port or starboard for the panama canal?

[dbali]

We are looking at booking a full transit going through the panama canal and are wondering if there is a better side of the ship to be on when sitting out on the balcony. We will be going from the Atlantic to the Caribbean if that makes a difference.

[marinaro44]

We are looking at booking a full transit going through the panama canal and are wondering if there is a better side of the ship to be on when sitting out on the balcony. We will be going from the Atlantic to the Caribbean if that makes a difference.

I think if you're making a full transit you have to somehow be in the Pacific either before or after.

[dbali]

I think if you're making a full transit you have to somehow be in the Pacific either before or after.

Haha! I didn't catch that. You are right. We will be going from the Pacific to the Caribbean.:o

[Hoyaheel]

We did a full transit from LA to FLL in 2008 (on HAL) and picked a starboard balcony cabin so we saw sunsets from LA south, and then Panama City from just before the Canal. But if we were to do it again, I don't know that we would have a preference. Ok, husband says he'd still pick starboard for the Pacific sunsets :-)

[Host Jazzbeau]

As to the actual passage through the Canal: it doesn't matter, because there are two lanes and you never know which lane your ship will be assigned to until you get there. You may have a view of the canal works and the countryside, or you may have a view of the ship in the next lane...

[Grandma Cruising]

When we did a canal transit we didn't spend any time on our balcony. We spent all the time we were in the canal on deck so we could see everything - it was so fascinating.

 

 

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[Hoyaheel]

My husband did go up on deck and all over (he woke up at some ungodly hour - 4am? so he could see the approach to the Bridge of the Americas) I did a few transits around the ship to look at the view from different angles but spent most of the actual lock time on my own balcony where I had space. And a bottle of wine:D All depends on what you're interested in.....

 

I'm more a hermit - I spend a lot of time on my own balcony no matter where we are.

[bobndee]

When we did a canal transit we didn't spend any time on our balcony. We spent all the time we were in the canal on deck so we could see everything - it was so fascinating.]

 

That's exactly what we did. And since it was a nice clear day, I got the sunburn to prove it! :o

[Keith1010]

I would not worry about which side you are on.

 

It is always nice to view the canal from different areas of the ship and mainly on the open decks both on higher and lower decks and on all four sides of the ship.

 

Keith

[Hoyaheel]

Remember that the Canal is only one day of the cruise. Consider your desires for the entire itinerary....

[dbali]

Does the afternoon sun cause the room to heat up? Does it make the balcony too hot to sit out there?

[Dididi]

We were on the Pacific Princess (an Azamara twin) last month on a Los Angeles to Fort Lauderdale Panama Canal cruise. We had a port side Deck 6 balcony and thus avoided the very hot sun most of the day. We watched the entry to the Miraflores Locks from deck 11 which was not great because of the blue glass panes on the front of the deck. Between the first and second lock we went to the open area starboard on deck 5 to see the ship rise as the water entered the lock. That was very interesting. We had an early lunch in our balcony while going through the Pedro Miguel Lock and saw the Canal staff leave the ship on a tug boat as we left the lock.

 

I'm sharing our experience to let you know that one of the best places from where to see the Canal in a R-ship is the Spa on deck 9. By standing on the steps in front of the thalasso therapy pool, you are above the blue glass panes on the stern and can take great photos. I got some great shots of the Gatun Locks.

 

Canal Day is very humid and long. There is plenty of time to seek a variety of interesting vantage points.

[beachseeker]

We were on the Pacific Princess (an Azamara twin) last month on a Los Angeles to Fort Lauderdale Panama Canal cruise. We had a port side Deck 6 balcony and thus avoided the very hot sun most of the day. We watched the entry to the Miraflores Locks from deck 11 which was not great because of the blue glass panes on the front of the deck. Between the first and second lock we went to the open area starboard on deck 5 to see the ship rise as the water entered the lock. That was very interesting. We had an early lunch in our balcony while going through the Pedro Miguel Lock and saw the Canal staff leave the ship on a tug boat as we left the lock.

 

I'm sharing our experience to let you know that one of the best places from where to see the Canal in a R-ship is the Spa on deck 9. By standing on the steps in front of the thalasso therapy pool, you are above the blue glass panes on the stern and can take great photos. I got some great shots of the Gatun Locks.

 

Canal Day is very humid and long. There is plenty of time to seek a variety of interesting vantage points.

 

We are on Azamara's LA to Miami at the end of the month. DH chose port hoping to avoid hot sun in the afternoon. Thank you for the heads up on the Spa area on deck 9.

[Hoyaheel]

We were on a different ship but the cabin didn't warm up - we tend to keep our curtains closed if that's a concern. We live in NC and therefore did not have a problem sitting outside in the warmth/humidity. That's probably going to vary based on your personal comfort level:p

 

Bring lots of sunscreen and a hat with a chin strap;)

 

(we have also sailed on Pacific Princess twice- same R ship as Azamara owns - and didn't have any problems with our cabin being too hot - not Panama Canal, but Black Sea was one...)

Edited February 2, 2016 by Hoyaheel

[ccotting]

We had an aft cabin for our transit and it was wonderful. Watched most everything from our own balcony. No worries about juggling with the camera hogs!