Turtles06

I would book a car service in advance as well. And I’ll throw BlackberryCars into the mix.

Well, you miss something like 42 miles or so of a 50-mile route. If your partial transit is on the Atlantic side, you miss the Pacific Locks. You also miss the transit through the entire Canal after Gatun Lake, which means you miss seeing things like the Continental Divide and what it took and still takes to hold back the mountains. You miss a good deal of what makes the Canal fascinating. I hope you do have the time one day for a full transit.

And to me at least, that's a major (potentially negative) difference, as the staterooms on Deck 11 are under the noisy or potentially noisy public areas of Deck 12 (including the pool deck and fitness center). So if you are booking on Deck 11, check your cabin location very carefully.

As others have noted, there isn't a preferable side, as you want to experience the transit from all perspectives. I will add, though, that there are certain points of interest along the way that can only or best be seen from one side of the ship. For example, if you are going through the original locks, heading south, the remnant of the original French excavation can (best) be seen from the starboard side (or the bow) shortly before the entrance to the Gatun Locks. It looks like a little creek. (photo by turtles06)

If you are doing a full transit through the original locks, you go through three sets of locks: Gatun on the Atlantic side, and Pedro Miguel and Miraflores on the Pacific side. If your ship goes through the new locks, there are two sets of locks: Agua Clara on the Atlantic side, and Cocoli on the Pacific side.

Whatever ship you are on, you want to view the transit of the Canal, and especially the locks, from all different perspectives on the ship — forward, aft, mid ships, high, low … And I strongly suggest you read David McCullough’s “The Path Between the Seas” before you go (if you haven’t already). You’ll appreciate the Canal so much more.

Don’t miss SIX, it’s fabulous. Great upbeat fun. Enjoy your cruise.

Wait, is there something I missed eating in Scotland? 😂 (I've never heard of tablet. We were in a place called the Fudge House, so I assume we were eating fudge. I guess I'll just have to go back to try tablet. 🙂 I did try Irn-Bru. And now I never have to drink it again. 🤣 ) Agreed! And I've loved the Lewis Chess Pieces ever since we first saw them in the British Museum some years ago.

I am sorry about that!

Thanks for all the great info you provided in your post. Having just been a visitor to Edinburgh, I will say that it wasn't that the Royal Mile itself was a priority for us, but that visiting the Palace of Holyroodhouse and St. Giles' Cathedral were, and we very much enjoyed seeing both. (In fact, I think that the audio/video guide through Holyroodhouse is the best I've ever encountered.) But since we were on the Royal Mile, we treated ourselves to some fudge from the Fudge House; wow, totally delicious. 🙂

American here. I know this isn't new information, but since my wife and I hadn't flown into Heathrow since before the pandemic, it was a wonderful surprise to us upon arriving a few weeks ago to learn that we could use the same "electronic passport gates" previously reserved for EU passport holders, enabling us to skip the really long immigration lines. Scan your passport, let the machine take your photo, and wait a few seconds for the system to match you up and you are good to go. (Pretty much how Global Entry works in the U.S. for returning U.S. travelers.) It was terrific, and so I just wanted to flag this for others who might not be aware of this system that I think was put in place not long before the pandemic shut things down. Thank you, U.K.! 🙂

Re the Caves: they told me last Fall that the cruise lines book up many of the available slots for visiting, so if you are doing this on your own, it’s really good to book in advance.

Charles, please remind me. If paying on board in cash, will they take US paper currency? I seem to have a weird recollection about needing quarters. Thanks.

I'm sorry about your experience. I would say, however, that if someone were going to avoid seeing the Old City of Cartagena, they probably should just stay on the ship. We've enjoyed both of our visits there, the second on our own touring the inside of San Felipe. As for the vendors, give them a firm "No, gracias" and keep walking.

I hope you realize that you've not only resurrected a nearly nine-year-old dormant thread, but also that the poster to whom you have posed your question has never posted again on Cruise Critic since their original post. We have visited Cartagena twice. I can't imagine an excursion that would have anything to offer a child as young as yours or on which he or she would not be bored and possibly annoy others. You should know, however, that at the cruise terminal, there is a small, free zoo and aviary. It's quite interesting, and perhaps your child would enjoy seeing that. If there are two of you, maybe only one of you goes ashore to tour?

Pete, we love the Gem (and her Jewel-class sisters). Very comfortable size and easy to get around. As others have noted, the Great Outdoors is a wonderful place to hang out, as is the Spinnaker Lounge. Also, the Gem has a traditional promenade deck, which you don't find on the new mega-ships. We've sailed the Gem out of NY in the winter, and are doing so again in January (B2B Panama Canal cruises this time). I think you will enjoy the ship!

OP: Have you also asked your question in the Carnival forum? Others there may have had experience dealing with the same situation with Carnival, even if different ports. It’s hard to imagine you can do this without the ship’s consent and likely arrangements with the relevant port authority. Good luck!

OP: We happen to be in Inverness right now (jumping off point for several other things). I would recommend not spending your limited time here, but booking a tour that takes you elsewhere. The drive to the Isle of Skye, for example, is quite beautiful. BTW, the Castle in Inverness is not open to visitors.

I strongly agree!

I can only speak for myself, but I would not stay on the ship. As for the other two options — what would be most meaningful to *you*? Since you are speaking about this as a possibly once in a lifetime trip, do you value experiencing more of the Canal than anything else? You’d be in a smaller vessel, which itself would give you a different experience than you’ll have going through the Gatun Locks on a big ship. Enjoy whatever you decide.

Are these ship-sponsored tours? If so, you should also ask your questions in the forum for your cruise line, in the hope of finding someone who has taken one. As a general matter, I avoid tours that specifically include things like “shopping” and “folk shows,” as that time imho is typically a waste, especially for a first-time visitor. But your interests may vary. Also, for a first-time visitor to Cartagena, I would not recommend merely getting dropped off and left on your own. I will offer the following: I strongly recommend that you take a private tour with one of the highly rated local tour operators — Dora De Zubiria (aka Dora the Explorer). Put together a small group from your Roll Call. Dora or one of her colleagues will give you an excellent tour of the Old City (and help fend off the aggressive street vendors). http://www.cartagenatour.com If you do a search here for Dora’s name, you’ll find she’s highly recommended for a good reason. Have a great time!

Have a great time, @PistolPete13. I’ve always enjoyed your photos of ships from land, am looking forward to this different perspective! 😊

And I suggest you look at the ports of call forums for the countries (and specific ports) you will be visiting. Plenty of info over in the Northern Europe forum. Enjoy your cruise!

Ahem, getting back to musicals and plays… 😊 My wife and I were in London last week and saw “SIX” there, our fourth time seeing this wonderful show, but the first time in the UK. It was the best production we’ve seen. And, as was the case here, it can be special to see a show in the country where it originated — especially one like this that is about some of that country’s history. Added bonus: this great sign in the “Ladies” room, and I assume in the “Gents” as well. If you’ve seen the show, you know that the admonition not to sing or dance along until invited is perfect. And if you aren’t dancing your way out of this show, well, I’m sorry for you. 😂

Agreed. And even worse than that, we received an email from NCL today specific to our Bermuda cruise on the Joy on November 12 attaching the letter from Katty Byrd mentioned above informing us of the Bermuda-specific requirements that still uses the chart of testing requirements that will not be in effect for our cruise. I think it’s inexcusable for NCL to send this stuff out. Most cruisers are not on Cruise Critic and will be really confused about what is actually required for our cruise.