Help Panama Canal

[Cuervosar]

Just put me in for another vote for the full go. I've done it twice, East to West both times by coincidence.

 

The locks are fascinating, but the cruise through the lake and then through the narrow bits are beyond belief. I believe it is the Cullebra Cut that is incredibly narrow and it seems you spend a couple of hours quietly and slowly making your way through this jungle area. It is a very serene experience. And then you get to go through the locks again on the other side!

 

The first time I went, I figured it was a once in a lifetime experience and I treasured it. The second time was just pure luck that we were able to go, and I still had the same sense of wonder.

 

Recommendation; balcony cabin, full transit, and get up at the crack of dawn to make sure you don't miss anything. Oh, and bring binoculars.

[Cuervosar]

It was a busy cruise ship day on our second go. Crystal Symphony next to us, maybe a HAL ship behind and somebody else behind the Crystal.

 

We were on Celebrity Century before it got the boot.

[atomax]

We recently did the Pearl reposition cruise from Miami to LA and it was a blast. They opened up the crew area on deck 8, and people started heading out there at 6:30 AM. We started going through the locks around 8:30 AM. It was very crowded on the bow (at least 5-7 people deep) and started to get pretty cut-throat as people tried to push their way to the front. It was incredibly hot and humid, but NCL was kind enough to set up a bar (way to make more $$ NCL) and tent for people to cool off under. They did provide urns of ice water. The only challenge being in the crew area is that the ship's public address system doesn't go out there, so we couldn't hear the local expert that they brought on board to talk about the process and history.

 

Fewer and fewer people attended the passage of each successive lock, so by the time we got to the last one, there were maybe 30 people on deck 8. We went to different parts of the ship to get different perspectives for each lock.

 

My vote is for the full passage if you have time. If you can time the cruise right (mid-April), you may even be able to add on the Pacific Coastal itinerary that ends up in Seattle (so that the Pearl can start its Alaska run).

[MagnoliaBlossom]

On both our cruises, the Jewel and the Pearl, they opened the crew area. They provided coffee, pastries, and iced drinks. There was a tent for a small bit of shelter from the sun.