Island Princess Panama Canal Cruise

[Shadow116]

We are in process of setting up Island Princess Cruise down to the Panama Canal December 2012.........Is there a better side of the ship to be for this cruise? Want to be able to see everything... Any other advise on this cruise. :)

[highheel girl]

We are in process of setting up Island Princess Cruise down to the Panama Canal December 2012.........Is there a better side of the ship to be for this cruise? Want to be able to see everything... Any other advise on this cruise. :)

 

When the shp approaches the 2 side by side locks it can enter on either side so it really does not matter.

If you are doing the 10 day then the ship will turn around in Gatun Lake and you will be on the other side on the way back out. ;)

 

We like to be out on the forward viewing areas when approaching the locks about 6:00am.

 

Then its fun to walk on the Promanade deck and get a different view of how close the lock walls actually are.

[Shadow116]

Thanks - have you cruised on the Island Princess? Any hints or words of wisdom??

[MustangGT]

It won't matter which side you are on. Viewing the workings of the canal are best done by moving around the ship. Be sure to check the aft open areas on several decks. Gives another view. We have been on the Island twice - wonderful ship! Have a fabulous cruise!!

[highheel girl]

Thanks - have you cruised on the Island Princess? Any hints or words of wisdom??

 

We have cruised the Island and its sister ship the Coral a dozen times.

We love the Bayou Cafe for the surf/turf. Excellent atmosphere with a small dance floor and stage.

Great passenger ratio with only 1900.

Wide Promanade deck for lounging etc.

The outdoor vieewing areas aft/forward

 

These two ships are our favorites.

You will love it. :D

[Pam in CA]

We are in process of setting up Island Princess Cruise down to the Panama Canal December 2012.........Is there a better side of the ship to be for this cruise? Want to be able to see everything... Any other advise on this cruise. :)

If your itinerary is from FLL to LA, I'd book a cabin on the port side. If you're sailing from LA (or SF) to FLL, I'd book a cabin on the starboard side. The reason is that the control rooms are on south (or west) side of the Canal and that's where most of the activity is. I enjoy waving to the people on the observation platforms and have them wave back. :) On the other hand, construction of the new locks is taking place on the north (or eastern) side, which you might find interesting.

 

Even when I have a balcony cabin when going through the Canal, I go out on either the forward or aft decks so I can see both sides. That's where I'll be in October. :)

[swedish weave]

If you are outside as you approach the locks, you will see a rather large arrow on the end of the divider between the two channels. It will be pointing toward the side you will enter.

[Putterdude]

We did it from FLL to LA , were booked on the starboard side and were very happy with it. Next time we will book the port side just for a different perspective. However, the real secret with the canal transit is to be out on deck and walking around, if you sit on your balcony you will only see half of what is to be seen.

[Potstech]

Just did this same cruise in February. side of the ship doesn't mater that much as you do not know which canal the ship will be going through. Be prepared to get up very early that morning and to go forward and find a spot on the Baja or Caribe decks. You will get to see the ship approach and enter the first set of locks. Then you can roam the ship to get different views. If you are only doing a partial transit consider the ferry boat ride the rest of the way through the canal. It gives you a totally different experience. It is expensive but well worth it.

 

Like I ask people how can you go from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean back to the Atlantic Ocean in about 8 hours and not fly. I have only had one person get answer it right. Good luck and have a great cruise

[BillB48]

I did not see if you are doing a full or a partial transit. The reason I mention it, is if you are on a partial transit (going through Gatun Locks only) the advice on not sticking to your balcony while you are the locks is even more important since this will most likely be your only chance to see the Locks from your ship. Many people will elect to take a tour when the ship reaches Gatun Lake therefore not being on the ship when it locks back down and goes to Colon.

 

Even if you are on a full transit I think you may have already have an idea that moving around during the transit is the best option. Things don't happen too fast in the Canal so it is always pretty easy to position yourself to see anything of interest. Choose your balcony on how you will use during the cruise... sunny/shady in the AM or PM etc. The type and location of your cabin during the actual transit of the Canal is not that critical.

 

Enjoy!

[WarEagle76]

We were on the Island through the canal in 2007. We went from Acapulco to Fort Lauderdale. If you want to get a feel for the experience of a full transit here is a link to a slide show we put together of the trip. Great cruise and the canal is a engineering masterpiece. Hope to do it again once the new portion of the canal is open.

 

http://smengelt.shutterfly.com/1017

[Shadow116]

Panama Canal curise in December 2012 - Partial Transit or Full Transit???? Never been there so don't know which to choose???

[Weluv2cruise2007]

We are in process of setting up Island Princess Cruise down to the Panama Canal December 2012.........Is there a better side of the ship to be for this cruise? Want to be able to see everything... Any other advise on this cruise. :)

 

We did the partial transit on the Island in December. A couple of comments: we did book a balcony, but it was on the Dolphin deck. We booked it because we thought it was bigger than average (now I'm not even sure if it was) but as it turns out it was too low. We had some rough seas and the splash reached our balcony....we even cancelled our balcony dinner.

 

As for the ship, everyone seems to rave about the small ships but I prefer the large ones like the Ruby or Emerald. I did however enjoy the Bayou Restaurant for something different and the venue they have where Club Fusion normally is was great (Vista Lounge). On the downside, gym was smaller, no International Cafe and no MUTS - all things which are important to us, and the ship just seemed worn. Of course we wanted to do the Canal, so this was our only option, but we wouldn't purposely book this ship again.

[caribill]

Panama Canal curise in December 2012 - Partial Transit or Full Transit???? Never been there so don't know which to choose???

 

 

If you only do a partial transit, you are not seeing 2/3 of the canal including the continental divide and the cut that was the major part of the canal's engineering and cost.

 

One way or another, you need to go from one end to the other to get the full experience.

 

Either take a full transit with a cruise ship or do a partial transit and take the excursion (that others have mentioned) on a small ship to go the rest of the way and then a train or bus back to the ship.

 

Other factors to consider:

o Airline costs if you have to start at one end of the country and end at the other.

o Time involved - do you have enough vacation days for the longer full transit?

o Cost - A longer cruise (full transit) costs more than a shorter one.

[Pam in CA]

Panama Canal curise in December 2012 - Partial Transit or Full Transit???? Never been there so don't know which to choose???

The partial transit is OK for those who have more limited time and/or funds. It's a great way to see a little bit of it. With the full transit, you get to really experience it and see so much more. For some, the engineering isn't of great interest and they can say they've been there. Others, like me, find the Canal fascinating and the engineering and what they were able to accomplish a marvel. I can't get enough of it and will be making my 5th transit (only one a partial transit) in October. Can't wait.