Transatlantic or Panama ??

[boomerSexyK]

We've only been on 1 cruise (Celebrity Constellation last Nov) and have one booked for this Nov (HAL Zuiderdam) Both were/are East.Caribbean itinerary. We were thinking for our next cruise we would like to try either Panama (RCCL-Brilliance of the Seas r/t Miami) or possibly a Transatlantic - either RCCL-Legend of the Seas Tampa-Rome OR X's Constellation again Ft.Lauderdale-Dover. We love at sea-days so the Trans/At is appealing just not sure on the Med. or N.Europe. And of course everybody raves about Panama. We'll probably ending up doing all 3 at some point in the future, just not sure what to start with. I guess, I was just wondering which of our fellow CC'ers would highly recommend first. Also, since we have only sailed once with Celebrity and now this fall with HAL, anybody care to offer some comparisons for us concerning RCCL? We tend to enjoy good friends, casino, scenery and I guess the fewer kids the better (since we're 50-55 --been there-done that). Thanks for any info offered.

[mr green]

My next two cruises will be a trans-Atlantic and a Panama. Couple of pointers for the T/A. It is better in my opinion to go from East to West, when you change time zones you will gain an hour, also the Atlantic can be a little rough. Do the Panama in the 'dry season' Feb.to April. Good luck. john

[wwinfl91]

Hi,

 

We have done a full transit Panama Canal cruise on HAL and a TA on RCCL and enjoyed both. We had been on the Enchantment (RCL) in the Caribbean and were not impressed but the Jewel of the Seas TA was a great cruise that we really enjoyed. The ship is new and the food and service were good. We have always enjoyed HAL which has good food and good service.

 

We have also enjoyed our cruises on Princess and our next cruise is this fall from Rome to New Orleans on the Golden Princess. We also enjoy sea days because you get to enjoy all the ammenities that the ship has that get missed when you are on a port intensive cruise.

 

You should find fewer kids on any of the longer cruise, 12 days or more, and even fewer on most HAL cruises. Trying different cruise lines is half the fun in traveling but you can occasionally get a good bargain as a former cruiser on a cruise line you have previously sailed.

 

We have been on Celebrity once, the Zenith for a 2 week Southern Caribbean cruise and were not impressed as we expected to be given its reputation for great food. We didn't really feel their food was that much better than HAL or Princess.

 

Definitely do a full transit Panama canal cruise at some point. We want to do another this time from East to West. It is an experience everyone who enjoys history and cruising should enjoy.

 

Have a great next cruise whatever you decide to do.

[wrp96]

Coming from Celebrity, I would recommend going on the Brilliance over the Legend. The Legend is a good ship, but the Brilliance is a great ship, one of the most beautiful out there. The Brilliance Panama Canal itineraries are amazing, and there are very few kids on board. Same thing can be said about the TAs.

[Bonnie J.]

Keep in mind time of year. Panama Canal is fascinating, weather good at any time of year. Weather crossing the Atlantic can be cold in winter months, don't know about other times of year. If you like being in sweaters and jeans while sitting on deck then that wouldn't be a problem. I'd vote for RCCL!

[Llav01]

We just did the Brilliance ,Panama Canal in March and had a wonderful time. The weather was just perfect. The ship is beatiful. There were a few kids on board (odd considering it was a 10 night cruise) but hardly noticed them. The programs keep them busy. If you're looking for a spa experience check out the Thermal Suite. It's worth the money.:)

[boomerSexyK]

The responses are great to hear. Looks like Panama is getting some strong votes. Since we fly out of Toronto, the one thing about a Transatlantic is that 8 1/2 flight home. We tend to think that when it's over, we just want to get home..)))

[wwinfl91]

One option, which we are doing this fall, is take a TA cruise from Europe to the US. You would still have flight time from a US port to home but less than a TA flight.

 

Have a great next cruise.

[luv2cruise450]

We've done 3 transatlantic crossings (1 going eastbound and 2 westbound) and a complete transit of the Panama Canal in the last few years. They are both wonderful and very interesting sailings. The T/A sailings do bring you to some very unique ports that many people don't normally get to visit otherwise.

We also enjoy the many sea days on a T/A and are seriously considering another one next year on the Millie. There are very few children on a T/A sailing since they usually are 2+ weeks in length and take place either in the spring or fall when most children have school. Can't give you any info regarding RCCL since we've never sailed with them. Our T/A's have all been with HAL and Celebrity.

Post if you have other questions that we can help you with.

Happy sailings whatever you choose!

[boomerSexyK]

hey thanx for the info..)) We are leaning towards the T/A cruise .... the ports sound interesting ... Azores, Lisbon, Corsica, Gibralter, Rome. We were evn thinking of spending a few days in Rome post-cruise. Any recommendations for accomodations?

[luv2cruise450]

Hi BoomersexyK...of our T/A cruises....the Noordam went from Tampa to Lisbon; the Millie went from Barcelona to Ft. Lauderdale and our latest one last year on the Prinsendam went from Lisbon to Ft. Lauderdale. We have been to Rome while on our western Mediterranean cruise which started and ended in Barcelona so did not have the opportunity to spend extra days in Rome. You should go check out the 'Ports of Call' board...you will find all kinds of port info there and probably recommendations for accomadations. The port for Rome is Civitavecchia and is actually about an hour (by train) or longer away. And the port is pretty much an industrial one so that you need to get a cab to even get to the train station! If you arrange transfers from the cruiseline then they will have buses waiting to transport you into Rome. It's great if you can spend a few extra days there at the end of your cruise...it is a fascinating city. Be VERY aware of pickpockets wherever you go!

When we finished our Noordam cruise in Lisbon...we also chose to spend an additional 2 days there before flying home and we had a delightful time exploring a little moreof this lovely city and its environs.

Happy sailing!

[wwinfl91]

Hi BoomersexyK

 

We are doing a TA crossing beginning in Rome this Nov. I have a Yahoo group site set up for our cruise with lots of information on Rome, we are going over 5 days early to see that great city, as well as information on the other ports that we will be stopping at (Livorno, Cannes, Barcelona, Cartagena, Gibralter, Cascablanca, and Madeira (Funchal).

 

Even if you aren't going to be on our cruise you are welcome to come and join the group and use the links. Here is the URL.

 

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/goldenprincesstransatlanticnov2006/

 

There are a number of links to various options on where to stay and what to do in Rome.

 

Have a great next cruise.

[KamloopsCruisers]

Boomersexyk,

 

We did a full-transit through the canal last month on the Radiance of the Seas and had a perfect cruise. Seas were calm, weather was not too hot, lots of sunshine, beautiful ship and lots of at sea days - what could be better? If you're considering the 10-day canal cruise on the Brilliance, please note that this is only a partial transit. Full transits typically only sail in the spring (April) and fall (October).

[tarheelmjfan]

Definitely do a full transit Panama canal cruise at some point. We want to do another this time from East to West. It is an experience everyone who enjoys history and cruising should enjoy.

 

 

Why East to West? We're taking a Panama Canal Full Transit on X's Summit in Nov., 2007. We chose West to East for a couple reason. One is that we live in FL, & our longer flight would be at the beginning of the trip. We also like the fact that most of the ports are prior to cruising the canal building the anticipation. The drawback is that you lose hours, but since we live on the East Coast that's not a big deal to us. I was just wondering why you prefer the other direction. Are we missing something I should know about? :D

[Krazy Kruizers]

Have done both - both are great.

 

Which ever one you choose, you will enjoy it.

[KamloopsCruisers]

We cruised east to west. We live on the west coast and wanted a short flight home at the end of our cruise when we knew we'd be tired. I don't think it makes a difference - book whatever works best for you. The canal is truly a fascinating experience and one not to be missed - no matter what direction you're sailing. Enjoy!

[wwinfl91]

The only reason I would like to do it again going the other way (i.e. East to West) is we already did the other way. I guess I would like to see the locks and sites from a different direction. Plus I would hope to hit a few different ports.

 

We also live in Fl and did the first one leaving from San Francisco so that we could drive home and had our long flight before the cruise instead of after.

 

Whichever way you do it hopefully everyone who enjoys cruising and history will get a chance to do a full transit Panama Canal cruise.

 

Have a great next cruise.

[denali1]

and love them both. They are very different experiences though. The Transatlantic (east to west) in the fall is nice, but many days you find you will not want to go outside for very long. Seas can be pretty choppy at times. The 5 to 6 long sea days are nice and relaxing. The forst time we got a balcony, but the second got an inside cabin, as we didn't use the balcony much.

If you want warmer weather, the Panama cruise is right up your alley. And the passage thru the Canal is awesome. And if you are on a 13-15 day cruise, you can often get 8 or more days at sea.

Either cruise will have few children aboard. Some of the Canal cruises are repositioning as are many of the Transatlantic. Sometimes that means a savings on your fare.

[leoandhugh]

I think it is important to note that TA weather varies with time of year, but also with the route. we have done north atlantic 4 times - 3 rough and choppy and one so calm and foggy we didn't see the sun for 3 days. if you originate in somewhere like barcelona or lisbon, they take the south atlantic, usually stopping at madeira or the canary islands, and sometimes even hitting a caribbean port before miami or fll. in nov 06 we are doing barcelona to 3 mediterranean ports, lisbon, madeira and 6 days at sea to miami on brilliance of the seas, and anticipate great weather even in november

[Robin Hood]

Question for Luvtocruise450

Our T/A's have all been with HAL and Celebrity.

Post if you have other questions that we can help you with

 

We are thinking of a T/A cruise from Barcelona,down to the Canaries & across to the Caribbean.The time we are thinking of going is early Dec.

 

Have you ever been Southern T/A during that time as we are unsure of the weather & the roughness of the seas

Cheers

Robin Hood

[luv2cruise450]

Hi Robin Hood...yes we've sailed the T/A via the southern route previously. Heading westbound twice...we have been fortunate to have smooth sailings and the further south and west we went...the warmer it got. The last T/A on the Prinsendam had us arriving back inthe States right after Thanksgiving and it wasn't a rough crossing at all and it was still warm in FL. I won't say that it is always going to be 'smooth' crossings since I have heard of the occasional rough seas for a short period of time even on the southern route...but since you are considering one for the early part of December...I believe that you should have a very good chance of calmer waters.

Our T/A on the Prinsendam started in Lisbon and took us to Cadiz to Casablanca to Agadir to Madeira to the Azores and then several sea days before and emergency stop in Bermuda for an ill pax and then on to the Bahamas to HAL's private island Half Moon Cay with final debarkation in Ft. Lauderdale. As I mentioned previously...these T/A sailings defintely gives you opportunities to visit some of the more unusual ports that you might not get a chance to visit otherwise! We really found the Azores and Madeira so lovely! Have visited them 2 or 3 times now and find that we really enjoy them again and again!

Hope this helps...happy sailings!

[MBeamTX]

Our Panama Canal cruise was a repositioning from San Juan to San Diego on Serenade of the Seas. It was fantastic. Virtuallly no children, as it was a 14-day trip. VERY hot weather in Panama and Costa Rica, but warm sun and cool breezes once we got to Mexico. This was in late April/early May of last year.

 

Now we have a transatlantic planned for 2007. The itinerary is Harwich to Boston. Since it's a mid-September voyage, I'm hoping it won't be too chilly and the seas won't be as rough as they might be later in the year. I'm keeping my fingers crossed! Anyone have any experience with this intinerary?

 

Thanks,

Susan