Essiesmom

I cry foul! Not fair that they have roast Turkey and prime rib on the same menu! EM

A couple of suggestions: At the top of the page is a pinned topic Panamax ships. It is a list of which ships use the old locks and new locks. Keep that list in mind, because new or old locks does not depend on which cruise line goes through, but which ship of that line. Next, go to cruisetimetables.com and choose Cruises to… and then Panama/Panama Canal. Then choose the time you want to cruise. Some months are much busier than others. There is not much happening during the Northern hemisphere summer but start to pick in October when ships leave Alaska for winter in the Caribbean. It is really active November through March, then slows down in April when the ships head back to Alaska. Don’t be concerned about weather, it is always hot and humid as Panama is near the equator. The only variable is how much rainier it will be in some months. Once you see who is transiting when you want to go, you can look them up in the Panamax thread to see which locks they will use. EM

As soon as I have done that, it comes up nothing available. EM

Well, I will be the contrarian. I have four cruises on MSC (and more than 50 on other lines). I would like to try the Yacht Club, it I can’t afford it, and can’t book anyway because I sail solo and don’t book months ahead. We had an inside on Divina, balcony on Divina (Bella), Fantastica balcony on Seaside, OV on Armonia. They were great cruises. I have a B2B booked on Seaside, Fantastica inside gty, total 7 days. The longer I have sailed, the more I gave up trivia. My education is much broader than TV and movie series, or pop music of the 80’s. But we got trapped into progressive trivia on Armonia and nearly won, because the questions were all from Google, classic stuff. Because the non-North American guests wouldn’t relate to what is on other lines. Anyway, I have never felt the ships were mob scenes, or crowded. Cabins were larger than most of the other lines I have sailed. I say go for it, maybe try an Aurea suite. Don’t believe you can’t enjoy the cruise because you can’t afford YC. EM

I thought the Buttergate was on Princess, or maybe it was HAL…. EM

They will find that out soon after they leave LA. EM

Just some pics to illustrate...This first one i pinched off Cruisedeckplans because somehow I never took a pic of non-connecting cabins. It's from Equinox. This next is also from Equinox but it is a connecting cabin. The only difference is the wall on the side is a door...see the handle. If you look at the other side, there is a door but no handle. So if you weren't looking you wouldn't see the difference. You might also notice the door handle for the cabin is on the opposite side: : And here is the 'connecting' door half closed: And here is one with both doors closed: I hope this makes it a little clearer than mud... EM

What ship has mini-suites?

I’ve never had a bad gty, it I’m not hard to please. But if the ship is sold out, I would think they would be more likely to send out Move Over offers, that bids for upgrades. EM

By 5pm you will be through the last locks and headed for Cartagena. It’s not a great distance so the ship won’t be going very fast. I think you should wait to schedule until you discover how windy your balcony is. EM

Nope. Carnival brands dock at Puerto Maya pier, Royal/Celebrity dock at International and NCL docks downtown at Punta Langosta. MSC gets leftovers, but I have been on MSC three times downtown. EM

The OP is in the UK and deposits are not refundable there. And we don’t know how soon the cruise is. EM

In the cabin, yes. But the outlets in the bathroom aren’t live until you flip the light switch for the bathroom. EM

And you can’t plug in a nightlight because the outlet is only live when the lights are on…. EM

The French doors have been replaced by floor to ceiling windows. EM

There is/was a Berlitz Guide to Cruising and Cruise Ships by Douglas Ward. He would describe each cruise line and if he had a bias, it was toward the luxury lines. He used to update it every year, but the latest I can find on Amazon is from 2019, and Covid makes that way out of date. EM

Majestic does not have a Sanctuary. EM

It’s been addressed here before. You can do it several months out, but not last minute. If trying to book on a ship that has solo cabins, the excuse is that there are not any singles left. If the ship doesn’t have singles, there is really no excuse given. It happens on other lines, too. I have been denied on Carnival and Celebrity also. EM

Usually downtown, Punta Langosta. EM

Paging @Jim_Iainto the white courtesy phone… im tagging this member who I believe sails mostly Celebrity, because he recently spent a week in Amsterdam between cruises, also doing a Live From on the Celebrity board. I believe he makes his arrangements independently. EM

While the visitor’s center at Agua Clara is interesting, you will have had a much closer view as you go through them on Ruby. EM

There is also a free Ho-Ho bus in San Juan. EM

There are also the cabin stickies at the top of the page. EM

Sailing from Seward across the Gulf of Alaska you will be too far from shore for any views until you enter the inside passage. At that time there will be views both sides. EM