Panama Canal balcony vs window

[memoak]

39 minutes ago, partybarbie said:

Yes, that’s preferable. I just hate paying for the hotel in Fort Lauderdale. We will be “living on the edge” and flying into Long Beach the same day the ship leaves.

I actually hate to spend any money in Florida and pay all those taxes but that is where the ships sail from and I really like canal cruises

Edited April 3 by memoak

[cr8tiv1]

1 hour ago, partybarbie said:

Yes, that’s preferable. I just hate paying for the hotel in Fort Lauderdale. We will be “living on the edge” and flying into Long Beach the same day the ship leaves.

 

I love LGB.  I am guessing you are flying Southwest out of Sacramento.  Just make sure there are several other flights leaving after yours.  I was actually boarded on a SWA to Seattle when they took me off the plane.  I was able to find a seat and connection on another flight route.  

 

Once you claim your luggage, there are lots of UBER/Lyft vehicles available.  It will be a 45 minute ride to the cruise terminal.  

 

So much less of a hassle than LAX.

[sunviking90]

I would not sail this itinerary without a balcony. Keep in mind it is almost a whole day transiting as you go through the first locks, into Gatun Lake, then through the second set of locks. In between it is beautiful and tropical and you can hear the birds, etc. Yes, it is nice to be out in the decks, but it is also nice to have your own private area to enjoy it. 
I actually ended up with Covid on our Panama  Canal cruise last August and was confined to the room on the transit day. I was able to fully enjoy it from our balcony. I sat out there for hours.

Edited April 3 by sunviking90

[memoak]

1 minute ago, sunviking90 said:

I would not this itinerary without a balcony. Keep in mind it is almost a whole day transiting as you go through the first locks, into Gatun Lake, then through the second set of locks. In between it is beautiful and tropical and you can hear the birds, etc. Yes, it is nice to be out in the decks, but it is also nice to have your own private area to enjoy it. 
I actually ended up with Covid on our Panama  Canal cruise last August and was confined to the room on the transit day. I was able to fully enjoy it from our balcony. I sat out there for hours.

Also remember the canal is one day the cruise if a full transit is 15-16 days. Love having the balcony for more than just the transit 

[MacMadame]

I've always sailed with inside cabins before. They were all Caribbean cruises that were port intensive so we were only in the cabin to change clothes and sleep and I prefer to sleep in the darkest dark. And also save money. 🤣

 

For our Panama Canal cruise, we decided on a balcony because I figured after being out and about for the first set of locks and at least part of Gatun Lake, we might want a bit of a rest and to enjoy the view from the balcony before going out again to experience the second set of locks. And having a balcony to enjoy sunsets on multiple evenings might be fun too. I was also thinking of setting up a time-lapse camera from the balcony to capture the whole thing.

[Cruzingal#9]

1 hour ago, MacMadame said:

I've always sailed with inside cabins before. They were all Caribbean cruises that were port intensive so we were only in the cabin to change clothes and sleep and I prefer to sleep in the darkest dark. And also save money. 🤣

 

For our Panama Canal cruise, we decided on a balcony because I figured after being out and about for the first set of locks and at least part of Gatun Lake, we might want a bit of a rest and to enjoy the view from the balcony before going out again to experience the second set of locks. And having a balcony to enjoy sunsets on multiple evenings might be fun too. I was also thinking of setting up a time-lapse camera from the balcony to capture the whole thing.

When are you going on your Panama Canal cruise?  And, what ship?  One minute my mind is made up and I'm going with an obstructed view window and then the next minute I'm back to looking at balconies!!!  I've never had this much trouble making a decision before on what room to book!

[SCX22]

It's really hot and humid the further the cruise goes south, like 90° with 80 to 90% humidity.  Being from a dry, temperate climate, we found ourselves running towards air conditioning every time every time we've done a Panama Canal cruise.  We couldn't stand being outside for very long and were melting in Panama City, Cartagena, and the Central American ports (except for Cabo and Puerto Vallarta).  When we did had a balcony we seldom used it because of the heat. 

 

We did the Panama Canal in an interior cabin this past January.  It was the coolest cabin we've ever had on a Panama Canal cruise because the sun didn't beat down into the cabin.

 

IMO, (obstructed) oceanview will be fine. 

[MacMadame]

On 4/3/2024 at 9:54 PM, Cruzingal#9 said:

When are you going on your Panama Canal cruise?  And, what ship?  One minute my mind is made up and I'm going with an obstructed view window and then the next minute I'm back to looking at balconies!!!  I've never had this much trouble making a decision before on what room to book!

Coral Princess, full-transit, east to west. It's a pretty typical Princess itinerary with Cartegena, full transit with the next day stopped in Panama, Costa Rica, Guatemala, and PV in Mexico before heading home to SF. Going east-to-west we have a port-side cabin because not only is that recommended for the locks but it should give us some really good sunsets for the 2nd half of the trip.

 

When deciding on a balcony vs. inside, at the time we booked, the price differential wasn't *that* much. I have looked at downgrading to an inside but there are so few left and they are all in bad locations like butting up to the laundromat.