Jump to content
Cruise Critic Community

Transit of panama canal

charltonkerry

By charltonkerry,
in Regent Seven Seas Cruises

 Share

Recommended Posts

d9704011

d9704011

Posted
Posted (edited)
6 minutes ago, charltonkerry said:

Just wondering what is the best side (port or starboard) of the ship to view the engineering aspects of this And also what deck. Or is it up on the deck for the best view. Thanks in advance.

There is too much to see from a cabin verandah or a fixed viewing position on one side of the ship.  Suggest you plan on roaming around on upper decks and/or looking for a high spot facing forward.  Often, there are spots on a ship where space is available for seating and the transit is narrated; this provides plenty of context but just doesn’t feel entirely satisfactory if you like to get a little closer to the action and watch the workings.

Edited by d9704011
Link to comment
Share on other sites
mrlevin

mrlevin

Posted
Posted
3 minutes ago, charltonkerry said:

Just wondering what is the best side (port or starboard) of the ship to view the engineering aspects of this And also what deck. Or is it up on the deck for the best view. Thanks in advance.

 

If you are on Voyager or Mariner it is best to be up on deck forward (11 on Mariner on the wings outside of observation lounge or 12 on Voyager).  For Splendor and Explorer you are sort of out of luck; you can be on deck 12 and go back and forth.  You can also sit outside La Verandah enjoying breakfast and watch as you go through Gatun Locks on all the ships.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Silver Sweethearts

Silver Sweethearts

Posted
Posted
2 hours ago, DavidTheWonderer said:

Also consider going back to the stern for a while to see where you've been instead of where you're going.

 

Agree with David.  When the ship is in Gatun Lake (in our experience somewhere within the hours luncheon is served in La Veranda) go for al fresco dining there.  Pick a table that is as under cover as possible outside, as rain squalls do happen.  Short but soggy.  We heeded our own advice and had a wonderful, albeit humid, lunch with great views aft.

 

We have to note that on our last transit we were very happy to be on the Explorer in suite 1201.  We had a great view port, starboard and straight ahead, but there is no public view forward from deck 12.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites
flossie009

flossie009

Posted
Posted

The Panama Canal transit is fascinating. Hope you have good weather when you go through.

 

There is plenty of time to move around the ship to different vantage points, although it is unfortunate that Splendor, like Explorer, has no public outside forward viewing area.

 

As well as viewing from the upper decks have look from the lower decks when you are in one of the locks - awe inspiring. On Splendor this would be on deck 5, including at the stern by the infinity pool.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Thundery

Thundery

Posted
Posted
11 hours ago, charltonkerry said:

Thank you everybody much appreciated, I left it to the wife to decide upon either this trip at Christmas 2022 or another one I just noticed which is the grand spice cruise. 

The grand spice cruise has a great itinerary. We are booking this one. Very similar to the one we were supposed to do this year

Link to comment
Share on other sites
charltonkerry

charltonkerry

Posted
  • Author
Posted
5 hours ago, Thundery said:

The grand spice cruise has a great itinerary. We are booking this one. Very similar to the one we were supposed to do this year

Agree, it’s the one I want to do, 2022 is an extremely special year for us, it’s our 45th wedding anniversary, my 70th birthday just prior to sailing, Marion (my wife) is set to retire and perhaps I will or more hopefully sell my company and then retire. It also gives me the opportunity to visit my brother for a day as he lives in Brisbane. But the 32 hour flight home is off putting, but what I didn’t realise was the flights are in business class. Every port apart from the initial one at Istanbul is new to us. We are taking the decision this weekend. It’s my and Marion’s dream holiday, she’s always wanted to go away for Christmas and see the ship all decorated and experience an American Independence Day / Christmas, rather than a British one. But she loves being at home with the kids and grandkids over Christmas and that’s tugging at her heart strings and the 73 nights isn’t helping. 
 

If I can persuade her, it will be the first time in our lives we have been away for more than 14 nights, at a time. You never know thundery we could be sailing away together on Halloween in a couple of years. I will let you know if we are going to go for it. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
flossie009

flossie009

Posted
Posted
19 hours ago, charltonkerry said:

Thank you everybody much appreciated, I left it to the wife to decide upon either this trip at Christmas 2022 or another one I just noticed which is the grand spice cruise. 


The Grand Spice Route is a fabulous itinerary and that time of year is a good time to venture down-under to escape the British winter.

73 nights on Explorer sounds idyllic and, considering all the inclusions, the price is reasonable (on Explorer we opt for an F2 suite grade as we find them to be spacious and good value)

 

3 hours ago, charltonkerry said:

It also gives me the opportunity to visit my brother for a day as he lives in Brisbane

If you wanted to spend a couple of days with your brother you could take the short flight from Brisbane to Sydney & rejoin the ship there.  Brisbane is a beautiful city.

 

Enjoy your planning & decision making this weekend 😎

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
charltonkerry

charltonkerry

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Thanks Flossy for the info re the flight down to Sydney never thought of that, what a good idea, would give me around 2.5 days with him. Must admit to getting away from the British winter has some certain advantages. Think we are discussing it tomorrow, to much on today, and she got to be in a good mood 😀.

  • Haha 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites
charltonkerry

charltonkerry

Posted
  • Author
Posted (edited)

Yes you are correct for the grand spice route trip, however we were also looking at a transit through the Panama Canal as an alternative, hence the original question about the Panama Canal. However we have now decided to splash out and do the grand spice route, sorry about the confusion. Really looking forward to it.

Edited by charltonkerry
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites
SSCAF001

SSCAF001

Posted
Posted

No worries. I have been through the Panama Canal aboard Silversea Silver Whisper on Christmas Day 2018 and it is a memorable experience. I wish I can sail through the Suez Canal one day. Best wishes and I hope you will be able to sail in 2022.


Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Thundery

Thundery

Posted
Posted

We have been sailing with Regent over the Holidays for about 10 years now. It is truly a special experience. The staff really go out of their way and the ships always look fabulous.

agree 73 days is a long time, it will be the longest for us and yes thank goodness for business class.

hope you can persuade her

Link to comment
Share on other sites
charltonkerry

charltonkerry

Posted
  • Author
Posted
1 hour ago, Thundery said:

We have been sailing with Regent over the Holidays for about 10 years now. It is truly a special experience. The staff really go out of their way and the ships always look fabulous.

agree 73 days is a long time, it will be the longest for us and yes thank goodness for business class.

hope you can persuade her

Yes I did persuade Marion, think the business class flights helped, and perhaps the possibility of upgrading to first. We are planning on reserving our cabins on Monday, so pleased we are doing it, especially with the opportunity of seeing my brother again who I haven’t seen in around 10 years.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites
JMARINER

JMARINER

Posted
Posted

Panama Canal which side question. IMO side which faces the middle of the locks. However, there is no way to know in advance which side (chamber) the ship will transit thru. So it is a crap shoot unless you take a forward facing suite. Like other have said, t he best viewing is up on deck. 

 

It is too bad that the ships no longer stop in Gatun lake for the day to do shore excursions up close on the locks or to Gatun dam. Years ago, Regent (Raddison) would put on a big shore-side BBQ at the Gatun Yacht Club.  We even got to go swimming in the Canal. One excursion took you to a viewing platform between the Gatun's two lock chamber where you could see everything up close.

 

 

J

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
 Share
Go to topic listing
  • Forum Jump
    • Categories
      • Welcome to Cruise Critic
      • ANNOUNCEMENT: Set Sail on Sun Princess®
      • Hurricane Zone 2024
      • Cruise Insurance Q&A w/ Steve Dasseos of Tripinsurancestore.com June 2024
      • New Cruisers
      • Cruise Lines “A – O”
      • Cruise Lines “P – Z”
      • River Cruising
      • ROLL CALLS
      • Cruise Critic News & Features
      • Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
      • Special Interest Cruising
      • Cruise Discussion Topics
      • UK Cruising
      • Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
      • Canadian Cruisers
      • North American Homeports
      • Ports of Call
      • Cruise Conversations
×
×
  • Create New...