Jewel Partial Panama Canal Transit

[terry55]

I'm new to RCL, having taken 5 cruises before (HAL & Princess). We're planning ahead (early) to April 2010 and thinking of booking the Jewel to the Panama Canal. The ship and itinerary seem to be just what we want...has anyone done this trip? Any comments/suggestions on the itinerary and ship will be greatly appreciated. :)

[lv2cruisgrl]

I'm new to RCL, having taken 5 cruises before (HAL & Princess). We're planning ahead (early) to April 2010 and thinking of booking the Jewel to the Panama Canal. The ship and itinerary seem to be just what we want...has anyone done this trip? Any comments/suggestions on the itinerary and ship will be greatly appreciated. :)

 

We have done the Jewel and loved her,she is a beautiful ship with a great crew. We took Brilliance on the partial Panama Canal trip in April and had a great time. I say do it, we travel with another couple and us "girls" didnt think going thru the canal was going to be as facinating as it was. We all really enjoyed it.

[cruiser429]

We did the Jewel when it first came out and loved it. We have the Panama Canal planned for Dec 8-19. Check out some of the tour ideas on our roll call

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=598499

 

The last couple of pages list some wonderful ideas for tours--especially in Columbia and Costa Rica.

[finnegan14]

We did the 10 night partial canal in January on the Brilliance. We had such a great time that we are going on the 11 night this coming January on the Jewel. Coming up upon the canal and waiting to enter was really interesting (it was great watching other ships enter from our viewpoint).... after entering the locks we moved from the very front of the ship to our balcony to watch from the sides. I don't think we watched our passage out. It really did take all day.

 

We really enjoyed the itinerary for the Panama Canal cruises. We love sea days and on our upcoming Jewel PC trip there are 5 sea days. We also absolutely LOVED zip lining in Costa Rica. I can't wait to travel on the Jewel -- this will complete our Radiance-class tour :)

[cruiser429]

We did the Jewel when it first came out and loved it. Have been on the Serenade and Radiance as well. It's our favorite size ship.

 

We have the Panama Canal planned for Dec 8-19. Check out some of the tour ideas on our roll call

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=598499

 

The last couple of pages list some wonderful ideas for tours--especially in Columbia and Costa Rica.

[wrp96]

I did the 10 night Partial Panama Canal cruise on Brilliance (Jewel's sister ship) and it was one of my best cruises. When you combine that with the Jewel of the Seas (my favorite ship), I have to say go for it!

 

If you look in my signature I have links to my Live posts from the Brilliance and my photos.

[susie2shoes]

Hi Terry55,

 

We are also planners and are booked on Jewel April 5 2010 for the Panama Canal. We already have a roll call going so if you choose this date, come join us. We have sailed on Brilliance so we are expecting Jewel to be as fabulous. I have been reading reviews of the Panama Canal cruises and all are positive.

 

Good luck with choosing your next cruise.

[Sue L]

We did the 11 day version last year and it was wonderful, click on the link in my signature for pictures. It was one of my best cruises ever.

[KeywestK]

I'm new to RCL, having taken 5 cruises before (HAL & Princess). We're planning ahead (early) to April 2010 and thinking of booking the Jewel to the Panama Canal. The ship and itinerary seem to be just what we want...has anyone done this trip? Any comments/suggestions on the itinerary and ship will be greatly appreciated. :)

 

DH and I did the partial Panama Canal transit in '06 on the Brilliance, which is a twin to the Jewel. It was a phenomenal cruising experience, and I'd do it again in a heartbeat. And you are so lucky to be able to do it on the Jewel, which is my favorite ship to date. Even though the build and structure as well as the layout is just about identical to the Brilliance, the Jewel has more of a WOW factor. She is the ship that I measure all others by. By all means, book this cruise and I promise you will not regret it! Happy Sailing!

 

Karen

[cruisingrightalong]

Have done the partial transit 3 times and the fourth will be this January. So ask questions.

 

A decent plan:

If you have a balcony (try for an aft), then have room service breakfast on it as you arrive about 6 a.m. (ish!)

 

Then after you enter the 1st lock (of 3). Leave the room and travel to the front helipad or in front of the Solarium to view the next lock.

 

After that head towards the aft, on the top deck to watch the doors close behind you on the next lock.

 

Then you will sit in the lake until you head back out.

 

On the way out, head to deck 5 claim a chair...pull it to the rail and watch as you go thru 2 of the locks to view the "happenings" up close. Then on the last lock take a trip around to view the whole scene.

 

Just a plan!

 

Lou

[LisaH]

We will be doing this cruise in March 2010 and promise to keep the ship in "ship shape" for your cruise. We have done two full transits and are looking forward to the difference of a partial transit, especially some of the ports as we have not been to Costa Rica or Labadee.

 

The Jewel is currently our favorite ship and cabin 9576 our favorite cabin even over the mini suite on the Island Princess and 9576 is NOT a mini suite but it is a hump cabin with an awesome balcony and great location.

 

hey, if you book 3/5/10 we can start a roll call!

[linkerbink]

Wow...it's great to hear all the raves about this cruise! My sister and I will be doing it next April. It will be our first Canal cruise and also first on the Jewel. All your comments are making me even more excited than I already am! Too bad I have so long to wait...

[windjamming]

We were on the BR partial transit and did a similar trek around the ship as Lou. On the way out, though, we sat in the aft section of the WJ and enjoyed cold lemonades and iced teas as the ship headed back towards the Caribbean Sea.

 

A note of clarification. There are 3 locks in the Panama Canal. For partial transits (like the ones that the JW will do and BR did), only one lock will be transited - the Gatun Locks. The ship will stop in Gatun Lake (which is just beyond the Gatun Locks) and let passengers with booked excursions (you may only book excursions through RCI) off the ship.

 

One of the excursions includes a ferry trip through the remaining 2 locks (Miraflores and Pedro Miguel), but the ship herself will remain in Gatun Lake until early afternoon, when it will transit back thru the Gatun Locks and dock at Cristobal Pier. Passengers on excursions will return to the ship at Cristobal.

 

There are 2 schools of thought on what to do once the ship gets to Gatun Lake. There are benefits to getting off the ship - you get to see Panama up close and explore the Canal much more. For those who stay onboard, though, you get to see the ship go through the locks again. Also, a terrific poolside BBQ is offered. It's a matter of personal preference.

 

One last thing - the Gatun Locks themselves are broken into 3 chambers, which the ship passes through on their way to the Lake (or back out to the Caribbean Sea). Each chamber is separated by 2 large, heavy gates, which swing open and closed when the ship enters it. Each also has a higher (or lower) water level than the previous chamber, as Gatun Lake is at a much higher level than the Caribbean Sea. When there is discussion about going through the "locks" within the lock, we may mean the chambers.

 

I hope this clarifies things a little, as I know I was confused before I went on the cruise. The Canal is truly one of the modern wonders of the world and definitely worth seeing once.

 

Happy sailing and enjoy the cruise!

[tomko2]

We did the partial transit on the Brilliance this past January and are booked on the Jewel for the same itinerary January 09. Both ships are absolutely loved; lots of glass.

Photos of both ships as well as our Panama Cruise in the link below.

Kathy:)

[terry55]

Thanks to all for your comments/suggestions. We booked the April 5, 2010 Jewel cruise this afternoon!!:) :D Plenty of time to save a bit more for the trip! All the positive feedback is great.

 

Susie - will look for the roll call you mentioned that started for this cruise!