Island princess panama canal

[Travelinyolo]

So excited about planning cruise to Panama Canal. Please tell me what balconies are best, we normally use caribe on the Caribbean princess as they are half covered and half exposed is that the same on the island? Thank you so much for any tips on the Panama Canal cruise or the island princess.

[MTJSR]

Hi, we did the Panama Canal last September, on the Island from San Francisco to Ft Lauderdale. We had a midship Caribe balcony cabin. To be honest, we had the best spot on the ship, as far as I am concerned. Midship, some sun some shad, perfect.

 

We spent the Canal day moving between the front and rear access doors that open up to a large balcony. Visibility was fantastic from either end. We got rained on and I mean buckets while in Gatun Lake (beautiful area) and we could of cared less, felt so refreshing lol.

 

We had room service lunch as we watched the new construction going on. Side note, the top deck of the ship was hot and I mean too hot to stand out for that long. At one point for a much different perspective, I ran down to the promenade deck and walked it length while in the locks. You can shake hands with the people walking around on them.

 

Have a great trip and ask any questions you have. We are doing it again it was so much fun!

 

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Edited July 26, 2015 by MTJSR

[MTJSR]

Here are some pictures to help visualize the experience.

 

 

 

 

[MTJSR]

 

 

 

 

[jacketwatch]

So excited about planning cruise to Panama Canal. Please tell me what balconies are best, we normally use caribe on the Caribbean princess as they are half covered and half exposed is that the same on the island? Thank you so much for any tips on the Panama Canal cruise or the island princess.

We did a full trans PC cruise on the Island in 2009. Most people try to get aft and bow views especially in the locks so think about moving around.

 

We were in the MDR having breakfast as the ship entered one of the locks and began to drop. We were by the window and the fit is so narrow that if the window was open you could reach out and touch the wall of the lock.

 

Do listen to the guest lecturer about the history of how the PC was built. It's very interesting.

 

Have fun!

 

Larry :)

[Tyskie]

Hi, we did the Panama Canal last September, on the Island from San Francisco to Ft Lauderdale. We had a midship Caribe balcony cabin. To be honest, we had the best spot on the ship, as far as I am concerned. Midship, some sun some shad, perfect.

 

We spent the Canal day moving between the front and rear access doors that open up to a large balcony. Visibility was fantastic from either end. We got rained on and I mean buckets while in Gatun Lake (beautiful area) and we could of cared less, felt so refreshing lol.

 

We had room service lunch as we watched the new construction going on. Side note, the top deck of the ship was hot and I mean too hot to stand out for that long. At one point for a much different perspective, I ran down to the promenade deck and walked it length while in the locks. You can shake hands with the people walking around on them.

 

Have a great trip and ask any questions you have. We are doing it again it was so much fun!

 

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Just be advised that the Island has undergone renovation and the open space on Caribe Aft is no longer there. You might want to consider the Coral if that makes a difference to you. In fact the only aft space left is on Emerald Deck (besides the open top decks).

 

Caribe deck for a cabin is a good choice. :)

[Tyskie]

Here are some pictures to help visualize the experience.

 

 

Beautiful pictures :)

[Colo Cruiser]

Nice shots. :)

[MTJSR]

Here are some more pics. This one shows just how tight the canal is. The mules keep the ship centered and the ship moves under its own power thru the locks.

 

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Passing under the Centennial Bridge.

 

 

Dredging for the now wider turns within the channel.

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Getting lined up

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Yes there are Alligators in the water

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[MTJSR]

This place is a total tourist trap :D

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Gatun Lake. What I would give to have the Houseboat and jet ski concession here.

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This is the entrance or exit on the Caribbean side.

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These are the doors for the new locks waiting to be installed.

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[Travelinyolo]

Thank you all so much you make the trip so exciting to look forward to. I think we are going with caribe mid ship. We enjoy this on the Caribbean princess. Any info or tips about island princes would be so appreciated.

[BroncoLvrs]

Travelinyolo, which direction are you going? We traveled from Ft Lauderdale to LA and had a mid-ship Starboard Caribe balcony. We loved sea days on our balcony watching dolphins, flying fish and even a giant sunfish! We have friends that were on a mid-ship Port Caribe balcony and the sun was so intense that they were not able to enjoy their balcony while traveling through the Caribbean. Just another thing to think about. Hope you have a wonderful cruise!

[Travelinyolo]

We are going San Fransico to ft lauderdale. What side do you recommend

We are going in sept of 16.

[Travelinyolo]

Oops forgot to ask was your caribe balcony half covered and half exposed?

[eltigre]

Glad to talk to someone who has recently been on the Island Princess and in Panama. We booked C424 & I am also interested in knowing more about the balcony.

 

Is it covered? Is anything blocking your views or anyone looking down into your balcony?

 

We go in April East to West & I chose port for the sunsets when heading home to Vancouver.

Any info on the ship is appreciated.

[MTJSR]

Oops forgot to ask was your caribe balcony half covered and half exposed?

 

I believe ALL Caribe balcony's are half covered. Mine have all been.

[jasbo49]

I believe ALL Caribe balcony's are half covered. Mine have all been.

 

On the Grand class ships, all the Caribe balconies are large and half covered (pretty sure). Once you leave the Grand class all bets are off.

 

When we booked our Island cruise, we checked a site that showed where the covered balconies were on Island and Coral. That site is no longer available.

 

Jim

[jasbo49]

Wow. Looks like the site's back. Try this:

 

http://www.cruisedeckplans.com/Princess/odell/res76zxu/princessbalconies/id3.html

 

Jim

[emmak8]

Fantastic pictures! We did the PC on the Island and loved the cruise. This time we booked LA to FLL.

 

You'll love the experience no matter what cabin you have.

[MTJSR]

On the Grand class ships, all the Caribe balconies are large and half covered (pretty sure). Once you leave the Grand class all bets are off.

 

Jim

 

Without looking at deck plans or pictures, the "Bump outs" fore and aft on the Island and Coral "May" not be half covered:confused:

[ChiefBoats]

We have sailed on the Island three times and the Coral once. We are booked on the Coral next November on a partial Panama Canal cruise. We will always book our balcony on Baha deck. These are fully covered and you have at least one deck above you to separate you from the fun deck. The decks become less and less covered as you go down from Baha.

____________________________

Island Princess 2008 Alaska, Island Princess 2009 (B2B) Alaska, Royal Princess (Old) 2010 Alaska, Golden Princess 2011 Alaska, Coral Princess 2012 Panama Canal, Star Princess 2012 Alaska, Island Princess 2013 Alaska, Crown Princess 2013 Western Caribbean, Caribbean Princess 2013 Western Caribbean, Royal Princess 2014 Eastern Caribbean, Royal Princess 2014 New England, Emerald Princess 2014 Western Caribbean, Ruby Princess 2015 Alaska

[MTJSR]

Here are a few more pics

 

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[Travelinyolo]

I am so confused about the covered uncovered balconies. We very much enjoy the caribe on the Caribbean princess as the balcony is half covered half exposed. Can anyone please tell me on the new island and the coral what balconies are half or fully covered, thank you so much.

[Retired Educator]

We are looking at the 11/16 RT out of Los Angeles on the Island and are curious about the casino location. I travel with O2 and the casino is ALWAYS an area I avoid, even the shops on that deck don't see much of us. We do enjoy activities like trivia which seem to be held in the Explorer's lounge most of the time, which is just adjacent to the casino on this ship.

Are the fumes from the casino overpowering (consider a non-smoker with breathing problems) outside the immediate area of the doorway, or does the situation extend beyond into other areas?

We have over 20 cruises with Princess and aside from the Golden where you have to walk through the casino or outside to get to the theater, we have been able to avoid any problems. Any information or input would be helpful and I know that second hand smoke is different for everyone, but interested to know if we might need to consider another option (cruise line) for this bucket list trip. We usually do Hawaii for our fall trip, want to try something new.

Thanks. Dian

[MTJSR]

I am so confused about the covered uncovered balconies. We very much enjoy the caribe on the Caribbean princess as the balcony is half covered half exposed. Can anyone please tell me on the new island and the coral what balconies are half or fully covered, thank you so much.

 

Here are some pics of the Island in Aruba. On the Island and Coral the decks are different than on the grand class ships. You can see the decks are partially inset and partially bumped out. We were on Caribe in the "Inset" area and we had plenty of shade. Ask your Princess rep as well, they know all about these details.

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