LIVE from the Coral Princess, RT Panama, Nov 19-Dec 1, 2014

[Kerry&LuAnn]

On Aruba night I never really noticed a line for the Bordeaux dining room whenever we walked by that area so we thought we might get lucky going a little earlier than we had been going. No such luck, though, as we were handed a pager and a “it'll be about half an hour”.

 

Our experience with Anytime Dining in the Bordeaux Dining Room was that if we arrived when the doors opened at 5:15 p.m. we could be seated immediately. But if we went at 6:00 p.m. or later the tables were all filled and pagers were given out. After 7:00 p.m. it was easier again to get seated quickly.

[Woobstr112G]

Day 4 cont.

On our cabin tv, we watched the end of the 3,813th showing of “Romancing the Stone” ;) , and then a show about the Panama Canal before going to dinner. On Aruba night I never really noticed a line for the Bordeaux dining room whenever we walked by that area so we thought we might get lucky going a little earlier than we had been going. No such luck, though, as we were handed a pager and a “it'll be about half an hour”. Fortunately we ran into our roll call friends Ellen & Ken who also had a pager so we chatted until our pager went off and then we all asked if we could be seated together. We were shown to a table for 6, and eventually a couple from Germany was seated with us. I learned that they have menus in other languages as the German couple requested a German menu. Service was a little on the slow side but no one had particular plans so we didn't much mind. It was surf-and-turf night, but the turf was shrimp not lobster so I requested two filet mignons ;) We were seated not far from the Chef's Table, and when they were done we noticed a couple from our roll call had done it.

 

It was nearly 10 when dinner was over so we decided to call it a night. But first I had to check out the 50's Night Party to get a couple of things for the scavenger hunt, and ended up also getting a couple of tough-to-get signatures (the Zumba instructor, and a musician), and advice on how to get a signature from a dancer. I ended up chatting with Lexi the Deputy Cruise Director (also the Zumba instructor) for about half an hour; I kept expecting her to excuse herself to deal with some duty but she just talking and talking. Finally, I excused myself because I needed to get to sleep :-)

 

Tomorrow is Cartagena … and we STILL have no plan. :eek:

 

Sounds like another great day on a Princess ship.....:):):)

 

Bob

[Loonbeam]

That's going to be the case on most ships. Never really paid attention before but it makes sense. At 5:15 all tables are empty, so people fill all available spaces. It takes about 45 mins to fill the dining room most days, thus, assuming a 2 hour meal, not many people will be getting up until 7:15-8:00 as the first wave finishes. Only way to fix that is not fill all tables in that first wave, but that's a waste of space and time.

 

 

Our experience with Anytime Dining in the Bordeaux Dining Room was that if we arrived when the doors opened at 5:15 p.m. we could be seated immediately. But if we went at 6:00 p.m. or later the tables were all filled and pagers were given out. After 7:00 p.m. it was easier again to get seated quickly.

[shsce750]

Perhaps you can find out why Princess is changing the length of these 11 day cruises to 10 next year.

Thanks

 

It can easily be done in 10 days. Just off the Coral last week from this same itinerary. The leg from Aruba to Cartagena was done at a leisurely 12 kts or so (according to my GPS), much slower than the rest of the cruise. It's only about 380 nautical miles and the 11-day itinerary gives them about 35-36 hrs to cover that distance. If you look at the 10-day and 11-day schedules you will see that on the 10-day you have a shorter stay in Aruba and leave in the early afternoon and travel overnight to Cartagena, eliminating that sea day.

 

If Princess makes up 1 day every 10 times they run this itinerary, then they can schedule a whole other cruise. That's probably why.

[Loonbeam]

This itinerary was run as a 10 day when we did it, then they went to 11 I think so just going back to what it was..

 

It can easily be done in 10 days. Just off the Coral last week from this same itinerary. The leg from Aruba to Cartagena was done at a leisurely 12 kts or so (according to my GPS), much slower than the rest of the cruise. It's only about 380 nautical miles and the 11-day itinerary gives them about 35-36 hrs to cover that distance. If you look at the 10-day and 11-day schedules you will see that on the 10-day you have a shorter stay in Aruba and leave in the early afternoon and travel overnight to Cartagena, eliminating that sea day.

 

If Princess makes up 1 day every 10 times they run this itinerary, then they can schedule a whole other cruise. That's probably why.

[rivers2ocean]

Great review....looking forward to the pictures...we will be sailing on the Coral in February.

Just one question......do you know if they are offering a wine package on board? I read in older posts they did at one point and you had to sign up for it in the buffet area on day one, but not sure if it is still available.

[Northender]

It can easily be done in 10 days. Just off the Coral last week from this same itinerary. The leg from Aruba to Cartagena was done at a leisurely 12 kts or so (according to my GPS), much slower than the rest of the cruise. It's only about 380 nautical miles and the 11-day itinerary gives them about 35-36 hrs to cover that distance. If you look at the 10-day and 11-day schedules you will see that on the 10-day you have a shorter stay in Aruba and leave in the early afternoon and travel overnight to Cartagena, eliminating that sea day.

 

If Princess makes up 1 day every 10 times they run this itinerary, then they can schedule a whole other cruise. That's probably why.

 

This itinerary was run as a 10 day when we did it, then they went to 11 I think so just going back to what it was..

 

Thank you both. :):) The whole purpose is to see the Panama Canal anyway.

I like Aruba but have been there many times so not a deal breaker. I love my sea days too, but not a deal breaker either.

[yukongold]

The Princess Theater can feel a bit cool sometimes, too.

 

Yes! I always take a sweater...although it does warm up a bit after it fills up.

[OhioDogLover]

Great review

Ohiodoglover

Edited November 25, 2014 by OhioDogLover

[PotatoBug]

Thanks for this review. Very enjoyable.:)

 

Perhaps you can find out why Princess is changing the length of these 11 day cruises to 10 next year.

Thanks

 

As already stated by others, the time in Aruba is shortened and the sea day between Aruba and Cartagena is eliminated. That makes for 4 busy port days in a row, though.

[PotatoBug]

Day 5 – Cartagena part 1

Well, we finally had a kinda, sorta plan for Cartagena. We decided to take a taxi to the monastery and to the Old City, unless we got an offer from a tour company that could beat the $50-for-the-day before we got to the taxis. At the very least I had to get off the ship to put my foot on Columbian soil because this was a new continent for me.

 

Most people that had tours had to be up at the crack of the chickens … as in, early enough to meet their tour at 7:15 or 7:30 am. We strolled down to the dining room at about 7:15 to have our breakfast and then disembarked at about 8:45. The cruise port in Cartagena is located in a shipping area so there's nothing close by; you either have a tour or take a taxi. A shuttle is available to take you to the cruise port building, but it was just a 5 minute walk so we made it before the shuttle even filled up. The cruise port building is quite lovely, with lots of (overpriced) things for sale. There are also lots of trees and vegetation on the grounds, and animals. We could hear a parrot in a tree as we were walking along and I spent much to long trying to find it … because when we turned the corner there were 5 or 6 right parrots there in front of you! That was after you walked by a pond area with a flock of flamingos and some sort of black-geese-looking birds – I didn't catch what they are called. There was also a peacock strutting around, and other birds in cages (more parrots, a toucan, and probably some birds I didn't see). We saw one lady with a parrot standing on her arm.

 

We began to hear an odd sort of noise. I didn't think anything of it since we were in an industrial area, but my wife spotted a group of howler monkeys on top of the port building! I wish I had had my wits about me and taken a video of them howling (actually it was just one making noise) but I did get some nice still photos that I'll post when we get home. I was, I think, a family of monkeys because there were two adults and 2 juveniles. I was lucky enough to get a picture of one of the youngsters scampering up a rope in the trees (there were several ropes around the area for them to play).

 

We could have spent the whole (short) time in Cartagena there but we eventually pried ourselves away to head into town. As you leave the port building you are immediately set upon by independent tour operators trying to get you into their van. None of them appealed to us (we did NOT want to go shopping), and didn't want a 3 (or more) hour tour. We made our way to the taxi area where a nice gentleman who spoke English pretty well met us and we explained what we wanted: the monastery and the Old City. He took use to a taxi, explained to the driver what we wanted, and sent us on our way. The driver told us his name (Michael, although I suspect it's really Miguel) and we soon figured out his English was little better than our Spanish.

 

I had wanted to go to the monastery first, primarily because it is such a high point and a great vantage point for taking pictures, but he took us to the Old City first. We had no idea where we were until we saw the old city walls so we just went with the change in plans. I think Cartagena was laid out by the same person that built the old computer game “Adventure” because the streets are “a maze of twisty little passages, all alike.”

 

We were surprised when the driver parked the taxi because he came with us to to walk the Old City and act as our tour guid… and were we ever glad he was. We were hopelessly lost within 2 minutes, and he would just indicate the right way to go. Michael explained what things were in Spanish and with few exceptions we eventually figured out what he meant. The architecture and colours were fascinating … especially considering the new construction seems to all be white high rises. We saw statues, parks, shops, museums, cathedrals … and street vendors, lots and lots of street vendors… Most of the street vendors would take a polite “no” and go away but the frakkin' hat sellers were the worst. They were hardest to get rid of and would follow you for a block or two continually trying to put yet-another hat on your head.

 

We did stop at one jewelry store that the driver directed us to (probably run by a relative, I suppose) but the air conditioning was a relief! Did I mention that Cartagena is hot? No? Well it is HOT! Although the temperature was only in the high 20s C (mid-80s F) it felt hotter; it was probably the humidity, or perhaps the sheer intensity of the sun that close to the equator. We were lucky, though, because we had some scattered clouds that blocked the sun at time.

 

The salespeople in the jewelry store were quite nice, showing my wife lots of emerald earrings, and didn't try any high pressure sales techniques when we decided we didn't want to buy anything.

 

We kept walking, and passed up the opportunity to go through a couple of museums and another jewelry store because we still wanted to go to the monastery. However, by the time we were done with our walking tour the heat and hard pounding of our feet on stone streets had us just wanting to go back to the ship. Diane picked up a bag of coffee beans from a vendor near where we parked, and Michael drove us back to the ship.

 

I should mention Cartagena traffic. I think it is best described as (barely) organized chaos. Cars weave in and out, usually without warning, motorcycles and scooters zip in between lines of cars, and our driver used his horn more than the turn signal. He used it to alert other drivers, to punish other drivers, … and to get the attention of any female pedestrians that he saw :)

 

After a second drive through white-knuckle traffic we were back in the port area around 11:30, and I went looking for the monkeys and the iguana we had been told about while Diane went inside to do some more shopping. I got chatting with another couple that had spent their whole 3 hours at the port area; they had gotten as far as the taxis and then lost their nerve and didn't leave. They pointed out where the 2 juvenile monkeys were sleeping in the trees.

 

While I was wandering around taking pictures a young lady working for the port asked if I'd like to take a survey. The questions basically boiled down to “how can we make your stop here better”? I then asked her questions because turn-about is fair play, right? I found out that there are about 20 monkeys that spend time around the port area and she didn't know why there were so few that day. I think it would be amazing to be there on a day when there were a dozen monkeys swinging about through the trees, and dropping down to the ground to socialize.

 

After a little shopping we hopped on the shuttle that had just arrived and returned to the ship. Something I had not seen before was Columbian officials (soldier?) searching all bags and backpacks before you even got to the ship staff to re-board.

[PotatoBug]

Great review....looking forward to the pictures...we will be sailing on the Coral in February.

Just one question......do you know if they are offering a wine package on board? I read in older posts they did at one point and you had to sign up for it in the buffet area on day one, but not sure if it is still available.

 

They are offering wine packages but I don't know the details. The couple I've mentioned a couple of times, Ellen and Ken, have one; 7 bottles, I think.

 

They were also pushing the $49/day all-inclusive package on embarkation day.

[Kerry&LuAnn]

Something I had not seen before was Columbian officials (soldier?) searching all bags and backpacks before you even got to the ship staff to re-board.

 

We were actually patted down by the Colombian soldiers when returning to the ship - definitely the first time that ever happened to us on a cruise. Later, from the deck of the ship, we took a photo of some of the armed soldiers and sent it to our family captioned "Our tour guides in Colombia."

[PotatoBug]

Cartagena part 2

After returning to the ship we went to our room to unload our purchases, change out of our sweat soaked clothes, freshen up a bit, and then we went down to the Bayou Cafe for the Pub Lunch. I'm used to it being held in the Wheelhouse Bar, or sometimes in a dining room, so a specialty restaurant was a new one for me. We each had fish and chips (other offerings were Bangers and Mash, Ploughman's lunch, and … Shepard's pie?) and for dessert there was bread-and-butter pudding. I don't recall getting dessert at Pub Lunch before.

 

With our tummies full we went back to the cabin to finish our poster for the Panama Canal . But I first wanted to get some sailaway photos so I grabbed the camera and headed up to the open decks. Cartagena is a beautiful city, and the early afternoon sun made it better. I was snapping pictures until we entered the Caribbean Sea proper and the pilot boat left with the pilot; unfortunately I didn't realize until too late that that action was on the other side of the ship :(

 

Diane had made great progress on the poster by the time I returned to the cabin so I gave myself the task of creating a maple-leaf-stencil so we could put lots of red maple leaves on the poster. I realized, with 20-20 hindsight, once the poster was done that I had made the leaves MUCH too large and our poster became very “busy”. Oh well … I'm sure the photographers will still take pictures of it ;)

 

With the bulk of the poster colouring done we went to the Provence dining room for afternoon tea at about 4:15 and, for the first time this cruise, just got a table for 2.

 

Then we returned to the room and Diane had a nap while I typed up part 1 of the day's notes, and downloaded photos from the camera. For this trip I had bought a 3 terrabyte external hard drive to store my photo library – my Mac's hard drive was filling up too quickly :)

 

We showered off the day's sweat and grime and went to dinner in Bordeaux around 7:30. It was Italian night, and tonight there was no wait for a table (we sat with 5 others at a table for 8). In fact, the dining room wasn't close to full. I think a lot of people were so worn out from their hustle-hustle day in Cartagena that they opted for quicker dining options (pizza, burger, buffet, room service). They were offering Lemoncello in souvenir Princess shot glasses for $3, but we didn't get it.

 

The Nova special “A Man, A Plan, A Canal: Panama”, narrated by David McCullough, was being shown in the Universe Lounge so we watched that. There wasn't really anything in it that we didn't already know from his book “The Path Between The Seas” but it was good to see pictures and movies that were taken from the time of the Canal's construction.

 

And then it was bedtime. The Panama Canal is tomorrow, and that means rising early for a very long, tiring day.

[kmry]

Looking forward to hearing about your Panama Canal day tomorrow. Thanks so much for writing. My husband and I look forward each day to hearing about your experiences. We can't wait until our January trip!

I had heard of a liquor package, but never a wine package. Could you tell me anything more about it?

[Grammyluvs]

Did you bring the materials for your Panama Canal poster or can you buy it onboard?

[Kerry&LuAnn]

Did you bring the materials for your Panama Canal poster or can you buy it onboard?

 

The ship provides complimentary poster materials at a table outside the photo area. They are more than happy to help lots of passengers create signs and hold them up for the photographer when going through the Panama Canal.... hoping that these passengers will then purchase the photos and DVDs!

[Kerry&LuAnn]

Cartagena part 2I was snapping pictures until we entered the Caribbean Sea proper and the pilot boat left with the pilot; unfortunately I didn't realize until too late that that action was on the other side of the ship :(

 

We were surprised at how quickly the transfer of the pilot to the pilot boat occurs. We would go to the railing to witness it and in a blink of an eye the pilot boat was pulling away from the ship! Clearly, repetition has resulted in an efficient process.

[saryjo]

Enjoy reading your post daily. Great information, Brent and I are cruising Jan 3rd on the Coral..

I was wondering how the Priness@sea works.. Can you activate this before the cruise or do you have to wait till your on the ship to activate?

Beth

[kmry]

Enjoy reading your post daily. Great information, Brent and I are cruising Jan 3rd on the Coral..

I was wondering how the Priness@sea works.. Can you activate this before the cruise or do you have to wait till your on the ship to activate?

Beth

 

 

Beth,

We will be cruising with you on the cruise on Jan 3rd. These postings are really getting us ready to go!:)

[BillB48]

Did not see the up at Gatun, but here is the down...

 

 

The bow just peeking in the pic...

 

 

[PotatoBug]

Day 6 – Panama Canal – summary

A true report on Panama Canal day will take more time and energy than I have right now so here's a quick summary. I actually tried writing this up last night but I fell asleep trying to do it.

 

We watched our approach to the first Gatun lock (there are 3 locks in total on the Caribbean side) from the forward public deck on Baja with 2 couples from our roll call (Ellen & Ken, Teri & Larry), and then we moved around the ship (Promenade, aft on Emerald, aft on Caribe, and our balcony) but we never made it to the upper open decks.

 

While we were passing through the second lock we took our showers, and managed to miss the helicopter taking pictures and video. The announcement for our tour came earlier than we anticipated so we were tossing our things together quickly, dropped by the IC to grab a quick bite to take with, and met in the Bordeaux dining room to tender to shore.

 

Once ashore we boarded the 7th of 7 buses and it was a surprisingly long (90 minutes) drive to Gamboa where we boarded our ferry for the transit through the complete canal. The boat was packed with people and it was difficult to find a seat at all, and impossible in the covered areas. Chair hogs take their act “on the road” it appears. Drinks (bottled water, local pop) were available at all times, and lunch was pasta, chicken skewers, and fruit.

 

For reasons I will never know the captain of the ferry invited Diane and me up top to the bridge (which is air conditioned) where we spent the time through the Pedro Miguel and Milaflores locks on the Pacific side. We got to chat with the captain and the Panama pilot; we heard some interesting stories.

 

I was thrilled with how far the ferry took us – all the way out the harbour to the end of the breakwater, where we boarded our bus to take us back to Colon and the ship. We actually returned before 5:00.

 

A quick stop at Explorers Lounge for the Elite/Platinum lounge for a bite and we returned to the cabin for much needed showers. We relaxed until after 7 and had dinner in the half-empty dining room; the dessert was one of the new Norman Love (?) chocolate creations: white chocolate cheesecake.

 

We were so tired when we got back to the cabin we collapsed and fell asleep before 10 which, with setting our clocks back an hour, was really before 9.

[chamima]

Day 6 – Panama Canal – summary

 

 

For reasons I will never know the captain of the ferry invited Diane and me up top to the bridge (which is air conditioned) where we spent the time through the Pedro Miguel and Milaflores locks on the Pacific side. We got to chat with the captain and the Panama pilot; we heard some interesting stories.

KARMA Rick! You're good people!

 

I was thrilled with how far the ferry took us – all the way out the harbour to the end of the breakwater, where we boarded our bus to take us back to Colon and the ship. We actually returned before 5:00.

 

A quick stop at Explorers Lounge for the Elite/Platinum lounge for a bite and we returned to the cabin for much needed showers. We relaxed until after 7 and had dinner in the half-empty dining room; the dessert was one of the new Norman Love (?) chocolate creations: white chocolate cheesecake.

 

We were so tired when we got back to the cabin we collapsed and fell asleep before 10 which, with setting our clocks back an hour, was really before 9.

 

 

Good morning and glad to hear of your good fortune on that ferry.

We're on the Royal in 2 weeks and I'm madly dieting in hopes those desserts will be on her by then!!!! ;) :o

Edited November 27, 2014 by chamima

[Loonbeam]

The ferry pilot did the same to us on our trip (although it wasn't air conditioned up there, but still nice as it was raining). Captain didn't speak english, pilot did, but the best part was the captain letting a few of us 'drive' the ferry... We just steered where he told us, he handled the throttle.

[228grady]

Great review !! What Princess tour did you take in the canal?

Thanks Brent