premium to be the first. The information that I was looking at for calculating the fee didn't mention a 10% premium for getting a choice transit time, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was still in place, driving the cost up to more like $450,230.

They can't use the old canal anymore since they added the "duckbill" to the rear of the ship in 2016, that made it too long to safely use the old locks, so it wasn't by choice that they crossed in the new locks. There would be no reason to be charged extra just because they were the first cruise ship through.

 

[iannovich]

They can't use the old canal anymore since they added the "duckbill" to the rear of the ship in 2016, that made it too long to safely use the old locks, so it wasn't by choice that they crossed in the new locks. There would be no reason to be charged extra just because they were the first cruise ship through.

Disney chose to modify the Wonder knowing that it was going to fit through the new locks.

There would be a reason to charge a premium as the first ship through (and for Disney to be willing to pay it): prestige.

There was a celebration, the observation overlooks at the locks we filled with spectators, and the it was all over the media with headlines like “Disney Wonder Makes History.”

 

[happycamper47]

There was a celebration, the observation overlooks at the locks we filled with spectators, and the it was all over the media with headlines like “Disney Wonder Makes History.”

I wouldn't doubt a celebration and headlines, but on all of our DCLPC trips (old and new locks) the observation decks were full of people when the ship arrived. We actually preferred the old locks, more history and action to observe and more people around. They weren't the first ship only the first cruise ship, the new locks opened in June 2016 so if they wanted to pay for all the fanfare they could have done the EBPC through the new locks in October 2016, shortly after it opened. Why wait until the ship was modified?

 

[iannovich]

I wouldn't doubt a celebration and headlines, but on all of our DCLPC trips (old and new locks) the observation decks were full of people when the ship arrived. We actually preferred the old locks, more history and action to observe and more people around. They weren't the first ship only the first cruise ship, the new locks opened in June 2016 so if they wanted to pay for all the fanfare they could have done the EBPC through the new locks in October 2016, shortly after it opened. Why wait until the ship was modified?

I was surprised that there were not many people in the observation areas as we passed though this past sailing. But we did make good time, so maybe people just missed us.

 

[happycamper47]

I was surprised that there were not many people in the observation areas as we passed though this past sailing. But we did make good time, so maybe people just missed us.

The new canal is much faster. Our Nov EB didn't have an extremely large crowd but we assumed that was due to COVID restrictions.

 

[iannovich]

The new canal is much faster. Our Nov EB didn't have an extremely large crowd but we assumed that was due to COVID restrictions.

This was the first time we went through so I don't have a reference for the new locks vs the old, but the time we entered from the the canal from the Caribbean and the time we exited to the Pacific were both way off from what they had told us they would be.

I figured it was probably Covid keeping crowds away. It was only thinking back to the time difference between when we expected to enter and exit that made me think that any people that might have been planning on watching might have just ended up showing up too late to catch us... at least on the exit... on the entrance I don't know if I would have gotten up that early to watch if we weren't on the ship, lol.