Review - Norwegian Jade - March 12 - 23, 2018 - Panama Canal

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Review Continued - Ports:

 

Colon, Panama - we docked here basically so that we could pick up returnees from their Panama Canal excursions. A comedian later said it is pronounced “Colon” like the end of a large intestine or “Cologne” a perfume. Let’s just say the former is what it is! This was the worse port I’ve ever seen - I’ve seen rough areas in Puerto Rico and some other islands, but you don’t usually see these areas where a ship docks? We were there only an hour and a half. We did get off the ship and it looks like they may be trying to fix it up, but it is pretty grim. You have to wonder where those Panama Canal tolls are going!!! It was a neat view upon entry into the port and from the ship as it is a working cargo port. My husband is a former electrician so you’ll see what interested him in the pictures below.

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[soccermomkat]

Review Continued - Ports:

 

Colon, Panama - we docked here basically so that we could pick up returnees from their Panama Canal excursions. A comedian later said it is pronounced “Colon” like the end of a large intestine or “Cologne” a perfume. Let’s just say the former is what it is! This was the worse port I’ve ever seen - I’ve seen rough areas in Puerto Rico and some other islands, but you don’t usually see these areas where a ship docks? We were there only an hour and a half. We did get off the ship and it looks like they may be trying to fix it up, but it is pretty grim. You have to wonder where those Panama Canal tolls are going!!! It was a neat view upon entry into the port and from the ship as it is a working cargo port. My husband is a former electrician so you’ll see what interested him in the pictures below.

 

I’ll chime in here about my excursion. We did the railroad tour and were less than impressed. First, this was the only time we tendered (thank goodness) and it was a mess. Everyone that had a tour met in the theater which was overcrowded and stuffy. People were standing in the very warm theater and not taking the few empty seats. When our tour was called we joined several hundred others in a slow moving “line” to the tenders. It took at least 30 minutes to work our way to one of the 2 tenders they were loading. This had us getting off to a late start for our tour. I would have to say the highlight of this tour was being able to see the new locks. Other than that, I could have skipped a boring train ride followed by a claustrophobic bus ride (my knees we in the back of the seat in front of me) to see Panama City. A quick stop at a tiny shopping center across the causeway from the city, and then back to Colon to wait for the ship to port.

 

Sorry to hi-jack your review!

[Leafpeeper]

Sounds like your cruise on Jade was better than mine on Star. I am interested in what ports you visited. Many people on our cruise on Star were disappointed with many of the ports. I suggest ship excursions for safety on the Panama Canal cruise. We made the mistake of taking a cab to the beach in Guatemala and had to return to the ship for safety. The cab driver warned us San Jose, Guatemala is very dangerous. The city was lined with police holding machine guns. People who took ship excursions had no problems.

 

Does the Jade have the Spinnaker Lounge in the front of the ship to view the Canal crossing? We were so disappointed that the Star had converted the original Spinnaker Lounge in the front of the ship into cabins and moved the Spinnaker to the back of the ship above the dining room. I suggest the Gem's Panama Canal Cruise next year because they have the Spinnaker in the front of the ship. It is perfect for viewing the Canal. We were so hot as we passed thru the Canal (95) that I would have loved an air conditioned Spinnaker up front to sit and enjoy the experience. Also, the Great Outdoors on the back of the Gem is a great place to sit and relax. Nice bar there and small buffet area.

 

Will read more as you post.

[Keith1010]

Great review.

Keith

[Notnewtoit]

Great review, please keep it coming!

 

BTW... did anyone here do the excursion from Gatun to the second set (Pacific) locks? We're mulling that when when we do this cruise later in 2018.

 

Interesting that you said the return journey was more impressive than the inbound...

[Turtles06]

Sounds like your cruise on Jade was better than mine on Star. I am interested in what ports you visited. Many people on our cruise on Star were disappointed with many of the ports. I suggest ship excursions for safety on the Panama Canal cruise. We made the mistake of taking a cab to the beach in Guatemala and had to return to the ship for safety. The cab driver warned us San Jose, Guatemala is very dangerous. The city was lined with police holding machine guns. People who took ship excursions had no problems.

 

Does the Jade have the Spinnaker Lounge in the front of the ship to view the Canal crossing? We were so disappointed that the Star had converted the original Spinnaker Lounge in the front of the ship into cabins and moved the Spinnaker to the back of the ship above the dining room. I suggest the Gem's Panama Canal Cruise next year because they have the Spinnaker in the front of the ship. It is perfect for viewing the Canal. We were so hot as we passed thru the Canal (95) that I would have loved an air conditioned Spinnaker up front to sit and enjoy the experience. Also, the Great Outdoors on the back of the Gem is a great place to sit and relax. Nice bar there and small buffet area.

 

Will read more as you post.

 

The Jade, like the Gem and the Jewel, have the original Spinnaker's in the bow. I'm sorry you were not aware that this lounge was moved quite some time ago on the Star, to make way for suites. It's a big negative about the Star imho.

 

As for your suggestion that people use ship's tours in the ports on a Panama Canal cruise for reasons of safety, I totally disagree with that as a generality. At some ports, some of the areas of interest (like Antigua de Guatemala) are far from the port, and thus it's a good idea to use the ship's transportation there and back, but there are many terrific private tour operators in the ports often visited on a Panama Canal cruise. A little research here on CC and elsewhere will yield the names.

 

In another thread, you've posted the same thing about police with machine guns in Guatemala. As noted in the replies to you on that other thread, this is a fact of life all over the world, including in places like Paris. Doesn't mean it's not safe to visit.

 

Our full transit of the Canal last year on the NCL Jewel was a fantastic trip; we did a mix of private tours, ship's tours, and DIY. People should not be scared off about taking such a trip.

Edited April 2, 2018 by Turtles06

[Turtles06]

My only regret is that we did not do a full transit - I would have loved to see the Culebra Cut - the dug out part of the Canal. I had a great day here.

 

OP: thanks for your review and photos! So glad you had such a wonderful time. Here's a photo for you that I took last year in the Culebra Cut (this is at the continental divide). You'll just have to go back and do a full transit!

 

 

This was the new Atlantic Bridge in January 2017; interesting to see from your photos how much progress has been made!

 

 

 

(photos by turtles06)

[projecthandbag]

Soccermomkat - sorry to hear your excursion wasn't as good as it sounded.

Leafpeeper - yes, Jade still has the Spinnaker Lounge in the bow. Sounds like they are all eventually being made into money making opportunities: suites.

Notnewtoit - I wish I had done the Gatun to Pacific excursion. I think I liked the going back "down" through the locks as my vantage point was better. Somehow being up high and looking down at other ships seemed more impressive. I was fascinated by that orange gas pipeline ship. You have to laugh at the "No Smoking" painted on the ship.

Turtles06- Wow - thanks for the picture of the Culebra Cut! I am going there someday. (My husband doesn't know this yet). ha. Also, great to see how far the bridge has come. We got a kick out of watching all the cars on the mainland race for the lock bridge before it was closed.

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Review Continued Ports:

Limon, Costa Rica - We went ashore in the morning. We walked the gauntlet of tour operators to get to the artisan’s market. The market was very nice and the vendors were not too aggressive. I bought beautiful wooden hanging birds, see picture below, for 3 for $10.00. I wish I had purchased more as I never saw them again at the other ports - who knows maybe they were mass-produced somewhere else, but I liked them. After we left the market to go outside, we were approached by yet more tour operators who went after my husband. After we told them we had no money with us, they wanted us to go into town and they kept saying it was “very safe”. We choose to return to the ship. I didn't take any pictures here except for a tanker. . .

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[cknic]

I'm really enjoying your wonderful review. We are on the Jade 4/1/19 and looking forward to the experience.

[carefree20]

I'm really enjoying your wonderful review. We are on the Jade 4/1/19 and looking forward to the experience.

 

Yes, this is a fantastic review. We are also on the Jade 4/1/19!

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Review Continued - Ports

 

Coxen Hole - Roatan, Honduras - We had docked at the Mahogany Bay pier on a prior visit with Princess so we were disappointed in the NCL pier. It was a quaint little pier with musicians and dancers on the dock. There was a marketplace with typical goods. I visited the Victor Boden tour stand and they told me they would take the four of us to the beach for $10.00 each way per person and the taxi would wait for us. I really wanted to do this, but our friends thought it was too expensive so we passed. Compared to a ship’s excursion, I thought this was a great deal and I’ve read positive things about the tour operator on CC.

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Santo Thomas De Castilla, Guatemala

 

I had read about this port on CC. The verdict was “why does NCL even stop here?” I’d have to agree. Perhaps if you had an excursion you would disagree. This is a huge industrial shipping port! There were many containers, cranes and lots of ships on the horizon. There is also a military presence/base here. It was very humid and upon our arrival we were seeing lots of trash in the water. The dock area was all pavement. We did disembark and saw lots of hot passengers wearing life jackets waiting for boats. There was a market - yes, indeed! You could not move without being approached - well, really accosted! It was another gauntlet - the worst yet. I think people would buy their goods if you could just look. I was trying to ignore the vendors, but that felt rude so I began going down that first long aisle looking each person in the eye, waving and saying “Hola!” “Good Morning”, smiling and moving - keep it moving or you will be captured! I felt like Mrs. Maine in our Fourth of July parade on the back of a car. ha ha. Somehow that technique worked and the vendors seemed confused. On the second aisle my husband was not so fortunate. I turned to look for him and a lady had caught him and was trying to sell him placemats. He looked at me with pleading, sad eyes to save him and I made the snap decision it was every man for themselves and kept moving, smiling and waving. He eventually escaped without purchasing placemats and we went back to the ship. We spent quite awhile on the highest bow deck watching the cranes and trucks, that was very interesting, but hot so my husband took a shower. When the ship left the port, there were lots of people and children lined up behind a yellow line to watch the ship leave.

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[Turtles06]

Santo Thomas De Castilla, Guatemala . . .

On the second aisle my husband was not so fortunate. I turned to look for him and a lady had caught him and was trying to sell him placemats. He looked at me with pleading, sad eyes to save him and I made the snap decision it was every man for themselves and kept moving, smiling and waving. He eventually escaped without purchasing placemats and we went back to the ship.

 

Love it!! ;p

[kiminey65]

I was on this cruise as well. We had three memorable bar tenders who worked mostly at the pool bar during the day and then at the whiskey/martini/wine bars in the evening. Miguel Francis was fantastic. He always remembered us as my husbands name is Francis. He went out of his way to get us drinks evevn when he didn’t have ready access to ingedients. The other two were Michard and Ray. They were crazy, funny yet professional at the same time. Enjoy!

 

 

My husband & I were also on this cruise. Mid 50's in age, and YES. An "older" crowd for sure, but we really enjoyed ourselves! The bartenders we enjoyed were in the martini bar (usually) names, Richard, Francisco(?) and Ray... Naughty boys, or as they said "The Bad Boys 3" LOL. They were very willing to make a drink of your choice. Or theirs! It was a good time and so glad my husband stuck to our schedule to see that evening's show, I would have gotten "white girl wasted" for sure had I stuck those those bad boys.

 

This partial transit cruise with visits to Central America has me wanting and waiting to go on a full transit sometime in the future. I'd love to visit those ports again but on the Pacific side. Great review OP! We too enjoyed breakfast at the Great Outdoors, entirely agree with you about the the acrobatic couple! And we also upgraded (With World Points) to a balcony at about 7 weeks prior to sailing. Yes, a small cabin but adequate for two & the balcony was a little bigger than the Away class ships. We'd cruise on the Jewel class ships again.

[kiminey65]

 

 

We actually really enjoyed our tour in Guatemala. We booked 5 excursions of the 6 stops. Only Panama's was through the ship. And I agree that Colon port was a big joke! Once we were returned in Panema from our tour with Embera Indians, we shopped or meandered (whatever anyone wants to call it) for a total of 10 minutes before we had seen it all. What a waste is right! For our stop in Guatemala I googled shore trips dot com and found very good, accredited tours that we were very happy with. Not cheap btw, but we were in that group you mentioned wearing life jackets to get on boats. We did a humanitarian tour of Guatemala and liked it a lot! Visited a school, a home a hotel (owned by tour owner, (Go-With-Gus) where we had a delicious lunch, walked the town of Livingston and visited a fish market, and were safely returned to the pier with time to shop. I also agree venders were pushier than I am comfortable with. Other than the expense of that many excursions, we are very glad we did all that we did.

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Review continued

Harvest Caye, Belize - we loved our day here. It’s a sanitized, Disneyesque area. We enjoyed the huge pool and there were enough lounge chairs for everyone, I bet only 1/4 of them were occupied. We went swimming in the ocean and it was calm, nice and warm. There was a little shopping village, a restaurant and nice restrooms. They also had a little nature area with a couple of birds and a butterfly enclosure. We went out in the morning, back to the ship for lunch and a drink and went back to swim in the afternoon. It was a longish walk on the pier but they had carts for people who needed a lift. I didn’t take any pictures here but there are tons online including videos.

Costa Maya, Mexico. There were three ships in port, NCL Dawn and a Celebrity ship. We were the last ship to dock. It was crowded and hot in the port area. They had the guys that climb a pole and come down on ropes like a maypole unwinding. They also had some free “shows” with music and pirates. We watched dolphins for quite a while and that was interesting (and free!) There were many shops, the pools were busy. The shop owners were a little aggressive, but not on the level as in Guatemala! One shop owner told me I should come into his shop for the “halibut”. ha ha. I had read that you can take a shuttle to town or the beach for $2.00 which we intended to do, but ended up going back on the ship.

There were lots of Veterans on board, including our friend who served in Vietnam. It was nice when others recognized them for their service or veterans greeted each other and said “Welcome Back!”

 

Check out Deck 11 Port Forward for a view of the Bridge!

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Review Continued

Disembarkation. It was chilly in Miami - boo! Disembarkation was the typical madness, perhaps a little better than usual. The buffet was busy for breakfast - I like going to the dining room for the last breakfast but we didn’t do that this time. We had put our big bags out the night before and just had carryons. We chose the walk-off disembarkation and stood outside on deck for a bit. Found our luggage easily and went through customs very fast. We waited for our pre-arranged transfer to the airport ($10.00 per person) for a while. Uber XL was expensive I thought, $40.00.

All in all, this was one of the best cruises I’ve taken. I really enjoyed writing this (long!) review and will do more. I realized I should have taken more pictures and taken names of the great staff members I met. Thank you everyone for you kind comments too!

Next up this summer:

NCL Star - Venice, Greece, Croatia and Montenegro! We are going with another couple and my friend takes lots of pictures so I’ll be covered. This is my first trip to the other side of the world! We are staying in Venice two nights pre-cruise and have excursions purchased for each port so it will be a busy cruise.

NCL Dawn - Bermuda - This will be my 4th trip on the Dawn to Bermuda. I absolutely LOVE this cruise. I will see it with new eyes as I’m going with six cruise newbies. Will I survive the cruise with a drink package with my adult kids, their friends and my Mom? That’s the big question. We have lots of plans such as “alter ego” night: dressing up as someone else; dancing every night, a slot pull, a scavenger hunt and checking out that pirate ship at the dock. And, we will go to Horseshoe Bay!!! Yay! I love Bermuda!