Panama Canal : Is a Balcony essential??

[anniegb]

Hi All

 

Solo traveler currently booked on the Star in an Aft Balcony with OBC and UBP.

 

After the azipod incidents, I am considering other lines but budget will stretch only to an inside.

 

Question is a balcony a must for a Panama cruise??

 

 

Thanks in advance

 

Annie

[BostonGal35]

i researched this as we will be on the Star next April for the full transit.

 

from what ive read, you want to experience the transit from all over the ship. front, back, high decks, low decks.

 

we sprung for a family suite wtih no balcony (just huge windows and space) since it would be a 2 week sail. i imagine we will be on decks all over the ship most of the day.

[spidybabe]

A balcony for Panama Canal would be a waste. As already stated you need to be out on deck (forward or aft is best) to really experience the canal. We were up at 5 am and got out on the bow of the crew deck (they open it for viewing ). Unbelievable, and did the reverse from the great outdoors- aft view. A balcony would miss the total concept of the wonders of the canal.

Safe sailing

[Turtles06]

Hi All

 

Solo traveler currently booked on the Star in an Aft Balcony with OBC and UBP.

 

After the azipod incidents, I am considering other lines but budget will stretch only to an inside.

 

Question is a balcony a must for a Panama cruise??

 

 

Thanks in advance

 

Annie

 

Personally, I think a balcony is a "must" for any cruise. :)

 

Are you talking about an aft-facing balcony? In that case, you'd have some very wonderful views of the locks and the gates opening and closing, without having to fight others for them. But in any event, regardless of where your cabin is, as noted above you'll want to experience the transit of the Canal from different perspectives on the ship. High, low, forward, aft, midships.

 

We did a full transit of the Canal earlier this year on the Jewel. In the event that the info may be helpful to you, here's my review with photos:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2456255

 

You mentioned that you are considering other lines because of the Star's azipod issues, but have you considered other NCL ships?

 

Whatever you decide, have a great trip. The Canal is amazing.

[Até]

I agree it is best to move about the ship for multiple views, but the Star is lacking in good public observation points. The limited ones available will be crowded, so having the aft balcony on the Star would be beneficial. Knowing which other ships you are looking at would help.

[crayola1932]

I think the Promenade Deck is the best place to be over the long term--lots of good company, but not too crowded. There are lots of other places you'll want to be during the day: the bow, up top.

If you normally don't like to pay for a balcony, this is not the cruise where I would make an exception. Your view from the balcony is too limited. That said, it IS a long day, and I did like being able to retreat to my balcony cabin to rest but still know what's going on outside.

[Seanote]

We had an aft balcony. Although we spent some time around the ship and on the bow, most of the time was spent on the balcony (with the cabin TV on the "bow cam" channel for forward views). The best part of the balcony cabin was was the air conditioning you could immediately step into without loosing much of the view. The Canal is in the jungle and the heat indices are over 100F/38C. The short time we spent on the bow, in the sun, we almost melted.

[my_crib_too]

On our PC cruise, we had a port hole room on the 4th floor and paid almost nothing for it. Except for sleeping, didn't spend almost a moment in the room. As we entered, went though, and finally existed the canal, we were all over the ship. Listening to the narration the entire time. No, I don't think that a balcony would be essential.

[Turtles06]

I agree it is best to move about the ship for multiple views, but the Star is lacking in good public observation points. The limited ones available will be crowded, so having the aft balcony on the Star would be beneficial. Knowing which other ships you are looking at would help.

 

Yup, I hate what NCL did to the Spinnaker lounge. And there's no Great Outdoors (which on the Jewel provided an excellent rear-facing perspective during the transit). For those who have sailed the Star, is there any similar public spot for aft-facing views?

 

OP: posters above are correct --- it is HOT HOT HOT in Panama. And if you have a sunny day (as we did), standing out on the bow in the hot sun for any length of time I suspect will be brutal.

[NMLady]

On the Sun we had a porthole cabin for our transit but on the Star we had an inside cabin. I agree that the Star has no really good public place for viewing. What we did was watch our entrance into the locks on the ship channel in our cabin. Then we walked around the ship to various places including window seats near Gatsby's, finding a spot on the promenade, later finding a vacant spot by buffet window, and even later finding a spot at bow.

Walking around to various views gave a much better understanding of the canal than just view from balcony.

[mugtech]

The Sun was great for viewing the PC from all over the ship, and from what I have seen any Jewel class ship would be as good for same. Entering the locks happens early in the morning, the heat is not too bad until after 9 AM.

[Até]

For those who have sailed the Star, is there any similar public spot for aft-facing views?

 

Both deck 12 at the aft kids pool area and the deck 13 aft sun deck, but just as with deck 13 forward there is little to no shade.

[spanishguy1970]

not really, I have done the Panama Canal twice both inside cabin. In fact one of them on the NCL Star. I always take the Spa Thermal suite option, get there early and have full view of the crossing..but that is just my personal experience.

[cb at sea]

You do NOT want to stay on your balcony, even if you have one! There is so much to see from all sides of the ship. And, different levels give you a totally different "perspective"...so no, you don't NEED a balcony!

[grouchomarx]

I sailed the Panama Canal once and had booked a balcony cabin specifically for viewing. I found it very useful and was glad to have it. We entered the locks in the weeeeee hours of the morning, before sunrise. I would not have wanted to get fully dressed to go walk around in public spaces. I was happy to be in my jammies on my own balcony and then fall right back into bed once the event was finished.

[anniegb]

I agree it is best to move about the ship for multiple views, but the Star is lacking in good public observation points. The limited ones available will be crowded, so having the aft balcony on the Star would be beneficial. Knowing which other ships you are looking at would help.

 

Thanks for your reply.

 

I am considering the Celebrity Infinity but an inside cabin will cost as much as my aft balcony on the Star.

 

Annie

[SandyAtSea]

My advice is to keep the balcony. Looks like the Star is doing the full transit. If you were on a partial transit, I would agree you wouldn't need it because you only go through one set of locks and like everyone else says, you need to be all over the ship. But on a full transit you're going to be going through the Canal all day and I think you're going to want to enjoy at least part of the day on your own balcony and view the scenery from there. You can keep track of where you are on the bow cam and go out and about when you get to the next set of locks or bridge or whatever interests you.

[anniegb]

My advice is to keep the balcony. Looks like the Star is doing the full transit. If you were on a partial transit, I would agree you wouldn't need it because you only go through one set of locks and like everyone else says, you need to be all over the ship. But on a full transit you're going to be going through the Canal all day and I think you're going to want to enjoy at least part of the day on your own balcony and view the scenery from there. You can keep track of where you are on the bow cam and go out and about when you get to the next set of locks or bridge or whatever interests you.

 

Thanks - very helpful.

 

I am vertically challenged and concerned my view from the 'open decks' could be blocked by taller people.

 

Annie

[Ktuluorion]

I know you are a solo traveler, so this may not help as much, but I highly recommend the AFT Facing Penthouse category. We sprung quite a bit more for this, and were extremely happy we did.

 

We sailed with my parents and sister/her husband, and they were all in non-suite cabins. We had the butler bring a spread of food for the canal day, and all went out on the oversized balcony that directly faced the locks. We had privacy, food, and an ability to easily move in and out of the air conditioning (which was great in the very hot & humid heat of Panama).

 

Frankly, I was really glad we sprung for this room for the reasons above, and would most likely book the same room if I do Panama Canal again.

 

YMMV as a solo traveler, as a lot of the perks for me were based on being able to allow my family to enjoy as well.

[anniegb]

I know you are a solo traveler, so this may not help as much, but I highly recommend the AFT Facing Penthouse category. We sprung quite a bit more for this, and were extremely happy we did.

 

We sailed with my parents and sister/her husband, and they were all in non-suite cabins. We had the butler bring a spread of food for the canal day, and all went out on the oversized balcony that directly faced the locks. We had privacy, food, and an ability to easily move in and out of the air conditioning (which was great in the very hot & humid heat of Panama).

 

Frankly, I was really glad we sprung for this room for the reasons above, and would most likely book the same room if I do Panama Canal again.

 

YMMV as a solo traveler, as a lot of the perks for me were based on being able to allow my family to enjoy as well.

 

I wish but the premium for that room is 300% of my current price.

 

Annie

[Oakman58]

My advice is to keep the balcony. Looks like the Star is doing the full transit. If you were on a partial transit, I would agree you wouldn't need it because you only go through one set of locks and like everyone else says, you need to be all over the ship. But on a full transit you're going to be going through the Canal all day and I think you're going to want to enjoy at least part of the day on your own balcony and view the scenery from there. You can keep track of where you are on the bow cam and go out and about when you get to the next set of locks or bridge or whatever interests you.

 

Excellent advice.

[Cuervosar]

A balcony is the only way to do a cruise, let alone the canal. Think about it, how many times are you going to do this trip?

 

Probably only once, let's get it right.

 

Odd that there is the perception that if I have a balcony, I'm just going to stay there all day. Wrong. The balcony is your private oasis to get away from the meandering horde and have your own private spot to gaze out upon Lake Gatun sans everybody else's sweaty armpits.

 

Plus, you have it for the whole cruise.

 

Hello room service balcony breakfast on port days!

 

Here is how the canal day works. Wake up around 5:00 am and get to the top of the ship or see the sun rise over the canal. If you're going east to west, there is a long entrance channel. It's wonderfully calm. As the day progresses, roam around as you will, but after the first series of locks is complete, retreat to your balcony for lunch and cocktails with your feet up on the rail as you watch the jungle scenery go by.

 

The transit across the lake takes hours and the ship speed is relatively slow so it is amazingly relaxing to just chill and watch it go by without a worry on your own balcony. Too hot? Duck back into your cool room.

 

The balcony is an awesome place to be while in the locks. You'll be right there to see the work going on, see other ships in the lock next to you or the people on shore. And you won't be next to 200 of your newest sweaty friends.

 

As the day goes on, roam around the ship a bit to take it all in, and then when you've had enough of the crowds again, guess what? You get to go back to your balcony, where the views, your drinks, your cabin, your camera and your binoculars are all there at your disposal.

 

Balcony cabin, It's the only way to fly. Err, cruise.

[anniegb]

A balcony is the only way to do a cruise, let alone the canal. Think about it, how many times are you going to do this trip?

 

Probably only once, let's get it right.

 

Odd that there is the perception that if I have a balcony, I'm just going to stay there all day. Wrong. The balcony is your private oasis to get away from the meandering horde and have your own private spot to gaze out upon Lake Gatun sans everybody else's sweaty armpits.

 

Plus, you have it for the whole cruise.

 

Hello room service balcony breakfast on port days!

 

Here is how the canal day works. Wake up around 5:00 am and get to the top of the ship or see the sun rise over the canal. If you're going east to west, there is a long entrance channel. It's wonderfully calm. As the day progresses, roam around as you will, but after the first series of locks is complete, retreat to your balcony for lunch and cocktails with your feet up on the rail as you watch the jungle scenery go by.

 

The transit across the lake takes hours and the ship speed is relatively slow so it is amazingly relaxing to just chill and watch it go by without a worry on your own balcony. Too hot? Duck back into your cool room.

 

The balcony is an awesome place to be while in the locks. You'll be right there to see the work going on, see other ships in the lock next to you or the people on shore. And you won't be next to 200 of your newest sweaty friends.

 

As the day goes on, roam around the ship a bit to take it all in, and then when you've had enough of the crowds again, guess what? You get to go back to your balcony, where the views, your drinks, your cabin, your camera and your binoculars are all there at your disposal.

 

Balcony cabin, It's the only way to fly. Err, cruise.

 

Thanks - I'll hold onto my Aft Balcony.

 

Thanks everyone

 

Annie

[SeahawkSiren]

Thanks - I'll hold onto my Aft Balcony.

 

Thanks everyone

 

Annie

 

So glad you decided to keep your aft balcony. You won't regret it. We sailed in an aft mini suite on the Sun for the full transit back in October. It was incredible! The views were magnificent! We did go out to other areas on the ship during the transit but ended up spending most of the time on our balcony. It was so nice to be away from the crowds and have everything you need close at hand in your cabin.

 

And of course the Panama Canal transit is only one day of your cruise. You have it for the entire cruise! We also really enjoyed it on at sea days. The colors in the water from the wake are mesmerizing. It is also a great location for stargazing at night.

 

My review is here if you are interested. There are plenty of canal photos so you can get an idea of how awesome the views were from the aft. Enjoy your cruise. It was a bucket list cruise for us and so glad we got to experience it!

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2420223

[Ktuluorion]

Thanks - I'll hold onto my Aft Balcony.

 

Thanks everyone

 

Annie

 

Yes if you are aft facing that is definitely the correct call. You'll get to see the locks filling/emptying which is really cool, and you can get great pics!