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Need help deciding Hawaii or Panama Canal


gordylad
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Any cruisers who have done both please help us decide...Vancouver to Hawaii 10 night or San Diego to Fort Lauderdale 15 night

 

We have done neither so any help appreciated

 

Sea days we don’t mind warm weather we love

 

Thanks

 

 

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We have done both tho' several years ago. I don't like the 10 day Hawaii cruise schedule. Not enough time in enough islands. No Kauii! Round trip 14-15 nights is much better. I would do the Panama Canal instead. Thought I would not be interested in the mechanics of it, but found that part quite interesting. And with full transit you get some pretty interesting ports.

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I have done the Panama Canal  W to E transit twice. Love it!  Went to Nicaragua once and next time Guatemala. The pacific side of Costa Rica is beautiful. Lots of things to do/see. Wasn't crazy about Puerta Vallarta  but ok. Really enjoyed the history of the canal, seeing it end to end!  Much better trip than the few island in the Hawaiian chain. 

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Having done both trips, I would choose the Panama Canal trip because it is so unique going through the canal.  I also read a great book about the history of the building of the canal before the trip and it put me in awe of the whole trip.  The book is 

The Path Between the Seas: The Creation of the Panama Canal, 1870-1914

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We've done both and really loved each of them for their unique experience.   The canal is really interesting if you have studied the canal construction and interested on how it operates   It is also a wonderful experience to see lots of both sea and jungle animals.   On our last cruise we saw Crocodiles, Monkeys, sea Turtles, deer and a number of other animals.    The transit take a full day and normally they have a specialist who talks about the canal and narrates the passage. 

 

Hawaii Cruises begin as a long cruise with about 4 days at sea.   It then becomes very port intensive with a port every day and usually an overnight in Latina. 

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I've done four or five Panama Canal transits, and several variations of Hawaii.  If all else was equal, I would definitely choose the Panama Canal cruise.  Want proof?  My next Panama Canal cruise is scheduled for November.

 

Harris

Denver, CO

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1 hour ago, 39august said:

I don't like the 10 day Hawaii cruise schedule. Not enough time in enough islands. No Kauii!

 

I think that the best experience of Hawaii is provided by NCL Pride of America, with 2 overnights -- one in Maui and the other in Kauai.

Sadly, the ship is awful - smelly, the ambiance, the decor, the food and the service. Luckily -- it is very port intensive.

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If you are going to do Hawaii, do a 15 day round trip from the West coast and back.  We have done it both on Celebrity and Princess.  Otherwise, do the Canal.  It is amazing the engineering that built that canal is over 100 years old. 

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Do the Canal. I consider this cruise the perfect balance of sea days and port days. We have done it twice. We live on the West Coast so we always do FLL to SAN because then our flight home (when we are tired and cranky from having to leave our perfectly good cruise ship 😆) is shorter. One thing I miss is Aruba. The first time we did it on Infinity in 2004, we stopped in Aruba but Cartagena is a decent replacement. 

 

We have also done the 15 day round trip Hawaii and found the sea days out were fine but back...boring and tiring. On the way out you are excited to get there. On the way back, you just want to get home. 

 

But why choose. Do one now and one later. They are both great. 

 

Jim

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Hands down the Panama Canal. 

We have been to Hawaii many times visiting most of the islands and last fall we did the r/t Hawaii cruise.  It was a nice trip but not one we would do again.  For us the best way to visit Hawaii is to go and stay a couple of weeks splitting the time between 2-3 islands.

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A bunch of sea days vs port days.  I will take the port days.  IMHO the Hawaii itinerary has too many sea days for my tastes.  If you like sea days go with Hawaii.

 

Panamal Canal and Costa Rica were the highlights of our voyage.  Old locks vs. new locks.  I would go with the old locks the first time.

 

I do love Hawaii.  I have been there 5 or 6 times on the Islands.  

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I’ve done two HNL - YVR cruises and would definitely recommend. We usually spend a week prior in Waikiki. You don’t need a car and can walk everywhere in Waikiki. You do have 5 days at sea and the weather can be a bit unpredictable but we loved it. Would highly recommend.

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On 3/3/2020 at 2:44 PM, gordylad said:

 

Any cruisers who have done both please help us decide...Vancouver to Hawaii 10 night or San Diego to Fort Lauderdale 15 night

 

We have done neither so any help appreciated

 

Sea days we don’t mind warm weather we love

 

Thanks

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

 

We have visited Hawaii (Oahu and Maui only) while on a transpacific cruise.  Also, we have done that full transit of the canal.

 

Frankly, while Hawaii had its scenic value, I was not wowed by Oahu and Maui.    I realize that the big island is probably the gem of the islands, but we didn't see it.

 

I would opt for the Panama Canal cruise.  The ports are OK, Cabo and Puerta Vallarta are nice as well as Costa Rica and Panama.   Going through the canal was special.   Be sure and read David McCulloch's book on the building of the canal, The Path Between the Seas.

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Great choice!  We've done an E/W full transit (15 days) Panama Canal cruise and absolutely loved it.  The history of the construction of the Canal (we did the old locks) and the workings of the locks was fascinating and would definitely do again, hands down.  Also did a 15 day Transpacific to Hawaii, and once was enough for us.  Loved the sea days but while the islands are picturesque, they all seem to come together as one.  Enjoy your Panama cruise in October, 2021.

 

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