Rockinrobin50

Wow what a choice......we love the Emerald Deck Mini's. Actually have that last cabin on our upcoming cruise.

 

 

However on our Alaska cruise we had a covered mini and spent very little time on our own balcony (and in our room). We were on the Coral with the full decks on the aft with fantastic panoramic views. Just a few steps from our room. So for the views I think I would stick with your current balcony.

 

 

There is a video of cabin C753 on the Golden that shows the balcony and it looks like a great one.

 

 

I

Did you have engine noise or vibration in the aft facing cabin?

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We have done both itineraries, the Roundtrip out of Vancouver and Seattle. I would never recommend the Seattle trip. It is rougher and there is no scenery. I don’t get seasick but it was uncomfortable. The one out of Vancouver has scenery from the beginning and is a much smoother ride.

Princess. Hands down. Book a ship with a Caribe deck with the expanded balcony

 

 

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I agree. We have been on 3 Alaska cruises, 2 on Princess and 1 on HAL. We didn’t care for HAL. We did a one way Vancouver to Seward, a round trip from Seattle and a round trip from Vancouver. We are doing another round trip out of Vancouver on Princess in May 2018. The Vancouver round trip goes inside Vancouver Island with more scenery and smoother sailing. The one out of Seattle was a little rougher. It depends on if they are doing a land package with the cruise or not. If not then the round trip is the best bet. The balcony cabins on the Caribe deck, as mentioned, are an excellent choice. As far as excursions, there are too many great ones to do in one cruise so you will have to narrow it down to what they like and how fit they are. I hope this helps a little.

We have been on the Coral and the Ruby to Alaska. Although I did like the round trip aspect we preferred the smaller size of Coral and I like College Fjord over Hubbard Glacier. On the Ruby it was always difficult to find a seat in the Horizon Court for Breakfast and didn't want to take the time to go to the dinning room as we wanted to get off the ship early. We had no problems on Coral or her sister Island Princess. We went out of Seattle once and I do not recommend that at all. It goes outside of Vancouver Island rather than inside where the scenery is much better since you don't really see any from Seattle. Regardless of which ship or itinerary you choose, Alaska is an amazing place. We have been 3 times and I wouldn't hesitate to go again.

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Thank you so much, sdschwrt, for all the information you supplied. Actually I have a transport chair also. My husband is tall and the handles are higher than on a wheelchair. I can walk some but no very far, maybe about a block. I have good days and bad days. We are just trying to decide if it's worth taking it since most of the tours I have booked, since I first posted this question, require little walking.

" ? "

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Thank you BillB48 for your quick response and answer to my question. I feel better about using a non-ship excursion.

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Wow! Thank you so much for such an amazing review and pictures. We are going Feb 3, 2017 on a 15 day from L.A. To Ft Lauderdale on island Princess. Did you go on the ships excursions, on your own or with another tour company. I'm trying to finalize our excursions and there are so many choices and so much information to absorb. We usually use outside tour companies and have always enjoyed them. I like small groups rather than large crowds and being able to be flexible. But I'm not so sure about these countries and the safety factor. I guess I've seen too many movies of people being taken or kidnapped. We have 3 other couples going with us and I'm in charge of the excursions so I'm a little apprehensive. Thanks again for a marvelous review. I'm really looking forward to our trip.

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This is a long standing policy, regulation or perhaps law... doesn't really matter as that has been the manner in which ship's passengers were permitted to disembark in Gatun Lake. All cruise lines that offer partial transits (and occasionally northbound full transits provide disembarking in Gatun Lake) only permit you to go ashore if you book through them. This dates back to the days the US ran the Canal and it is based on sound logic. Where the ship tenders you ashore sounds good, the Gatun Yacht Club, there is no commercial area, no shops, no town, no taxis, the railroad used to run by there, but now it has moved away as well. Even the GYC is just a shell of its former self. The point I am trying to make is... if for some reason your DYI tour guide did not show up, your only transportation would be the shoe leather express!:) You could just imagine the blowback that would occur if something happened to any passengers that ran into any difficulty because their private tour provider failed to show.

 

I know a lot of people avoid ship's excursions like the plague, but really at this stop it can be a blessing. Most all of the excursions involve considerable distance from the port, sometimes dicey traffic conditions as well as being in remote areas where cell service is scant or non existent.

We are doing a full transit and will be docking at Fuerte Amador. So in your opinion we should do an excursion thru the cruise ship instead of an outside tour company? I usually don't like the cruise ship option but I would rather be safe than sorry.

Did you ever get an answer? Princess offers this excursion on our full transit on Island Princess 02/03/17 to 02/18/17. I'm wondering if it is worth the $109.95 pp price tag. Are there any private tour companies offering this and if so is it safe? I can't seem to get any current postings on the subject. Maybe I'm looking in the wrong place as others have mentioned?

The answers were right under my nose.

Thank you incruisers for your response. I think we will probably do the aerial tram. The things I really would like to do I can't because I can't walk very far.

We are going on a full transit Feb 3-18 on Island Princess. Did any of you get answers? Did you go on any tours in Costa Rica and if so how were they?

We are going on a full transit Feb 3-18 on Island Princess. Did any of you get answers? Did you go on any tours in Costa Rica and if so how were they?

We will be going to Costa Rica in October on celebrity infinity and were looking for help choosing an excursion. We have narrowed it down to the following.

Any info or recent reviews on either will be helpful in making our decision.

 

 

• Pacific train, boat & bus tour
  
• A walk in the clouds
  
• Aerial tram rain forest adventure
  
• Poas volcano, Sarchi, country drive
  

Thanks, lncruisers

Which one did you choose? We are going in Feb 2017

Will be on Pearl 11/28-12/8. I'm looking at the Panama Canal and Gatun Lake jungle eco cruise. Has anyone ever done it? I can't find a website but it's offered through Trip Advisor and Viator. Don't know if they pick you up at Port. It says it leaves from Central Panama City. Sounds like a fun tour. Wish they had it through NCL.

Did you ever get an answer? Princess offers this excursion on our full transit on Island Princess 02/03/17 to 02/18/17. I'm wondering if it is worth the $109.95 pp price tag. Are there any private tour companies offering this and if so is it safe? I can't seem to get any current postings on the subject. Maybe I'm looking in the wrong place as others have mentioned?

Is Antigua wheelchair friendly? Also I read your review of Cartagena and was wondering the same about there. Your reviews are excellent and very informative. Thank you so much for sharing your experiences.

We did Nativeway. Great crew' date=' snorkel, then stingrays and the best part Rum Point[/quote']

Thanks Marty'sMom for the reply. It looks like Nativeway gets the best reviews so that's probably the one we will choose.

Now that you've been on your cruise which tour did you decide on and how was it?

Mimi9095

We are on the Crown Princess on the 13th, the day you get off. Would love to hear a quick review if you get

this message before th 13th. I hope you are having a wonderful time!

We are originally from southern CA and my sister lives in OC so we will fly down the day before the cruise. My sister and her husband and one other couple are also going on the cruise so we will be able to all board together.

Thank you guys for your input. I chose the noon trip and we will be doing the train/bus combo with Chilkoot Charters. We will check out the town in the morning.

There are several time slots to do the Whitepass Train/ bus tour in Skagway and I was wondering which time would be better weather wise. There is a 8:30am and 12:00 noon trip and I was leaning toward the 12:00 thinking it might be a little warmer and less foggy. What do you all think?

We will be on the Crown Princess and will be in port from 7:00am to 5:00pm. Thank you!

Thank you for your input. We have decided to do the LA to FL mainly due to the time difference and the flights to get from here to FL in time to board the ship are less than convenient. We will be going in Feb so hope we don't hit those winds you were talking about. My only concern with that is someone in our party gets seasick easily.

Thanks! That helps a lot.

Thanks for your input. I heard that it would be an easier sailing going from Florida to Los Angeles due to the prevailing winds but I thought I would get some input from this board. I guess I should have put that info in the original message.