globetrotter212

I went on an impromptu excursion with Happy Hoppy Tours. They are right outside the cruise terminal. I don't remember exactly how much they cost, but it was in the neighborhood of $25-30 a person. They took us to the Casabari rock formation, the natural bridge, the abandoned gold mines, the California Lighthouse, and Eagle Beach. I LOVED the tour and Aruba. 

I don't know if your cruise was cancelled or not, but if it was, I'd recommend rebooking the Panama Canal on HAL when this is all said and done. It was by FAR the best cruise I've ever taken (but to be honest, I've only been on a handful so far).

Did the PC on the Zuiderdam. I'd recommend going on the ship's bow for the transit. We were originally supposed to transit the Gatun Locks around 6 am, but didn't start until 8 am due to volume in the locks. The bow gets VERY crowded, so I'd get up extra early to eat breakfast, and then make your way to the bow as soon as you can. Definitely an awesome experience.

The ship will then drop anchor in the Gatun Lake to offload those taking an excursion. Only those with an excursion will be allowed to offload. After that is done, the ship will then head back out through the locks again (I took an excursion to Panama City, so I don't know what time the ship ventured back through the locks that day) and dock in Colon to collect the passengers who took an excursion. You will be allowed to venture off the ship in Colon. If you do, I would recommend staying within the port. There will be some natives selling their stuff, but outside the port is a VERY shady area.

There will be some natives selling their stuff just outside the ship, but I'd stay within the port. Not only is there nothing of interest, but Colon is very shady.

I went to PR for a week while in college. Visited the Bacardi factory, thought it was a waste of time and money.

I just learned the embark is 7 pm???? What is the earliest you can go onboard? Is dinner served. I kind of like the late state, gives me time to wrap up things in my place in Florida.

Also Debark is 7 am, do they have a later one?

I'd take the Megabus if I were you. They go from the Javits Center in NYC to Union Station in DC. About a dozen departures daily. I just looked up 5/17, the fares start at $5!

Here is some stuff of my favorite stuff to do in DC:

White House (You can visit the front lawn. There are always protests there, especially now with Trump in office)

US Capitol (I don't believe you need to be a US citizen to reserve tours)

US Supreme Court (I believe there are scheduled walk-in tours)

Lincoln Memorial

Jefferson Memorial

MLK Memorial

Washington Monument

WWII Memorial

Korean War Memorial

Vietnam War Memorial

Ford's Theater

National Air and Space Museum

National Museum of American History

National Museum of the American Indian

National Archives

Some extras if you have time:

Constitution Gardens

Library of Congress

FDR Memorial

Arlington National Cemetery

Mount Vernon (It's a bit of a ride from DC as it's in Virginia, but worth it IMO)

I heard I have to fill out some paperwork onboard the ship. Will I be given a card or a sticker to put in my passport (I don't like bringing my passport ashore)?

Carnival is known for being the party line. I've encountered loads of wasted people on Carnival ships. I also felt Carnival was more family friendly at the same time. I also loved the food on Carnival. Meanwhile, I felt RC was a bit less crazy and a bit more laid back than Carnival. I wasn't a fan of the food on RC but felt their on board entertainment and activities are the best.

No need to. They took my US dollars no problem. And I wouldn't recommend using ATMs anywhere abroad unless you were 100% certain they were from a trusted bank.

The internet connection on the ship will not be connecting via any Cuban ISP - will stay directly connected via sat. No effect from where the ship is docked.

Thank you

I bring about $60 per port (excluding private island calls like CocoCay and Labadee) plus around another $100 for tips.

Hey all,

I'm considering a 5 night on the Majesty of the Seas with an overnight in Havana for later this year. I was wondering if I buy a wifi package, will I be able to access it on the ship while we are docked in Havana? I know that Cuba severely censors the internet but are cruise ships affected by this?

I was on the Zuiderdam from Dec 6 to Dec 17. I only saw one kid on the entire ship and he was well-behaved. That's why I prefer sailing when school is in session, as tons of kids running around like they are at Chuck E. Cheese's can get really annoying, especially when you are on vacation. I am assuming your itinerary was HMC, Aruba, Curacao, Cartagena, Colon (w/ partial transit) and Puerto Limon. We got diverted from Puerto Limon due to high swells so we were taken to Grand Cayman instead. I was in the MDR when the captain made that announcement and I will never forget the huge collective gasp everyone made when he said he decided to cancel the call at Puerto Limon.

I liked the ship. I thought it was beautiful. Much classier than anything I've been on before. The food was great and better than any other food I've had on any other cruise. It wasn't a full ship, so the Lido Buffet didn't get super crowded super fast. However, the Lido Deck would get dead right after dinner. I was on the deck at 7 PM a couple times and I was the only one there.

Hey all,

I'm considering a 5 day on RC's Majesty of the Seas with an overnight in Havana for later this year. I was wondering if I buy a wifi package, will I be able to access it on the ship while we are docked in Havana? I know that Cuba severely censors the internet but are cruise ships affected by this?

PS this was my first post on CC, so I'm not familiar with alot of rules here.