Coral Panama Canal Cruise - Best Viewing of the Canal

[rjohn40787]

We are taking a 15-day cruise - our first - on the Coral in late April, going from Ft. Lauderdale through the Panama Canal to Los Angeles. We will be staying in a suite on the port side of the ship on the Dolphin deck.

 

We would welcome any and all suggestions on various locations to spend our day as we transit through the canal. We are not interested in sitting in our suite all day, and are happy to move about the ship to enjoy different vantage points.

 

Where would you suggest we go at various times during the day? Are those suggested locations crowded, and if so, when should we arrive to assure a seat or the best view?

[Coreace]

We did a full crossing from LA to FLL in April 16 on Island. I found good views on Baja and Caribe all the way to the forward. I got outside at about 5 AM with a arrival time of 6:15AM at the canal. Also Coral has a couple aft decks that are neat to see the locks close.

 

Normally both of those get busy.

[2islandhoppers]

When we did the Coral from LA to FLL, the best view IMO was from the Sun deck. Get there early; passengers pulled the chairs from the bar right up against the railing which prevented anyone else from getting close. (Unfortunately they also piled all their "stuff" on the chairs, then wandered off for breakfast/lunch/snacks - not sure if they actually used the chairs). It's pretty competitive. However, by the time you go through the afternoon set of locks, the novelty has worn off and you should have no trouble getting a good spot on the railing.

 

The other spot we really enjoyed was from the Promenade deck when we were going through the locks - you can practically reach out and touch the sides.

[azbirdmom]

Aft on Caribe deck isn't that crowded and it's a wider deck. We were in a suite a few doors down from the aft deck and we spend more time back there than on our lovely side balcony while in the canal.

[joeyancho]

Good luck with the rail hogs.

[Eagle_and_hawk]

If you serach the forums, there are some pictures of the "hidden balconies" at the front of the ship. If they are not already full, it's a great place to be when going through the locks.

 

The problem with most of the forward deck viewing areas, if you want to take pictures, is the blue tinted glass. About the only way to get a good picture forward, from that area is to try and be up against the glass, and shoot between the glass panes.

 

You should arrive at the canal entrance just before daylight, then the ship will wait outside the locks until the lock master allows the transit. What we did both times, was order breakfast the night before, and have it delivered as early as possible. Then we had breakfast on the balcony as the sun started to rise.

 

By the time we were finished, we were just starting into the locks and moved about the ship for the best views. I believe that was only one or two mornings we didn't go to Sabatini's for breakfast as by the time they opened, we figured we would be well into the transit.

[Thrak]

Both Baja deck and Caribe deck have fore and aft viewing decks with no obstructions at all. No blue glass. Nothing. We had an aft OV cabin and it was maybe 10 steps to the outer door. Excellent viewing to the rear. We made use of both the forward and aft viewing areas and the naturalist was stationed on one of the forward viewing areas and gave his commentary from there. It can get a bit crowded but people rotate in and out of the ship. It's hot and humid and folks like to step inside to cool off, get a drink, etc. so we had no difficulty getting as much canal viewing as we liked.

[ar1950]

Both Baja deck and Caribe deck have fore and aft viewing decks with no obstructions at all. No blue glass. Nothing. We had an aft OV cabin and it was maybe 10 steps to the outer door. Excellent viewing to the rear. We made use of both the forward and aft viewing areas and the naturalist was stationed on one of the forward viewing areas and gave his commentary from there. It can get a bit crowded but people rotate in and out of the ship. It's hot and humid and folks like to step inside to cool off, get a drink, etc. so we had no difficulty getting as much canal viewing as we liked.

 

Ditto about the Baja and Caribe super-secret, forward viewing areas. We were on the Baja level most of the morning going through the first set of locks. The naturalist was doing his commentary from there and it was pretty crowded for most of the morning. A lot fewer people were up there for the second set of locks. We also checked out the back area and the Promenade while in the locks. Most interesting to see things from different perspectives. And, yes it does get hot.

 

BTW, carry some water and wear comfortable shoes (there's a lot of standing). And don't forget your camera(s) when you go out.

Edited October 13, 2016 by ar1950

[cb at sea]

You will NOT want to plant yourself on your balcony for the transit...you will miss 3/4 of the sights! Get out on the open decks...wander from side to side, front to back, upper decks to promenade....each view will be different and give you a totally different perspective!

 

And remember the sunscreen! You are only a few degrees off the equator...it's HOT and HUMID and the sun will toast you like overdone bacon!

[donaldsc]

When we did the Coral from LA to FLL, the best view IMO was from the Sun deck. Get there early; passengers pulled the chairs from the bar right up against the railing which prevented anyone else from getting close. (Unfortunately they also piled all their "stuff" on the chairs, then wandered off for breakfast/lunch/snacks - not sure if they actually used the chairs). It's pretty competitive. However, by the time you go through the afternoon set of locks, the novelty has worn off and you should have no trouble getting a good spot on the railing.

 

The other spot we really enjoyed was from the Promenade deck when we were going through the locks - you can practically reach out and touch the sides.

 

Why didn't you just move the chairs. Then play dumb when the people come back hours later and wonder where their chairs are.

 

DON

[Hockeylovinmom]

We had an aft balcony. It was awesome to see the locks close behind us as we passed through...very up close! Of course we could always move forward to see the advance passage. Another ship was passing through beside us in another lane and we had a great view of its progress.

 

 

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[diane.in.ny]

Definitely agree on the suggestion to spend part of your time on the Promenade deck. Great viewing from there.

 

Also agree about the issue of the blue glass. I was able to get my small camera between the panels and got some great shots.

 

I grabbed a cushion off a lounge chair. I slipped under the forward rail right up against an opening between the glass and laid the cushion on the deck to sit on. Spent most of the day there :)

[2islandhoppers]

 

Why didn't you just move the chairs. Then play dumb when the people come back hours later and wonder where their chairs are.

 

DON

 

We did after a reasonable time.

[MickeyandLV]

We did the canal this spring. We walked all around the ship and over many decks. We went up and down. Most interesting were the lower decks because then we were looking at the walls of the canal. Do not stay only on your balcony. We talked to people at dinner that spent the whole time on their balcony and they missed so much. We talked about everything we saw that day and the couple said they did not see any of it. The only suggestion about room selection is the sun. The canal runs north and south and we made sure we picked a room so that we had the least amount of sun during that day in case we wanted to be on our balcony.

[Summerprincess]

We did the canal this spring. We walked all around the ship and over many decks. We went up and down. Most interesting were the lower decks because then we were looking at the walls of the canal. Do not stay only on your balcony. We talked to people at dinner that spent the whole time on their balcony and they missed so much. We talked about everything we saw that day and the couple said they did not see any of it. The only suggestion about room selection is the sun. The canal runs north and south and we made sure we picked a room so that we had the least amount of sun during that day in case we wanted to be on our balcony.

Hi MickeyandLV,

Did you select a balcony on the port or starboard side to have the least amount of sun on your balcony when you went through the canal? Thank you for pointing this out! If you have any other thoughts/insight, I would greatly appreciate it you would share it with us! Thanks again!

[TitanSMES]

I am going on the Island Princess in December on the FLL to LA sailing. we have a port side cabin I used to live in Panama and most of the sights are on the port side going in that direction and vice versa from LA to FLL. On the starboard side you will see the Gatun Dam and some islands that are actually tops of mountains and a lot of jungle. As previously mentioned it is very hot and humid. The worst sunburn I ever got was on a local Panamanian "cruise" through the Canal.

 

 

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[wowzz]

I know this sounds blasphemous, but we did the transit this year, and, to be frank, it got a bit boring. Once you've gone through one lock, all the rest are much the same. Couldn't quite understand why some passengers wanted to spend so much time staring at a brick wall.

Perhaps I'm a bit biased, as we had a narrow boat in the UK, and going through locks built over 200 years ago made us a bit blasé.

 

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[TLCOhio]

When we did the Coral from LA to FLL, the best view IMO was from the Sun deck. Get there early; passengers pulled the chairs from the bar right up against the railing which prevented anyone else from getting close. (Unfortunately they also piled all their "stuff" on the chairs, then wandered off for breakfast/lunch/snacks - not sure if they actually used the chairs). It's pretty competitive. However, by the time you go through the afternoon set of locks, the novelty has worn off and you should have no trouble getting a good spot on the railing. The other spot we really enjoyed was from the Promenade deck when we were going through the locks - you can practically reach out and touch the sides.

 

We did a full crossing from LA to FLL in April 16 on Island. I found good views on Baja and Caribe all the way to the forward. I got outside at about 5 AM with a arrival time of 6:15AM at the canal. Also Coral has a couple aft decks that are neat to see the locks close. Normally both of those get busy.

 

Appreciate all of these postings and this great sharing. We are looking forward to do a Fort Lauderdale to San Francisco cruise through the Panama Canal in late February-early March 2017. This would be our first time for visiting Columbia, Panama Canal, Central America, etc.

 

Keep up the great posts, tips, secrets and ideas. Others have said to move around a decent amount in order to observe and photograph from varied angles.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Enjoyed a 14-day, Jan. 20-Feb. 3, 2014, Sydney to Auckland adventure, getting a big sampling for the wonders of "down under” before and after this cruise. Go to:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1974139

for more info and many pictures of these amazing sights in this great part of the world. Now at 157,373 views for this posting.

 

 

From the Princess website earlier this afternoon, here is their webcam showing the Coral Princess doing its transiting today through the Panama Canal. The second picture was posted on another Cruise Critic board by a friend who has had crossed through this famed canal earlier.:

 

 

 

[diane.in.ny]

I know this sounds blasphemous, but we did the transit this year, and, to be frank, it got a bit boring. Once you've gone through one lock, all the rest are much the same. Couldn't quite understand why some passengers wanted to spend so much time staring at a brick wall.

Perhaps I'm a bit biased, as we had a narrow boat in the UK, and going through locks built over 200 years ago made us a bit blasé.

 

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I understand your position. Watching the doors open and close, and the water rise and fall in the lock, is like watching paint dry.

 

But I read the book Path Between the Seas before our trip. I found it very interesting learning about the first attempts at building the canal and why the French couldn't do it. I looked at the countryside and tried to put myself there during that time frame.

 

I am extremely impressed by the idea that finally made the canal possible ... the damming of the river. I watched the mules and envisioned the time when animals actually were used. And then there are the mechanics of the canal. Such as the fact there are no pumps and those HUMUNGOUS doors actually float.

 

I would watch the people on shore on one side and the ships next to ours on the other side. No shortage of things to look.

 

I put all of these things into my experience and was so impressed the first time, that we are doing it again.

Edited October 14, 2016 by diane.in.ny

[golfb4cruzing]

We leave on the Coral, October 29th and are taking the Gatun Locks excursion. It is supposed to show up close the Canal in operation. Hopefully 96G is enough space for the day.

[ar1950]

Hi MickeyandLV,

Did you select a balcony on the port or starboard side to have the least amount of sun on your balcony when you went through the canal? Thank you for pointing this out! If you have any other thoughts/insight, I would greatly appreciate it you would share it with us! Thanks again!

 

Not MickeyandLV, however, we did the "Ocean to ocean" (meaning Atlantic to Pacific) this spring and had a port side balcony which meant that we had sun. If you are doing that direction and want shade chose a starboard side balcony. Going the other direction and want shade chose the port side. Look up above for our other thoughts. Hope this helps. :)

[diane.in.ny]

I think anyone worrying about the sun on their balcony is going to miss the big picture. There is just too much to see to spend much time on a cabin balcony. (And we had a balcony and have one on our upcoming cruise.)

 

This is definitely one of those days where you want to wander the ship to get views from every direction.