Zuiderdam - Panama 2016-2017 season

[57redbird]

Here is a tour for Cartagena -- in case anybody is interested....let me know if anybody is, please...

 

Thank you so much for contacting us, we will gladly help you plan your visit to my home town, please keep in mind this will be an exclusive service for you and your companion.

 

We are also sending you the group rates, in case you would like to have a small group and have access to the different discounts i can offer, you can also choose how many people you would like to have in the group. I would recommend if interested, to post it on Cruise Critics or any other cruise community that can help you have the group as fast as you would like to.

 

Please find bellow the description and rates of the service:

 

City Tour of Cartagena de Indias: you will appreciate the magnificence of this city, we will go to Manga Island to see the beautiful houses and the Pastelillo Fortress, then we will go up to La Popa Monastery (By car) to appreciate the most amazing view of "El corralito de piedra", one of the name Cartagena is recognized by​. We will go up San Felipe Fortress​ and see why this is the most important and largest example of military architecture left by the Spaniards in America​.

 

Our next stop will be the old town, ​you will appreciate the beauty of the streets, churches, houses and squares, you will be able to take amazing pictures of​ the walled city.

 

The tour will finish ​at the modern part of the city with a panoramic view of the beach area and Tierra Bomba Island​ with a stop at the Emerald Museum, to be witness of the whole History and legends about the emeralds and its manufacturing.​

 

Cost for two people: $220 US Dollars

 

Inclusions:

 

Entrance fee to: La Popa Monastery - San Pedro Claver and San Felipe Fortress

 

Walking Tour Inside the walled City

 

A Bottle of water per person.

 

Bilingual Guide

 

Private air conditioned transportation

 

Start time: Half an hour after the ship gets to the port or the time of your preference.

 

​​Length of the tour: ​4.5 Hours (Approx.)

 

​​Advice for best preparation: Please wear comfortable and light clothing, Cartagena is a very hot and humid city. Make sure to wear sun cream and a hat or cap.

 

******

 

GROUP RATES & DISCOUNTS ​​

 

Important! Discounts will ONLY apply starting with a minimum of 6 more people aside from your party for this tour.

 

Cost per person:

 

From 6 to 10: ​ ​ $65.00 USD

 

From 11 to 16: ​ ​$55.00 USD

 

From 17 to 22: ​ ​$45.00 USD

 

If you managed to get more people to join us you will get the following discounts:

 

6 to 10 people: $55 dollars each of you.

11 to 16 people: $45 dollars each of you.

[pamssanity]

We did a tour in Aruba and found it a waste of money. I don't know why people love Aruba so much. This trip we are doing a beach trip. Maybe an all inclusive hotel day as we have two people with limited walking ability.

[IndyDenise]

For our Feb 15th 2017 cruise I booked the "party bus" excursion with HAL.

 

From 5:30pm-1030pm I will be in liquor heaven and won't care where I am.. as long as I'm safe, surrounded by my family, and the music is good! [emoji41]

 

 

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[BillB48]

I am doing a little more research.

Colon - we are there 3-8 pm ? any ideas ?

 

The brief stop in Colon is primarily to pick up the passengers who took shore excursions in Gatun Lake and not enough time to take any tours. It is possible the ship may not use the five hours allotted for the stop. Normally there is enough time to browse the mall area that is connected to the dock.

[3rdGenCunarder]

The brief stop in Colon is primarily to pick up the passengers who took shore excursions in Gatun Lake and not enough time to take any tours. It is possible the ship may not use the five hours allotted for the stop. Normally there is enough time to browse the mall area that is connected to the dock.

 

(bold is mine) I wondered about that. It did seem like a long time in a place where they don't offer any tours. It looks like, all things going well, our longest tour gets to Colon around 5 PM. So if the ship arrive at 3:00, do they announce an all aboard time earlier than the customary half hour earlier than the scheduled departure time, say 6 PM instead of 7:30?

 

Just thought of another tour question. I haven't done a tour where I've had to tender in quite a while, and this is an unusual situation in that only tours can leave the ship. If the tour leaves at 10AM, is that when you can expect your tender to leave, or will they want you to be at the assembly point on board earlier than that? All tours except ours have times of 10 AM or earlier. Ours goes at 11, so I'm wondering if they'll try to get us off the ship early so they can finish the tendering asap.

Edited November 6, 2016 by 3rdGenCunarder

[serendipity1499]

I am doing a little more research.

Colon - we are there 3-8 pm ? any ideas ?

 

Nothing to do except shop in the terminal & possibly take a short walk to a surrounding store..

 

The brief stop in Colon is primarily to pick up the passengers who took shore excursions in Gatun Lake and not enough time to take any tours. It is possible the ship may not use the five hours allotted for the stop. Normally there is enough time to browse the mall area that is connected to the dock.

 

We waited over an hour in the terminal to be picked up, as the ship did not get in in time..

[BillB48]

(bold is mine) I wondered about that. It did seem like a long time in a place where they don't offer any tours. It looks like, all things going well, our longest tour gets to Colon around 5 PM. So if the ship arrive at 3:00, do they announce an all aboard time earlier than the customary half hour earlier than the scheduled departure time, say 6 PM instead of 7:30?

 

Just thought of another tour question. I haven't done a tour where I've had to tender in quite a while, and this is an unusual situation in that only tours can leave the ship. If the tour leaves at 10AM, is that when you can expect your tender to leave, or will they want you to be at the assembly point on board earlier than that? All tours except ours have times of 10 AM or earlier. Ours goes at 11, so I'm wondering if they'll try to get us off the ship early so they can finish the tendering asap.

 

The ship's arrival in Colon can be anywhere between 3 and 5... sometimes the earlier returning tours will have to wait for the ship to arrive. The biggest determinant of the departure time is the time of the latest returning tour. Often times this is the tour that takes you through the Pacific Locks and Gaillard Cut. This tour has the greatest potential for running late. As far as the times the tender leaves the ship, that time is often very fluid and the reporting time for the excursion is really just a best guess. What I have seen in the past is the longer tours usually report at earlier times to the theater or some other common venue to board the tender. The shorter tours departing last. The ship is not likely to reach the tendering area in Gatun Lake much before 9. If the times are coming along faster than expected they will try and hurry up the assembly and tendering if at all possible.

[CGinMTL]

perfect.

 

So I guess this is one time we NEED to do the ship tour.

Will go look at those. any recommendations on which tour ?

[BillB48]

perfect.

 

So I guess this is one time we NEED to do the ship tour.

Will go look at those. any recommendations on which tour ?

 

 

Ship's tour is the only game in town at the Gatun Lake stop, it's not only a HAL thing... all the cruise lines that offer partial transits operate the same way at this stop.

 

As far as a recommendations... really depends on your interests... One of the more popular tours is The Canal Experience which is a partial transit through the Pacific Locks and Gaillard Cut. This tour gives you the opportunity of seeing a large part of the Canal. Authentic Embera Village is very popular as well... there are a couple of variations of these trips to see the historic parts of Panama City which include Old Panama and El Casco Antiguo.

 

The above mentioned are probably the more popular tours, but there are a number of other tours that may be of interest such as the train trip across the Isthmus, a tour to Ft. San Lorenzo, visits to the old and new locks. Lots to do!

[3rdGenCunarder]

The ship's arrival in Colon can be anywhere between 3 and 5... sometimes the earlier returning tours will have to wait for the ship to arrive. The biggest determinant of the departure time is the time of the latest returning tour. Often times this is the tour that takes you through the Pacific Locks and Gaillard Cut. This tour has the greatest potential for running late. As far as the times the tender leaves the ship, that time is often very fluid and the reporting time for the excursion is really just a best guess. What I have seen in the past is the longer tours usually report at earlier times to the theater or some other common venue to board the tender. The shorter tours departing last. The ship is not likely to reach the tendering area in Gatun Lake much before 9. If the times are coming along faster than expected they will try and hurry up the assembly and tendering if at all possible.

 

You have just confirmed my expectations. We want to see the new locks, and of the two tours that do that, we chose the one that doesn't go to the viewing of the old locks because it's shorter and leaves later. From what I could figure out on the website, all tours start at 10 or earlier (and you're right, the longer ones go first), but ours doesn't go until 11. So it's likely that the only people on our tender will be those taking our tour. No crazy rush, no crowding appeals to me.

 

I don't mind if we can't sail right away. I just want to relax on the ship while we wait for the late tours. I'm hoping we won't have a long wait in Colon before the ship arrives. Two other ships are in Colon that day, so the bars and shops may be busy.

[CGinMTL]

thank you, this is why I love CC.

.

I was ready to book the bus tour to Panama City but the reviews are not very good.

Will try to get more info on the general HAL board.

Anybody have any experience with that one ?

[CGinMTL]

to those that have already sailed. Which ship to do you recommend for the day of the partial transit ?

[summersigh]

ARUBA We did a Private air-conditioned taxi tour with Cerry. It was excellent at giving a history of the island and its people. We went all over the island - $45 an hour (govt sets prices) for up to 4 people. We did 3 hours and that was just right for us- but we didn't stop for lunch or to look at beaches.

http://www.pitaruba.com

 

In Colon I wouldn't even bother getting off the ship except to be able to say "I've been to Panama". The port is in a not so good part of town and any shops or bars are 1-2 blocks away.

 

Puerto Limon has some really good booths in the port shopping area. I got some nice hand-crafted gifts there.

Edited December 27, 2016 by summersigh

[summersigh]

We were glad we stayed aboard for both ways of the partial transit. We had a different view both ways ,,,, it was everything we'd hoped for.:D

[CGinMTL]

Just back from our cruise. We also stayed on board for the exit transit

 

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[Crusin' from Fl]

We are on the February 15, 2017 Zuiderdam partial Panama Canal and our roll call is very quiet too. I'd love some thoughts as to an excursion in Curaçao. Thanks.

 

I'm on the April 9 sailing and I'm looking for ship and excursion info, thoughts and ideas. So I'm following this roll call.

[Crusin' from Fl]

Just back from our cruise. We also stayed on board for the exit transit

 

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Was it great? The Ship? I'm hungry for info!

[Crusin' from Fl]

We are on the same cruise departing November 20 and our roll call is also very small.

 

I will be scanning all of the dining menus so those who follow will know "whats for dinner", all of the beverage meus, On Locations (daily activities), and Specialty Restaurant menus. While on board, I will be more than happy to respond to any questions from those who will follow on the same cruise.

 

Feel free to ask questions and I will seek the answers while I am on board the Zuiderdam.

 

Hi there! How was your cruise? Were you able to scan menus etc? If so, can you share the link for them? Thank you in advance.

[HollDoll]

All the menus are here:

 

http://www.rogerjett-photography.com

[Crew News]

Hi there! How was your cruise? Were you able to scan menus etc? If so' date=' can you share the link for them? Thank you in advance.[/quote']

 

We were on the 10-Day cruise to the Panama Canal in Nov/Dec for the second time. We knew to keep our curtains closed during the time at the canal to keep our furniture from being heated and the stateroom A/C becoming overwhelmed. I found no problems with the food and will give no rating since food is such a subjective item.

 

I met the Hotel Manager, Marc Pels, and the Culinary Operations Manager, Ruben, at the Neptune Suite reception on the first cruise night. Both stopped me several times during my cruise to ask how I was enjoying the ship. The crew could not have been more accommodating and friendly. The Dining Room Manager had special desserts, chocolate purses, made for some of our CC friends.

 

Lots of great photos were taken in the canal with a special video opportunity to record two following cargo ships' horn battle.

 

On locations for 10-day cruise:

 

https://www.rogerjett-photography.com/specialty-2/on-locations-specific-cruises/ms-zuiderdam-panama-canal-2013-on-locations/

 

Daily menus for both 10- and 11-day cruises:

 

http://www.rogerjett-photography.com/specialty-2/specifc-cruise-lido-and-mdr-menus/hal-caribbean-menus-2015/

 

http://www.rogerjett-photography.com/specialty-2/specifc-cruise-lido-and-mdr-menus/hal-caribbean-11-day-menus-201617-season/

[MaxThrusters]

Hey guys, I did this itinerary last month and had a great time.

 

If you want a tip, I would strongly suggest renting a car (in advance) for Curacao, and heading to this fantastic beach at the extreme north-west end of the island: Kenepa Beach. It is so beautiful there, and a sort of 'secret' in that it's all locals who go. The thing is you have to go early, no dilly-dallying!

 

I'd never seen such a beautiful beach before. You have to go down these stone steps from the parking area, so forget it if you have mobility issues. It's a cove surrounded by cliffs with beautiful white sand and turquoise water. There are guys renting those chairs and umbrellas, and toilets (1$ lol) and a fried food snack bar.

 

We got there too late to properly enjoy it but I'm definitely wanting to go back next time. If you rent the car (Avis) in advance you would prob get an upgrade. Get the car GPS option as cell coverage is spotty out there.

 

I wish i was there again now lol

[geoherb]

We're heading to Fort Lauderdale this afternoon to get on the Zuiderdam tomorrow. Our roll call thread has also been sparse compared to what we experienced on our December cruise on a Princess ship. I think it's on the third or fourth page now. That cruise had over 100 roll call participants. Our roll call doesn't even have a meet and greet scheduled. There's one private excursion that a guy has lined up others to join him, but it wasn't one that interested us.

 

We're going with the ship as our primary destination. We were in Aruba and Curacao on the December cruise. I'm planning on taking a tour of Aruba booked after we get off the ship. In Curacao, we're going to a nearby beach. I don't have any plans for Costa Rica. We'll play it by ear, maybe just getting off the ship a bit to stretch our legs on land.

[CGinMTL]

What I can say

 

a) we did not have anything booked and spent a lot of time on the ship.

If you want to see something book a tour in Panama ( must be a ship tour)

Costa Rica - nothing to do in town.......... book something if you want to see something

 

b) New Cruise Director started Jan 25th - Michael has left the ship, there was a new CD coming in the day we left.

 

c) Hal is in the process of revamping the brand. Expect things to be different.

 

d) Navigator - daily program - the paper copy is not complete, HAL has an "online" version that is more complete, but you need own device.

What is nice, is that you can go through the program the night before and "add" what you want to do.

Then you see only what you want

 

e) Windows 10 training available everyday, about 5-6 different classes. Get there early to get a seat.

 

f) No sunrise / sunset data ......... if that is important to you. Take the info before you go

 

Ship was great

Staff was great

No Complaints.

[Crusin' from Fl]

I appreciate you all coming and giving us info.

 

CGinMTL We usually do the spa package and we have traveled to most of these ports. I'm more interested in the Canal, but I'm no engineer geek. 1/2 moon and Curacao walking we are planning, the other locations will be put our feet on dry land for a bit days.

 

We have always enjoyed HAL and we have a balcony, so I'm planning breakfast on the deck during the crossing and thanks Crew News for the daily Navigators. I will be sure to have my device for the complete daily.

 

Max Thrusters, thank you, not sure I want to venture out on our own, 2 women. I prefer not to drive but that beach sounds beautiful.

 

geoherb, travel safe and expect warm weather here in Lauderdale. I'll watch you pull out tomorrow. Enjoy!

 

We were on Konigsdam in November, maybe we will notice the revamp.

[Crusin' from Fl]

We're heading to Fort Lauderdale this afternoon to get on the Zuiderdam tomorrow. Our roll call thread has also been sparse compared to what we experienced on our December cruise on a Princess ship. I think it's on the third or fourth page now. That cruise had over 100 roll call participants. Our roll call doesn't even have a meet and greet scheduled. There's one private excursion that a guy has lined up others to join him, but it wasn't one that interested us.

 

 

 

We're going with the ship as our primary destination. We were in Aruba and Curacao on the December cruise. I'm planning on taking a tour of Aruba booked after we get off the ship. In Curacao, we're going to a nearby beach. I don't have any plans for Costa Rica. We'll play it by ear, maybe just getting off the ship a bit to stretch our legs on land.

 

 

Travel safe Geoherb

 

 

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