panama canal

[linrns]

We would like to do a panama canal cruise in 2005. It would have to be in Jan or feb. I am confused as to if the 10 day cruises that state "panama cruising" such as on the RCCL Brillance actually go thru the canal. We like to book balcony rooms only and many of the balcony rooms seem to be booked for this time of year for the transit cruises. Is that possible or will they become available later in the year? As it is 9 mon away. Any suggestions on a cruise for this time of year?
Thanks!

[dougp26364]

I've been looking at these cruises as well. The Brilliance 10 day cruise doesn't go all the way through the canal from what I can tell. It goes through to a lake (I forget the name) then turns around and come back out the same way it went in.

I believe there is one cruise that is a repositioning cruise that starts in California and ends in either Miami or San Juan. I think both of those are in October.

At the moment, it seems to me that Legend is the ship that primarily transverses the entire length of the canal, going from San Diego to Fort Lauderdale and then back again.

Future cruises
[img]http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=CD20CD&cdt=2005;01;14;17;00;00&timezone=GMT-0600[/img]
Monarch OTS - Mexico Baja 1/05
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Explorer OTS - Eastern Caribbean 11/04

Past cruises
Vision OTS - Alaska 7/03
Legend OTS - Alaska 7/02

[superjerryw]

The canal has three sets of locks, two on the Pacific side and one on the Atlantic side. The Brilliance does what is called a partial transit of the canal. The ship will go through the Gatun locks on the Atlantic side and in to Gatun Lake where it will sail around and then go back through the Gatun locks and back out in to the Atlantic Ocean. This is a very popular cruise since it is roundtrip from Florida and does not require the high airfare that usually goes with canal cruises that leave from California and sail to Florida or vice versa since they leave from one city and end in another. If most of the balcony cabins ar already booked I would doubt more would become available later on. People seem to like balcony cabins for this cruise so they can watch the transiting of the canal from their balcony instead of trying to find a good spot to stand on deck.

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Donuts, is there anything they can't do....

[Host Karen]

This is definitely a great cruise, but I disagree that balconies won't become available. You could reserve a balcony guarantee if there are any left, or reserve an oceanview and ask your TA to waitlist you for a balcony. In my limited experience, there are always people cancelling or changing their cabins, and some may become available just before final payment is due (last chance to get a full refund of the deposit).

Your other choice is to book January or February 2006 as soon as the schedules come out so you can choose the balcony cabin you want. Good luck!

Karen

Read my [url="http://messages.cruisecritic.com/2/OpenTopic?a=tpc&s=927093444&f=408097554&m=6873085377"]2/6/04 Brilliance review[/url]

Infinity in... [img]http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=0000ff&cdt=2004;12;5;21;00;00&timezone=GMT-0800[/img]

Brilliance 6/05
Infinity 12/04
Brilliance 2/04
Adventure 11/03
Brilliance 2/03
Grand Princess 3/02
Dawn Princess 11/01
Ocean Princess 5/00

[CAPinBoynton]

We did the partial transit March, 2002. You will find pictures and a description at our link below my signature. The partial transit was quite interesting and gives one a real feel for the lock process. Since it took all day, we felt that it was sufficient. We had a balcony and loved the view. We also stood at the front of the ship to get a different perspective. You have plenty of time to do both.

To appreciate how the ship has only a one foot clearance, you will want to be able to look straight down into the water. We did not do the Canal on the Brilliance; however, we did do the Mediterranean on this wonderful ship. There are some balcony cabins which can not see straight down to the water because the lifeboats obstruct the view. This is discussed with pictures in our Mediterranean review.

Hope this helps,

[img]http://www.thepreismans.com/donalddck_freebird.gif[/img]


See our reviews and pictures at [url="http://www.thepreismans.com/"]Mike and Carol's Website[/url]

Costa Classica 3/94
Celebrity Mercury 4/98
Carnival Destiny 4/99
Crown Princess 7/01
Norwegian Star 11/01
Grand Princess 12/01
Sun Princess 3/02
Celebrity Constellation 11/02
Brilliance of the Seas 6/03
Navigator of the Seas 11/03
Jewel of the Seas 06/04
Tahitian Princess 02/05

[Diva Onboard]

Book for February 4, 2005 and join us. We are sailing the Brilliance on the 10 night partial passage of the Panama Canal.

As other posters have mentioned, the cruise is in and out of Miami, so airfare will be very reasonable. It's a plus that you take in Costa Rica, Grand Cayman and spend two days in Aruba.

We can't wait.

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<Marquee>I'm getting out there - SERENADE OF THE SEAS - July 18, 2004<Marquee>

[isujim]

Just off of the Brilliance 10 day cruise this Monday......great ship, great cruise.....if you have any specific questions I'll try and answer them.....I think your question about which locks they go through have been answered.

Jim

Nordic Prince 8/88
Viking Serenade 3/93
Enchantment 3/01
Rhapsody 9/02
Splendour 4/03
Rhapsody, 9/03
Brilliance, 4/04

Until our Caribbean Princess cruise
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Until Hawaii on Inifinity
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[Driftwoodgal]

We weren't on the Brilliance but did the almost sailing from Galveston Texas on the Splendour. We booked a balcony and paid about $1000 more to have it. We didn't have a suite but a Superior Ocean View. We were on the Starbord side and were lucky as we were on the good side of our transit through the locks coming and going. You can book a balcony on your cruise and end up looking at land VS at another ship transiting the locks. The ship is crowded in the morning at the front of the ship to see the entry to the locks. Later in the day you have your pick of spots. We had a balcony but chose to be at the aft part of the ship near the spa when we entered the locks. We had a great view of the locks closing and had food at the Solarium Pool, bathrooms, water...etc while we went into the locks. When we arrived in Gatun Lakes lots of people left the ship for tours. We had the pick of places on the ship when we went back through the locks. We did use our balcony to see how close we were to the sides of the locks. IMHO you don't have to have a balcony just for the transit. We loved using our balcony... and have booked one again, but if you are only getting the balcony because of the canal...you can see it without the extra expense. Warning.... once you book a balcony it will be hard to go back to another cabin.

God bless you and yours.

[Jimbo]

If interested email me, My agent has some cabins on hold for the Legend of the Seas for the October 3rd, 2004 14 day Panama Cruise from San Diego to Ft. Lauderdale. If you look on most of the cruise sites for this cruise it shows no cabins available, but he has some.

He also has the free airfare or greatly reduced airfares that RCCL offered from certain gateways. Can really make a difference when looking for 2 one-way airfares. They can be expensive.

My email address can be found in my Profile by clicking on my name on this post.

I think the prices are great for a 14 day cruise also. The prices had even gone up since he obtained the cabins so the prices are excellent. But now the category cabins he has aren't even available through any other agencies that I know of.

Jimbo

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May 2nd, 2004
Adventure of The Seas

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10/3/04 Legend of the Seas
Panama Canal 14-Nights


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2/13/05 Carnival "Miracle"
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