Help needed with Panama Canal itinerary choice!

[Sparkle 123]

We are considering a Panama canal cruise for March 2006. Heres my dilemma: We can have a Sky suite on the Galaxy 12 night cruise out of Galveston for less money than a balcony cabin on the Summit 14 night full transit from LA to Fort Lauderdale.
Will we be missing out by not doing the full transit? Or is the Galaxy cruise a nice alternative? I am quite tempted to experience the Suite life again!

Any thoughts or advice much appreciated!

[joramrose]

I am not really "into" (or "onto"?) balconies -- don't spend that much time in my cabin, sois they are not worth it for me.

But I can tell you this. I really and truly enjoyed the full canal cruise a couple of years ago. I would not think of going without seeing it all. The tour on the Pacific side, which returned to the last lock and gave a full understanding of how it worked, was worth a lot also.

Maybe some people were on their balconies for the crossing, but it seemed most of us were out on deck, running from one side to the other in order to see it all. Only when going through the lake, which had similar scenery on both sides, did I sit for awhile.

love
joan

[Krazy Kruizers]

[b][font=Comic Sans MS][color=blue]Have done several full transits and a couple of partials.[/color][/font][/b]
[b][font=Comic Sans MS][color=#0000ff][/color][/font][/b]
[b][font=Comic Sans MS][color=#0000ff]Full transits are the way to go. There is so much to see and learn about the canal and the locks. Every time we go through the locks we spend a lot of time out on our verandah watching the mules work.[/color][/font][/b]
[b][font=Comic Sans MS][color=#0000ff][/color][/font][/b]

[fierball]

Abbafan,if you don't want to go the full transit there are other ways to see the entire canal. You can take a day trip to the Pacific side by train or bus. I took one by bus from the Atlantic side to the Pacific side and then took a ferry boat back thru the Miraflores locks. Just be sure to get up early if you go thru the locks so you will be able to see. We met another ship with people holding up large signs with their email address on it and wanting us to take their pictures and send to them by email. I thought it was a good idea so they would have a picture of them and their ship going thru the locks. Have a good trip! Hank

[CelebrityMan]

Hi,

I'll admit my bias -- I love the full transit!

You don't specify if this is your first trip to the Canal, but given the context I'll assume it is. My first time to the Canal was a partial transit, going thru Gatun Locks into the lake, and returning. While that was exciting and fun, it left me wanting more.

Why? Well, for one, I wanted to see the massive excavations where they cut through the mountains. Seeing the sea level canal on the Atlantic side was interesting, and going through the locks was fantastic, but one doesn't see the spectacular excavation sites of a full transit.

We enjoy it so much we're going again in May, 2005, Ft. Lauderdale to San Francisco on the Infinity. WOO HOO!!




CM

[robing]

You might like to look at
[url]http://community.webshots.com/user/newagincourt[/url]
to see some pictures from the Fort Lauderdale - San Diego trip.

[Sparkle 123]

Thanks for all your replies. Will check out those photos thanks Robing.
My problem is that we have been spoilt in a sky suite before and the Galaxy Sky suite is fairly reasonably priced. However my ultimate trip would be a full transit on an M class aft balcony! I'm sure that would be the way to go.
Will have keep looking for any special deals, that is all part of the fun too!

[suzsummit]

[quote name='abbafan'] However my ultimate trip would be a full transit on an M class aft balcony! I'm sure that would be the way to go.
Will have keep looking for any special deals, that is all part of the fun too![/QUOTE]
The May 1st sailing on Infinity has some FV aft balcony cabins still open. 15 days - Ft Lauderdale to San Francisco...

[Sparkle 123]

Thanks Suzsummit be we are already booked on the Brilliance of the seas Med cruise in May this year.

[willy paul]

Full transit is the way to go. We did it in October on the Infinity with a balcony cabin.

We were on Deck 9 in the cabins that stick out and we could look over and see everything going in the locks. It is luck of the draw which side you go through the locks. We went thru the left locks and had a cabin on the right and could see everything. The mid ship cabins had their view of the locks obscured by the lifeboats when they looked down.

One advantage of the balcony is you can come and go into the cabin to cool down because it gets very hot and humid. We left the balcony door open with the AC on high and with the TV on to hear the lecturers and port people telling us what we were seeing and the Canal history.

Would do it again .

[Trixsea]

I too have done both a full and a partial transit. A full is the best way to get the real experience of the canal. I loved it and would do it again in a heartbeat.

Terry

[excitedofharpenden]

Hi abbafan.:)

Full canal, definitely. Having just come back from Galaxy Panama Canal, we loved the trip, but didn't get much of a feel for the rest of the canal from the train trip we took. I would love to go right the way through by ship, including the Gaillard Cut and then head on to the Pacific coast. If budget allows, do Summit and don't forget to compare the rest of the itineraries too.

Phil

ps hope your Millennium trip went well!

[RSteele]

I'll agree with those who say to do the full transit. We did that in '01 and did a partial just a couple of weeks ago on the Galaxy...I would definitely do a full transit again. Did not feel as though we got the full effect of the canal. We took the train across to Panama City but don't think I would do that again.

[Sparkle 123]

Hi Phil
Thanks for your reply. I read your review of the Galaxy, I was going to E mail you to ask which TA you use here in the UK.
I know the full transit is the way to go, I was just too tempted by the Sky suite! I read on another post that Desmond may be transferring to the Galaxy as a butler in 2005/6. He was our butler on the Century and to see him again would be wonderful. However if we could get a good deal on a Summit balcony we will go for that! Decisions, decisions!
thanks for all your replies!
Lisa

[excitedofharpenden]

Lisa, please feel free to em me. I have a couple of thoughts. My address is [email="phil.adamson1964@ntlworld.com"]phil.adamson1964@ntlworld.com[/email]

Phil