Norwegian Jade - do they open the bow for Panama Canal Transits

[chengkp75]

On 1/31/2024 at 10:56 AM, dmwnc1959 said:

EB vs WB

Technically, it's SB and NB, since the Atlantic to Pacific transit ends up further east than they started.

[dmwnc1959]

4 minutes ago, chengkp75 said:

Technically, it's SB and NB, since the Atlantic to Pacific transit ends up further east than they started.

 

Yup, knew that, but didn’t want to ‘confuse’ anyone 😉 that wasn’t already aware of the canal’s geographic layout. I’ll have to use both I guess, but that’s even more confusing! 🤣

 

🥸

Edited February 4 by dmwnc1959

[dmwnc1959]

7 minutes ago, chengkp75 said:

Technically, it's SB and NB, since the Atlantic to Pacific transit ends up further east than they started.

 

Being the old Navy Salty-dog that I am (but with only 10 years of sea duty lol), I unfortunately never made it to the Panama Canal. I’ve spent a LOT of time researching maps, videos, books, maritime traffic apps, pictures, itineraries, and message boards. Narrowed it down to two ships am still having a hard time deciding.
 

The idea of visiting the Panama Canal and Alaska in the same trip has me set on the Norwegian Jade itinerary, but the Fuerte Amador port stop pre-NB transit hitting the Culebra Cut before the heat of the day sets in has me fixated on the Coral Princess. Of the two ships, the latter has more forward facing observation decks and a superb promenade deck. 
 

I have a deposit on both and will need to make mind by summer so I can start booking flights and hotels. Decisions, decisions. 
 

🥸

[chengkp75]

I'm so old, I think of the "Cut" as "Gaillard" not "Culebra".  First time through in 1977.  If it is the heat of the day, just get another Dark and Stormy, roll the glass over your forehead, and enjoy.  I would do the Norwegian Jade (formerly the US flag Pride of Hawaii), but may be a little prejudiced.

[dmwnc1959]

1 hour ago, chengkp75 said:

I'm so old, I think of the "Cut" as "Gaillard" not "Culebra".  First time through in 1977.  If it is the heat of the day, just get another Dark and Stormy, roll the glass over your forehead, and enjoy.  I would do the Norwegian Jade (formerly the US flag Pride of Hawaii), but may be a little prejudiced.

Actually, the same here regarding the name of the cut through the continental divide. Looked it up on Wikipedia to make sure I was spelling it (Gaillard) correctly and decided to use the ‘newer’ name. 😉

 

I started studying the Panama Canal as a little kid back in the late 60’s, and I’ve been completely an utterly fascinated ever since -  it’s definitely been a Top 10 on my Bucket List for decades. 
 

Thank you for the input on your choice. The  Norwegian Jade has soooooooo much more going for it over Coral Princess, I just wish the latter had more casual dining options. That’s sort of important when you’re doing a cruise that’s anywhere from 16-25 days. 

[cruiser karen]

They did on the Jewel last March. 

[Turtles06]

3 hours ago, dmwnc1959 said:

The idea of visiting the Panama Canal and Alaska in the same trip has me set on the Norwegian Jade itinerary, but the Fuerte Amador port stop pre-NB transit hitting the Culebra Cut before the heat of the day sets in has me fixated on the Coral Princess

I hope you don’t overthink your decision. 😉

 

Seriously, I realize it’s a big one. All I can say about when you reach the Cut is that the relative lateness of the day on our 3 SB transits did not stop me from enjoying that part of the transit. If you go SB, use the time crossing Gatun Lake to get a recharge. In fact, it’s a really long day as you know, so pacing and hydration are important. 
 

I hope you enjoy whichever ship you choose. I do know that you will be blown away by the Canal, given everything you’ve written. 😊

[dmwnc1959]

15 minutes ago, Turtles06 said:

I hope you don’t overthink your decision. 😉

 

Seriously, I realize it’s a big one. All I can say about when you reach the Cut is that the relative lateness of the day on our 3 SB transits did not stop me from enjoying that part of the transit. If you go SB, use the time crossing Gatun Lake to get a recharge. In fact, it’s a really long day as you know, so pacing and hydration are important. 
 

I hope you enjoy whichever ship you choose. I do know that you will be blown away by the Canal, given everything you’ve written. 😊

You’ve described my entire adult life - I blame the Navy. 🤣

 

Over the next 6-7 months I’ll occasionally glance at the Panama Canal live cam and see who’s going through. I do have some of the dates for Jewel-class ships earmarked, NCL has superb bridge cams.
 

In the mean time it’s all about dieting and exercise to get ready for all of that food I’ll be devouring. 😳

[smillerholmes]

50 minutes ago, dmwnc1959 said:

Over the next 6-7 months I’ll occasionally glance at the Panama Canal live cam and see who’s going through. I do have some of the dates for Jewel-class ships earmarked, NCL has superb bridge cams.

You seem to enjoy researching the minutiae for your trip - as a fellow research addict, I will second the recommendation for "The Path Between the Seas." It is quite lengthy, but I agree it will give you a much better appreciation for the Canal.  I chose the 20-day on the Sun - MIA to SEA.  It remains one of my favorite cruises.

 

Enjoy the planning and your trip!

[yakcruiser]

Please be careful of the tropical sun out on the bow. It can sneak up on you.

[dmwnc1959]

@smillerholmes  I’ve taken a look at The Path Between Seas, even checked out the free Kindle sample, just haven’t committed myself yet to buying the book.  

 

The one book I have bought is this one. It’s 240 pages of black and white photographic plates with accompanying detailed description for each picture. It’s a really great history of the Panama Canal after it opened for traffic, and a lot of the notable (and even the least recognized) ships that went through in the first 32 years. 

 

Edited February 4 by dmwnc1959

[dmwnc1959]

27 minutes ago, yakcruiser said:

Please be careful of the tropical sun out on the bow. It can sneak up on you.

One result that’s come from watching over 10 hours of new videos just today is that I’ve compiled a list of things I’ll need to buy for just for that one day: 😁

 

Light-weight (clear) water-proof rain parka

Wide brim sun hat with neck flap (light-colored)

Cooling neckerchiefs

Small clear plastic umbrella 

Eyeglass / camera lens wiping cloths 

High SPF sunblock 

 

👍🏻

Edited February 4 by dmwnc1959

[Turtles06]

13 minutes ago, dmwnc1959 said:

The one book I have bought is this one. It’s 240 pages of black and white photographic plates with accompanying detailed description for each picture. It’s a really great history of the Panama Canal after it opened for traffic, and a lot of the notable (and even the least recognized) ships that went through in the first 32 years. 

 

Wow, that looks like an amazing book!  (But please find a way to read The Path Between the Seas.  You are so dedicated in your research, don't skimp on yourself here.  🙂 )

[dmwnc1959]

5 minutes ago, Turtles06 said:

 

Wow, that looks like an amazing book!  (But please find a way to read The Path Between the Seas.  You are so dedicated in your research, don't skimp on yourself here.  🙂 )

The Kindle version is $14.99, so if I buy this you do know that I’ll have to go on the cruise then. 😉

 

I’ve also bought a North America wall map from Amazon that I’m going to use as daily inspiration. This is what it might look like after I trace the ship’s itinerary…

Edited February 4 by dmwnc1959

[yakcruiser]

18 minutes ago, dmwnc1959 said:

The Kindle version is $14.99, so if I buy this you do know that I’ll have to go on the cruise then. 😉

 

I’ve also bought a North America wall map from Amazon that I’m going to use as daily inspiration. This is what it might look like after I trace the ship’s itinerary…

That's the cruise I'm going to be on.

[dmwnc1959]

2 minutes ago, yakcruiser said:

That's the cruise I'm going to be on.

I’ll be completely incognito lol 😎🤣

 

After retiring this past December from a job that drained my mortal soul and the will to live (only half-kidding 🥴), I wanted something totally relaxing and (more or less) ‘refined’. So, being Platinum with Princess Cruises they were my first choice and I booked Coral Princess doing 16-nights San Francisco to Fort Lauderdale. And the thought of being able to spend a few days pre-cruise in San Francisco was enticing. Other than Puerto Vallarta and Fuerte Amador the ports of call didn’t interest me, which would give me plenty of time to enjoy those padded steamer chairs that line the promenade deck. And ‘all was right’ in my little world. 
 

Now this extended 25-night itinerary has me all crazy in the head (so to speak). I’ve got detailed price breakdowns of both, a ‘pros and cons’ list for each, and hundreds of screenshots on my phone on just about everything you can imagine. 
 

It’s crazy. 🤪 I’ll have to make a final decision after seeing what my TA can do for me on pricing. Just wish it wasn’t my one and only shot at doing this. 

 

🤓

[gilbster]

Must say all the discussion on this thread is making me even more excited for my own Panama Canal cruise, that departs on the 21st Feb.  I'm on the Norwegian Sun, Santiago to Miami, in an itinerary that has excited me since I saw it.  Only bit I had been less sure of was the Canal transit itself, despite being the main reason I had booked  - my research is woefully lacking, just know it's one of those must do, bucket list type itineraries.  But now very much looking forward to trying to find a nice comfy spot or 5 around the Sun for transit day (not great at standing still for long periods of time), and ensuring that I have full power on my power bank, phone and camera! 

So thanks. 

[dmwnc1959]

1 hour ago, gilbster said:

Must say all the discussion on this thread is making me even more excited for my own Panama Canal cruise, that departs on the 21st Feb.  I'm on the Norwegian Sun, Santiago to Miami, in an itinerary that has excited me since I saw it.  Only bit I had been less sure of was the Canal transit itself, despite being the main reason I had booked  - my research is woefully lacking, just know it's one of those must do, bucket list type itineraries.  But now very much looking forward to trying to find a nice comfy spot or 5 around the Sun for transit day (not great at standing still for long periods of time), and ensuring that I have full power on my power bank, phone and camera! 

So thanks. 

It’s EXCITING to be excited! How cool! And that’s a great itinerary, too. She’s a perfect sized ship for this.
 

Looks like your cruise has a full day stop in Fuerte Amador (Panama City) on March 3rd and the Northbound transit the following day March 4th. The port stop offers a shore excursion by small boat to get up close and personal with the locks, something even a ‘small’ ship like Norwegian Sun can’t compete with. It’s a tad on the expensive side but for canal enthusiasts like me it’ll be a must-do.

 

You can see the small tour boats in these pictures recently captured from the Panama Canal webcam at the Miraflores Locks (the first set of locks coming in from the Pacific Ocean side. 
 

 

Edited February 5 by dmwnc1959

[gilbster]

9 minutes ago, dmwnc1959 said:

It’s EXCITING to be excited! How cool! And that’s a great itinerary, too. She’s a perfect sized ship for this.
 

Looks like your cruise has a full day stop in Fuerte Amador (Panama City) on March 3rd and the Northbound transit the following day March 4th. The port stop offers a shore excursion by small boat to get up close and personal with the locks, something even a ‘small’ ship like Norwegian Sun can’t compete with. It’s a tad on the expensive side but for canal enthusiasts like me it’ll be a must-do.

 

You can see the small tour boats in these pictures recently captured from the Panama Canal webcam at the Miraflores Locks (the first set of locks coming in from the Pacific Ocean side. 

There are so many excursions from Panama City, it was hard to know what to pick but I'm currently booked on an excursion to the Authentic Embera Indian Village, as that also sounds like a once in a lifetime opportunity.  Mildly worried that it's the only level 2 activity level excursion I've booked, but unless i hurt an ankle early in the cruise, which is possible, my ankles don't like me, I'm intend to do this. If not will switch it for a different excursion.  But I think this most likely will be the only time I'm in this part of the world, I'd quite like to see something different, in addition to the canal (which after all we will be spending a full day on the following day). 


a

[dmwnc1959]

14 minutes ago, gilbster said:

There are so many excursions from Panama City, it was hard to know what to pick but I'm currently booked on an excursion to the Authentic Embera Indian Village, as that also sounds like a once in a lifetime opportunity.  Mildly worried that it's the only level 2 activity level excursion I've booked, but unless i hurt an ankle early in the cruise, which is possible, my ankles don't like me, I'm intend to do this. If not will switch it for a different excursion.  But I think this most likely will be the only time I'm in this part of the world, I'd quite like to see something different, in addition to the canal (which after all we will be spending a full day on the following day). 

That’s the great thing about cruising - there is a ship, itinerary, port, and short excursion for every interest. I pulled up some pictures of that village and shore excursion and it does look amazing! Definitely want to watch out and take care of yourself (and your ankles). 
 

Either way, I think you’ll have a great time transiting the Panama Canal! And that hull art on Norwegian Sun is one of my favorites! ☀️

[dmwnc1959]

On 2/2/2024 at 10:16 AM, Turtles06 said:

We went under the Bridge just after 5:30am; it was still dark out, and a beautiful, quiet approach. I think some folks missed this because of the lack of notice. (BTW, as you can see, the crew hadn’t set up the bow yet.)

 

This one quite literally just dawned upon me (excuse the pun lol). Since the crew hadn’t set up the bow yet, is it safe to say that it wasn’t open for passengers at that point in time? Looking at the picture, I don’t see a single soul out there. That would be really unfortunate as it’s a spectacular approach.

[Turtles06]

4 hours ago, dmwnc1959 said:

This one quite literally just dawned upon me (excuse the pun lol). Since the crew hadn’t set up the bow yet, is it safe to say that it wasn’t open for passengers at that point in time? Looking at the picture, I don’t see a single soul out there. That would be really unfortunate as it’s a spectacular approach.

 

It was absolutely spectacular. I have to believe that with no crew out there yet, the bow hadn't been opened (especially given the darkness).  As I said in an earlier comment, the estimated arrival time at the Bridge hadn't even been listed in the Freestyle Daily. 

 

I will note one observation.  This was the 2d leg of our B2B, and left out of Panama City.  The demographics of the guests on this leg were very different than on the leg coming down from NY.  On this NB leg, there were a huge number of guests from Central and South America who clearly were booked to take a (mostly) warm weather cruise to NY, and who, as best I could tell, exhibited very little interest in the Canal.  The crowds on the bow, once opened, were much smaller than on the first leg down from NY (and on any of our prior SB transits). 

[dmwnc1959]

2 hours ago, Turtles06 said:

 

It was absolutely spectacular. I have to believe that with no crew out there yet, the bow hadn't been opened (especially given the darkness).  As I said in an earlier comment, the estimated arrival time at the Bridge hadn't even been listed in the Freestyle Daily. 

 

I will note one observation.  This was the 2d leg of our B2B, and left out of Panama City.  The demographics of the guests on this leg were very different than on the leg coming down from NY.  On this NB leg, there were a huge number of guests from Central and South America who clearly were booked to take a (mostly) warm weather cruise to NY, and who, as best I could tell, exhibited very little interest in the Canal.  The crowds on the bow, once opened, were much smaller than on the first leg down from NY (and on any of our prior SB transits). 

Disappointing. I’ll have to spring for one of those forward-facing balconies. 😉 

 

Would you say a Tampa/Panama City/Miami B2B late-Jan/early-Feb would also have a large number of the same guests on the 2nd leg? I’m still leaning towards the 25-nighter since it’s been suggested that the demographics may be an ‘older and/or more sedate crowd’ due to the length of the cruise. The thought of double-dipping on a B2B transit is intriguing, but it is rather port intensive and that doesn’t feel like it would be at all relaxing. ⚓ 

 

😎

Edited February 5 by dmwnc1959

[Turtles06]

20 hours ago, dmwnc1959 said:

Would you say a Tampa/Panama City/Miami B2B late-Jan/early-Feb would also have a large number of the same guests on the 2nd leg? I’m still leaning towards the 25-nighter since it’s been suggested that the demographics may be an ‘older and/or more sedate crowd’ due to the length of the cruise. The thought of double-dipping on a B2B transit is intriguing, but it is rather port intensive and that doesn’t feel like it would be at all relaxing. ⚓ 

 

It's hard to predict about the itinerary you posit, especially since the end point is Miami, and ours was New York.   

 

I do want to make clear that I wasn't saying anything negative about the demographics on our second leg, just noting a difference.  The crowd skewed a bit younger, and there were some more children, but no bad behavior that we noticed,  Also, the music on the second leg was much better-- there was a terrific Latin band that played at the pool most days.  I would seek them out, they were really enjoyable to listen to. Definitely was not a "party cruise," and we enjoyed both legs very much.

 

No question that a 25-night cruise will have an "older and/or more sedate crowd."😂 

[dmwnc1959]

7 minutes ago, Turtles06 said:

It's hard to predict about the itinerary you posit, especially since the end point is Miami, and ours was New York.   

 

I do want to make clear that I wasn't saying anything negative about the demographics on our second leg, just noting a difference.  The crowd skewed a bit younger, and there were some more children, but no bad behavior that we noticed,  Also, the music on the second leg was much better-- there was a terrific Latin band that played at the pool most days.  I would seek them out, they were really enjoyable to listen to. Definitely was not a "party cruise," and we enjoyed both legs very much.

 

No question that a 25-night cruise will have an "older and/or more sedate crowd."😂 

Thank you, as always, for the wonderful insight. I’ve made it a point to always cruise during a time of year when there are a lot fewer kids, and on ships that had lots of options. Port intensive itineraries have never been attractive, but the opportunity to do a B2B Panama Canal transit is sooooo very tempting. As for music, Bolero’s on Royal Caribbean is a really great venue and it’s always amazing! Spent lots of time there. 😎
 

I’m still heartbroken about the second-leg bow situation. Guess I never came to the conclusion that ‘dark’ equals ‘closed bow’, but I do understand it for safety reasons. 
 

As far as ‘old and sedate’ - that’s me, borderline boring 😉. Just give me some old TV westerns or some great sci-fi and I’m good to go. Despite ‘cutting my cruising teeth’ on Carnival Cruise Lines I like the ambiance and style of Princess Cruises. My style seems to be that of having champagne tastes but with a beer budget. 🤣