Panama Canal Cruises Sea Day Activities and Spa set ups

[chuhu143]

Hello all:

We are strongly considering a Panama Canal cruise in the next couple of years and I have a couple of questions based on my past experiences:

 

First, I know that NCL deploys the Jewel and the Pearl on these itineraries, at least in 2012... I loved my cruise on the Jewel, but it was a 5 day itinerary with only 2 days at sea. The big draw for me however is the Jewel class' spa facilities, they are simply amazing!

 

That said, my concern is that on a two week itinerary, that there may not be enough activities on board during the frequent sea days, ( as great as the spa is, I do have to leave eventually LOL) as NCL seemed to have a very laid back approach to days at sea. Can anyone shed light on this who has done and NCL canal transit?

 

Additionally, has anyone done Princess or RCI on this itinerary? What were the sea days like?

 

Also can anyone shed light on what the Spa (sauna and steam) facilities are like on the RCI and Princess Panamax ships from their experiences? Co-ed vs Non co-ed, quality, fee vs non fee?

 

I know this is a lot, but any advice would be appreciated!:D

[cb at sea]

We aren't big "activity" participants, so my sea days consist of lounging by the pool and reading/people watching! Rci does have poolside things....all the pool "contests" and they used to do an ice-sculpture thing....don't know if they still do that!

[STARFISH*4]

did PC last December on the STAR and the cruise itself was really slow going as far as activities and things the average age was 65+

most nights us youngins (50s) were closing down the venues.....lol....

as far as day there was the regular type activities that were pretty hit and miss around the ship...i have noticed in the last sailings that DAILY activities are really getting less and less with participation and scheduling which too depends on your CD and staff.

[kitty9]

I've done Celebrity (4 times Canal), Royal Caribbean and HAL for PC cruises and can say that the best were Celebrity and Royal Caribbean. To be honest, I wouldn't sail NCL again as I find their food and service to be inferior to most every other line. On Celebrity, they have what they call Persian Gardens, a spa center that is wonderful. Their spas are also great, and they have an adults only pool area. We found the naturalist they have on board during the entire Canal process to be very informative and interesting. And, their activities were quite good. But to be honest, I'm one who doesn't need non-stop things going on, but even then, there are sometimes more things available than there is time to participate.

 

If you want tons of activities, then Royal Caribbean might be your choice. They have non-stop things going on, but imho, the food is not nearly as good as on Celebrity.