Panama Canal cruise-help with room

[k2125girl]

We booked a Junior Suite , aft port side ... Where do we want to be???

[TEXASMUNK]

It does not matter. You want to be way forward or aft. There is usually a person who will give you a complete step by step overview of the canal as you pass through. On your balcony, you will not hear him/her....Everyone will be on deck

[Motorman23]

We booked a Junior Suite , aft port side ... Where do we want to be???

 

It depends on which side of the locks you get pulled into. I would pick aft but you may be on that side through all the locks and miss some interesting things. We had a balcony and spent some time at the front on deck and then did a great for pay brunch in chops with a great view of the canal.

 

Mike

 

 

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[ccotting]

We booked a Junior Suite , aft port side ... Where do we want to be???

 

 

We had a wonderful time! You will too! We had a junior suite aft on Legend and it was the best. If you can get aft, I would recommend it. The transit takes about 12 hours so it is not a short view. With the aft cabin you could watch everything and not have to leave your space. Our transit began at 7:30 am. Our neighbour who also, of course, had an aft cabin, was a photo enthusiast and staked out his bow front camera position at 4:30 am! So that is what you are dealing with on deck.... We put the TV on and watched the view from the ship's bow camera and then saw everything as we sailed along from the back.

 

Now... we booked 2 years ago to get the aft.... It is a popular place. It does have it's down side, there is more vibration, you always know when the ship is docking. Also, we had a terrible problem with soot on occasion. We did the cruise before the Panama in the same cabin and didn't have this problem so we attribute this to the need for additional engine power to do the Panama ports, there is more difference in distance between ports and the ship 'boots' along at quite a high rate of knots between port stops. But once you realize, you just plan to put towels on your deck chairs. Our cabin steward worked like a demon to wash the deck anytime this happened.

 

I am not the engineering enthusiast of our couple but I was really taken with the Canal, the technical side was just amazing.

 

I wish you a wonderful cruise!

 

Cat

[bighairtexan]

If you can still snag an Aft JS, that's what I'd try to do. We were in the Penthouse on the Millennium during the passage and it was so amazing to watch the gates open and close and watch the water level rise. Another time I was on Port and wished I was Starboard.

 

I'm like the above poster ccotting. Usually these manmade "wonders' leave me kind of jaded, but I'd do the canal again in a heartbeat. It was simply amazing. 100 years old and still going strong.

[jensue1]

I dont think you can go wrong. I strongly suggest you view from lots of different points during the day. We loved our transit. It was simply an awesome cruise that we found so interesting.

 

Have a wonderful time. :)

[BillB48]

I would choose the cabin based on how I would use it during the remainder of the cruise. IMO the lowest most inside cabin is just fine for the transit of the Canal, since there are many vantage points on the ship that you will want to use during the transit. Even though a port side aft cabin will let you see everything, all the narration provided has a forward looking prospective. By the time the point of interest that the narrator was speaking about, there could be a huge lag in the time you see it.

 

Your aft balcony would be fine for the trip across Gatun Lake (about 2 hrs. of the transit) since that portion of the transit is primarily scenery and the narrator usually takes a break. While you are in any of the locks seeing the operation from the upper decks is great and then view a portion of the locks from one of the lower outside decks. If your ship will permit access to the bow, that is a great place to see the operation at the locks at some point in the transit. Right now the Legend is the ship doing Canal transits and that option is not available on it because of all the deck machinery. Passing through Gaillard Cut is also suited for the upper outside decks as well.

 

To sum it up, it is a wonderful day transiting the Canal and the best side of the ship is outside:D!

[Mac303]

We had a hump JS on the Jewel, we got up early and got a spot on the heli-pad for the approach to the locks.

 

When we returned to the cabin while still in the lock it was interesting to see just how close the side of the ship was to the lock wall.

 

As I recall the guide could be heard over the intercom in the room.

[cb at sea]

You will NOT want to sit on your balcony for the transit....you will want to be out and about...all over the ship for this! Different sides AND different deck levels...totally different perspective from the promenade deck to the upper decks!

 

By the way, it's HOT...and the sun is VERY strong...wear sunscreen while outside here!!!

[DragonOfTheSeas]

I agree--head up to the top deck.

Yes, there will be quite a crowd. but, it is a long transit. After an hour or so many will have had enough and go inside. I was able to get great pictures and I did not have to stake out my location.

 

It was a fascinating trip.