Galaxy Panama Canal Review- 2-13- long

[mam11]

ABOUT US

We were traveling with a group of ten from our home town of about 27,000 people in Oklahoma. Most of us have traveled together before and we knew we would be a compatible group…and we were!! We like to do some things together but no one’s feelings are hurt if some go off on their own. We were able to drive to Galveston which is great. Some stayed at the EconoLodge for about $40 the night before, and were able to leave their vehicles there for the entire cruise. What a deal!

 

EMBARKATION

Couldn’t have been better- got there about 12:30 and waited in no lines. Walked on and got champagne, dropped carryons in cabins, got champagne, went to buffet.

 

PORTS

We were very fortunate weather-wise- it sprinkled on us when we were in the treetops of Costa Rica but was sunny the rest of the trip. Our group agreed that each port seemed to get a little better than the last. Maybe we were just relaxing more as the cruise went on! In Cozumel we didn’t do anything basically- no one wanted to take a chance on missing lunch at Pancho’s! We took a cab (minivan, actually) to the Pancho’s end of the street and shopped a little, then had our wonderful lunch. I made copies of the free margarita coupon for everyone- they were actually a reasonable size drink! But, of course one is never enough. We shopped our way back down the street and thankfully headed back to the ship in good time, because we waited A LONG TIME in the tender line. It went fast though because we were in line behind some ship entertainers- one of the featured vocalist guys and his girlfriend who is one of the dancers. They couldn’t have been nicer- answered all of our questions graciously.

 

Costa Maya was fun- we rented golf carts and went to Mahajual. After walking the length of the main drag, we found a shady bar on the beach to enjoy local margaritas and beer. Too short a port time.

 

Costa Rica was a blast- the ziplining was the highlight for many of us. Unfortunately the banana plantation and the animal refuge were closed that day which Oscar Brown was unaware of ahead of time. He was delightful and I would recommend him highly. Wouldn’t have even known about him had it not been for Cruise Critic.

 

In Jamaica we went to Sunset Beach for the day- it was well worth the $40 per person. Talk about feeling decadent- we started on the margaritas about 10AM! They were not strong, but it’s just the idea! It’s a gorgeous location and a great way to spend the day.

Same as Costa Rica- wouldn’t have known about this paradise without CC.

 

Grand Cayman was flooded with ship passengers- too many ships in port that day. We shopped in the morning, then found somebody to take our group of 9 to the Sting Ray Sand Bar. That was a hoot- our guide was wonderful and held his “pet” sting ray for us to kiss, pet, feed, etc. Tendering was much better here.

 

The canal was awesome- we didn’t do an excursion and it turned out just fine. We all took a nap in the morning while the ship was in Gatun Lake, since we had gotten up very early. We watched the first transit from deck 10 on the very back, then moved around the ship some for the return trip so we could see from different angles. It was interesting to be down on a lower deck going back through- you got more of the sensation of going up and down. The Christobal Pier was interesting- some of us were taken aback by the Indians in their native dress (or undress I should say!). We shopped the pier, then gathered for local beer at the bar there.

[mam11]

FOOD

On a 1-10 scale I think I’d give the food an 8. I was a little disappointed at the low occurrence of shellfish on the menu. I made up for it tho by having lots of shrimp cocktail which was excellent! Had veal a time or two- it was just OK. The beef was very good, all but one time. I’m not much on fish but my tablemates loved it. The escargot was awesome- they didn’t cook those little guys so long they turned into rubber. We never had crab legs to my dismay. The cold soups were very good. The salads were OK- dressings were all very runny. Ice cream was great.

They really shouldn’t try to have theme buffets like Cajun and barbecue- lots of passengers know the authentic taste and the ship’s galley just doesn’t! The pizza and pasta bar was good, also the waffles at breakfast. Had eggs benedict one day in the dining room and it was delicious.

DRINKS

Took a 3 liter box of merlot and a 12pack of diet pepsi onboard with us for the cabin- no problem there. One of our group bought a bottle of rum cream at Cristobal pier and it was taken on reboarding. Every day they feature three drinks at $4.95. On the days there was bingo in the theater between dinner seatings, they featured a two for one drink. They had a different name every time but all tasted pretty much the same- fruity. One couple with us liked a glass of wine with dinner and calculated that it was less expensive to buy it by the glass than by the bottle. DH bought the soda card and had the constant complaint that the servers do not pay much attention to those with soda cards.

ACTIVITIES

Not as much to do on sea days as I expected- a lot of Scattergories and trivia and stuff like that, but I’m not much on that. There was a movie each day, but they scheduled it as such odd times that it was seldom practical. Why not schedule a showing in the morning on sea days? Four of us did the martini tasting which was a HOOT! We had a little bitty table which had 24 martini glasses on it (6 x 4!). Caused a lot of comment by passersby! There were three wine-tastings – did two of them. The last one of the cruise was a wine/food pairing where they had little servings of things like cheese, bread, veggies, to see how the taste of the wine was affected. It was really neat.

There were two guest lecturers- I enjoyed Joseph Bonano, the Firehouse Chef. The other one was a financial guy that I didn’t go to. We enjoyed the art auctions because one couple that we were with was buying some art. However, all three of the Firehouse Chef talks were scheduled at 2:30, the same time as the auctions on every sea day. Nothing to do at 9, 10, 11, 12, 1- then it’s all at 2:30. Small complaint.

The Cruise Critic party was nice- the cruise director talked a little and answered questions. He was an excellent cruise director- not typical from my experience in that he is not 25 years old and bubbly! But he’s very normal and accommodating. His name was Don Fluke BTW. Enjoyed meeting those we’d been corresponding with for a long time! Several of us shared the Costa Rica experience too.

We went to the Captain’s Club cocktail party- it was lovely. The captain seems very young. We also went to the casino- might as well take your $20 in and just hand it over. I did a combo treatment in the spa on the first sea day- don’t be scared off by the exorbitant prices you first see. They do lots of specials. Had a hot stone massage/scalp massage/ facial for I believe $69. An hour total. Pampering deluxe.

[mam11]

ENTERTAINMENT

WOW- it was great. Living in a small town as we do, there’s not a lot of opportunity for live entertainment so we always enjoy it a lot. There were four production shows, one of which was on the night when the sea was really rough- they cut a few things from the show for safety sake. The other nights were very good- a male and a female vocalist, a comedian, a ventriloquist/comedian, a fiddle player and a pianist. Enjoyed each and every show.

The party band Fusion was excellent- we listened to them in the lounges whenever possible. The duo Black and White was not good- only listened to them once. Fusion did a fifties night and it was lots of fun. They’re very versatile. The string quartet was very good- they played often but never in a place that lent itself to sitting and listening. I was sorry about that.

FACILITIES

The cabin was perfectly fine- lots of storage. We asked for a mattress pad and that helped that hard bed. If you have more than about three hairs on your head, you’ll want to take your own hair dryer. You might also want to take your own shampoo- there’s a dispenser of combination shampoo/conditioner in the shower. There is truly only ONE electrical plug at the desk, so plan accordingly. This is not a double- it’s just one plug.

The public spaces are fine too- our only complaint was the windows in the Stratosphere being fogged over, which has been widely publicized. I know those will be expensive to replace, but they seriously need to bite the bullet and do it. I think those elevators were malfunctioning toward the end of the cruise- the buzzer kept going off that we were too heavy!!

The ship shops are nice- my only complaint there was that the same old stuff was on sale outside the shops nearly every day. Not much incentive to check back from time to time.

SERVICE

Overall we felt that the service was very good. I don’t recall being on a ship that had such a friendly staff- never did we pass anyone that they didn’t speak. And of course, they are always “EXCELLENT!” when you ask how they are! Our cabin steward, Daniel, was one of those quiet and unobtrusive ones that makes up your bed even if you’re only gone 15 minutes for breakfast! Our waiter was Ibrahim from Turkey and his helper was Imade from Indonesia- what a great team!

DISEMBARKATION

We were among the last off the ship since we had our own transportation. Got off at exactly the time we expected. The pier was kind of a mess- it was rainy and very foggy and the busses to the airport were running late. We were glad not to get caught in that.

MISCELLANEOUS

The group of passengers on the sailing was a good mix- of course I probably feel that way because there were a lot of Okies and Texans on this cruise! Friendly and fun-loving for the most part. Very few children, which I expected on a cruise at this time of year and this long. There was one little boy we saw often who was doted on by so many of us grandparents!

We may never be able to go back to a 7 day cruise after this 12 day one! My criteria for choosing it were right on, if I do say so myself: a good itinerary at a good price from a port we could drive to. It was a wonderful trip and now being back to reality sucks!

Marsha in Oklahoma

[Marie213]

Wow, thanks for the wonderful review! I really appreciate hearing about your trip. I would like to know about the temperature in the staterooms. Was it too cold, too hot, or just right? We will be leaving soon, but not soon enough!

[packedandready]

Thanks for the post. We'll be on the Galaxy 4-13....and I can't wait!!!!

 

Which zipline tour did you do? There are 2 listed on Celebrity's website. One called the Crazy Monkey Canopy Tour and the Jungle Breezes Canopy Tour. The Crazy Monkey one has about a 1 1/2 hour drive to the first site where as the other on about an hour. Did the zip in Jamaica last year and had such a good time we want to do it again in Costa Rica. Thanks

[mam11]

Oscar Brown took us to Jungle Breezes, I believe. It was awesome.

[a68vet]

Thanks for the post. We'll be on the Galaxy 4-13....and I can't wait!!!!

 

Which zipline tour did you do? There are 2 listed on Celebrity's website. One called the Crazy Monkey Canopy Tour and the Jungle Breezes Canopy Tour. The Crazy Monkey one has about a 1 1/2 hour drive to the first site where as the other on about an hour. Did the zip in Jamaica last year and had such a good time we want to do it again in Costa Rica. Thanks

 

Hey Packedandready!, Please join us over on the thread fro the 4/13 cruise! We have 67 Critics and a fine bunch of coconuts I must say! We are going to have a blast at a sail day meeting in the Rendezvous, check us out on the boards!

 

last post.....http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=5946676#post5946676

 

 

Marsha, Thanks for the review! We did 4/25 last year and this pretty much matches our experience. It was our first ime ever 12 day cruise and was awesome. Stayed on board for Panama and best excursion ever! Sea ya out there some day!

 

BTW, we too are doing ZipLine with Oscar! How cool is that! P&R, we have at least 1 slot left for that zipline in CR......

don

[DonLou]

Thanks for the wonderful review, Mam11. We took the Galaxy exactly a year ago and it seems nothing's changed. BTW, I think people will miss the Galaxy if they ever fixed up those endearing fogged windows in the Stratosphere lounge.

[HawaiiApril]

Just to add a few of my own observations, if I was to post a review of my own I would clearly be repeating everything that mam11 said! Her review was very accurate IMO. We had a great time and booked another cruise for next year -same ship, same cabin but different itinery - Southern Carribean.

 

We boarded the ship by 11:30am! I never had such a fast embarkation, getting off the ship and back to the airport was just as easy dispite all the posts about Galveston being so bad.

 

I have never been on such a friendly ship! Everywhere we went people would smile and strike up conversations. Our dinner companions were the best ever and we made some great friends from this board.(Hi everyone!) Our waiters were good, efficient but didn't interact much. Same as our cabin steward and butler. (we were in Sky Suite 1237) They did their jobs well but didn't really interact either. Mistakes were made here and there but so small they aren't worth mentioning. We spent a lot of time in the casino and the dealers were the greatest! They made it almost fun to lose your money!

 

One real important piece of advise. Bring your own alarm clock! I put in for a wake up call in Costa Maya and we were not called. We needed to get up very early for an excursion and I asked to be woke up at 6:15. We missed the excursion, I didn't wake up until 8:00am. Of course I called the service desk and gave them a small piece of my mind. I was polite but told them that I was clearly disappointed in their oversight. The chief concierge Miguel called back shortly after and offered us a bottle of wine and saw to it that our excursion fees were refunded. The automatic wake up call system was on the "fritz" and I had spoke with a girl who kept getting everything wrong. I had her repeat it back to me before I hung up and they said we weren't even in the system! I was worried that it would happen again and we would miss something even more important. We didn't rely on wake up calls after that, we ordered breakfast in the cabin and that always came right on the dot!

 

Main complaint:

I am sorry to say that Celebrity has stepped up thier drink "hawking" to an almost intolerable level. Actually I felt like I was being stalked! It wasn't limited to drinks either. The spa has stepped up their recruiting too, the advertisements arrived daily and little discount cards were left all over public areas to look like someone lost them. The gift shops did not limit themselves to their own area either. The day we got off the ship for the canal by ferry excursion there were tables set up on deck 12 selling Panama souveniers! Not only were they selling cold water on the way off the ship but $10-20 canvas bags to hold your water. Out by the pool at 11:30am on a sea day there were no clean towels. The Oasis Cafe drink dispensers were out of ice, water and glasses, coffee cups and coffee. If you were thirsty you could buy bottled water from one of the many servers pushing around "water carts". I was disappointed by all the "nickle and diming".It would have been better if I knew it was going to happen, that is why I mentioned it, you gotta be ready for it! I know they were just doing their jobs, I blame the line, maybe they could reassign the work, fewer drink servers and more towel washers...

 

Margie

[tssace]

Thanks so much for the informative reviews!! I have heard similar comments about the towels and empty beverages/ice. I guess the best thing one can do is fill out the comments evaluation at the end of the cruise and/or put your thoughts in writing.

We are looking forward to our Galaxy cruise in 9 days!!!!!! Yipee!

[motherchic]

Thank you for the great reviews. I enjoyed reading them.

Glad you had a great time

Met some great CC'ers from Oklahoma two cruises ago. We still keep in touch. Great people !!

nadine

[motherchic]

Thank you for the great reviews. I enjoyed reading them.

Glad you had a great time

Met some great CC'ers from Oklahoma two cruises ago. We still keep in touch. Great people !!

nadine

[jperkin1]

Interesting that Oscar Brown said that the animal sanctuary was closed. There was another couple in that group, who originally started out with us (we didn't get in the van, we went in the cab with his nephew). Anyway, they weren't doing the zip-lining, so another person took them. I was a little worried about them at first, as there were so many people milling around looking for someone to go on a trip with them, that I was afraid they'd go off with the wrong people. I saw them the next day & told them how relieved I was to see them! They spent the afternoon at the animal sanctuary, & showed me all the pictures that they took of the monkey's, sloths & all that. Said they had a great tour around with the tour guide (whoever he ended up being!!). So, go figure???

 

We, too, had a great trip & are sad that it's over. I agree about the 12 days being just perfect, 7 would have gone by way too fast.

 

We also went to Paradise Beach in Jamaica, I must have missed you all there; too busy filling up my margarita cup, I guess!

 

Another good suggestion is to bring your own big insulated mug (even for the ship), the glasses are very small & it's easier just to fill your own.

 

Tough being back to reality, dontcha think???

[JLDMED]

Hi Marsha...I enjoyed reading your review. I have been meaning to do one too -- don't know if I'll get around to it before I go back to work, or not!

 

Sounds like numerous people went on a supposed Oscar Brown tour -- but separate tours, separate vehicles -- same day -- same time -- and were ALL told they were with Oscar Brown. All reported that the tours were good nonetheless, but will the REAL Oscar Brown please stand up???

[jperkin1]

Wow, thanks for the wonderful review! I really appreciate hearing about your trip. I would like to know about the temperature in the staterooms. Was it too cold, too hot, or just right? We will be leaving soon, but not soon enough!

 

There was a thermostat in our room, so I assume there will be one in yours too, so, you can make it as cold, hot or just right as you would like!

[HawaiiApril]

I really knew I was home when I got on an elevator thismorning and no one said hello or started up a converstation with me!

[TARED]

Okay, I have never quoted before, and obviously I have no idea how to! Anyways, here is my attempt

Posted by Hawaii April:

Main complaint:

I am sorry to say that Celebrity has stepped up thier drink "hawking" to an almost intolerable level. Actually I felt like I was being stalked!

 

What is "drink hawking?" Is that bringing on a bottle of wine or liquor from the ports onto the ship? Are there any places on this itinerary they allow you to do that?

 

Sounds like you all had a great time! Looking forward to my Galaxy cruise in 18 days!

[jcrandle]

DW and I were on the 2/13 cruise also, and I agree with the comments by the review and the other guest. Very friendly and competent service. The food was mostly good to very good. We enjoyed the ports, but didn't book excursions, preferring to knock around on our own. We agree that the Oasis Cafe had problems with glasses and ice, and included comments in our evaluation. One item that was not mentioned was the wait for taxis on disembarkation. We parked our car at the pre-cruise motel, and when we exited the terminal, found that we were about the 6th group in the taxi line. There was no dispatcher, and when a taxi drove up, it was a madhouse as several groups rushed the taxi, leading to verbal confrontations. Luckily, most of the pax were older, so there were no fisticuffs, but it was not fun. We finally got our taxi after waiting over an hour.

 

The taxi confusion was complicated as quite a few pax would grab a taxi as it disgorged arriving pax, rather than waiting in the taxi line. More confusing was the fact that some of the cabs were not allowed to pick up passenger in Galveston (for example, those dropping passengers from Houston. One of the porters stated that there were three arriving ships, and the Mardi Gras celebration probably put a strain on the system.

 

I plan to email the Port of Galveston with some specific suggestions regarding the need for a dispatcher to ensure fairness in the allocation of taxis. It is unfortunate that the last bit of a cruise can leave a sour taste when so much else went so well.

 

One wonders if the Port of Galveston's service level is one of the contributing factors to Galaxy's move to Florida.

[Marie213]

Thanks, jperkin for telling me about the thermostat. I'm glad to hear about having some control over the temperature! On our last cruise, Carnival, there was no thermostat and the room stayed too cold even though we turned the fan down as low as we could.

[HawaiiApril]

Drink hawking just means pestering you to buy drinks. They really pestered - all the time, everywhere. I saw a waiter wake up 2 ladies laying by the pool and told them it was not time to sleep, it was time to drink! I am not able to drink due to medication that I am taking so I didn't like to have to say no 20 times a day (at least). I spoke to many other "non-drinkers" and they felt as I did. The wine steward at dinner actually seemed irked that our table did not order wine. I asked my table mates if it was my imagination and they said no. He came with the wine list each night, I think he works on commission... You get the picture...Anyway it has nothing to do with what you have in your cabin, but no, they will not let you bring alcohol on board from the ports. They hold it and deliver it the last day.

[HawaiiApril]

BTY, I did address my "issues" in the survey. I hope more people did the same. I was very worried about the disembarktion. We had a 1:15 flight. We were the first ones off the ship, got right on our bus, got to the airport with hours to spare. I suppose as the day wore on, conditions deteriorated.

 

Jperkin - VERY strange about Ocsar Brown.....but I'm getting the picture. I am sorry to say, but will say it anyway, I don't think I would recommend him to anyone else. I bet you feel the same.

[mam11]

How strange about the conflicting stories re. Oscar Brown. Maybe I misunderstood him...but I don't think so. We had a great time in Costa Rica anyway, and the zip-lining was definitely the star attraction for us, even those in our group that just watched. Oscar took us to a very nice restaurant for lunch too- they had a hilarious mexican band for entertainment. Our group was probably alot smaller than the ship excursion groups and that was fun too.

 

It was a wonderful itinerary and a wonderful vacation- Celebrity is pretty much a class operation in my book. Glad you had a great trip too, and yes, reality is hard to take!!

[HawaiiApril]

The tour was definately one of the high points of our whole trip. The ziplining was quite an "experience" and we saw more wildlife on the river tour than anywhere else. I don't feel ripped off. I feel that I can not recommend him because his tour did not match his description. We flew by the banana plantation, never saw the wildlife preserve and caught a glimpse of a white sand beach between 2 houses. We did get to go to the restaurant however going to the restaurant was not in the description of the tour at all. Finding out later that one group was told the banana plantation and the wildlife preserve was closed that day and then another group went to them....well it just doesn't add up. The good part about the tour was being in such a small group we didn't feel like cattle. That makes it worth the money IMO.

[jperkin1]

Well, in his defense, I do think we had the choice of eating at the restaurant, or doing the rest of the tour that we had originally signed for. I think that those of you who went to the restaurant originally, had not signed up for the inclusive trip that we did. When we stopped by the restaurant, our driver wanted to know if we wanted to stay & eat there or go on, so I guess I assumed that we would eat & then do the rest of the tour. Maybe we just didn't have time to do both. Oh well, it was still enjoyable & I don't have any regrets.

 

Did think that our guy (not our driver, he was a nephew), but I thought that the guy you were with was the "real" Oscar Brown, but another passenger that evening swore that the guy he was with was Oscar (they were ziplinging after us, I believe) and that he was really great! So, maybe he's found a way to clone himself!!?! Who knows?

 

Candy

[HawaiiApril]

Yes, we did have a choice to stay at the restaurant or not and I do not regret staying there. I'm not confused about who Oscar is. He drove us from the port to the ziplining. He introduced himself on the bus at the port. After the ziplining he told us to get in the cab instead of going on with the rest of the crowd, that is when his nephew took over. We saw Oscar again later at the restaurant.