Panama Canal cruises in 2021

[BillB48]

54 minutes ago, Paulette3028 said:

We could not find a Royal cruise that went totally through the Panama Canal, so we booked  Celebrity Summit for November 13, 2020.  It goes from San Diego to Miami.  With our status of Diamond we automatically became Elite on Celebrity with whatever perks that provides.   

 

Don't how the dates will fit into your schedule, but the Vision has four trips this year (Oct, Nov and Dec)and the Serenade in May of '20.

[Paulette3028]

1 minute ago, BillB48 said:

 

Don't how the dates will fit into your schedule, but the Vision has four trips this year (Oct, Nov and Dec)and the Serenade in May of '20.

The only date that worked for us was the Celebrity cruise....and it is FINE....totally fine.  Our cruise is for Nov 2020 and looking forward to it.  Got great price and great perks.

 

[SRV FAN]

4 hours ago, Paulette3028 said:

We could not find a Royal cruise that went totally through the Panama Canal, so we booked  Celebrity Summit for November 13, 2020.  It goes from San Diego to Miami.  With our status of Diamond we automatically became Elite on Celebrity with whatever perks that provides.   

There are a few Royal cruises that go thru... eastbound from Miami to Los Angeles. Another from Ft Lauderdale to San Diego..... and a few that go westbound from Los Angeles to Florida... several of the are in 2019 & a few in 2020... not sure why you couldn’t find any... they are there.  

[DHADEN]

20 hours ago, patty29 said:

I booked an 11 day panama cruise on the Rhapsody leaving on February 2, 2021.  Goes to Key West,  Columbia, Panana, Costa Rica, Cozumel with a total of 4 sea days.  I booked it on March 13, 2019.  The price has gone up quite a bit since then.

 

Patty;

Come join the Rollcall for this cruise! 😁  We are all making friends and getting to know one-another.

Here's the link:

 

19 hours ago, Garmy4 said:

Price for Rhapsody cruise has been “stupid” high and unchanged for the past 3-4 weeks.  I find it hard to believe anyone is booking at this price.

 

We booked when the itinerary first came out, so got a pretty good deal.

[SRV FAN]

17 minutes ago, DHADEN said:

We booked when the itinerary first came out, so got a pretty good deal.

 

Hello! So your cruise is Feb 2021, you say you booked it when it first came out.... do you remember WHEN your sailing became available to book? That would help me figure out when to start looking for the rest of 2021 to show up for booking...

Thanks! 

[TeeRick]

We sail both Royal and Celebrity.  A couple of years ago we sailed Celebrity Infinity from Miami to San Diego.  It was a great cruise through the canal.  Old locks were used.  The new locks were not quite ready.  My recommendation would be to take a cruise using the old locks to give you the true historical perspective!  Anyway if you are Diamond on Royal you will status match to Elite on Celebrity so you would still have good loyalty benefits.

[Paulette3028]

9 hours ago, SRV FAN said:

There are a few Royal cruises that go thru... eastbound from Miami to Los Angeles. Another from Ft Lauderdale to San Diego..... and a few that go westbound from Los Angeles to Florida... several of the are in 2019 & a few in 2020... not sure why you couldn’t find any... they are there.  

As I said....the Celebrity cruise for 2020 had the date we were able to use and we ONLY want to cruise from LA/SD back to Florida, we were NOT considering at all going westbound.  Our ONLY consideration was 2020.  We have no problem taking our first cruise on our 'sister company' and expect to have a GREAT time.

[SRV FAN]

1 minute ago, TeeRick said:

We sail both Royal and Celebrity.  A couple of years ago we sailed Celebrity Infinity from Miami to San Diego.  It was a great cruise through the canal.  Old locks were used.  The new locks were not quite ready.  My recommendation would be to take a cruise using the old locks to give you the true historical perspective!  Anyway if you are Diamond on Royal you will status match to Elite on Celebrity so you would still have good loyalty benefits.

 

How would you KNOW you are booking a cruise going thru the old locks? 

 

Yes, I am aware of the Celebrity status match.... but not interested at this time in doing a Celebrity cruise... maybe somewhere down the line..... 

 

[ONECRUISER]

45 minutes ago, SRV FAN said:

 

Hello! So your cruise is Feb 2021, you say you booked it when it first came out.... do you remember WHEN your sailing became available to book? That would help me figure out when to start looking for the rest of 2021 to show up for booking...

Thanks! 

Release is probably Nov/Dec 2019 and Rest in Spring 2020

Edited July 28, 2019 by ONECRUISER

[Snit13]

15 hours ago, Paulette3028 said:

We could not find a Royal cruise that went totally through the Panama Canal, so we booked  Celebrity Summit for November 13, 2020.  It goes from San Diego to Miami.  With our status of Diamond we automatically became Elite on Celebrity with whatever perks that provides.   

For the most part in my opinion Celebrity perks were better than Royal perks.  Sailed Summit to Bermuda and enjoyed her.  Prefer Solstice class but in my book any Celebrity or Royal Cruise is just great.  Beats sitting at home and don't really care what ports ship visits as I have already been to most of them.  However, have not gone totally thru Panama Canal.  On bucket list.

[Paulette3028]

46 minutes ago, Snit13 said:

For the most part in my opinion Celebrity perks were better than Royal perks.  Sailed Summit to Bermuda and enjoyed her.  Prefer Solstice class but in my book any Celebrity or Royal Cruise is just great.  Beats sitting at home and don't really care what ports ship visits as I have already been to most of them.  However, have not gone totally thru Panama Canal.  On bucket list.

Our friends did their first cruise on Royal and their 2nd cruise on Celebrity and loved Celebrity more.  It has taken until this Panama Canal cruise to be unable to find a Royal cruise that fit what we wanted and Celebrity had it, so off we go on a new adventure.  For me, the lack of the fun stuff that Royal has on her big ships (waterslides and flowrider specifically), I will miss.  But alas, new experience is just fine also.  The rest of the activities of a cruise ship will be there.....all the trivia and games that you can ask for, I am sure.  A great time will be had.  Our friends say the food is better, but we are simple foodies, and never been disappointed on a Royal ship.  

[DHADEN]

 

Quote

Hello! So your cruise is Feb 2021, you say you booked it when it first came out.... do you remember WHEN your sailing became available to book? That would help me figure out when to start looking for the rest of 2021 to show up for booking...

Thanks! 

 

This particular Itinerary (Rhapsody 11-night Panama) was weird because it was in the middle of a string of 7-night cruises, and just "Popped Up" back in Feb. or March of this year.  We found it and booked it because cruising buddies of ours live in Tampa.  Then we saw the prices going crazy right after that.

Edited July 28, 2019 by DHADEN

[later]

1 hour ago, DHADEN said:

 

 

This particular Itinerary (Rhapsody 11-night Panama) was weird because it was in the middle of a string of 7-night cruises, and just "Popped Up" back in Feb. or March of this year.  We found it and booked it because cruising buddies of ours live in Tampa.  Then we saw the prices going crazy right after that.

 

We were looking for a different itinerary out of Florida and found the Rhapsody cruise and booked it on March 13th of this year .  It was a strange because it was as just added.  J3 for $4300.

 

the price today for 2 People in a J3 is $11,531.36

Edited July 28, 2019 by later

[mugtech]

3 hours ago, SRV FAN said:

 

How would you KNOW you are booking a cruise going thru the old locks? 

 

 

 

If the ship is narrower than 125' then it will fit through the old locks, probably easier and cheaper

[Clarea]

1 hour ago, mugtech said:

If the ship is narrower than 125' then it will fit through the old locks, probably easier and cheaper

 

I think the beam limit for the old locks is 106'.

[SRV FAN]

3 hours ago, DHADEN said:

 

 

This particular Itinerary (Rhapsody 11-night Panama) was weird because it was in the middle of a string of 7-night cruises, and just "Popped Up" back in Feb. or March of this year.  We found it and booked it because cruising buddies of ours live in Tampa.  Then we saw the prices going crazy right after that.

 

So about a year out.... that gives me something to work toward... THANKS! 

[SRV FAN]

1 hour ago, mugtech said:

If the ship is narrower than 125' then it will fit through the old locks, probably easier and cheaper

 

Ahhhh ok! I'll study that then! THANKS!!! 

[SRV FAN]

30 minutes ago, Host Clarea said:

 

I think the beam limit for the old locks is 106'.

 

ok... 125 or 106.... now I am confused. 

 

Just checked wiki...Vision's beam is 117 & Serenade's is 106 waterline/131 max...what ever that means.... 

 

I thought Vision was SMALLER than Serenade.... ? 

 

Wonder if either of them go thru the old locks? hummmmmmmmmm

 

 

Edited July 28, 2019 by SRV FAN

[SRV FAN]

Just found this...."The original locks are 34 m (110 ft) wide." on wiki

 

Then this...Panamax is determined principally by the dimensions of the canal's original lock chambers, each of which is 110 ft (33.53 m) wide, 1,050 ft (320.04 m) long, and 41.2 ft (12.56 m) deep.

 

So, Bob you are correct! But both Vision & Serenade seem to be larger than that. :- (

 

Thanks guys! 

 

I love learning about this stuff! I am smarter today thanks to y'all! 

Edited July 28, 2019 by SRV FAN

[Clarea]

16 minutes ago, SRV FAN said:

 ... But both Vision & Serenade seem to be larger than that.  ...

 

You cannot compare many of the "beam" figures.  They don't specify on what part of the ship they are measuring. Waterline beam is different than end of bridge wings beam.   Most times it's apples and oranges as to what measurement is being shown.

[mugtech]

The beam of the USS Missouri is listed at 108 ft, we were told that was to insure passage through the Panama Canal.  But the number they gave us at Pearl Harbor on the tour was the less than 125 ft. required.

[mugtech]

Did the old locks in 2015 on the NCL Sun, beam listed as 123 ft.  It was a tight fit.

[BillB48]

Maybe I can help and straighten out the apples and oranges.  As Bob indicated many times the beam that is quoted is actually the widest part of the ship and may not be the dimension the Canal uses.  The Canal uses the waterline dimension primarily for passage through the Canal, of course the dimensions of wider parts of the ship such as the bridge wings also must fall with in certain parameters.  Those larger dimensions have a great deal more leeway than the waterline figures, the amount of overhang beyond the 106 figure is dependent on the height above the water.

 

The original lock chambers are 1050'x110'.  The maximum sized ship than can use the original locks is 965x106, this is limited to passenger ships and container vessels.  All others are limited to 950x106.  The new lock chambers are 1400x180 with the maximum permitted dimensions 1200x168.

 

Vision Class ships (except Enchantment): 915x106

Radiance class ships: 962x106

 

NCL Sun: 853x106

 

Iowa Class Battleship: 887x108

The Iowa class ships were the widest ships to transit the Canal.  This class of battleships were to followed by the Montana Class which were going to be 921x121 which would have required the new third set of locks.  The Montana class ships were never built.

 

The longest ship to transit the Canal was the San Juan Prospector, 972x 106 in 1973.  She paid a grand total of just over $40,000.  Today some of the larger container ships using the new locks have paid over $1million!

 

To those of you taking a Canal cruise  January 1 and beyond, there will be higher tolls in place🤑!

 

The longest ship to transit the Canal was the San Juan Prospector

[TeeRick]

BillB48- Thanks!  Celebrity Infinity length is 964 ft and beam is 106 ft.  It was really interesting to see her fit into the old locks!  If you want to go through the old locks and fit under the Bridge of the Americas, then look up the ships like Infinity that have been doing it for years.  IMO most of these ships will continue to use the old locks because it is less expensive and perhaps less of a wait in line.

[janetmojo]

Just wondering if anyone had updated deployment for RCCL full transit 2021?