What's your Favourite Cruise?

[cruisequeen10]

That is a hard question to answer. My friends always ask me which cruise was the best. I have been on 18 cruises and I cannot give an answer. Of course the first was the best, because you had nothing to compare it to. Canada/New England (Montreal, Boston, Maine etc), Western Europe (England, Scotland, Amsterdam etc. - this was also the cruise that I was on when Diana, Princess of Wales had died - we had just left France the evening it had happened - the funeral was when we were in Germany - we had a few days in London on the way back - very emotional to see all the floral tributes at all the places around town), New Zealand/Australia (cruising past the Opera House), Panama Canal (cruising through the locks), Hawaii (sailing to all the islands), Alaska (glaciers). I could go on and on. Better stop before I book another cruise.

[bruceh4]

It has to be on the Zaandam - Florida to Vancouver through the canal under the old HAL management before the takeover - it was perfection in every way. We are going again next week on the Veendam, I know it won't be quite the same but enjoyable just the same.

This is an interesting statement. What old management? If you mean the Carnival takeover, Carnival bought HAL before the Zaandam was built. In fact Carnival bought HAL in 1989.

[Old As Dirt Mom]

This is boomers better half. Thanks for all the great replies everybody. With our second cruise ever, coming up this nov. we seem to live on this board. :rolleyes: Boomer has been going on and on about the Panama Canal for our next cruise. Based on the responses above, it seems to have been a favorite with many. Can somebody please tell me what makes it so fascinating? In my mind all I see is a canal...no palm trees, no warm sea breezes as we do enjoy our sea days. I need someone to sell me on the allure of the canal.

 

Do your best.....boomer has his fingers crossed.:D

 

Hello, Boomer's Better Half:)

 

All HAL Panama Canal transits include Caribbean and/or Mexican Riviera ports of call. The partial transits get the Caribbean, and the full transits get Mexico and the Caribbean. So either way, Boomer gets his canal, and you get the palm trees and sea breezes:) Everybody's happy! Enjoy! (Read up on the history of the canal's construction; it will really make you appreciate what you are seeing!)

[imacrusing]

Our most favorite was the 15 day Circle Hawaii cruise...I took my 1st and only helicopter tour on Kauai..the beautiful Napali coast...the volcano..was a wonderful trip and we LOVE sea days so this was perfect for us.

[SDHALFAN]

Hello, Boomer's Better Half:)

 

All HAL Panama Canal transits include Caribbean and/or Mexican Riviera ports of call. The partial transits get the Caribbean, and the full transits get Mexico and the Caribbean. So either way, Boomer gets his canal, and you get the palm trees and sea breezes:) Everybody's happy! Enjoy! (Read up on the history of the canal's construction; it will really make you appreciate what you are seeing!)

 

 

Sorry MAM (middle-aged mom), but there are actually partial transits of the Canal from "our" (west, as in best!) coast. In fact I have done a couple of them and they are amongst my favorite cruises.

 

The last one I did was on the ms Statendam in 2004. We left San Diego, visited Cabo, Acapulco, Santa Cruz de Huatulco and Punta Arenas before cruising the Golfo Dulce, then visited Amador (in Panama) and spent the night in the beautiful Gatun Lake. It is truly wonderful to wake up in the morning and find yourself on a gorgeous cruiseship in the middle of a beautiful lake!

 

After leaving the Canal we visited San Juan del Sur, in Nicaragua and Puerto Quetzal in Guatemala, heading north and visiting Zihuatenejo and Puerto Vallarta - a couple of days at sea and then back home to San Diego.

 

To answer Boomer's Better Half's plea: a Panama Canal cruise is truly an experience, whether you do the entire transit or only a partial transit. I am not in the least interested in engineering or anything even remotely like that but The Canal is truly an experience. First of all it's fun to watch the ships ahead of you transiting the Canal. Did you know that the Pacific Ocean is actually higher than the Atlantic Ocean - I didn't, I just assumed that all Oceans were at "sea level" (just shows how dumb I am:mad: ). I know better now though!

 

Take a Caribbean cruise and you will find lots of Palm trees, but after a while all the islands tend to look the same (all gorgeous, no argument there), but take a Panama Canal cruise and you will find yourself amazed at man's determination to at least try to overcome Mother Nature.

 

I would urge a first time Canal cruiser to take the entire transit, and I don't think you will be bored - in fact I think that, like me, you will be stunned at all the blood, sweat and tears that went into this endeavor. As "middle-aged mom" says, read up on the Canal history before you go. We tend to take The Canal for granted but there is so much history and so much technology there, and if nothing else it's a beautiful cruise through the Canal - the scenery is gorgeous.

 

Have a great cruise, whether you opt for the Caribbean or the Canal.

 

Valerie:)

[torpeedo]

I am at a bit of a disadvantage as I no longer fly.. So the really exotics are out for me. My two favorite cruises were the Panama Canal 10 day cruise on the Rotterdam several years ago and the 14 day caribbean on the Veendam last year. We loved the 14 days aboard ship so much we are booked again for Nov 2007, 14 days on the Veendam.

If I would fly, I would love to do the baltic cruise aboard any dam ship!

[H2Oregon]

If you take a 2 week Panama Canal Cruise you get all the warm (hot) breeze and palm trees you want. If you are planning on a Panama Canal cruise there is a great book you should buy. The book is "Panama Canal by Cruise Ship" by Anne Vipond. The book gives you history, maps, photos and information on most of the ports of call. We cruised from San Juan Puerto Rico to San Diego last May and had a great time.

[obriendan]

I would strongly suggest you also read "The Path Between the Seas" by David McCullough. After you read this inspiring history, you'll surely want to cruise through the Panama Canal!

[cruznon]

Our recent Panama Canal cruise was my favorite. Our longest cruise--12 days! and a wonderful itinerary!

[Veryoldsalt]

Without a doubt: Celebrity's Millennium, Venice to Barcelona in may-June of 2005.