Ski Mom 2

I do all of our bookings myself as well. It's fun to search for the best place, the best offer, the most fun. I too just booked a Wind Star cruise: the Classic Caribbean for January 30, 2016 direct with Wind Star. I've never booked this far ahead but was told if a better fare came out I could call back as long as it was 120 days out from sailing. Once it was closer than 120 days they wouldn't really do anything. I was also told by Elisa (the Wind Star planner) that earlier was better as far as rates unless you were willing to wait until the very last moment and then they might have cheaper fares but perhaps not the best availability.

We have to book air and we are staying for a week ahead in St Martin and I'm looking at villas to rent so we are not willing to wait. I'll just keep watching for discounts and see what happens.

We are thinking about booking this itinerary for January 2016. We sailed on the Wind Star in December 2014 through the Panama Canal and had a marvelous time.

I haven't really looked at each individual stop yet but I appreciate reading what everyone else has experienced. We love the beach but don't really want to have a beach day everyday. Any other advice on the different ports?

We are also seriously considering flying to St Martin a week early. We were there on a cruise stop years ago and fell in love with the island and want to spend some extra time there.

Thanks so much for sharing!

On our Panama Canal cruise in December there was only one smoker and only one spot they were allowed to smoke and it was on one deck in the back of the ship.

There were lots of smokers on the Carnival cruise we went on in February.

So I know it's been a year since this post but I was wondering if the author went and which cruise they chose? We are looking at both of these for January 2016 and am leaning towards the Classic Caribbean since it goes to islands that seem to have just a wee bit more to do. I love the beach but love to sight see as well.

We were on the Panama Canal cruise from Colon to Costa Rica and used the inflatable at every port. It was very easy and very short rides.

We cruised on the Wind Spirit from Colon through the Panama Canal and up the Pacific coast of Panama and Costa Rica on 12/27/14. The Wind Spirit has 148 passengers and we spent the day all over the ship. We started in the front, moved to the back, checked out both sides of the ship and started over again. Being on a small ship made it very easy to see everything up close and personal. We loved it!!

Thank you all for your help!

We have finally connected and as of now there are two other people booked for the same day.

I'm very excited!

I went to that web site and found an email for Emily and have sent another request. I'm not sure if that's the email I used Befor or not.

Again thank you so much and I'll let you know what happens.

Thanks! That is one of the ways I had tried to contact her. I just tried again. I check my spam almost more than my regular mail so it hasn't slipped through the cracks yet :)

Keep your fingers crossed!

We will be in Cozumel in February and would love to try the cooking class with Josefina. Has anyone done this class?

We are having a hard time connecting with Josefina and wondered if anyone else had the same issue. I have sent an e-mail and I have filled out the customer form on the web site and no answer and it's been over a week. All the other tour companies we are interested in at our other stops have answered and we are already booked.

Any thoughts on if I should keep trying or move on to Plan B? And by the way, I don't have a Plan B :(

We are sailing on the Carnival Magic out of Galveston on February 8, 2015. Thanks!

We Have just returned from our New Year's Eve cruise on the Wind Spirit. You're going to love it!

We stayed in Panama City for 3 nights prior to our cruise at a lovely boutique hotel in Caseo Viejo. After exploring the old part of the city, our hotel arranged for a driver to take us "through the canal" and to Colon and the ship. We were a family of four. The base rate would have been $120 for two and we were charged $150 which we thought was fair. Our driver was retired US military and had worked on canal and was wonderful! We did a little sightseeing along the way. I believe it took us just over an hour or so for the trip.

The railway isn't reliable and doesn't run some days. You can't book it any longer. I believe you can book transportation through the cruise line but you have to do it two weeks out and get to their hotel.

You're going to love it!

We just returned from the Wind Spirit that went from Colon, through the Panama Canal and up the Pacific coast of Panama and Costa Rica.. We flew out of San Jose. We opted for a taxi from the post to the airport in San Jose instead of the ships transportation which was higher. It took us less than an hour to travel and was $120 for the four of us with luggage. We negotiated our rate before we got in the taxi. No worries at all. Only issue was there was an accident the other direction and traffic was backed up for MILES!

Have you looked at Wind Star Cruises? We just returned from a 7 day cruise from Colon, through the canal and up the Pacific coast of Panama and Costa Rica. We flew into Panama City 3 days early to explore, had a driver take us to Colon to catch the ship and then flew home from San Jose, Costa Rica.

We were on the Wind Spirit which has only 148 passengers. I wasn't sure how I would like it but I loved the small ship! And going through the canal was amazing because you could walk from one end to the other to watch everything in a matter of minutes!

We just returned from our Panama Canal Cruise on the Wind Spirit. We flew into Panama City 3 days early, stayed in Caseo Viejo (the old city) and then had a driver take us to Colon where we boarded our ship for a full transit back through the canal. The cruise did not stop in Panama City and we so enjoyed our time there.

We've just returned from the Wind Spirit going through the Panama Canal and up the pacific coast of Panama and Costa Rica. We flew into Panama City 3 days early to explore this wonderful city. We then booked a driver that drove us from Panama City to Colon. That drive took less time than we thought and our driver showed us many sights along the way. I think it was about an hour.

A few observations:

Th train doesn't run anymore between the two cities. They have had many issues and sometimes it runs, sometimes it does not.

The old part of Panama City (Caseo Viejo) was an amazing place. It's in the middle of a huge revival and we enjoyed our time there and always felt safe.

That being said, I would not want to stay in Colon. Even our driver who was retired US military and a local Panamaian didn't like Colon. Driving to the port was interesting but not a place I would want to spend any time at.

My suggestion is to fly to Panama City and experience this wonderful city and then enjoy your passage through the canal. It was incredible!

For those in the spa cabins...how was it being so far forward on the ship? I'm worried about the rocking and rolling being so far forward. I think the spa cabins sound wonderful :)