Maksim

Thank you so much, BillB48. This is the first time someone actually recommended a private tour operator in Panama. I will try to reach out to him and see what he has to offer. Also, thank you for sending a link to the post. Great pictures.

Maksim,

We are also on this cruise (along with my cousin & her husband) and have been trying to find a private tour as well. We are interested in spending time at Casco Viejo and are afraid that the the Princess excursion time there will be too short. So far, I haven't had much luck in finding a private tour, but plan on continuing my search!

Hi, thank you for sharing your thoughts. That’s what I was concerned about as well. I ended up booking ship tour “Colonial Panama and Miraflores Licks”. I can cancel it if something better that comes up. This is a tender port and it’s easier to just go along with the cruise line. Let me know if you find something interesting.

Regarding different port, are you interested in joining us on a private tour in Costa Rica? I posted it on the roll call. This tour company is highly recommended and they need a minimum of 4.

Helen.

Thank you so much for sharing.

Thank you so much for your thoughts. I did e-mail My friend Mario and didn't get any response. Nothing on the board and our roll call is so dead. Nobody is responding to anything. There are a few people that I exchanged e-mails with and it didn't go anywhere. Will see if cruise ship offers anything that looks good. I am usually very reluctant to book through the ship due to large groups on big buses that sometimes can't even bring you to certain places. Yet, for this port it could be the only option.

Helen.

Wonderful. Thank you all.

Sorry to be a pest. On the second thought, if it’s too hot, would it be better to meet inside? Also, if we go to one of the bars, will they be open at that time and allow the kids?

Thank you so much for all the replies. It sounds like the large spinning silver head sculpture is the winner, I will let them all know to go there after the drill.

Thank you all. Our group consists of 3 generations: 7 grandparents, 4 parents, 6 kids ages 1 to 11.

Hello,

We are traveling with the large group and I though it would be good to meet somewhere after the drill so we. Can discuss our plans. None of us have been on this ship. Any recommendations?

I am also thinking to book with Dora as well, just havent confirmed yet. I wonder if 4 hours is enough time to have a tour and browse around old town. We like to walk around and not be rushed, yet I know you can see more with the tour. Any suggestions?

i meant to say Tour with Dora or on our own.

We are on Coral Princess full transit Panama Canal in January. Trying to figure out if we should do Cartagena tour with Dora or on our own. The tour sounds great, yet it’s only 4 hours and I am concerned that we’ll not have enough time to browse around, visit recommended museums, etc. and spend some time in old town. At the same time we see more with the tour. It’s $65 per person vs on our own it will probably cost us no more than $50 for both using taxi. It’s not even the cost, just trying to maximize our time and enjoy beautiful city. Any recommendations are welcome.

Can someone please advise as to how you handled this port. We are on a full transit in January 2019 and would like to visit the most important sights. Is there a tour company that do small groups / private tours, or is it recommended to go through the ship? We usually use private local vendors and book in advance, but I haven't seen any recommendations for this port. The only information I found is about HOHO bus. I am very reluctant about it because we had experience where it gets packed and you spend so much time waiting, then once you exit, you can't catch another one for a long time, that is even if they stop. Any information / suggestions are welcome. Thank you in advance for taking the time.

Has anyone had any experience using Real Deal Tours in Panama City? From their website info, I believe they don't actually do the tours, but set them up. We are looking at a private tour for four of us to Casco Viejo & possibly Panama Antiguo (don't want to include the locks or Canal).

A related question: on their website, they also have tix for the HOHO bus and state that one of the stops is Amador Causeway where the cruise ships tender. Does anyone know if this is correct for the Coral Princess, which lists Fuerte Amador as the port?

I was looking for a tour in Costa Rica and came across Real Deal Tours. Their description and pricing is very good. I am leaning towards booking with them, just need to find the reviews to make sure feedback is positive. Please post if you find out anything about this company. Thank you.

Does anyone know if there is TS on Coral? We were on it years ago, but I can't recall. Also, how much is a charge? Thank you.

We did this cruise from LA a few years ago in the beginnning of December and it was not cold. Of course, can't compare SF to LA. Suggest the packable down jackets and cashmere or thin wool sweaters instead of heavy sweatshirts. Also, a packing tip to roll your clothes as opposed to fold. Takes less room. Yet, if you don't have to fly, there is no limit on luggage or weight. So what if you have extra? Worst case, you will not wear it. That my $.05 worth. Enjoy the cruise. And don't do the plain tour in Kauai in the afternoon. Ours was cancelled dur to weather and we ended up with nothing. Just a thought.

Our cruise ship stopped in both ports. It's hard to compare the two. We took SPB tour to Berlin and managed to see a lot inspire of the very hot day. Of course, it would be better to have more time and not be rushed, but if you will not have another chance to go to Germany, at least you have an idea. Gdansk is very charming with very cute old town. No need to rush there, just stroll around. It's like any other Eastern Europe old town. Some folks took a tour to the concentration camp site. My personal opinion, I would pick Germany, but you decide.

We stayed in B416 on the Island (same layout). You will have a good view to the fore of ship but will not see much of anything aft except possibly for the people in 416 (we know this because we talked to the folks in 414 fairly often via balcony - invited them to join us for canal entry but they decided to roam (which is definitely the right call)

Thank you. That's what I was afraid of. Do you recommend to move to the cabin on the bump up instead? The only thing is that here cabins don't have as much shade. Any ideas are welcome.

We booked this cabin for the Panama Canal full transit. I am concerned that it's the first cabin after or before the bump up and if the cabin next to it on the bump up might block the view. If anyone stayed in this cabin, please advise. Thank you.

No; we are going east from Los Angeles and arriving in Fort Lauderdale on Jan. 20

We are on the same cruise. Join our roll call.

We have just booked the Jan 6, 2019 sailing on the Coral Princess. Good deal at the moment.

Hello Alaskanb, we just did the same. We are Helen and Zack from California and looking forward to this cruise. Let's connect on the roll call.

Did anyone stayed in A414 on Coral? It's the first cabin after the bump up on the port side. We booked Panama Canal full transit. I am just concerned that whoever is in the bump up cabinnext to us, can see inside. Also, someone said that going into Caribbean, the port side is the hottest. Any comments are welcome.

Сorrection. I just reread my post and realized that I said I booked on line, but in actuality I booked while on a cruise. That's why my deposit was only $100 per cabin. Now I was told that if the adjustment is made to the lower price under this promotion, then it's subject to penalty of $250 per person. It's just very strange because how can they penalize me for more money than I paid? Also, I was told that it is their new strategy. They will show two prices from now on: one with refundable deposit and one without. So, if my price drops under the refundable option, they will adjust an no penalty applies.

I booked my cruise on line as well for Aug. 2018. Paid $100 deposit per stateroom. Yesterday I saw a price drop for the NRD option and called RCL. The agent told me that if I go for the adjustment, I will be subject to penalty of $250 per person if I make changes or cancel. To me, this is a huge bogus and a trick beyond any sales tactics. It's a way to keep people from the adjustments even if your cruise is more than a year away.

I was trying to book a family cruise for next year on Harmony and came across the most incredibly high prices. This doesn't seem reasonable just for 7 days Caribbean. I have reserved 3 cabins, but my family is just so shocked as to the cost. Any thoughts?