Panama Canal Questions

[jobythebay]

We are thinking of the Brilliance of the Seas 1/07. We are curious. Does the ship tjat goes round trip to and from Miami go through the Canal twice? How does this all work?

 

Who was on the 1/2 ship this year in terms of children and families?

 

What did you find was the cheapest way to get on this ship?

 

Room recommendations? I read the review but still have these questions. Thanks in advance.

[Silvery Seas Cruiser]

We did the same 10- day Brilliance of the Seas cruise you are considering. Let me explain the Panama Canal procedure. The ship passes through canal locks and sails into Gatun Lake where it anchors. It does not--repeat--does not transit the entire canal.

 

If you take an excursion in Panama, you are tendered to shore on a tender boat. While you take your excursion, the ship returns back through the same locks you just came through. Then it docks at a port outside of the canal. After your excursion, you will be returned to that dock to reboard the ship.

 

So the important thing to understand is that if you want to transit the entire canal, you will need to find a different cruise.

 

I'm not sure that I can answer you question very well about the types of rooms available on Brilliance. We had an ocean view room. If I were to repeat this same cruise, I would have a balcony next time because a ten day cruise just seems more pleasant with a balcony, but that is just my opinion.

 

The ship is a beautiful ship. The cruise was a memorable cruise even though we didn't transit the entire canal.

[teach01]

We did the same 10- day Brilliance of the Seas cruise you are considering. Let me explain the Panama Canal procedure. The ship passes through canal locks and sails into Gatun Lake where it anchors. It does not--repeat--does not transit the entire canal.

 

If you take an excursion in Panama, you are tendered to shore on a tender boat. While you take your excursion, the ship returns back through the same locks you just came through. Then it docks at a port outside of the canal. After your excursion, you will be returned to that dock to reboard the ship.

 

So the important thing to understand is that if you want to transit the entire canal, you will need to find a different cruise.

 

I'm not sure that I can answer you question very well about the types of rooms available on Brilliance. We had an ocean view room. If I were to repeat this same cruise, I would have a balcony next time because a ten day cruise just seems more pleasant with a balcony, but that is just my opinion.

 

The ship is a beautiful ship. The cruise was a memorable cruise even though we didn't transit the entire canal.

 

We are onthe 10-day in April and booked an excursion that I thought went throught the entire canal, is this not the case? If I understand what y ou posted above, the excursion takes you through the locks you previously went through?

[Pumbaamd]

The Brilliance goes thru the first set of locks to Gatun Lake and discharges the excursion people there. If you want an excursion in Panama, you have to book it thru RCCL and leave the ship at Gatun Lake. The excursion guests are than bussed to Cristobal Pier after their trips and meet the ship there. After disembarking the tour groups on RCCL lifeboats/tenders, the Brilliance sits in the lake for 3 hours or so, then begins it's voyage thru the same set of locks, but in the opposite direction to leave the canal and go on to Cristobal Pier.

There were very few children on this 1/2 trip.

We booked this cruise on board last year and got that $200 credit. Also with our shareholder credit and RCCL VISA card, we received a handsome discount. RCCL prices are similar most places you look. Some on line agencies will throw in some kinda deal . . . free insurance, whatever. But dealing on line can be tricky. We deal direct with RCCL and someone is always available to answer the few questions we may have. We saw a better cabin open up on line and called RCCL . . . they changed our cabins in 90 seconds and it was a done deal. Lots of people have criticized RCCL customer service, but we've seldom had a problem.

We had a D1 balcony, as last year. We'd never go less than a balcony. But if you wanna go cheaper and stay inside, that's entirely your call.

Whatever you do, you will love the Brilliance!

Good luck!

[Pumbaamd]

Teach01, some excursions, via water, rail or motor coach, will take you to the other side, or Pacific end of the canal. It's not that far. Friends of ours took the rail tour and loved it. They saw the Pacific and Atlantic side all in one afternoon. But, no, the cruise ship itself does not go all the way.

[teach01]

Teach01, some excursions, via water, rail or motor coach, will take you to the other side, or Pacific end of the canal. It's not that far. Friends of ours took the rail tour and loved it. They saw the Pacific and Atlantic side all in one afternoon. But, no, the cruise ship itself does not go all the way.

 

 

We are not doing the rail car, we are doing the water one. But we hoped that the excursion would take us through the whole canal---it is afterall 7 hours long.

[Pumbaamd]

From what I heard about that tour, you will take a bus from Gatun Lake to the Pacific side. Then you will come back via the first two locks from the Pacific side and catch another bus to Cristobal Pier. You will have seen one set of locks on the Brilliance, and the remaining two on your excursion. To boat back thru all 3 locks would take way too much time. It sounds like a great tour to me!

[teach01]

Thanks!!!!!

[Janice M]

For the Panama canal cruise we had a window in our room. The only reason we had it was because at the time it was cheaper than an inside room. Otherwise we have the inside as this gives us more opportunity to cruise more ofter. Keep checking RCIs website. Sometimes the prices do drop.

By the was the captain told us it costs RCI $260,000 to go through the one set of locks and back out.Jan

 

Jan

[jobythebay]

for the great answers.

 

I applied for a credit card so we can start getting points.

[PappaSiera]

Teach01,

 

We did the Canal By Ferry excursion you are talking about this last December. On our tour, after tendoring off the ship, we were taken by buss to a ferry just up the canal from Gatun Lake. The ferry went back to the lake, turned around, then went all the way up the cut, through the other 2 sets of locks (one set has 2 locks, the other a single lock), under the Bridge of Americas, to a pier, and waiting busses.

 

The tour was very long, due to the Cannal Authority requiring us to share the lockages with another vessel. The tanker ship we shared with was fully loaded, riding low in the water, and VERY slow. We ended up being back to the pier about 1 1/2 hours after scheduled sail-away, so DW was disapointed that she missed her chance to do any shopping (we were told the shopping in Costa Rica was better anyways).

[dralston]

I posted today on another thread and will post it here as well as it seems recently active and is pretty much on the topic I am interested in. Basically my sister and husband are enroute to the Panama Canal today on the Brilliance of the Seas so my question is urgent. Here is a copy of what I posted elsewhere. Thanks for any help. Folks here seem to know the ins and outs of the canal!

Hi. I am the brother of Birdergal. I went on the Southern Caribbean cruise with her and her husband last January but am sitting at home now being very jealous. In an e-mail earlier this morning she said they left Curacao and are making their way to the canal. She said it is "rocky" today but they are holding up. They are going to Chops tonight and said "sorry" to me because she knew I enjoyed our dinner there on the cruise last year.

 

But here is my question.

According to her, "We go thru the locks early in the morning then have a tour scheduled." I was wondering if I could see the ship in the locks. I found these webcams, might they show me?

 

http://www.pancanal.com/eng/photo/camera-java.html

 

From what little I can find out, they would be going through Gatun Locks, right? And just as important any notion of approximately what time "early in the morning" would be. I am assuming people come out on deck or their balconies to watch. I would not expect to see them but it would be cool even to say I saw the ship.

 

Sorry to wait until the last minute but if somebody could be kind enough to help me out today (Sunday) it would be appreciated.

 

 

[cruisldy]

dralston,

 

You should indeed be able to see your Sister's ship going throught the locks. Yes, if it is a partial transit it will be the Gatun locks. We sailed the Serenade last October from West to East, full transit and we took on our pilot at approx 5AM, just outside the Bridge of the Americas. I know because I was on deck at 4:30AM, becasue this was the high point of our second canal transit. Our first was from East to West, full transit and as we came out the Pacific side it was dark and I didn't get to see the famous Bridge of the America's. This transit I was determined to see this bridge and I did! I know it's just a dumb bridge, but it was an exciting bridge to cross under.

 

Now, remember to take into account the different time zone that you may be in and the ship will be in, as I believe they will be in EST, but to err on the side of earlier than later is better.

 

We had friends that did this partial crossing in December and I did indeed witness it. I was glued to my computer screen for hours as they went through the locks and as the camera refreshes you can actually see the ship go up and down!

 

Hope this helps and that it got to you soon enough.

 

Forgot to ad that try as I might I couldn't capture the picture to save, so that I might show my friends that I saw thier ship going through the locks.

[dralston]

Cool I envy you. That is good information and exactly what I wanted to know and to hear that you actually watched one go through. Don't know if I have it in me to get up that early. Of course I would if I was there and sure sis and hubby will be on their balcony no doubt. I am in EST but think I know where to get a check on the time there. I think the cam did have a timestamp on it and was the same as here. I did try a screen capture of that cam today and it worked.

[mdeane]

Last year I had friends doing a full transit and I was able to actually see them on the ship and print it on my computer. The print was not glass clear but you could see it was them. I was watching them in the Miraflores locks. We leave on Thur. to Miami to board the Brilliance for the canal tour.

[dralston]

Last year I had friends doing a full transit and I was able to actually see them on the ship and print it on my computer. The print was not glass clear but you could see it was them. I was watching them in the Miraflores locks. We leave on Thur. to Miami to board the Brilliance for the canal tour.

That's neat. Thanks for the info.

[dralston]

Thanks to all for the advice. Now all I need is some assurance that I saw the right ship. Read the following for my experience and please check the pictures and see if I got it right. I could at least picture them even though, unlike the Miraflores camera, it was really not close enough to make out people. And now I feel like going back to bed.

 

I was up at 4:30 and first watched a freighter go through, then I saw a cruise ship but as it appeared it did not look like the Brilliance. But then another ship started to appear in the closer lock. As it came more and more into view I felt pretty sure that was the Brilliance. I hope someone can confirm. It definitely looks to me like Radiance class of the Royal Caribbean and am sure would have been the only one there at that time. The only thing that throws me is the time since it was listed to be in the canal to be tendered at 7:00 am. My recollection from my cruise was always that we were always in port a little before the listed time. I dutifully did screen captures and they are now online at:

 

http://community.webshots.com/album/546916561LEgjqg

 

If you have a decent connection, it is cool to set the slideshow to 2 seconds and watch it this way, sort of a choppy video watching the ships rise and move forward. Unfortunately the picture went out but not until the end (next to last picture). The last picture is when I got the picture back 12 minutes later and the ship has passed out of view and revealed yet a third in the far lock, which you can see a lttle of behind the other ship in the previous shot.

[cruisldy]

dralston,

 

I think your Sis will be proud of you. Sure looks like the closer one is a Radiance class Royal Caribbean ship. Was really interested in the first ship however, because I don't recognize the logo on it's stack.

 

Your job is done, have a nice nap. I'm off to jury duty this morning, so I don't have the luxury of crawling back between the sheets for a nap.

[dralston]

dralston,

 

I think your Sis will be proud of you. Sure looks like the closer one is a Radiance class Royal Caribbean ship. Was really interested in the first ship however, because I don't recognize the logo on it's stack.

 

Your job is done, have a nice nap. I'm off to jury duty this morning, so I don't have the luxury of crawling back between the sheets for a nap.

Actually I ended up not napping but may hit the sack early tonight. I wondered too about that other ship. Someone in another thread, where we were discussing the same subject, pointed out a schedule online and I found the following two ships listed for the Gatun Locks today:

 

Zaandam

Brilliance of the Seas

 

Perhaps that first ship could be Holland America Line's Zaandam?

 

http://www.hollandamerica.com/fleet/fleetHome.do?ship=za

[dralston]

Perhaps that first ship could be Holland America Line's Zaandam?

I got an e-mail from sis today as they head back to Miami. Here is what she had to say on the pictures:

 

"That looks like us. The other ship would have been Holland American Zaandaam (sp?).It was right ahead of us. You can't see us but we were standing on our balcony about 6 balconies down from the Centrum (part that juts out)."

[BJane]

The first ship looks to be a Holland America. I took a quick look at my ship photos hanging on the wall and I think it's either the Volendam or the Zaandam.

[dralston]

The first ship looks to be a Holland America. I took a quick look at my ship photos hanging on the wall and I think it's either the Volendam or the Zaandam.

Note my previous message. My sister who is on the Brilliance indicates it was indeed the Zaandam.