Panama channel

[sollan]

Hi

Considering a channel cruise on Infinity this fall. Need tips!! What cabin? At least a veranda but where? Starboard, aft...? What are the difference between a consigiere cabin and a veranda? Is it worth it? :confused:

Weather? Warm I guesss - but does it rain much?

Also wonder how she is after the rebuild? We did Cape Horn on her and really enjoyed it. Food?

And so on....:)

Very glad for feedback!!

[cruisestitch]

On Infinity, a Concierge Class stateroom is a little larger than a standard Verandah stateroom. What kind of stateroom did you have when you went to Cape Horn?

[Orlandocruiser]

Cabins - an aft cabin would probably be best for viewing the canal, but for a cruise this fall they are likely to be all sold out. It doesn't really matter which side of the ship your veranda would be on since the best viewing of the canal passage is on an outside deck. Concierge class cabins are slightly larger than regular veranda cabins on the Infinity (but not really a lot larger!) Concierge class has some added amenities like nicer towels, heavier bathrobes (maybe not such a good thing for the tropics:)), flowers and fruit in the room and a bottle of sparkling wine. There is also a new cabin category called Aqua Class which in addition to the concierge amenities has a special private dining room called Blu which has a different menu than the main dining room and is open for dinner and breakfast.

 

weather - yes it will be hot and possibly rainy on the itinerary. We did some of the same ports last year in December and it was hot in Cartagena and Mexico, hot and rainy in Colon and rainy in Costa Rica. We have been looking at the shore excursions for the pacific side of the canal passage and many of them go inland (e.g. Guatamala) to high altitudes so it sounds like long slacks and jackets are needed

[4774Papa]

We did Infinity in December 2011 from Ft. Lauderdale to Valparaiso, Chile. It was great. Did the canal transit and visited all the South American countries on the Pacific. The food and service were great.

 

I personally would not go for Concierge or Aqua. You need to check out the difference on X's website.

We had a veranda cabin on the port (left side) and were lucky that Infinity used the set of locks to the right, so we could see the other locks, reviewing stand and buildings. Had the ship used the left locks, we would have been on the wrong side.

 

We did a fair amount of viewing the full day transit elsewhere on the ship (deck 11 observation forward, deck 10 stern restaurant).

 

Suggest you read "Path Between the Seas" by David McCullough. It is a great history of the building of the canal.

 

My review is posted under member reviews.

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=94024

[Bobby Dee]

Hi

Considering a channel cruise on Infinity this fall. Need tips!! What cabin? At least a veranda but where? Starboard, aft...? What are the difference between a consigiere cabin and a veranda? Is it worth it? :confused:

Weather? Warm I guesss - but does it rain much?

Also wonder how she is after the rebuild? We did Cape Horn on her and really enjoyed it. Food?

And so on....:)

Very glad for feedback!!

 

Orlandocruiser did a good job of answering your questions, but I wanted to throw in my two cents.

 

Expect hot and muggy, but tropical weather is usually clear in the morning when you will be going through the canal and rainy later in the day.

During the transit of the canal, take a few minutes to go down to a lower deck and look out the windows. The up or down motion is much more dramatic as you view the side walls of the canal itself.

It is usually more impressive when exiting the canal, at least on a partial transit because as you are looking forward, you are up higher and being lowered to sea level of the ocean.

Have a great time.

[Denny01]

The Panama Canal is a wonderful cruise. And yes, a veranda SR is very important for this type of cruise. You'll want to see the Canal from so many aspects - from the bow as you go into locks, from the stern as you leave one, even down below in a lower deck such as Deck 3 inside a lock to be 'up close' and watch to water rush in. All neat.

 

As to Port or Starboard, not a big deal to me. Does depend on if you are going from the Caribbean to the Pacific, or the other way. The Canal doesnt run East-to-West when going from the Caribbean to the Pacific, but runs Northwest-to-Southeast, take a look at a map, such as this:

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panama_Canal

 

or Swedish:

 

http://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panamakanalen

 

The Sun will be from the South only a bit because the Canal is only at 9deg Latiitude so midday, it is pretty much overhead so side of the ship doesnt matter for shade. And both sides of the Canal are great. Others might have an opinon of which 'side. is better.

 

The book, THe Path Between the Seas, is outstanding on its history.

 

One thing I did was get a book on Seabirds. You will be seeing Atlantic/Caribbean seabirds then Pacific seabirds and it is very interesting, even if you are not a 'Birder'.

 

As for Concierge or Standard veranda SR, we've used both. Concierge gives you a few more benefits. The SR is a bit larger on this Class ship, but not much. Ther are a few amenities which some like and others think arent worth it, such as slippers, a heavier robe, a special showerhead, snacks in the afternoon and so on. You get special handling when checking in which may cut down on the time getting on.

 

A lot dont like the snacks, and we had them switched to cheeses.

 

This is a great cruise...enjoy!

 

Den

[sollan]

Thnks a lot, you are the best...:)

We are going westward. Is there a difference what lock that is used? Do they have traffic to the right (like landbased traffic)?

What isn't to be missed in ports? We like to do half day tour as we like to do some exploring by ourselves.

 

Cruisestitch:

On our Cape Horn cruise we had an ocean view on deck 2. No need for a cabin, the weather isn't that warm.

[Bobby Dee]

Thnks a lot, you are the best...:)

We are going westward. Is there a difference what lock that is used? Do they have traffic to the right (like landbased traffic)?

 

Both times I went through the locks were partial transits, and ship traffic on both sides were going in the same direction.

[4774Papa]

Thnks a lot, you are the best...:)

We are going westward. Is there a difference what lock that is used? Do they have traffic to the right (like landbased traffic)?

What isn't to be missed in ports? We like to do half day tour as we like to do some exploring by ourselves.

 

Cruisestitch:

On our Cape Horn cruise we had an ocean view on deck 2. No need for a cabin, the weather isn't that warm.

sollan, I suggest using the Internet, take a look at the geography of the Panama Canal.

First of all, the canal goes from Northwest to Southeat (going from Caribbean to Pacific).

Second, the first set of locks from the Caribbean side are the Gatun Locks, which are the largest, having three locks in a row to raise the ships to the level of lake Gatun. Lake Gatun was created by a dam. After traveling over the lake the ship comes to the excavated channel (same level as the lake), then after passing the continental divide (Gallard cut, also know as Culebra cut) the ship goes through Pedro Miguel locks, which are the smallest locks with only one set of locks, then on to the next set of locks Miraflores, which has two sets of locks.

 

All three sets of locks have two separate parallel locks, which generally are used for traffic going in the same direction, since most transit takes a full working day. Transit from the Caribbean at Gatun starts about 6:30am and you will not reach the Pacific until after 5pm.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panama_Canal