Panama Cruise - what is it like?

[exactingtraveller]

:confused:

 

Asked this on new to cruising & they said put it on here!

 

We are going on Infinity through the Panama Canal - friend just returned from the "holiday from hell" on a med cruise. After his comments I wonder....

 

Will it be

-overcrowded?

-noisy?

-have awful food?

-not have other teenagers for our daughter to pal up with?

-be an annoying rip off?

 

Please tell me he is wrong ....:confused:

[Mines]

If sailing on a Celebrity cruise is a "holiday from hell" than hell must be a great place.

 

We sailed on Infinity through the Panama Canal and loved every bit of the cruise.

 

Not overcrowded, not noisy, great food and good value for money.

 

As to other teenagers, Celebrity is not known as being the best line for a teen programme and possibly the Panama Canal is not the best itinerary for a teen either. It does depend on the time of year.

[mcrcruiser]

If sailing on a Celebrity cruise is a "holiday from hell" than hell must be a great place.

 

We sailed on Infinity through the Panama Canal and loved every bit of the cruise.

 

Not overcrowded, not noisy, great food and good value for money.

 

As to other teenagers, Celebrity is not known as being the best line for a teen programme and possibly the Panama Canal is not the best itinerary for a teen either. It does depend on the time of year.

 

Totally agree .Would add that Royal Caribbean ships would be a much better selection for a teen to meet up with friends her own age;).

 

We have sailed the Panama Canal full transit twice ,once on Infiniti & in April this year on Millennium:D. Every thing about our 2 cruises was fabulous:D.

 

The OP might consider a paerial transit from the Ft Lauderdale side :rolleyes: .

[CathyCruises]

:confused:

 

Asked this on new to cruising & they said put it on here!

 

We are going on Infinity through the Panama Canal - friend just returned from the "holiday from hell" on a med cruise. After his comments I wonder....

 

Will it be

-overcrowded?

-noisy?

-have awful food?

-not have other teenagers for our daughter to pal up with?

-be an annoying rip off?

 

Please tell me he is wrong ....:confused:

 

Pleasse tell us more abut your friend's trip. What line was he on and what was the date? I have never had any of those issues on a Celebrity cruise.

[Karynanne]

Keep in mind that the longer the cruise, the less children, teenagers will be aboard the ship.

 

We've enjoyed our Panama Canal cruises. It can be quite hot and humid, but inside the ship very comfortable.

 

Food is subjective. What is good to one person, is terrible to another. We've never gone hungry.

 

And I've never considered Celebrity being a "rip-off" whatsoever. I've always wondered why people feel that they have been taken advantaged of? You know (or should know) well before you cruise, what is included, what you can say no to, and what is to be expected during your cruise.

 

Is it perfection? Well, life isn't perfect, and I don't expect perfection. But it has always been exciting and memorable.

[woodofpine]

Pleasse tell us more abut your friend's trip. What line was he on and what was the date? I have never had any of those issues on a Celebrity cruise.

 

Owww! C'mon... :rolleyes: Isn't first hand angst enough? Must we go vicariously down this road?

[CathyCruises]

Basically just wondering a) if it was on X, and b) during a school vacation time.

[CathyCruises]

Basically just wondering a) if it was on X, and b) during a school vacation time. Of course in reading some conflicting accounts of other cruisers, by people who purportedly were on the same cruise, anything is possible!

[sayvan]

We did the canal last November and I would say that this was one of, if not the best cruise I have taken thus far. I wouldn't worry at all. Feel free to check out my thread in my signature for my thorough review of Infinity and the ports we stopped at along the way through the canal. We had a blast!

[jacketwatch]

:confused:

 

Asked this on new to cruising & they said put it on here!

 

We are going on Infinity through the Panama Canal - friend just returned from the "holiday from hell" on a med cruise. After his comments I wonder....

 

Will it be

-overcrowded?

-noisy?

-have awful food?

-not have other teenagers for our daughter to pal up with?

-be an annoying rip off?

 

Please tell me he is wrong ....:confused:

Having done a full transit PC cruise (on the Island Princess) I can say from my experience;

1. Not at all over crowded.

2. Not at all noisy. And I like things quiet and serene.

3. Food is always subjective but never have we have bad food on any of our cruises.

4. The PC is not exactly a cruise for teens. We started in Acapulco and the ports we stopped at are not exactly like St. Thomas or Aruba if you get my drift. This cruise will wow you with the sheer wonder of this magnificent project.

5. Generally speaking cruises as a whole are great values for the money so no rip off at all.

You will be fine. :) Don't worry, be happy. :)

[jcrandle]

It has its ups and downs:D.

[skandls]

I would not expect many teens or children on a PCanal cruise. Its a long cruise (over 7 days) and its not a 'popular' port cruise. If you want to cruise the canal do it without a teen - as the itinerary is not family friendly one. If you want a laid back cruise - the Panama Canal will fit the bill.

 

I did my canal cruise many years ago on Crystal. It was interesting because of the history - but the actual 'locks' don't take much time. Much of time cruising the canal was spent looking at muddy water and dead tree tops.

[Thechats]

:confused:

 

Asked this on new to cruising & they said put it on here!

 

We are going on Infinity through the Panama Canal - friend just returned from the "holiday from hell" on a med cruise. After his comments I wonder....

 

Will it be

-overcrowded?

-noisy?

-have awful food?

-not have other teenagers for our daughter to pal up with?

-be an annoying rip off?

 

Please tell me he is wrong ....:confused:

We did a full transit through the Panama Canal last October aboard the Infinity and really enjoyed the experience. This is a "Panamax" ship, the largest that can pass through the locks, which is really cool. Be aware that you'll need to get up early the day of the canal passage if you want a prime spot on the bow for viewing. Food, service, and fellow passengers were all great. However, just realize that there are lots of sea days and shipboard activities can get a bit repetitive. Also, the demographics of Celebrity tend to skew towards older, more sedate cruisers so don't expect a lot of buddies and excitement for teenagers on this itenerary. BTW, we''ve also done a Med cruise which was great so maybe your friend just doesn't like cruising...;)

[elainemasey]

Would you think about posting on the sailings roll call forum and see if anyone else is travelling with teens . Just home from a Baltic cruise with DS14 and we planned our own Meet and Mingle for those of us with kids ( and anyone else who wanted to come) for right after lifeboat drill. It gave the kids some familiar faces for when they walked into the teen club the 1st night. Also, DS was able to facebook with a couple of the boys ahead of time.

[exactingtraveller]

Found out that holiday from hell was courtesy of Royal Caribbean ...

[dmwnc1959]

Here is a superb set of pictures of the Celebrity Infinity transiting the Panama Canal as posted by a Cruise Critic member sailing on the Crystal Symphony

 

 

One of my favorite 'feel good' videos from youtube of the Celebrity Millennium passing Celebrity Infinity in the Panama Canal

 

[boogs]

One of my favorite 'feel good' videos from youtube of the Celebrity Millennium passing Celebrity Infinity in the Panama Canal

 

 

WoW!!! That sure looked like it was fun!! What a superb treat for all the passengers.

[SuiteTraveler]

The FIRST cruise we ever did was a full transit of the Panama Canal on the Sun Princess. It was a 2 week cruise and there were plenty of teens onboard that ship. However, Celebrity does seem to have an older demographic, so it's hard to guess what the passenger mix will be on your particular cruise. That said, your daughter should still have a fantastic time because being on a cruise is really fun and transiting the canal is fascinating! How lucky is she to get to go on a cruise! I hope you got a balcony cabin - I remember at the end of the transit day - lots of sunburns in the dining room from people being up on the top decks all day watching the transit - whereas my husband and I were able to stay in the shade all day on our balcony except for a couple of times where we chose to pay a brief visit to an upper deck. On the TV there was a forward cam that showed the view at the front of the ship.

 

The food on Celebrity is excellent and there is plenty of entertainment available. Celebrity is far more sedate than RCCL, but there are still many, many things your teen can do and I think she will be fine.

[Waterguy1]

Exacting:

 

The Panama Canal, on Infinity last year, was our first cruise. Had a great time. I'm sure you will too. A more in depth report of this trip can be downloaded here.

 

Enjoy the cruise.

[TeaBag]

Another great review with pictures.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1319973

[shipshape sam]

:confused:

 

Asked this on new to cruising & they said put it on here!

 

We are going on Infinity through the Panama Canal - friend just returned from the "holiday from hell" on a med cruise. After his comments I wonder....

 

Will it be

-overcrowded?

-noisy?

-have awful food?

-not have other teenagers for our daughter to pal up with?

-be an annoying rip off?

 

Please tell me he is wrong ....:confused:

 

 

Two of our top 10 cruises were Panama Canal cruises on Infinity. It is what you make of it along with your expectation. We got on CC early discussing cruise with others, met on ship and had fun times together, met other passengers, etc. On our last PC trip in 2009, we learned on our 2nd day at sea we would NOT be visiting Mexico because of the N1H1 virus. Still had a great time.

 

Go with an attitude of excitment, anticipation and resolve to have a GREAT cruise! :)

 

 

To your specific question, IMHO, you will be pleased overall.