nyc12345 Posted June 17, 2015 #1 Share Posted June 17, 2015 Trying to decide between the following, which would you pick and why? TIA 10-night Fort Lauderdale, FL 4:00pm At Sea At Sea Aruba 7:00am 12:30pm Cartagena, Colombia 9:00am 3:00pm Panama Canal (Full Transit) (Cruising) Colon, Panama 5:00pm 8:00pm Puerto Limon, Costa Rica 7:00am 6:00pm At Sea Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands 7:00am 4:00pm At Sea Fort Lauderdale, FL 7:00am 15-night Fort Lauderdale, FL 4:00pm At Sea At Sea Aruba 7:00am 12:30pm Cartagena, Colombia 9:00am 3:00pm Panama Canal (Full Transit) (Cruising) At Sea Puntarenas, Costa Rica 7:00am 7:00pm San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua 7:00am 6:00pm At Sea Huatulco, Mexico 8:00am 5:00pm At Sea At Sea Cabo San Lucas, Mexico 7:00am 2:00pm At Sea Los Angeles (San Pedro), CA 7:00am Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colo Cruiser Posted June 17, 2015 #2 Share Posted June 17, 2015 (edited) Trying to decide between the following, which would you pick and why? TIA 10-night Fort Lauderdale, FL 4:00pm At Sea At Sea Aruba 7:00am 12:30pm Cartagena, Colombia 9:00am 3:00pm Panama Canal (Full Transit) (Cruising) Colon, Panama 5:00pm 8:00pm Puerto Limon, Costa Rica 7:00am 6:00pm At Sea Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands 7:00am 4:00pm At Sea Fort Lauderdale, FL 7:00am 15-night Fort Lauderdale, FL 4:00pm At Sea At Sea Aruba 7:00am 12:30pm Cartagena, Colombia 9:00am 3:00pm Panama Canal (Full Transit) (Cruising) At Sea Puntarenas, Costa Rica 7:00am 7:00pm San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua 7:00am 6:00pm At Sea Huatulco, Mexico 8:00am 5:00pm At Sea At Sea Cabo San Lucas, Mexico 7:00am 2:00pm At Sea Los Angeles (San Pedro), CA 7:00am Which?? Of course the full transit! Why?? Because its a longer cruise, and its the best way to experience the canal! You don't say whether its the Coral or the Island? Edited June 17, 2015 by Colo Cruiser Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EightFurryPaws Posted June 17, 2015 #3 Share Posted June 17, 2015 We did the full transit last year. I would choose the 15day because: Puntaranes, CR is a great port. Took an all day excursion through the rain forest, river boat ride, and had a great lunch. San Juan del Sur is a tender port, not much to see, but a nice way to relax at the beach. i just love Cabo. Lots to do and can spend an entire day there. When we arrived back in LA, we spent a few days at an Airport hotel. One day took the bus to Manhattan beach which was beautiful. The next day we took a Sunseekers tour. Spent the day seeing the sights. They pick up and return you back to your hotel. Pam Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
partybarbie Posted June 17, 2015 #4 Share Posted June 17, 2015 Longer cruise wins out almost every time. If you have done the canal before, and are limited for time, then I might pick the shorter one. I absolutely love Huatulco, Mexico. Not too many ships go there and the people were so nice and friendly. We were on a Princess tour, about 20 of us, to go snorkeling. A father and his sons ran the tour. On the way back, they made us margarita's with fresh squeezed fruit and home chips and guacamole. I also love Puntarenas. We were lucky enough to see wild scarlet macaws, howler monkeys, and crocodiles. I would highly recommend going to the Villa Lapas Resort there. I've done the longer cruise 4 times and the shorter one 1 time, so I guess that would tell you how much better I liked the longer one.:D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul929207 Posted June 17, 2015 #5 Share Posted June 17, 2015 Another for the 15 day cruise. In fact, we are hoping to do it next year from FLL, and do a b2b so we have the short flights to and from FLL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kamloops50 Posted June 17, 2015 #6 Share Posted June 17, 2015 Also for the 15 day . For me it is the time and airfare cost. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MustangGT Posted June 17, 2015 #7 Share Posted June 17, 2015 We have done both Partial and Full transit. I find it interesting that the 10 day itinerary above states "Full Transit" when it is a Partial. We preferred the Full transit as it gave you the complete experience from one ocean to the other. Many will say do the Partial and do an excursion on a small boat through the Pacific side locks. It's a personal decision. We loved the sea days so the 15 day was great. Have to admit that after a 15 day I felt our recent 7 day cruise was way too short:D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nyc12345 Posted June 17, 2015 Author #8 Share Posted June 17, 2015 I also prefer the longer cruise, but saw that I don't actually get to see Panama in the full transit, so was wondering if I should have picked the shorter one instead. Based on all the expert opinions, I think it's going to be the longer cruise. Thanks! :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SantaFeFan Posted June 17, 2015 #9 Share Posted June 17, 2015 Isn't that 10 night cruise only a partial transit? It's listed as a full. I also vote for the full transit. The canal is an amazing sight, and doing the entire voyage is well worth it. Plus, as others have said, a longer cruise wins every time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare PescadoAmarillo Posted June 17, 2015 #10 Share Posted June 17, 2015 Full transit is my preference, but Huatulco is the real winner on that itinerary. It's my favorite Mexican cruise port but not many cruises stop there. It's a beautiful area with seven bays surrounded by mountains. Loved it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NavyVeteran Posted June 17, 2015 #11 Share Posted June 17, 2015 Given you have the time and money, 15 nights on a ship is better than 10. But the 10-night cruise still gives you a great view of the canal. If you do the 10-night partial transit, you can still do a full transit of the canal. Book Princess shore excursion PC1-615. You transfer to a small boat in Gatun Lake and take the small boat through the remaining locks to the Pacific; then return to the Atlantic by bus to meet your ship. In some ways this is better than a full transit on the ship because the view of the locks from the small boat is much different than the view from the large ship. If you want the full transit, you have to take the Princess shore excursion. You cannot get off the ship in Gatun Lake unless you are on one of the Princess excursions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimAOk1945 Posted June 17, 2015 #12 Share Posted June 17, 2015 We did the Partial Transit last December on the Island Princess due to time constraints. We enjoyed it very much. We plan to take the full transit sometime soon. You might like to see the pictures my wife took and posted on her website at the link below. It might help you make a decision. December 2014 Partial Transit On The Amazing Island Princess Happy cruising! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nyc12345 Posted June 17, 2015 Author #13 Share Posted June 17, 2015 We did the Partial Transit last December on the Island Princess due to time constraints. We enjoyed it very much. We plan to take the full transit sometime soon. You might like to see the pictures my wife took and posted on her website at the link below. It might help you make a decision. December 2014 Partial Transit On The Amazing Island Princess Happy cruising! Thanks for the awesome pictures. Where's the best place to be during the transit? Front/back/side/everywhere? :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nyc12345 Posted June 17, 2015 Author #14 Share Posted June 17, 2015 Given you have the time and money, 15 nights on a ship is better than 10. But the 10-night cruise still gives you a great view of the canal. If you do the 10-night partial transit, you can still do a full transit of the canal. Book Princess shore excursion PC1-615. You transfer to a small boat in Gatun Lake and take the small boat through the remaining locks to the Pacific; then return to the Atlantic by bus to meet your ship. In some ways this is better than a full transit on the ship because the view of the locks from the small boat is much different than the view from the large ship. If you want the full transit, you have to take the Princess shore excursion. You cannot get off the ship in Gatun Lake unless you are on one of the Princess excursions. Do they offer excursions if it's only a one-day transit? Doesn't seem to indicate they will be stopping during the transit...:confused: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nyc12345 Posted June 17, 2015 Author #15 Share Posted June 17, 2015 Isn't that 10 night cruise only a partial transit? It's listed as a full. I also vote for the full transit. The canal is an amazing sight, and doing the entire voyage is well worth it. Plus, as others have said, a longer cruise wins every time. That's what I thought too, but the online website I used to research cruises said full transit, I went to Princess website and they don't say that. So it must be a partial... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul929207 Posted June 17, 2015 #16 Share Posted June 17, 2015 That's what I thought too, but the online website I used to research cruises said full transit, I went to Princess website and they don't say that. So it must be a partial... I think it has to be a partial transit. Otherwise, they would need a second full transit to get from the Pacific back to the Caribbean Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colo Cruiser Posted June 17, 2015 #17 Share Posted June 17, 2015 We did the Partial Transit last December on the Island Princess due to time constraints. We enjoyed it very much. We plan to take the full transit sometime soon. You might like to see the pictures my wife took and posted on her website at the link below. It might help you make a decision. December 2014 Partial Transit On The Amazing Island Princess Happy cruising! Great photos! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VTX-AL Posted June 17, 2015 #18 Share Posted June 17, 2015 For us, longer is better, which is why we are booked April 19/2017 - 21 days FLL/Panama/YVR, Island Princess. ...VTX-Al Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elliair Posted June 17, 2015 #19 Share Posted June 17, 2015 Trying to decide between the following, which would you pick and why? TIA 10-night Fort Lauderdale, FL 4:00pm At Sea At Sea Aruba 7:00am 12:30pm Cartagena, Colombia 9:00am 3:00pm Panama Canal (Full Transit) (Cruising) Colon, Panama 5:00pm 8:00pm Puerto Limon, Costa Rica 7:00am 6:00pm At Sea Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands 7:00am 4:00pm At Sea Fort Lauderdale, FL 7:00am 15-night Fort Lauderdale, FL 4:00pm At Sea At Sea Aruba 7:00am 12:30pm Cartagena, Colombia 9:00am 3:00pm Panama Canal (Full Transit) (Cruising) At Sea Puntarenas, Costa Rica 7:00am 7:00pm San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua 7:00am 6:00pm At Sea Huatulco, Mexico 8:00am 5:00pm At Sea At Sea Cabo San Lucas, Mexico 7:00am 2:00pm At Sea Los Angeles (San Pedro), CA 7:00am We're doing the 15-night Panama Canal in December. We're flying into FLL 2 days early. We live in California, so it made sense to do the 15 day. This will be our second 15-day cruise to the Panama Canal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scienceteacher Posted June 17, 2015 #20 Share Posted June 17, 2015 We are doing the partial the first week of November. I have no interest in the full transit. Four sea days are enough for us. I love vacation but also enjoy my activities at home. I would not like to be gone longer. I guess I am alone in that. Whichever you choose, I hope you have a wonderful time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunshine nana Posted June 17, 2015 #21 Share Posted June 17, 2015 We did the 10 night and loved it! I hate flying and it is so long from the west coast to our home on the east coast. Also, DH does not like sea days. He is a train buff, so we took the train excursion to the Pacific. Depending on where you live, you may need to add a plane flight to the total cost. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
downsmead Posted June 17, 2015 #22 Share Posted June 17, 2015 We have just done a full transit of the canal (May). You ask where is the best place on ship. The answer is everywhere. A full transit takes from ~7am to ~4-5pm, therefore you can wander all over the ship and view from different vantage points. We started out on the bow of the ship (the helipad) for Gatun locks, despite the pouring rain!!:D. Once through we then went to peel off our soaking wet clothes, have a shower to warm up and get breakfast. After that we went to the front lounge to see the passage through the lake. At times, we went out on deck to get a closer look at things, especially when passing through the cut and where the continental divides meet and passing under the bridge. We then went onto one of the promenade decks for the next set of locks and for the last set, went back onto the top deck. Most ships have a commentary throughout the day. It is a fabulous experience, and the whole cruise was one of our best. We want to go back when the new locks open though I cannot see that they will open when expected. The trip to visit the Gatun locks the day before is worthwhile, as you do not get that prospective whilst on board. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OCruisers Posted June 17, 2015 #23 Share Posted June 17, 2015 The FULL transit! :D LuLu Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Treven Posted June 17, 2015 #24 Share Posted June 17, 2015 Another vote for the full transit of the canal; one of the man-made wonders of the world needs to be experienced in its entirety.:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NavyVeteran Posted June 17, 2015 #25 Share Posted June 17, 2015 Do they offer excursions if it's only a one-day transit? Doesn't seem to indicate they will be stopping during the transit...:confused: They offer excursions in the middle of a partial transit. I've never taken a full transit, so I can't comment. Princess lists excursions on its website. Take a look at the specific cruise you are considering and look at the excursions listed. They are generic to the itinerary and may not be completely accurate for your specific cruise, but the list should be close for something like a Panama Canal cruise that they do repeatedly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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