19-day Panama Canal cruise roundtrip from LA

[Cruiser411]

Hello,

 

We are considering sailing on September's 19-day roundtrip Panama Canal cruise from LA on Island Princess. Has anyone been on this cruise before? There are a lot of sea days (I'm not adverse to that), I've never been to any of the ports and have only done the partial transit from Ft. Lauderdale. Thoughts?

[BillB48]

Have not done that itin, but I think it is a great one... almost two complete transits!

[Cruiser411]

Have not done that itin, but I think it is a great one... almost two complete transits!

 

Well, from what I can tell, it's really just a partial transit from the Pacific side. The ship will traverse the Pacific locks and then overnight in Gatun Lake and then reverse course and transit the Pacific locks again.

[BillB48]

Exactly correct, the only part of the Canal you won't transit is Gatun Locks.

[Pam in CA]

I took this cruise in November and loved it. I would do it again. Interesting ports, lots to do on the sea days. There were enrichment lectures every sea day. The one I thoroughly enjoyed was a former British naval commander who talked each day about different aspects of WWII both in Europe and the Pacific.

 

I'd been to several of the ports before but there were several I'd hadn't. Took some terrific tours, both ship's and independent.

 

It was for the most part a hot and humid cruise. The one negative that had people upset was that the Panama Canal Authority kept changing the times we were scheduled to enter and depart the Canal. Tours in the Canal were very late to be posted which ticked some people off. Some even canceled the cruise as a result. Once we got to Gatun Lake, all tours that had been posted were canceled except for the tour to the new locks. I had hemmed and hawed whether to take the afternoon/evening or the morning tour. Finally decided on the evening tour which was a good thing because all of the 2nd day tours were canceled. The Authority changed our departure time to mid-morning which is why they were canceled. Then, the time was changed to early afternoon. We finally sailed back through the locks mid-afternoon. A lot of people were really angry that they hadn't had a chance to take a tour but it was out of Princess's control.

 

As I said, I had a great cruise and loved it. I booked the Sanctuary for the whole cruise. Only three of us did that. The Sanctuary was crowded only on Canal day.

 

Here's the itinerary and what I did:

 

11/16 Los Angeles

 

11/17 at sea

 

 

11/18 at sea

 

11/19 at sea

 

11/20 Huatulco (12N-7pm) -- (Princess) Las Brisas Resort 12:45-4:45pm (I canceled this and just stayed in the Sanctuary)

 

11/21 Puerto Chiapas (9am-6pm) -- (Princess) Izapa Maya Ruins & Tapachula 9:45-2:15pm (loved this tour)

 

11/22 Puerto Quetzal, Guatamala (7am-6pm) — (Princess) Lake Atitlan Cruise, Scenic Drive & Lunch 7:30-4:30pm (really loved this tour)

 

11/23 at sea

 

11/24 at sea

 

11/25 Panama Canal (6am)

 

11/26 Panama Canal (sail 2pm) (time changed several times)

 

11/27 at sea

 

11/28 Puntarenas, Costa Rica (8am-8pm) -- Poas Volcano, Sarchi, Country Drive & Lunch 8:15-4:45pm (really nice tour)

 

11/29 San Juan Del Sur, Nicaragua (7am-6pm) — private tour (Macua Tours)

 

11/30 at sea

 

12/1 at sea

 

12/2 Manzanillo (8am-5pm) -- Manzanillo City & Shopping 10-2pm (canceled this tour as well as I'd been there several times already)

 

12/3 at sea

 

12/4 at sea

 

12/5 Los Angeles

[Cruiser411]

I took this cruise in November and loved it. I would do it again. Interesting ports, lots to do on the sea days. There were enrichment lectures every sea day. The one I thoroughly enjoyed was a former British naval commander who talked each day about different aspects of WWII both in Europe and the Pacific.

 

I'd been to several of the ports before but there were several I'd hadn't. Took some terrific tours, both ship's and independent.

 

It was for the most part a hot and humid cruise. The one negative that had people upset was that the Panama Canal Authority kept changing the times we were scheduled to enter and depart the Canal. Tours in the Canal were very late to be posted which ticked some people off. Some even canceled the cruise as a result. Once we got to Gatun Lake, all tours that had been posted were canceled except for the tour to the new locks. I had hemmed and hawed whether to take the afternoon/evening or the morning tour. Finally decided on the evening tour which was a good thing because all of the 2nd day tours were canceled. The Authority changed our departure time to mid-morning which is why they were canceled. Then, the time was changed to early afternoon. We finally sailed back through the locks mid-afternoon. A lot of people were really angry that they hadn't had a chance to take a tour but it was out of Princess's control.

 

As I said, I had a great cruise and loved it. I booked the Sanctuary for the whole cruise. Only three of us did that. The Sanctuary was crowded only on Canal day.

 

Here's the itinerary and what I did:

 

11/16 Los Angeles

 

11/17 at sea

 

 

11/18 at sea

 

11/19 at sea

 

11/20 Huatulco (12N-7pm) -- (Princess) Las Brisas Resort 12:45-4:45pm (I canceled this and just stayed in the Sanctuary)

 

11/21 Puerto Chiapas (9am-6pm) -- (Princess) Izapa Maya Ruins & Tapachula 9:45-2:15pm (loved this tour)

 

11/22 Puerto Quetzal, Guatamala (7am-6pm) — (Princess) Lake Atitlan Cruise, Scenic Drive & Lunch 7:30-4:30pm (really loved this tour)

 

11/23 at sea

 

11/24 at sea

 

11/25 Panama Canal (6am)

 

11/26 Panama Canal (sail 2pm) (time changed several times)

 

11/27 at sea

 

11/28 Puntarenas, Costa Rica (8am-8pm) -- Poas Volcano, Sarchi, Country Drive & Lunch 8:15-4:45pm (really nice tour)

 

11/29 San Juan Del Sur, Nicaragua (7am-6pm) — private tour (Macua Tours)

 

11/30 at sea

 

12/1 at sea

 

12/2 Manzanillo (8am-5pm) -- Manzanillo City & Shopping 10-2pm (canceled this tour as well as I'd been there several times already)

 

12/3 at sea

 

12/4 at sea

 

12/5 Los Angeles

 

Wow! Pam, thank you so much for your insight. I appreciate the detail. The itinerary is the same, so thank you also for the excursion recommendations.

[erni]

Pam. Thanks for the information. Do you remember which nights were formal

Thanks

Sue

 

Sent from my SM-G928V using Forums mobile app

[#55worktoplay]

Where is the best place to stay for 2 or 3 nights pre cruise?

[JF - retired RRT]

Where is the best place to stay for 2 or 3 nights pre cruise?

There are 4 hotels close to the port that get fair to good reviews and lots of CC cruisers staying there.

1) DoubleTree - very nice and a decent price if you book early. Shuttle to the port is very organized.

2) Crown Plaza - very close to the port, nice rooms, horrible elevators, staff was disorganized and some were rude the one time we stayed there. Shuttle to the port is disorganized & may not be included in the price (the package go booked under had "free "shuttle, not sure if they all do).

3) Best Western Plus - never stayed there. It gets pretty good reviews and is less expensive than the other 2.

4) Sunrise Hotel - close to the Crown Plaza & the port, never stayed there.

There are probably others that I'm not aware of.

[#55worktoplay]

There are 4 hotels close to the port that get fair to good reviews and lots of CC cruisers staying there.

1) DoubleTree - very nice and a decent price if you book early. Shuttle to the port is very organized.

2) Crown Plaza - very close to the port, nice rooms, horrible elevators, staff was disorganized and some were rude the one time we stayed there. Shuttle to the port is disorganized & may not be included in the price (the package go booked under had "free "shuttle, not sure if they all do).

3) Best Western Plus - never stayed there. It gets pretty good reviews and is less expensive than the other 2.

4) Sunrise Hotel - close to the Crown Plaza & the port, never stayed there.

There are probably others that I'm not aware of.

 

Thx are these locations near the tourist attractions like Beverly Hills, Universal, Venice Beach etc?

[JF - retired RRT]

Thx are these locations near the tourist attractions like Beverly Hills, Universal, Venice Beach etc?

NO. Pull up Map Quest and enter the address for the port. Then choose any of the tourist attractions you wish to visit. You'll see there are some fairly long distances involved...on the LA freeways.:eek::mad:

If you want to see some of those places, your best bet is to stay in a hotel IN LA for a couple of days, do your sightseeing and then take a taxi/rental car to San Pedro.

The closest tourist attraction to San Pedro is the Queen Mary in Long Beach.

[Colo Cruiser]

Where is the best place to stay for 2 or 3 nights pre cruise?

 

 

Long Beach. Not a fan of San Pedro hotels.

[TimeTwoGo]

When we did this partial transit from Ft. Lauderdale aboard the Island Princess in 2009, there was a tour option to board a small vessel in Lake Gatun, go through the remaining locks to the Atlantic side, and then return from near Panama City via bus. Actually, it was interesting to compare the perspective in the locks from the water level aboard the small boat to the aerial view from our balcony. For of a two-for-one experience, with a full-transit to boot!

[Sea Hag]

When we did this partial transit from Ft. Lauderdale aboard the Island Princess in 2009, there was a tour option to board a small vessel in Lake Gatun, go through the remaining locks to the Atlantic side, and then return from near Panama City via bus. Actually, it was interesting to compare the perspective in the locks from the water level aboard the small boat to the aerial view from our balcony. For of a two-for-one experience, with a full-transit to boot!

 

That sounds truly amazing! Must have been wonderful going through the locks. :)

[riclop]

Sounds like a great long cruise.

[GoHuskies!]

I went through the locks on a trip from LA to New Orleans, the first ship arriving in NOLA after hurricane Katrina. In some respects this trip, round trip from LA, may be more interesting going through Panama. We will turn around in Gatun lake, true, but the Gatun Locks are the only thing we will miss. The lake is way along the route through Panama (just look at a map of Panama), so that when we turn we will have seen nearly the entire route, and then get to see it again on the way back, and on the other side of the ship. The ship will be quite a way through Gatun Lake before it will have enough room in the dredged channel to turn around. The lake itself is a place to see many ships of different types, waiting their turn to go through locks--and also to kill some saltwater growth on their bottoms, I suppose. Also, the Gatun locks are a single set and open immediately into the Caribbean, whereas the Miraflores locks and the Pedro Miguel locks are more extensive and in my mind, more interesting, including the Bridge of the Americas, the Centennial bridge and more shoreside activities. The ship traffic in the Lake will include those who are now using the new, expanded locks in addition to ours. So when I first thought about this cruise I was sorry we would miss the Gatun locks--but when I pulled out my pictures and notes from my other cruise, I realized that the great interest will be what we see on this cruise. I think we will all enjoy the cruise.

Jim

 

[Ferndale Girl]

I took this cruise in November and loved it. I would do it again. Interesting ports, lots to do on the sea days. There were enrichment lectures every sea day. The one I thoroughly enjoyed was a former British naval commander who talked each day about different aspects of WWII both in Europe and the Pacific.

 

I'd been to several of the ports before but there were several I'd hadn't. Took some terrific tours, both ship's and independent.

 

It was for the most part a hot and humid cruise. The one negative that had people upset was that the Panama Canal Authority kept changing the times we were scheduled to enter and depart the Canal. Tours in the Canal were very late to be posted which ticked some people off. Some even canceled the cruise as a result. Once we got to Gatun Lake, all tours that had been posted were canceled except for the tour to the new locks. I had hemmed and hawed whether to take the afternoon/evening or the morning tour. Finally decided on the evening tour which was a good thing because all of the 2nd day tours were canceled. The Authority changed our departure time to mid-morning which is why they were canceled. Then, the time was changed to early afternoon. We finally sailed back through the locks mid-afternoon. A lot of people were really angry that they hadn't had a chance to take a tour but it was out of Princess's control.

 

As I said, I had a great cruise and loved it. I booked the Sanctuary for the whole cruise. Only three of us did that. The Sanctuary was crowded only on Canal day.

 

Here's the itinerary and what I did:

 

11/16 Los Angeles

 

11/17 at sea

 

 

11/18 at sea

 

11/19 at sea

 

11/20 Huatulco (12N-7pm) -- (Princess) Las Brisas Resort 12:45-4:45pm (I canceled this and just stayed in the Sanctuary)

 

11/21 Puerto Chiapas (9am-6pm) -- (Princess) Izapa Maya Ruins & Tapachula 9:45-2:15pm (loved this tour)

 

11/22 Puerto Quetzal, Guatamala (7am-6pm) — (Princess) Lake Atitlan Cruise, Scenic Drive & Lunch 7:30-4:30pm (really loved this tour)

 

11/23 at sea

 

11/24 at sea

 

11/25 Panama Canal (6am)

 

11/26 Panama Canal (sail 2pm) (time changed several times)

 

11/27 at sea

 

11/28 Puntarenas, Costa Rica (8am-8pm) -- Poas Volcano, Sarchi, Country Drive & Lunch 8:15-4:45pm (really nice tour)

 

11/29 San Juan Del Sur, Nicaragua (7am-6pm) — private tour (Macua Tours)

 

11/30 at sea

 

12/1 at sea

 

12/2 Manzanillo (8am-5pm) -- Manzanillo City & Shopping 10-2pm (canceled this tour as well as I'd been there several times already)

 

12/3 at sea

 

12/4 at sea

 

12/5 Los Angeles

 

Pam...we are signed up for this cruise in September. We did the full transit from LA to Ft Lauderdale twice but haven't been to Panama City. As of now there aren't any excursions listed for the two Panama Canal days. Do you think they will offer an excursion to Panama City? From this post it looks like if it had been scheduled it was canceled.