FiremedicMike151

Okay that's perfect, thanks

The eastbound cruise is primarily northbound once you get past the locks, seems like port would be the better option there for sunsets

Hey I just wanted to clarify something, you mentioned that I should be port for westbound and starboard for eastbound. Why is that? If I'm port for eastbound, I'd be facing land once we get out of the canal, wouldn't that be preferable?

The one I'm looking at is a westbound on Norwegian Jade.. How do I know if it's taking the old locks or new?

A Panama Canal cruise is on our bucket list and I'm currently looking at one in 2025. We only ever cruise balconies and did splurge for an aft balcony on our Alaska cruise. The premium for the aft balcony is about 25-30% higher, I'm just curious if you all found it to be a worthwhile upgrade? Thanks!

We splurged for an aft balcony after numerous people suggested it. While we didn’t spend a ton of time out there due to weather (it rained nearly half our cruise), it was worth it to be able to see without worrying about which side of the ship we were on.

Our Alaskan cruise was in October and the rail was running. If you or your partner are at all into nature hikes, I highly recommend the rail excursion with hike. The train stops midway up the mountain and you get off and head for a trail in the woods that will eventually lead to a glacier. The only awkward thing about this excursion is that the train will drop you off at 0900ish and come and pick you back up, either at 1100hrs or 1600hrs. The 1100 pick-up time is nowhere near long enough to get through the woods to see the glacier, and the 1600 pickup time was so much later that we turned around and went back. So pack food, pack some toilet paper, pack some water, and go for it. The scenery on this hike (even if you only do the 1100 pickup) is absolutely unmatched. I have pictures on my phone that I took myself which could be in national geographic..

Sorry, it’s been a minute before i could return to this post. I’m undecided on 1 day before vs 2 days before the cruise. That said, the “paid” touristy things have gotten so expensive in this country and my wife and are both perfectly happy with just wandering around and looking at the sights.. So I’m guessing from the above descriptions, Santa Monica may be better. That said, I think I could be talked into one of those tour busses that takes us around the city. One thing I would LOVE is to find a good live music bar. We are big music people (I love 90s grunge/alternative) and would love to find a top tier live music place..

We’ll be sailing out of LA in October and would like to know where to stay. Would prefer to be closer to the port but if there’s a “must stay at” then that’s fine. We’ll be flying in 1-2 days early and want to sight see a little. we accidentally waited until last minute sailing out of Seattle this past year and ended up far from both the port and from anything fun and ended up paying a fortune in Uber fees.. thanks!

We just sailed Alaska on the solstice last week and would not do it again, primarily for the food options. If you’re planning on doing specialty dining and/or suite, then you’ll probably be fine, otherwise 7 days was a long time to hit the MDR/buffet every day. We definitely want to do Alaska again, but it won’t be on the solstice. Nice clean ship with a friendly crew, but the lack of food options killed it for us.

Where does one go to sell their passport for $40,000… asking for a friend.. 😂

Misfire

double

It was the first time I'd seen/had Eagle Rare in probably 15 years. When they told me it was only a $3 up charge per drink.. Let's just say my liver told me that I need to take a long break after this cruise was over.. LOL

It was tasty, first time I ever had escargot. That said, it was only 5 tiny pieces, so don't expect to get full on them 🙂