Going on 14 day HAL Panama Canal from Fl to San Diego in Feb 2023. Thanks for the info.. We sailed on the Eurodam to Alaska in Sept 2022 and enjoyed that ship.
Wow - a 14 day full transit sounds fantastic. It was that darn flight back from San Diego that was the deal breaker for us. I hope you have an awesome experience! Thanks so much for watching!
Good choice. I did the same cruise years ago on Zuiderdam. Will repeat in January on Eurodam. By all means stay on ship on transit day. Fascinating info. No bus rides. The two hour bus ride from Puerto Limon was treacherous. Enjoy.
Thanks so much for the advice and comment. So appreciative to hear from someone who has completed the partial transit. We both though it logical to stay on the ship and go back through the locks. Why ride a bus for two hours when you can, eat, drink and experience a bucket list event onboard? Thanks again and thanks for watching! Let me know how the Eurodam experience goes.
I cruise the Panama Canal twice a year when the ships reposition from the Caribbean to the Alaska runs and back. It is a 15 day run from Miami to Los Angeles. The cruise prices are very reasonable and the line I go on does 9 ports alomg the way.
That is the way to do it! The half transit was a good compromise for us. It was only a 10 night and also a round trip so no airfare for us. The 9 ports is very tempting though. If you have the time, this sounds like an excellent way to do it. I love repositioning cruises. They are great ways to get a fantastic value. Thanks for watching!
I take the Encore on those trips. This year it is 21 days out of Seattle and one of the stops is San Fransisco and an excursion to Alcatraz. I have it timed this year to take the Jewel from Seattle to Japan via Alaska, then the Encore from Seattle to Miami, just in time to hop on a plane and catch the Epic from Rome to Port Canaveral. Just over 2 months at less than 2000 a cruise for a discounted balcony. I love repositioning cruises and running the full canal gives me a certificate from NCL that is titled "I took the scenic route" Love your shows
Planning a similar itinerary on a Princess Cruise in December 2023, and this was so helpful! The information about the excursions seems about the same as what's being offered on ours, Thanks for sharing! 🚢
I am so glad that you found it helpful. I think we are going to stay on the ship as we make our way back through the first three locks and not do an excursion off of the ship. We want to make sure we experience the canal lock experience to the fullest. Thanks so much for watching and enjoy your cruise! We sail in March so I'll post a full review when we get back!
Doing the similar 11 day Eurodam, same as yours, just one day longer and includes Colombia in January. Doing the long day excursion on the ferry through the Pacific locks as well. So excited and looking forward to it. Full transits on ship are much longer and usually different embark/disembark cities which is less convenient for airfare.
I just found your vlog site! We did the entire eastbound transit on the Disney Wonder in 2013 while construction on the new canal was underway. Presently, we're waiting for Gary (Tips for Travellers) to announce details for his members' cruise in April 2024 on the Rotterdam out of Fort Lauderdale. If the excursions are the same, I, as a civil engineer, would choose #3 and see the new locks in operation.
Thank you so much for finding me and please check out my other videos. Gary was so kind to allow me to mention him and he also agreed that #3 would be his choice as well but also to consider staying on the ship for the same three locks in reverse. I would love to join that group cruise so I'll be on the lookout for details. We are really looking forward to this trip for sure! Thank you so much for your comment, for watching and please consider subscribing so I can grow!
Did you end up doing this cruise? I couldn't tell from your uploads. I have a very similar itinerary on Rotterdam next February (12 days. No Aruba, but added Cartagena and Key West) and I was struggling with excursion choice. I'm split between your option 3 or staying on ship. I may stay on ship because it happens to be the day of the NFL S. Bowl and I also have a long day and early excursion for Costa Rica the next day.
We are in Aruba this morning. We get to the Panama Canal in a couple of days. I will post on what excursions are actually available. Thank you so much for watching!
We’re doing a partial on the Edge. I picked the Wonders of Engineering full transit excursion. Will do a full the following year so we see more of Mexico. For Curacao check out Mood Beach for cheap beach day. The big con with a full transit I think is the increased air fare.
I didn’t realize Celebrity offered a partial. I’ll check out that excursion. Thanks for the suggestion! I agree that the air fare was our biggest concern. Thanks for watching!
I'm planning to go on their 11-day half transit Panama Canal cruise leaving from Ft. Lauderdale. We will drive to Ft. Lauderdale and will need to park our car for the duration of the cruise. Which off-site parking do you prefer?
Have a great adventure on your cruise! I highly recommend Park N Go for Port Everglades. They service both the cruise port and the FTL Airport. Make sure you choose parking for the cruise section. You will pull into the outside parking location and valet your vehicle and the attendants will escort you to your shuttle bus. They are very efficient and the return bus was just outside the cruise terminal on our debarkation day to take us back to our car. There are also hotels near the port that allow you to park for free with just a one night stay before your cruise. If you are driving in the day before, check out some of those too! Good luck and thanks for watching!
If you are looking for an excellent travel advisor, please consider my friend and TA, Debra! Contact her at dlieberman@expediacruises.com and she will take care of you! She loves cruising just as much as we do!!
I did a Panama Canal Cruise...I might be in the very minority group... I didn't like it very much...I have been on over 35 cruise mostly with Celebrity...I loved NE and Canda ..Alaska..Did all of the Caribbean, Hawaii, Bermuda.. ow doing mostly European Mediterranean and northern European cruises...But, The Panama Canal cruise, I loved the ship...But, I can do without the Panama Canal. It was a 14 day cruise..San Juan, St Thomas, Virgin Gorda, St Lucia Aruba, Bonaire, Panama Canal, Grand Cayman and Jamaica... The best Excursion was in Jamaica called the Martha Brae River Tour...remember I did this cruise back in 1997.
Thanks for the feedback! I always enjoy your comments. I think we will enjoy seeing the locks and learning about the canal. I do think that the full transit could possibly get boring after a while though still remarkable. It will be interesting to hear from others as well. As always, thanks for watching!
There were similar comments onboard. I am such an engineering geek so I enjoyed it but can see that many might find it underwhelming. Thanks for sharing and for watching!
![Our Panama Canal Cruise Wasn't What We Expected. Here's Why [Holland America Rotterdam review]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/OMLODQPsDpc/mqdefault.jpg)
![Our Panama Canal Cruise Wasn't What We Expected. Here's Why [Holland America Rotterdam review]](/img/tr.png)
Going on 14 day HAL Panama Canal from Fl to San Diego in Feb 2023. Thanks for the info.. We sailed on the Eurodam to Alaska in Sept 2022 and enjoyed that ship.
Wow - a 14 day full transit sounds fantastic. It was that darn flight back from San Diego that was the deal breaker for us. I hope you have an awesome experience! Thanks so much for watching!
We are doing the same itinerary in April 2023. First time cruising with HAL and looking forward to it.
Good choice. I did the same cruise years ago on Zuiderdam. Will repeat in January on Eurodam. By all means stay on ship on transit day. Fascinating info. No bus rides. The two hour bus ride from Puerto Limon was treacherous. Enjoy.
Thanks so much for the advice and comment. So appreciative to hear from someone who has completed the partial transit. We both though it logical to stay on the ship and go back through the locks. Why ride a bus for two hours when you can, eat, drink and experience a bucket list event onboard? Thanks again and thanks for watching! Let me know how the Eurodam experience goes.
I cruise the Panama Canal twice a year when the ships reposition from the Caribbean to the Alaska runs and back. It is a 15 day run from Miami to Los Angeles. The cruise prices are very reasonable and the line I go on does 9 ports alomg the way.
That is the way to do it! The half transit was a good compromise for us. It was only a 10 night and also a round trip so no airfare for us. The 9 ports is very tempting though. If you have the time, this sounds like an excellent way to do it. I love repositioning cruises. They are great ways to get a fantastic value. Thanks for watching!
I take the Encore on those trips. This year it is 21 days out of Seattle and one of the stops is San Fransisco and an excursion to Alcatraz. I have it timed this year to take the Jewel from Seattle to Japan via Alaska, then the Encore from Seattle to Miami, just in time to hop on a plane and catch the Epic from Rome to Port Canaveral. Just over 2 months at less than 2000 a cruise for a discounted balcony. I love repositioning cruises and running the full canal gives me a certificate from NCL that is titled "I took the scenic route" Love your shows
Planning a similar itinerary on a Princess Cruise in December 2023, and this was so helpful! The information about the excursions seems about the same as what's being offered on ours, Thanks for sharing! 🚢
I am so glad that you found it helpful. I think we are going to stay on the ship as we make our way back through the first three locks and not do an excursion off of the ship. We want to make sure we experience the canal lock experience to the fullest. Thanks so much for watching and enjoy your cruise! We sail in March so I'll post a full review when we get back!
Doing the similar 11 day Eurodam, same as yours, just one day longer and includes Colombia in January. Doing the long day excursion on the ferry through the Pacific locks as well. So excited and looking forward to it. Full transits on ship are much longer and usually different embark/disembark cities which is less convenient for airfare.
I'm still considering the Pacific locks. Completely agree about the convenience of the closed loop itinerary. Thanks for watching!
I just found your vlog site! We did the entire eastbound transit on the Disney Wonder in 2013 while construction on the new canal was underway. Presently, we're waiting for Gary (Tips for Travellers) to announce details for his members' cruise in April 2024 on the Rotterdam out of Fort Lauderdale. If the excursions are the same, I, as a civil engineer, would choose #3 and see the new locks in operation.
Thank you so much for finding me and please check out my other videos. Gary was so kind to allow me to mention him and he also agreed that #3 would be his choice as well but also to consider staying on the ship for the same three locks in reverse. I would love to join that group cruise so I'll be on the lookout for details. We are really looking forward to this trip for sure! Thank you so much for your comment, for watching and please consider subscribing so I can grow!
@@seemoreseascruises3791 I subscribed (#680).
Did you end up doing this cruise? I couldn't tell from your uploads. I have a very similar itinerary on Rotterdam next February (12 days. No Aruba, but added Cartagena and Key West) and I was struggling with excursion choice. I'm split between your option 3 or staying on ship. I may stay on ship because it happens to be the day of the NFL S. Bowl and I also have a long day and early excursion for Costa Rica the next day.
We are in Aruba this morning. We get to the Panama Canal in a couple of days. I will post on what excursions are actually available. Thank you so much for watching!
We’re doing a partial on the Edge. I picked the Wonders of Engineering full transit excursion. Will do a full the following year so we see more of Mexico. For Curacao check out Mood Beach for cheap beach day. The big con with a full transit I think is the increased air fare.
I didn’t realize Celebrity offered a partial. I’ll check out that excursion. Thanks for the suggestion! I agree that the air fare was our biggest concern. Thanks for watching!
I'm planning to go on their 11-day half transit Panama Canal cruise leaving from Ft. Lauderdale. We will drive to Ft. Lauderdale and will need to park our car for the duration of the cruise. Which off-site parking do you prefer?
Have a great adventure on your cruise! I highly recommend Park N Go for Port Everglades. They service both the cruise port and the FTL Airport. Make sure you choose parking for the cruise section. You will pull into the outside parking location and valet your vehicle and the attendants will escort you to your shuttle bus. They are very efficient and the return bus was just outside the cruise terminal on our debarkation day to take us back to our car. There are also hotels near the port that allow you to park for free with just a one night stay before your cruise. If you are driving in the day before, check out some of those too! Good luck and thanks for watching!
If you are looking for an excellent travel advisor, please consider my friend and TA, Debra! Contact her at dlieberman@expediacruises.com and she will take care of you! She loves cruising just as much as we do!!
I did a Panama Canal Cruise...I might be in the very minority group... I didn't like it very much...I have been on over 35 cruise mostly with Celebrity...I loved NE and Canda ..Alaska..Did all of the Caribbean, Hawaii, Bermuda.. ow doing mostly European Mediterranean and northern European cruises...But, The Panama Canal cruise, I loved the ship...But, I can do without the Panama Canal.
It was a 14 day cruise..San Juan, St Thomas, Virgin Gorda, St Lucia Aruba, Bonaire, Panama Canal, Grand Cayman and Jamaica...
The best Excursion was in Jamaica called the Martha Brae River Tour...remember I did this cruise back in 1997.
Thanks for the feedback! I always enjoy your comments. I think we will enjoy seeing the locks and learning about the canal. I do think that the full transit could possibly get boring after a while though still remarkable. It will be interesting to hear from others as well. As always, thanks for watching!
The canal seems like a bore. I have been through locks and it’s slow and boring. Sorry.
There were similar comments onboard. I am such an engineering geek so I enjoyed it but can see that many might find it underwhelming. Thanks for sharing and for watching!