Live from the Caribbean Princess: Panama Canal - Apr 26 to May 14 - SF to FTL

[azbirdmom]

23 hours ago, Ken the cruiser said:

I just wanted to say we have sailed in a variety of Celebrity Sky Suites on all 3 classes of their ships. That being said, we REALLY LIKE the Princess Vista Suite and would definitely choose it over cruising in a Celebrity Sky Suite in a heartbeat if the itineraries were similar. BTW since a Vista Suite has a separate sleeping area, it’s more like a Celebrity Suite rather than a Sky Suite. Did I mention Vista Suites have a walk-in shower and a tub where Sky Suites have a shower/tub combination.

 

But I would also like to note, we have no use for a butler (retreat host), the Retreat Lounge (or Michaels Club) or the Retreat Deck on the Revolutionized ships. If we did, that might make a difference in our opinion. But, we don’t. In fact, from now on we’ll probably just be sailing in Celebrity Aqua cabins, so we can eat in Blu, or a Sunset Veranda, if we’re on an Edge class ship.

 

I’ve been wanting to post this Princess Vista Suite - Celebrity Sky Suite comparison for a few days now. But since it is a quiet sea day, I thought what the heck! 

 

Thank you for this Ken.  We've sailed in quite a few Vista and PH suites on Princess and once in an Owner's Suite.  We have never sailed on Celebrity and did have one cruise booked (Singapore to Hong Kong) on the Solstice that they recently cancelled.  After a lot of comparing of perks and costs we had booked a Sunset Veranda with the Indulge buy-up.  We are now looking at booking a replacement cruise on the Apex and will try for the same on that ship.  Thanks again for confirming that our decision to go with the lower cost cabin was the right one!

[Ken the cruiser]

4 hours ago, marden1970 said:

Hi Ken - we'll be stopping there on a Panama Canal cruise at the end of the year.  Did you happen to notice if there was a golf cart or something similar to help those with mobility issues get from the ship to the end of the pier?  Thanks.

Yes, they had carts available for a small “tip” that would take you to the end of the pier. 
 

[cruzin4us]

5 hours ago, Ken the cruiser said:

Talk about docking near the town!

 

 

I've got a Hutalco/dock story for you.   This is from our October 2017 cruise on HAL's Nieuw Amsterdam.

 

The day was a little overcast (which was a relief since it was hot!).   I donned a pair of shorts, tank top and flip flops.   My dad, DH and myself decided we were going to wing it in town.   We left my mom on board who has some mobility issues.

 

We headed down the pier into town and found a cab driver that would take us on a bit of a tour.   We went to a beach and then up to the lighthouse that overlooks the cute little harbor/bay.    

 

Then the weather began to change, it got very wind and it looked like it might rain so we decided to head back into town.   

 

While we were driving, it started to pour......not like cats and dogs type of rain, it was more like elephants and rhinos.   I mean the wind came out of no where, and I've never seen rain like this......ever!  Then trees started to fall in front of us on the road way......now, I'm not taking palm fronds, I'm taking about trees, big trees.

 

We got back to the little town which is basically right off the dock.   It was raining so hard, and there was about 1 foot of water in the center of town.   Me in my flip flops couldn't walk.....and then the lightening started.   Well, I'm almost 6' tall and I felt like a lighting rod.   So,  I took off my flip flops and began to run for any kind of cover/shelter.    Going barefoot in Mexico when you can see where you are walking isn't advised and it surely is not when you can't see your feet.    I kept thinking, oh I'm going to get tetanus, hepatitis or heaven knows what else.    

 

It was now SOOOOO cold and the wind was crazy, all we wanted to do was get back on the ship and get warm and dry.   However, when we got to the dock were dumbfounded, they had locked the gate and wouldn't let us back on the ship!   

 

Then we saw the ship in the center of the little lagoon/harbor leaning sideways!   All the tables on shore were now in the lagoon, the palapas where coming apart, the umbrellas were strewn everywhere.

 

So, back to what started this post......the dock!      When we were there, this was not the dock, it was even smaller than what you have today.   The Nieuw Amsterdam took care of that when she SNAPPED 7 mooring lines.   They sounded like gunshots.   The gangway was a mangled mess and no longer usable as well and the dock was torn apart.    Unbelievably, no one was killed when this happened.

 

After our gangway was destroyed we only had 1 gangway for the next ports which made getting off/on and real pain.

 

Anyway, we had to wait on shore until they could start tendering us back to the ship (which took forever when you are chilled to the bone).   

 

Once we got on board, the Capitan kept everyone informed as to what happened.   Apparently, there had been a microburst with a gale force wind that measured 105 mph on the bridge......NO JOKE.   The ship was grounded in the lagoon and listing to the port side.   We were told we had to wait until the tide came in so it would re-right herself.    Then scuba divers we sent down to inspect the hull to make sure we were safe to sail and not taking in water.

 

Walking down the hall when it is pitched to one side is an eerie feeling to say the least.

 

So, the bottom like is you can thank the October 2017 cruise for making sure Hutalco got a nice replacement dock!

 

I wish I had the smarts/sense to take more pictures, but I can remember running through town with my phone shoved under my shirt to keep it dry.    One thing for a size perspective:   The orange line on the bottom of the ship is supposed to be at or below sea level.   The orange area is approx 12-13 feet out of the water, that's how much she was listing towards the port side.

 

I've included a little info on microbursts as well as some pictures I took while in Hutalco. 

 

Needless to say, Hutalco is a port I'll never forget!

 

 

 

 

Edited May 3, 2022 by cruzin4us

[Ken the cruiser]

3 hours ago, azbirdmom said:

 

Thank you for this Ken.  We've sailed in quite a few Vista and PH suites on Princess and once in an Owner's Suite.  We have never sailed on Celebrity and did have one cruise booked (Singapore to Hong Kong) on the Solstice that they recently cancelled.  After a lot of comparing of perks and costs we had booked a Sunset Veranda with the Indulge buy-up.  We are now looking at booking a replacement cruise on the Apex and will try for the same on that ship.  Thanks again for confirming that our decision to go with the lower cost cabin was the right one!

If you choose to do a non-Suite, I would definitely recommend upgrading to their premium internet and drinks package. For example with their basic internet, you won’t be able to login to CC or any other multilayered website. With the premium drink package you will also get to select from their premium choice of spirits and wine varieties. Just a suggestion. 😁

[Ken the cruiser]

Our Princess excursion to the rural areas was interesting, put definitely a big hit for those that wanted to buy home made stuff from the local folks.
 

 

For me I was just enjoying the scenery and looking for wildlife of which there was much. But then it was 93 F today, so there really wasn’t all that much to see. 😎
 

 

 

 

[Ken the cruiser]

49 minutes ago, cruzin4us said:

 

I've got a Hutalco/dock story for you.   This is from our October 2017 cruise on HAL's Nieuw Amsterdam.

 

The day was a little overcast (which was a relief since it was hot!).   I donned a pair of shorts, tank top and flip flops.   My dad, DH and myself decided we were going to wing it in town.   We left my mom on board who has some mobility issues.

 

We headed down the pier into town and found a cab driver that would take us on a bit of a tour.   We went to a beach and then up to the lighthouse that overlooks the cute little harbor/bay.    

 

Then the weather began to change, it got very wind and it looked like it might rain so we decided to head back into town.   

 

While we were driving, it started to pour......not like cats and dogs type of rain, it was more like elephants and rhinos.   I mean the wind came out of no where, and I've never seen rain like this......ever!  Then trees started to fall in front of us on the road way......now, I'm not taking palm fronds, I'm taking about trees, big trees.

 

We got back to the little town which is basically right off the dock.   It was raining so hard, and there was about 1 foot of water in the center of town.   Me in my flip flops couldn't walk.....and then the lightening started.   Well, I'm almost 6' tall and I felt like a lighting rod.   So,  I took off my flip flops and began to run for any kind of cover/shelter.    Going barefoot in Mexico when you can see where you are walking isn't advised and it surely is not when you can't see your feet.    I kept thinking, oh I'm going to get tetanus, hepatitis or heaven knows what else.    

 

It was now SOOOOO cold and the wind was crazy, all we wanted to do was get back on the ship and get warm and dry.   However, when we got to the dock were dumbfounded, they had locked the gate and wouldn't let us back on the ship!   

 

Then we saw the ship in the center of the little lagoon/harbor leaning sideways!   All the tables on shore were now in the lagoon, the palapas where coming apart, the umbrellas were strewn everywhere.

 

So, back to what started this post......the dock!      When we were there, this was not the dock, it was even smaller than what you have today.   The Nieuw Amsterdam took care of that when she SNAPPED 7 mooring lines.   They sounded like gunshots.   The gangway was a mangled mess and no longer usable as well and the dock was torn apart.    Unbelievably, no one was killed when this happened.

 

After our gangway was destroyed we only had 1 gangway for the next ports which made getting off/on and real pain.

 

Anyway, we had to wait on shore until they could start tendering us back to the ship (which took forever when you are chilled to the bone).   

 

Once we got on board, the Capitan kept everyone informed as to what happened.   Apparently, there had been a microburst with a gale force wind that measured 105 mph on the bridge......NO JOKE.   The ship was grounded in the lagoon and listing to the port side.   We were told we had to wait until the tide came in so it would re-right herself.    Then scuba divers we sent down to inspect the hull to make sure we were safe to sail and not taking in water.

 

Walking down the hall when it is pitched to one side is an eerie feeling to say the least.

 

So, the bottom like is you can thank the October 2017 cruise for making sure Hutalco got a nice replacement dock!

 

I wish I had the smarts/sense to take more pictures, but I can remember running through town with my phone shoved under my shirt to keep it dry.    One thing for a size perspective:   The orange line on the bottom of the ship is supposed to be at or below sea level.   The orange area is approx 12-13 feet out of the water, that's how much she was listing towards the port side.

 

I've included a little info on microbursts as well as some pictures I took while in Hutalco. 

 

Needless to say, Hutalco is a port I'll never forget!

 

 

 

 

That’s quite the memory!!! I know cruising is all about creating memories, and we have created our fair share. But that definitely is one that should make the top of the list, and never to be repeated again! 😂

[sammyjoanne]

56 minutes ago, Ken the cruiser said:

That’s quite the memory!!! I know cruising is all about creating memories, and we have created our fair share. But that definitely is one that should make the top of the list, and never to be repeated again! 😂

That could actually be a name of a good thread. 'Memorable holiday moments' 🙂

Edited May 3, 2022 by sammyjoanne

[runner2013]

Hi Ken, 

Can you tell me, is the Horizon Court on the LIdo  deck up on deck 15? is it at the back of the ship. Any way you could take a picture or two of it? 

thanks

P

[Ken the cruiser]

This evening was the Acrobatics and Comedy of Daniel and Kimberly Craig. 
 

 

 

 

Followed by the Fill in the Blanks game show. 
 

 

 

Edited May 4, 2022 by Ken the cruiser

[Ken the cruiser]

 

Wednesday, May 4, Princess Patter, sea day

 

 

 

[Ken the cruiser]

3 hours ago, runner2013 said:

Hi Ken, 

Can you tell me, is the Horizon Court on the deck up on deck 15? is it at the back of the ship. Any way you could take a picture or two of it? 

thanks

P

Yes, the Horizon Court is up on the Lido Deck 15 in the aft. As we usually don’t eat up there I just went up and first turned left and took some pictures. BTW it’s 10 pm at night as as you can see it was pretty quiet up there.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then went back where I entered from the rear elevator entrance and turned right and took some more pictures.

 

 

 

 

Hope this helps.

 

 

[runner2013]

6 minutes ago, Ken the cruiser said:

Yes, the Horizon Court is up on the Lido Deck 15 in the aft. As we usually don’t eat up there I just went up and first turned left and took some pictures. BTW it’s 10 pm at night as as you can see it was pretty quiet up there.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then went back where I entered from the rear elevator entrance and turned right and took some more pictures.

 

 

 

 

Hope this helps.

 

 

Yes it does, 

Thanks so much Ken.. :}

[Ken the cruiser]

Here’s a piece of interesting information. Our steward told my DW this evening the crew is not being allowed to go ashore this entire cruise. He didn’t give any details, though, as to why. But I’m sure we can all think of a few. Anyway, thought it was an interesting piece of information worth sharing.

[PacnGoNow]

8 hours ago, Ken the cruiser said:

Here’s a piece of interesting information. Our steward told my DW this evening the crew is not being allowed to go ashore this entire cruise. He didn’t give any details, though, as to why. But I’m sure we can all think of a few. Anyway, thought it was an interesting piece of information worth sharing.

Ken,

That’s what they did on some of our cruises, once the covid cases went up.

 

Are masks required on those PCL bus excursions you’ve been taking?  And if so, are they enforced?

TIA

 

Edited May 4, 2022 by PacnGoNow

[D&LNSCruisers]

9 hours ago, Ken the cruiser said:

Here’s a piece of interesting information. Our steward told my DW this evening the crew is not being allowed to go ashore this entire cruise. He didn’t give any details, though, as to why. But I’m sure we can all think of a few. Anyway, thought it was an interesting piece of information worth sharing.

Hi Ken  we are also on this cruise.   We ate in the Palm Dining room last night and spoke to our waiter who went ashore with quite a few of the crew and swam at the beach next to the ship.  I guess maybe different departments have different rules...

[GonzoWCS]

46 minutes ago, D&LNSCruisers said:

Hi Ken  we are also on this cruise.   We ate in the Palm Dining room last night and spoke to our waiter who went ashore with quite a few of the crew and swam at the beach next to the ship.  I guess maybe different departments have different rules...

Hello LNS, How is service and the vibe in the Palm MDR?  We will be dining there most of our next trip.  Thanks for any intel on where to sit good waiters/waitresses etc...  We are a party of 4. 

 

Thanks in advance.

Cheers

[D&LNSCruisers]

4 minutes ago, GonzoWCS said:

Hello LNS, How is service and the vibe in the Palm MDR?  We will be dining there most of our next trip.  Thanks for any intel on where to sit good waiters/waitresses etc...  We are a party of 4. 

 

Thanks in advance.

Cheers

We have eaten dinner at both Coral and Palm.  Our preference is Palm as it seems to be a bit quieter..we usually eat after 7pm.  The staff had been tremendous.  We have had Wellington and Macky each time in the Palm. They are awesome..Wellington always has his personal recommendations and they are very helpful.   He is leaving in late May so not sure when you folks are going.    If you have a wine preference that they don't serve by the glass it is a bit of a trek but we have been ordering from vines and taking a glass with us.    I want to say a big thank you to Ken who is doing an amazing job of capturing the ship activities!  I read this thread to keep up!

[GonzoWCS]

24 minutes ago, D&LNSCruisers said:

We have eaten dinner at both Coral and Palm.  Our preference is Palm as it seems to be a bit quieter..we usually eat after 7pm.  The staff had been tremendous.  We have had Wellington and Macky each time in the Palm. They are awesome..Wellington always has his personal recommendations and they are very helpful.   He is leaving in late May so not sure when you folks are going.    If you have a wine preference that they don't serve by the glass it is a bit of a trek but we have been ordering from vines and taking a glass with us.    I want to say a big thank you to Ken who is doing an amazing job of capturing the ship activities!  I read this thread to keep up!

Sounds like we would get along swimmingly.  🙂  We like the Palm for the exact reasons you mention above.  Even your Vines recommendation is exactly what we do.  I had to smile and thanks so much for the information.  Continue having a great cruise!  And yes Ken is doing a great job and thanks again to him!

 

Cheers

[sammyjoanne]

2 hours ago, PacnGoNow said:

 

Are masks required on those PCL bus excursions you’ve been taking?  And if so, are they enforced?

TIA

 

For Santa Barbara California we had to wear a mask, but then the following day in LA, we was told CDC has changed the rules and we did not have to wear any (19th April). Then when we went to Ensenada on the last day in Mexico (21stApril) we had to go back to wearing them again on the bus as that is the Mexican law. Ive always carried a couple of masks in a bag or a purse, just in case they ask you to pop one on 🙂

[Ken the cruiser]

2 hours ago, D&LNSCruisers said:

Hi Ken  we are also on this cruise.   We ate in the Palm Dining room last night and spoke to our waiter who went ashore with quite a few of the crew and swam at the beach next to the ship.  I guess maybe different departments have different rules...

Thanks for that as the assistant CD, Ashleigh, and Gary, the CD, also said they went ashore. Maybe it’s only the stewards that have been curtailed from going ashore.

[phabric]

I have enjoyed reading your reviews and all the questions/answers.

[azbirdmom]

Just now, Ken the cruiser said:

Thanks for that as the assistant CD, Ashleigh, and Gary, the CD, also said they went ashore. Maybe it’s only the stewards that have been curtailed from going ashore.

 

At times in the past they have rotated the privilege of going ashore through the different departments so perhaps they are doing that again.

[Ken the cruiser]

3 hours ago, PacnGoNow said:

Ken,

That’s what they did on some of our cruises, once the covid cases went up.

 

Are masks required on those PCL bus excursions you’ve been taking?  And if so, are they enforced?

TIA

 

I asked that specific question of our guide when we boarded our 13 passenger van. The short version is no, they are not mandated. In fact Princess pretty much didn’t offer any guidelines to the tour company.
 

In the beginning I would say all but 4-5 passengers were wearing masks. By the end of the 4 hour tour, where we were in the van between 5 to 20 minutes between stops, us and maybe one other couple were still wearing masks. It’s like some folks are still in denial as to what’s been going on.
 

But, hey, we’re good and really that’s all we can do is to protect ourselves. We’re double boosted and our T-cells are working on over drive after a recent bout with a regular head cold a few weeks prior to the cruise. Now, if we were on the next leg after this one, we would probably be a little more conservative when booking excursions, like on a catamaran or open air bus, since we would have to pass an antigen test. 😁

Edited May 4, 2022 by Ken the cruiser

[Seacruise]

I am on this cruise and came across something interesting yesterday which explains the attitude of some of the crew on this voyage. 
I have been talking to some of the crew to find out how they are coping during these times and it has been interesting to say the least.
There has been a faction of the crew that quit before their contract is up. The reason given to me was Princess has not been clear on what their pay will be while onboard during these times. Room Stewards have said to me I would normally have 19 cabins to attend to. This cruise I have 13 and 4 of them being single. Since we only service the cabin once a day in the morning and deliver the Patter in the evening our tip amount has been reduced to 55% of what we used to get. There is no end time when this might change back to normal or is it the new normal they say?
Word has gotten back home and fellow crew are not taking a contract under these conditions.
It was also suggested that is why Sapphire Princess was pulled from the schedule due to the crew slated for her being sent to other ships.

My thought yesterday was what is Princess doing with the other 45% of that tip that we are paying to Princess. A question to the Front Desk says Tips are divided among crew but they won't say how much goes where. 
It appears Bar tenders are not affected by this other than the reduced passengers onboard. They have been a happier group to deal with.

So my question then becomes should we be paying less for tips due to reduced service?
I do intend to tip cash at the end to my room steward because I am singe but I get why some are not happy.

What are other cruise lines doing at this time?

[ktembwr]

58 minutes ago, Seacruise said:

I am on this cruise and came across something interesting yesterday which explains the attitude of some of the crew on this voyage. 
I have been talking to some of the crew to find out how they are coping during these times and it has been interesting to say the least.
There has been a faction of the crew that quit before their contract is up. The reason given to me was Princess has not been clear on what their pay will be while onboard during these times. Room Stewards have said to me I would normally have 19 cabins to attend to. This cruise I have 13 and 4 of them being single. Since we only service the cabin once a day in the morning and deliver the Patter in the evening our tip amount has been reduced to 55% of what we used to get. There is no end time when this might change back to normal or is it the new normal they say?
Word has gotten back home and fellow crew are not taking a contract under these conditions.
It was also suggested that is why Sapphire Princess was pulled from the schedule due to the crew slated for her being sent to other ships.

My thought yesterday was what is Princess doing with the other 45% of that tip that we are paying to Princess. A question to the Front Desk says Tips are divided among crew but they won't say how much goes where. 
It appears Bar tenders are not affected by this other than the reduced passengers onboard. They have been a happier group to deal with.

So my question then becomes should we be paying less for tips due to reduced service?
I do intend to tip cash at the end to my room steward because I am singe but I get why some are not happy.

What are other cruise lines doing at this time?

I think what is being related is that less passengers mean less gratutities are collected, thus less income...  Singles would pay one gratuity versus multiple......  We enjoy less crowds, but the crew feels it out of their pockets.