Panama Canal, what line if not Disney?

[dthogue]

I really want to take a Panama Canal cruise, but can't afford the cost of DCL for this October or next April and I'd rather go before til Oct 2019. So I'm looking for suggestions on what other lines to consider for a PC cruise?

 

[bobbiwoz]

We have done a partial transit with Princess twice. The last time was in January, through the new canal, and we had a wonderful experience. The cruise left from port Everglades. Stops were in Cartagena, Columbia, CRISTOBAL, Panama, Limon, Costa Rica and Georgetown, Grand Cayman.

I especially liked the fact that you CAN tender into Panama, so you get to do an excursion in that country. We had a wonderful trip into the old Canal Zone and then an interesting stop at the new locks Visitor Center. The Christobal stop in Panama was primarily for those who took an excursion. However right at the port, Princess did have local vendors and some dancing. That port was primarily for cargo.

On board offerings were entertaining and included Movies under the Stars and we saw Victoria and Abdul, Goodbye Christopher Robin. There were others.

My only negative was the food offerings in the buffets.

 

[starvenger]

My first real cruise was on the (old) Regal Princess back in 06/07. Best MDR food I've had on a cruise. The dessert chef was a souffle specialist and proved it every night. We left from San Juan, did Costa Rica, Guatemala, Panama (but the tenders got cancelled), Huatulco (Mexico) and ended in Acapulco. An old ship, for sure, but we had a lot of fun.

Only real negative was the entertainment. It was, shall we say, rather lacklustre compared to the offerings you see on ships today.

The ship is still running today - it got transferred over to P&O and was renamed Pacific Dawn. There's still a Regal Princess, but it's a much bigger ship than the one I was on.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

I really want to take a Panama Canal cruise, but can't afford the cost of DCL for this October or next April and I'd rather go before til Oct 2019. So I'm looking for suggestions on what other lines to consider for a PC cruise?

We did our second Panama Canal cruise on Holland America. It was great - lots of ports of call and great weather.

Whether you'd like HAL or not depends - do you have kids? There tends to be much fewer kids on HAL (especially the long cruises). The decor - much more sedate, and the onboard activities not quite as active.

Princess would another option (although we've not used they through the canal, we've cruised Princess before.

My "biggie" was looking for a PC cruise with lots of port stops, as many repo cruises don't do a lot of port calls enroute.

 

[Mimirdh]

We sailed Princess last month and sounds like the same itenary as bobbiwoz. Our last 6 cruises were on DCL and I have to say we thoroughly enjoyed our time on Princess. Excellent service, good food, nice accommodations, and less expensive than DCL. We are in our mid 60’s and have to say while kids on the DCL cruise have never been an issue for us, it was nice being on a ship with hardly any kids.

 

[ACDSNY]

We did the full transit on Princess back in January 2014 and it was definitely an older crowd, I've never seen so many walkers, wheelchairs and scooters on a ship. We were in our 50s and were the youngsters. My dad wanted to go on Princess due to the port stops and by the end of the cruise my dad was telling some table mates about how DCL service was better. Lol

We really had poor service in the buffets and dining rooms. We could have more than one juice at a time even though we purchased a package for unlimited soda and juices. Just weird policy rules, so I chalked it up to that specific ship/crew since we've never run into this before.

 

[dclpluto]

Defintely not NCL

 

[PrincessShmoo]

We could have more than one juice at a time even though we purchased a package for unlimited soda and juices.

I figure you mean the "one at a time" thing. That's so that someone can't just order up 4 sodas for everyone off one card. Requiring you to order drinks one at a time makes that a bit more difficult.

 

[ACDSNY]

I figure you mean the "one at a time" thing. That's so that someone can't just order up 4 sodas for everyone off one card. Requiring you to order drinks one at a time makes that a bit more difficult.

My bad typing, yes it was the one at a time thing; however, it was during breakfast when it was free anyway so it made no sense and the glasses were so small it was gone in two seconds and no one would come back to refill.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

My bad typing, yes it was the one at a time thing; however, it was during breakfast when it was free anyway so it made no sense and the glasses were so small it was gone in two seconds and no one would come back to refill.

Now, see, in Princess, yes the juice glasses are small. I've just asked for a "large" when they come around asking if I want juice. That seems to work for me.

 

[Meriweather]

We did Disney for first and Celebrity for second.....loved the Celebrity one. So many great stops!!

 

[OKW Lover]

Defintely not NCL

Why?

 

[starvenger]

Defintely not NCL

Why?

Just in case they decide to do some more reno while you’re cruising. I’m guessing.

 

[cruiser21]

I would check out the NCl Bliss. It's a brand new ship. It leaves out of Los Angeles Nov 3 2018 and ends in Miami. It stops in several ports including Costa Rica. I'm not sure if it will be less then dcl. New ships tend to be priced high.

 

[starvenger]

I would check out the NCl Bliss. It's a brand new ship. It leaves out of Los Angeles Nov 3 2018 and ends in Miami. It stops in several ports including Costa Rica. I'm not sure if it will be less then dcl. New ships tend to be priced high.

True, but the important thing is that NCL is unlikely to be revarnishing the deck on a new ship.

 

[haven11998]

Defintely not NCL

That’s right! What those poor people on the Sun dealt with and still dealing with is unreal!

I had a friend on that cruise and she is still dealing with issues from it - and NCL has been a nightmare for her to deal with. Well, I should say all she hears from them is crickets.