CarolandNate

Just went onto our log in on Princess for our trip eastbound through the Panama Canal in December, 2019.  While I had read that excursions would not be available for booking until 120 before and had heard that perhaps one could book by 180 days before, there are links that are available NOW, ten months in advance.  Having never booked through the cruise line, I am not sure what booking now actually means.  I have questions that perhaps more experienced travelers could answer.

 

1) If I book now will my card be charged now  or will my space just be held?

 

2) There is the option to use on board credit.  Other than not having to deal with a large folio at the end, is there any advantage to putting as much on the OBC as one can.  That would mean buying more OBC in advance.  I assume if one cancelled the entire trip before the final payment, any purchase of additional OBC would be refundable.  In the end it means pay now or pay later, I think.

 

We are doing a Panama Canal Cruise in December.  We used Travelguard on a previous cruise and I am using it again.  Price is right and because we are doing other things while we are away, it makes sense.  TG covers the entire trip from the time I leave my house until I return, whether Princess related or not.  I must inform them of any additional bookings that would result in loss of money through cancellation fee that would come before I left the house.  Anything booked after is does not have to be reported.  I need to do this within 20 days of booking to maintain a pre-existing conditions clause.  I could have done an any reason (bad hair day), but that would add $200 or so to the premium.  Given that these excursions are free cancellation as long as they are done five days or more prior to the excursion, it does not look like I would have to report them.  But that said, the increase in premium does not jump by too much when you start hitting the thousands.  I don't want to risk blowing the whole pre existing conditions clause over having to spend an additional $25-50 in premium.  Has anyone dealt with this before?

We are going on Emerald  Princess for our trip eastbound through the Panama Canal in December, 2019.  

We have decided to do everything through the ship.  We have identified that in certain ports of call, there is one thing that we consider must see, that we would disappointed if we were to miss that.  In a number of them, there are limited options, so we feel we should book in advance.  There are a couple that we figure we can wing it and book on the ship, because there are many options.  Any advice is welcome.

 

Must see or do

 

Puerto Vallarta-  We want to do a beach and PV is big on that.  The Las Caletas getaway looks to be the best option given that we want to get there and be free to do a lot of things while we are there.  It's four hours of  beach, food, hiking, kayaking, snorkeling, did I mention food, and no hopping from place to place.  That is a lock in as far as I am concerned

 

Puntarenas-  Rainforest is what I see for Costa Rica.  Rainforest, Tram, TarcolesRiver crocodile cruise looks to be more bang for the buck.  It's not cheap and there is one for about $25 less, that does not do the crocs.

 

Fuerte Amador-  Not overly interested in seeing the locks from land and since we will be doing the transit the next day, I want to avoid redundancy.  People keep mentioning the Embera Indians as a highlight of their trip.  I'm sold.

 

Book from ship

 

Huatulco-  City/Countryside, bay cruises appear to be the highlight here, but there are lots of options.  For this we will chance it.  Any advice from those who have been there would be welcome.

 

Cartagena-  It's the city and there a re a lot of options, including some hop on hop off.  I don't anticipate being shut out of all of them.  Again advice welcome

 

Book ahead, but need advice

 

San JuandelSur-  Nicaragua and Volcanoes.  That's what we want.  There are three that visit Masaya volcano, have lunch, are the same price and have what appear to be minor differences.  I would like to hear from people who have been to them.

 

Masaya Volcano & Hacienda Los Altos Cultural Experience  45 minutes at volcano and cultural trip to a farm with lunch for 2 hours 7 1/2 hours total.

 

Granada, Masaya Market, Volcano, Lunch and shopping.   Hour at volcano, hour and a half in Granada with lunch;  hour or so at Masaya Market.  8 1/2 hours total

 

Nature experience, Masaya Volcano, Apoyo Lagoon and Granada.  1:15 at Masayavolcano; brief visit to Lagoon; see Mombacho from distance; hour and a half in Granada with lunch.  8 1/4 hours total.

 

8 minutes ago, Relaxedfun said:

The Embera visit was the high point of the trip.   Warmth of the whole community, a good experie nce in every way.  

Thanks

Want to do volcanoes in Nicaragua, when we go in December on a Panama Canal, full transit..  Not finding much on existing boards.  We intend to do so on a ship's tour (Princess).  I have found three, that look interesting and all have some degree of similarity.

 

Masaya Volcano & Hacienda Los Altos Cultural Experience             7 1/2 $99.95

Nature Experience, Masaya Volcano, Apoyo Lagoon and Granada       8 1/4  $99.95    

Granada, Masaya Market & Volcano, Lunch & Shopping  8 1/2 hours   $99.95        

I have gotten a nice endorsement of the first, but I would like to know if anyone has done the other two.  If so, why did you choose that one.  The prices are the same and the time is fairly close.  I noticed that the second and third have slightly shorter transits to and back.  But the first spends more time at the Masaya Volcano itself.   Thanks to all.         

On 2/18/2018 at 2:09 PM, IndyBarb said:

We went on this excursion in October. We didn't think that the hike was too strenuous. There were a lot of stairs but the hike was slow and you could stop and rest for a few minutes if you needed. The trail is very slippery in spots. I did step off the trail to let a group pass going in the opposite direction. I slipped and broke my wrist. The guides were great giving the tour and taking care of my wrist. They were able to wrap it tightly and I continued on the tour and had the wrist taken care of once we were back on the ship. (Just be sure to watch where you are going). We could hear howler monkeys but couldn't see them due to the dense clouds that you are basically walking in. Actually, we didn't really see any animals other than a few birds. Lunch in Granada was delicious. I had the fish and my DH had the beef. He said that the beef was delicious but a little tough. We did a short walk through Granada which was beautiful and there were a lot of locals trying to get you to buy their wares. We couldn't really see the twin volcanoes because they were cloud covered. I would recommend this excursion. How many times are you going to have a chance to hike in a cloud forest on a volcano? Please let me know if you have any questions.

Which was the one you went on in October 2017.  Why did you pick it?  Good that you didn't let the broken wrist take away from it though.

On 2/19/2018 at 6:46 AM, Astromaid said:

Thank you, Indybarb, always good to hear first hand accounts. Sounds like this will be a go for us.

When did you go to Nic.  Which volcano tour did you choose.  And why did you choose that one.  There are three that are relatively the same.  Want to make an informed decision.

On 2/16/2018 at 2:23 PM, konatyme said:

We will also visit this port on a full transit Panama Canal cruise in Jan. 2019 and will watch this thread with interest, since we have the same questions. We very seldom do a ship's excursion, but are thinking of making an exception for this port.

Will be interested to hear about your experience when you get back.  Did you set anything up yet, given that your original post was last February.  As I think volcanoes in Nicaragua are "must see", I don't want to risk not getting any, so I am inclined to do so in advance.  It is just a matter of which one.  There appear to be three through the ship that actually visit volcanoes and they are all the same price.  There are some differences, but nothing major.  If you did choose one already, why did you pick that one?

On 10/17/2018 at 9:10 PM, OCruisers said:

 

What was it about this one that you liked as opposed to the other two.  I see that they all take about the same time to and back, give or take 15 minutes.  This one, seems to spend more time at the volcano, itself.  And it spend a good deal of time at the farm.  Are there interesting things to see on the way, while on the bus? 

 

Thanks in advance.

2 hours ago, riffatsea said:

Lots of people use private tours for these ports. There are tons of posts about them on the Costa Rica and Cartagena, Columbia forums here.

They are very well reviewed!

I am an independent land traveler who is used to making my own arrangements.

Going off on our own at cruise ports is not new to us no matter which port it is.

Thanks again.  I will be in touch again in time.

2 hours ago, riffatsea said:

Panama as a country uses USA dollar bills for currency. They use their own currency ,the Balboa, for change. They do not print their own bills at all.

I didn't know that until I did research for this trip.

 

I knew I wanted to do this excursion from before we booked the trip. We had lots of on board credit which you can now use before you are actually on board to book excursions so I booked when the excursions opened up. It was still available as a trip closer to the date we actually went.

The scenery on the bus ride went from modern city to countryside.

 

Yes, we went in December from LA to Fort Lauderdale.

We only did one other ship's excursion in Nicaragua to a hacienda near Lake Nicaragua and to a small town nearby. The hacienda was lovely and the folk dance show there was very nice too.

 

In Costa Rica we did a private excursion with one couple from our Roll Call. We used Gio Tours.

They will customize anything you want to see/do. They were very responsive. In fact our guide for that tour was Adonys Cruz who was marvelous! We didn't pay until we were actually on the tour and used USA $$s also there for that. You may be able to reach Adonys directly on FB. I may have his e mail somewhere too.

 

Other than that we did our own thing with taxi drivers at the ports. I will say that Cartagena drivers were VERY aggressive and if I went there on another cruise I'd either book a tour ahead of time or do a ship excursion or be prepared to pay $20 USA for going anywhere in the city.(in each direction)

 

 

 

This is great info.  Was this your first PC cruise.  If so, you are braver than we are, using privates.  I had heard some people say, that if you think you will stress out worrying about getting back, then go with ship's tours.  Truth be told, we would stress out, no matter how much we tried to convince ourselves not to.

 

Our master plan is to book the must sees ( as we see them), in advance, like as soon as they become available.  Volcanoes in Nicaragua, Rainforest in Costa Rica, Beach excursion in Puerto Vallarta.  These are things that if we did not do the ONE we had in mind, we would be disappointed.  I realize they may be pricier through the ship, but .....  In light of your endorsement of Embera Indians in Panama, we are considering early booking on that.  I have heard that it is popular and if it is chancy in waiting, then we'll just do it ahead of time. 

 

I figure that Cartegena and Huatulco are a little more must see when it comes to particulars.  Cartagena as I see it is really about the city and there are about 10-12 tours through the ship.  I am guessing that we can wait until we get on board for one of those.  Huatulco looks like city/countryside or bay cruises and all are about 4 hours of the 9 we are there.  Not likely going to piggy back, but if the city is close to the dock (walking distance), that is something we can do on our own.  When we were in Alaska, we got back from excursions and spent a little time in the cities, and then walked back.

 

Hooking up with Roll call people is also an option.  A little early at this point to put ourselves out there, though. 

 

I have seen some people say that they stay on the ship on excursion days.  We figure that since we have never been there and will not likely be back, that seeing these places is something we would regret missing.  When we did Alaska, we took a plane out to the end of the park and the pilot broke through the clouds and we were ten miles from Denali looking right at it.  On the way back to airport in Anchorage, we stayed at a place that as running helicopters to glaciers.  We walked on one for a half hour.  These are things we will never do again, so.....  Taking the same tack with PC excursions.

 

I will probably be back at you at some point, as I discover more questions to ask.

 

10 hours ago, riffatsea said:

Hi,

I was also wary of the amount of time but it turned out to be just fine.

The bus estimate is in case of traffic. I don't think it took that long.

There is narration while on the bus about Panama City and about the tribe you will visit.

Our guide knew the tribe intimately and knew some of their language which he tried to teach us while on the way there. They also speak Spanish and some speak English as well.

The canoe ride took about 40min. It truly felt like the ride on the river was a trip back in time to a pristine natural environment.

At the village we first sat in their communal lodge to hear info about their culture. There was music and dancing. You could take pix and chat with the locals and wander around to see their communal cooking hut and their family huts. There were lovely handmade items to buy from rosewood carvings to baskets to lovely fabrics and jewelry. I brought $100 USA and could have spend more1

They gave us a lunch of fried fish and plantains .

All in all seeing and experiencing a totally different culture was something that you don't usually do on ship excursions!!

BTW there were pit toilets but they had running water to wash and soap and toilet paper so really not bad at all!

Thank you.  This very helpful.  Good to know that the bus part is not as bad as I imagined.  How is the scenery on the bus ride.  I have no doubt  it is terrific on the canoe part.  I had read that it is good to bring cash.  Nice to know that they take US cash.  Was not looking forward to having to get different currency for each of the different countries. 

 

When you decided to go on this excursion, did you book in advance or did you wait until you were on the ship.  And if you did it in advance, how far in advance. 

 

I assume you went in December.  Which direction?  What other ports did you visit.?

On 12/30/2018 at 9:24 AM, riffatsea said:

Hi again,

We've returned from our wonderful Panama Canal Cruise on the Coral Princess.

I don't think you've mentioned which ship you are considering??

I must tell you that the excursion I did to the Embera native village was the highlight of my cruise!!

I thought it was an amazing step back in time to visit another world!

It did take all day but it was worth it since I have never experienced anything similar anywhere else!

Feel free to ask any specific questions you may have.

 

We are going on the Emerald Princess from LA to Ft Lauderdale in December.

 

Highlight, eh.  That's good to hear.  Been seeing several similar reactions.

 

Yes I have questions.  What was it that you liked so much.  From what I have read about it and what I saw on TV, it looks fascinating.  Can you tell me what basically, it is all about?

 

At first glance, we had been a bit hesitant and maybe you can help me there.    The itinerary has 1:30 out by land transport and 1:30 back.  1:00 each way by motorized canoe and 1:30 on site.  That's about six hours.  The all day part is not an issue.  The two hours back and forth by canoe, sounds really interesting.  The part I am curious about is the three hours getting to an from the port.  That is half the trip in a van, bus or whatever.  What goes on in that part?  Are there interesting things to see or do?  Is there narration?  Is the trip up the same as the trip back?  Not a big fan of sitting in a bus with little to see.  Tell me there is something good there.

 

Is this something I am going to want to book as soon as it is available or is it something that can wait until we are on the ship?

 

Thanks in advance

1 hour ago, FritzG said:

We love the Doubletree which is where we stayed last spring and in 2017 before Hawaiian cruises.  The rooms and the views are great, and the staff bends over backwards to be sure you’re happy.  I’d suggest a rate that includes their excellent breakfast.  

This was one that I looked at closely.  Looks very nice and it is very close to the dock and the Enterprise Car Rental. That said, I have points that would get me free nights at Marriotts and Choice Hotels, which have free breakfasts included.  While I have some Hilton points, I don't have enough for a free night.  I could get enough by getting a credit card, but I already have Marriott and Choice card.  After I wrote saw a brand new Choice Ascend, which are their "upscale" hotels.  Granted, it's in Torrance, which is a bit further away than the DoubleTree, but it is not crazy far away.  Thanks, though for the tip.

4 minutes ago, Heidi13 said:

We are departing from the cruise terminal in Jan 2020 and our preference is to be close to the terminal the evening before. Have researched a few hotels and are currently considering the Crowne Plaza, which is downtown close to restaurants, a craft brewery and pub. It is less than a mile from the cruise terminal.

 

They provide breakfast and if you have a car, up to 15 days parking. They also provide a shuttle to the terminal.

 

While we have yet to stay in this hotel, our research indicates it has been recently updated and while some reviews are mixed, most reviews are generally positive, especially for an overnight stay.

I had considered CP,  but that would necessitate getting points and thus a credit card from IHG to get a free night.  With Hiltons, I already have some points and with Marriott, I have free anniversary nights with my existing card.  I have more than enough Choice points.  Already had to open one to get AA miles to get us from east coast.   Besides, I don't generally go to IHGs. Have been partial to Residence with free breakfast and there is one close.

 

That said, the free breakfast and parking for the night and shuttle to the terminal does get one's attention.

 

Decisions, decisions

On 10/20/2018 at 10:38 PM, riffatsea said:

We stay in Long Beach at the Maya, when we cruise out of Long Beach. Even though we are fairly local, living in San Diego, we like to be up near the port the day before a cruise. We don't need much entertainment though so for Princess we are using Hilton pts and staying at the Doubletree. We will just be happy to be there and take their shuttle to the port in the AM.

Just out of curiosity, why the Maya as opposed to the San Pedro DT.  Also, the Maya is pretty close to the Residence on Queensway.  I assume you do it because of the HH points.  I have some HH points, not enough for either, so I would have to do the credit card thing.  I have a Marriott card, so I get a freebie every year and the Residence is one of the free ones (as is Westin and Renaissance.  You being from San Diego, clearly know the area.  I have family just east of Pasadena, so we will be staying there for a couple of days and spend the last night in LB/SP.  Like you, the "entertainment" factor is not a big deal.  Been to the aquarium and the Queen Mary already.  From east coast, we'll likely fly into LAX, although LGB and ONT are possibilities.  If we do LAX, we'll probably uber down to LB or SP to get a rental that would be RT.  The one way prices are $100-$150 more than RT.  Uber or cab is $30-70.  The distance difference from LAX or a neighborhood agency in LB/SP is insignificant.  Not to mention, driving out of LAX.  Been there, done that many times.  Let the uber/cab have the fun.  I imagine driving from LB to where we are going is easier.

I am researching hotels in the area for a December cruise through the Panama Canal.  There appear to be a number of Marriotts, Choice and Hiltons.  I have enough points for Marriott and Choice and can get enough for a Hilton.  Our plan is to fly to LA four or five days in advance and stay a little bit further east, then drive to LB or SP the day before the cruise and spend one night. 

 

Our needs are a nice hotel in a nice location.  While we would like to be close to the pier, distance is not an overriding factor.  Activities in the area are not that important, as we have seen the Queen Mary and the Aquarium.  Proximity to restaurants for dinner is of greater concern, preferably within walking distance.  And if the hotel restaurant is good, even better.  Ideally, we would like a place that serves free breakfast or at least has breakfast on the premises.  We plan to drop off the car the day of the cruise and will likely cab or uber over to the pier.  If the hotel offers a shuttle to the pier, we could consider dropping off the car the day before.

I have scouted out a few hotels.  The closest is the DoubleTree on San Pedro.  It is also close to Enterprise and they will take us to pier.  It looks good, it's close and the area looks pleasant.  There are a few Choice Hotels, the Cove, Quality Inn and Blue Stem.  Not overly excited about the QI, but I have stayed in Ascends before and they seem nice.  The Blue Stem is new and in Torrance and maybe a little further away than I want to stay.  Then there are a number of Marriotts.  I have stayed in Residence Inns of which there are several in the area.  The breakfast is pretty good and free. The Residence near the Queen Mary got my attention.  Not luxury, but good.  Then there is the Westin and Renaissance.  They appear to be a step up.  Some of the extras will cost, parking, breakfast, etc.

Those of you who have stayed in the area, I hope can give me some insight about their experiences in any of these hotels.  How important is distance from the pier, to restaurants, etc.  Do any of the hotels offer shuttles to pier?  Is cab or uber  a better option?

Any suggestions would be welcome.

got that

1 minute ago, wheezedr said:

As noted, when cruise ships are in port Las Caletas is only bookable  through the ship.  It is basically a visit by sea to an all inclusive that also has some add ons that are not free.   Food and drink is included and the drinking begins as soon as you board the vessel to LC.  Trip takes 45 minutes to an hour, depends on how and when captain decides to show you some islands on the route.  Very relaxing day .  No travel issues as the catamaran to LC leaves from the port where the ship docks.  

There are however less expensive ways to see and experience a beach in PV, either at an AI or just grabbing a cab OYO.  We love using local buses but I might not suggest that option to a first timer.

I appreciate that, as a first timer.  We made a conscious decision to do our excursions through the ship, especially those that are going to take most of the day in port.  Was told if "one is likely to stress out wondering if something might go wrong, then take the ship's excursion"  We would stress out and I think that might have some bearing on how much we would enjoy ourselves.  Yes it might be cheaper on our own, but not worth the concern.  I personally like the idea of the LC excursion with an hour out and one hour back and four hours in one place to do as we please.  Looks like there a re a number of things that we would enjoy in that four hours.  The bus or cab thing is fine when there is a lot of time at the back end of a port of call and you are close to the ship.  Thanks for the info.

1 hour ago, Ine said:

All of them are beaches. You can use Las Caletas only when booking with Vallarta adventures or through your ship. Meals, drinks etc. are included. Yelapa. Mahajuitas and Los Animas are public beaches, where you can only get by boat. You will find some restaurants there.

I saw Yelapa, Mahajuitas on the Princess site, as excursions.  If they are public beaches, it sounds like there would be a lot more people there, than say, at Las Caletas.  So basically one would be paying $95 per person to go a public beach with pretty much anyone else who could get there and pay for your own food.  As opposed to having a limited amount of people around you and food.  Thanks for the info.;

Has anyone been to the Yelapa & Mahajuitas Beach excursion.  Looking at tours from the ship, while in port at Puerto Vallarta.  Very much like what I hear about the Las Caletas Getaway.  This one sounds similar and I would like to have something to compare.  Going in December 2019, so I do have time to research.

5 hours ago, boris53098 said:

We did it through Carnival. From what I understand, (not sure if it's true or not, I didn't look into it) it has to be booked through the ship. I think I booked it about 3 months out. It's well worth the price, in my opinion. And yes, we went in December.

Princess has one that sounds like it might be the same

Discovery Family Las Caletas Private Beach Getaway           6.5 hours         $104.95                       

You will visit: Las Caletas  This is a private beach getaway accessible only by boat. Snorkel, kayak, paddle board, cooking lessons, nature walk in the forest. A lunch buffet and open bar is included on this full-day excursion. Depart from pier to Las Caletas (1:15);  Arrival at Las Caletas with lunch and activities (4:15); Depart from Las Caletas to pier and ship (1:00). 

There is another one that spends an hour at one beach and three at another with similar activities, swimming, kayaking, hiking, eating (although on the catamaran).  They are very similar and this one is $94, a little cheaper.

The third is about $139, also with similar activities, but moving from site to site

Thanks for the feedback

2 hours ago, boris53098 said:

Las Caletas is great. We went last December, and plan on going back in March. The food is pretty good. We didn't do any extras, just ate, walked around and relaxed. The trip out there, we saw a lot of whales and dolphins. The return trip the crew do a fun show.

That sounds great.  Just the kind of stuff I wanted to hear.  Which line?  Did you do the ship's tour?  When you said extras that you did not do, I assume you meant kayaking or cooking class, etc.  So it appears that between walking around and of course, eating there is plenty to do in four hours.  And it also seems like there is much to see on the ride out top Las Caletas.

 

We have been into kayaking the last couple of years and we want to get at least one opportunity to do so.  Also we want to to go the beach at least once.  What I like about this excursion is that you get out there, stay around in one place for four hours and do what you want.  Then we come back and we still have time in town before heading back to the ship.  Some of the others are travel 30 minutes to one place, stay for an hour or two; travel to the next, etc.

 

You went in December, right?  When did you book this?

So, it seems like everyone liked that one.  I assume we are talking about the same one, about $100 for 6 1/2 hours.  BTW, the "paid" option that sends one into the air.......ahhhh..... very nice.  Think we'll pass on that one.   Kayaking is about as adventurous and strenuous that I plan to get.  Good to know there might be stuff to see on the ride over and back.  We will be going in the morning.  I plan to book this as soon as it becomes available.  Princess says 120 days before, but I have heard, it can be booked sooner, maybe even now.