We've wandered and most will tell you that's the way to go. That being said, it was HOT!! So most of our wandering was indoors, looking out through windows. We had an aft balcony on one of our Panama cruises (4 so far) and spent some time there. Easy to duck inside when we got too hot.
AKAIK: there aren't any "bar set-ups" (unless you're Elite, then you get a mini bar). Everything is á la carte.