Port or Starboard - Panama Canal Full Transit

[silverbird]

I would love to get feedback as to which side of the ship is best for port viewing on a full transit of the Panama Canal. I know some of the ports are tendered but, at the others, which side faces land? We are going from Los Angeles to Fort Lauderdale in late October.

 

Any suggestions or comments will be appreciated -- even to excursions or not-to-miss shops.

 

Thanks a bunch!! SilverBird

[Colo Cruiser]

As far as transiting the individual locks it does not matter which side you are on as its not decided until the ship approaches.

It is best to move around the ship to get different perspectives.

 

As far as ports the ship could dock on either side depending on operational needs.

 

Its a great cruise! Enjoy. :)

[cb at sea]

That's true...you must NOT stand in one spot! Move about...side to side...front to back, different deck levels.

 

There are views everywhere! Jeez...it's a canal....2 sides to it! Either side will be fine, but if you sit on your balcony, you'll miss about 75% of the views!

[Thrak]

We're booked for 17 day full transit out of SF next year. We're in an inside cabin and will spend the majority of our time wandering the ship and do our shipboard sight seeing from the open decks. Would I prefer a larger cabin and natural light for a cruise of this length? You bet! Will I have a wonderful cruise even though I'm booked into an inside cabin? You bet!

 

It sounds like you will have an OV or a balcony (or perhaps even a suite). I'm guessing it won't matter which side of the ship you are on. You will have a great cruise.

[Jim Avery]

I will second Colo Cruiser's post. Don't pick your cabin thinking one is better than the other as the lane you take through the canal will determine the view. It is a great thing to see.:D

[Yehootu]

We just did the same itinerary in April. We had D615 on the port side. On the way down we had the afternoon sun. Going thru the canal is a crapshoot as it's decided which lane just prior to entering the locks.

I went up to the front of the ship as we approached the Bridge of the Americas to find it packed! This was around 0630 or so. By 10am it was almost empty as people couldn't handle the heat. The problem with the Island ( the ship we were on) is the blue tinted wind shields. Pretty, but not good for picture taking. A great spot is on the aft decks ( we were on Dolphin) where you have a great view aft.

We were traveling with my 90yr old mother, so low activity tours were a must

Cabo. Been there done that, but Mom still bought $7500.00 of chocolate diamonds from International before going to Senior Frogs to drink.

In San Juan Del Sur we took the Princess tour to Managua. LONG Bus ride. Good history and informative about the country. Get the bus with the bathroom. The lunch at the lake and the shopping village above the lake were nice. A flea type market on pier.

In Puntarenas took the tour with the aerial ride and nature walk. A lot of trees! Iguanas all around the gift shop. A big type flea market right at end of the pier.

In Cartagena Mom wanted a folk lore dance. That Damn clarinet is still blasting in my ears. Tour of old city and history of country were good. Too any street vendors bugging you constantly. On this tour about 30 min to shop. Wanted to look at Emeralds, but not enough time. Some shops at end of pier, but didn't have time to go to them. Short stay in port.

Aruba, we walked into town for some short shopping. Again a short stop.

Great cruise! Wonderful ship, and crew!

Tim

[Keith1010]

We have done many Panama Canal Cruises and the answer is it does not matter.

 

When you transit the canal for best viewing you need to see the canal from all angles. In other words start off on the top open deck but be prepared to see it from the front, back and each side of the ship but also as the ship continues to transit the canal view it from other decks of the ship including lower decks.

 

Keith

[KarateMan]

Neither side is better than the other. You would be better served by moving around the ship during the transit and enjoying the views from all sides and levels. View it from the Promenade all the way up to the top decks. On the Promenade you can see the concrete chambers rise and lower right in your face. On the upper levels you can appreciate a more distant view. At the rear of the ship you can see the lock doors opening after you and at the front you see the ship rise to the next lock level.

[Thrak]

I have heard that, while the canal itself isn't exactly a "beautiful" thing, it is an amazing marvel of engineering. Especially when you consider how long ago it was built.

 

(It is also good if you remember all of the poor souls who worked so hard in such bad conditions and DIED from malaria and other causes in order to build the thing.)

 

Remember the classic Palindrome: A man, a plan, a canal. Panama!

 

Note: if you don't know, a Palindrome is spelled exactly the same frontward and backward. They can be very simple such as Racecar, or Yreka Bakery (a local favorite in the town of Yreka, California) or can be very long and complex. Regardless of length they are still spelled exactly the same regardless of the direction in which you look at them.

Edited July 4, 2014 by Thrak

[Corfe Mixture]

I have very strong views on this question having done the full transit a number of times. It is also a very valid question as the transit takes most of the day and, whilst you will be on deck for the lock transits, for much of the day, you will want to relax, probably on your balcony, take a drink AND enjoy the view.

 

Because of this for us it is DEFINITELY port if you are going from Fort Lauderdale to LA and starboard the other way.

 

Reasons.

 

1. Once you get into the canalised section of the canal, the South American side is much more interesting. The Panama railway runs along that side. The small villages and the support infrastructure for the canal maintenance, including the docks with the massive crane etc., are on that side, and the Chagris river enters on that side.

 

2. You will also get the evening sun as you travel down the Pacific Coast.

 

3. You will get lots more sun on your balcony as you pass across the north coast of South America.

 

Finally if your passage is from FL to LA, as you cross Lake Gatun all the ships going the other way will pass on your side (they always pass port to port).

 

The only thing you might miss is the massive Gatun Dam, which created Lake Gatun, but as you will almost certainly be on deck for the lock transits, you are unlikely to miss that.

 

CM

Edited July 4, 2014 by Corfe Mixture

[silverbird]

Thank you all for your responses. I have the information I was seeking.

 

There is always an answer on Cruise Critic!!

[STUR]

I would love to get feedback as to which side of the ship is best for port viewing on a full transit of the Panama Canal. I know some of the ports are tendered but, at the others, which side faces land? We are going from Los Angeles to Fort Lauderdale in late October.

 

Any suggestions or comments will be appreciated -- even to excursions or not-to-miss shops.

 

Thanks a bunch!! SilverBird

We did the canal three years ago on the older Celebrity Mercury We had a cabin all the way forward facing forward with a large picture window and could see everything

The only down fall was in the daytime if the curtains where not closed the room got Hot

[Yehootu]

Make sure you read "the Path Between the Seas". There are also several documentaries on Netflix.

Tim

[Crystabel]

The real answer is to do a back to back in the same cabin, therefore being able to view both sides of the canal. :D

[Corfe Mixture]

Make sure you read "the Path Between the Seas". There are also several documentaries on Netflix.

Tim

Agreed. I bought a copy before y first transit and then loaned it to a friend, and didn't get it back so I went out and bought another copy.

 

It really was that good

[onefine89]

As mentioned by those previously.........you need to cover all views points available on the ship from forward and aft.....starboard and port.

 

We had a rear mini-suite on the Sun Princess years ago doing the full tranist from Puerto Rico to Acapulco. Took rest breaks on our aft balcony........with snacks and drink in hand:D.......usually when the locks were filling which takes some time.

 

Where ever your cabin is.......plan to move around for different photo opportunities! Great cruise!

[BillB48]

There is doubt that the book of record for the Canal would be The Path Between The Seas, however another great book on everyone's list should be Panama Canal Day by Richard Detrich. This book provides more topical and current information about your transit as well as a lot of background about Panama and the Canal. Richard is a frequent poster on the Panama Canal forum under the screen name Richard in Panama and has been a port lecturer on Princess and HAL. Previous editions of the book have been issued under Your Day in the Canal either a Northbound or Southbound edition.