Norwegian vs Holland America for Panama Canal Cruise

[mcclane]

We are looking at early 2023 Panama Canal cruises and have narrowed it down to either Norwegian or Holland America Cruise Lines. We have not sailed on either of these and are looking for some guidance. We have cruised Princess and Royal Caribbean in the past. How does NCL and HAL compare?

 

The ships we are looking at are the HAL Zaandam and the NCL Sun, Joy or Encore...

 

Thanks for any thoughts to help us decide!

[Turtles06]

3 minutes ago, mcclane said:

The ships we are looking at are the HAL Zaandam and the NCL Sun, Joy or Encore...

 

We've sailed NCL many times, including twice through the Panama Canal (with two more Canal transits booked on NCL in early 2023, on the Gem), and enjoy NCL's laidback, freestyle approach to cruising very much.  We've only sailed HAL once, on the Zuiderdam.  It was a great itinerary, which is why we picked it, and we enjoyed the ship enough to book it again for a specific itinerary --  ironically, for B2B Panama Canal transits in early 2023.  We cancelled those cruises when HAL switched ships to the smaller Zaandam.  We did not have much interest in spending that many nights on her (it would have been about a month for us).  I'd urge you to research the ship and see if you think it will suit you.   (I will add that while we don't cruise for the entertainment, we've found the entertainment better on NCL than we did on our one HAL cruise.)

 

As for the three NCL ships, the Sun is an older, smaller ship that should use the original locks of the Canal (as would the Zaandam).  The Joy and Encore are in what I personally would call the mega-ship category, and I'm pretty certain they will use the new locks.  (I hope others will correct me if that's wrong.)  If this will be your first transit of the Canal, you may want to go through the original locks.  But perhaps you'd prefer a bigger, newer ship with more bells and whistles.   And maybe the non-Canal portion of the itinerary is more interesting.  There are certainly a number of factors to weigh here.

 

HAL, at least pre-pandemic, I think overall did a better job than NCL does in terms of folks lecturing on board about ports (and, I would assume, the Canal as well). 

 

We haven't sailed on Princess, but we have sailed on RCL.  RCL is more like NCL in terms of being more family and kid-friendly than HAL is, although you are not likely to find many kids on a full transit of the Panama Canal whatever the cruise line. 

 

I hope this was helpful.  Don't hesitate to ask more questions!

 

[mcclane]

Thank you for your insight!

[BillB48]

Can't be of much help in choosing a cruise line, haven't been on HAL and my NCL experience is not recent.  However, I did enjoy NCL when we cruised with them.  Totally agree with Turtles about going through the original locks if this is your first transit.  Another thing I would let influence my decision is whether or not the ship stops in Panama in addition to the transit.  I think that a port stop is a plus to either let you see some more of the Canal or other items of interest in Panama.  Some itineraries make the port call before the transit and some after the transit.  Either IMO is good.

[MkeCruzn]

We're booked on NCL on the January 14, 23 sailing from San Diego to Panama City. It's on the Jewel, which is a "smaller" ship that will be capable of going through the old locks. Haven't been on HAL yet, so can't comment about them, but we've been on several NCL sailings and find them reasonable for the price. We're planning to stay in Panama City post-cruise for a couple of days. I've also heard that visiting the locks on land or a small boat is vastly different from sailing through on a cruise ship. I'm planning to check that out for something to do while we're there. Happy cruising, and if you decide to book, check the roll calls and add your name to the M&M signup!

[CGinMTL]

These 2 parts are 180 degrees apart. Talk to a TA that will ask what you like and guide you .

[rkacruiser]

I'd choose HAL (and the Zaandam) because of two main reasons:  their enrichment program and narration while transiting the Canal is very good; the Crow's Nest above the Bridge offers an excellent lounge for sightseeing.  One can take a breather from being out on deck in the heat and humidity while still being able to have good views.  

[sambamama]

HAL does a superb job with narration and lecturers for the Panama Canal cruise.  In addition to the Crow's Nest lounge, they also open up some deck areas not ordinarily open that give great visibility.  They also make these awesome Panama Canal buns that have orange inside!

[DaveOKC]

Absolutely best way (but not cheap) to see the Canal portion is on one of the Vista class HAL ships (Zuiderdam and Oosterdam for sure) in an "aft-wrap" Neptune cabin on deck 5.  Fully covered (the sun can be brutal in the Canal), a HUGE balcony (can have 40 people on it) and since it wraps around the side of the ship you can see the Canal/locks operations from the side and aft.  We were just a few feet from the "mule" operators (on the land) and could easily talk to them!

 

Whatever you do, be SURE to read up on how the Canal was built before you sail.  That way you will truely appreciate what you are seeing as you go through the Canal.

[OneWiseCruiser]

We did a Panama Canal Cruise on Holland America Zuiderdam in 2010 going halfway through and thoroughly enjoyed it.  The presentations regarding the Canal were most interesting and view of the Canal from our verandah was excellent and warm.  Next January we will be on the Zaandam going all the way through the Canal from West to East.  This time we will only have an Ocean View Cabin but are sure to spend ample time on the open decks enjoying the Canal activity.  We have cruised with Norwegian several deferent times and had a great time, but we enjoy HAL more in terms of what feels to us like more classic cruising not to mention we like the food better.  As far as ship size, we truly loved the larger HAL ships with the Music motif and particularly enjoyed the Meet the Musicians segments where you not only hear beautiful music, but also learn each musician’s personal music background and journey.  We also have enjoyed HAL’s smaller ships because you seem to become more familiar with the crew as well as other passengers.  We have been on a number of other cruise lines and can say we haven’t been disappointed on any of our sailings.

[rkacruiser]

3 hours ago, OneWiseCruiser said:

As far as ship size, we truly loved the larger HAL ships with the Music motif

 

Are you aware that the Zaandam's decor motif is music?