First timer and British

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JoyP

Guest
We are going on our first cruise, to the Panama Canal on Coral Princess, on 30th November. Any hints, tips, advice re excursions, etc. gratefully received! We're very excited, and want to make the best of this.

We have the list of tours, and there are so many that one wants to book them all! But I know that some are better done not directly through the cruise line, and some are just not worth bothering about. Where to start? Any advice from all you experienced cruisers?
 
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Beryl

Guest
You will love your Panama Canal cruise. You will get even more out of it if you do some reading about the history of the construction of it! I generally recommend The Path Between the Seas by David McCullough. It is long and in many places very dry though so you might not have time to get through it. There are also some videos available that will give you a much quicker overview.

The Coral/Island are beautiful and I know you will be happy with your mode of transportation :)

Have fun planning and Bon Voyage!
 
G

Gayle V

Guest
I took a look at the Princess site to see what ports you will stop in. It lists:

Cartagena, Colombia,
Panama Canal, Panama
Colon (Cristobal)
Limon, Costa Rica
Ocho Rios, Jamaica

I can't help with any good suggestions for the other ports, but in Jamaica, the one not to be missed excursion is climbing Dunn's River Falls. You can go there either by land or boat, either way is fun. We did the Sundancer Yacht tour, and enjoyed it a lot.

BTW, Jamaica is one port that I usually recommend staying with the ship tours, for safety reasons.
 
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cruisebuddy

Guest
Gayle V is right about Dunns River Falls. We've done it twice, and it is a total thrill to do. We were with a group that had a woman who had recently undergone hip replacement surgery, yet she soldiered on and did well. I would do it right this second if I could.

Also, there is a place that is within walking distance of the port called the Taj Mahal. Big shopping place and all. In front on the main street there is a small restaurant called Jerk Taj. Not much to look at but truly an exciting treat for your taste buds. Excellent Jamaican cuisine.

Cheers, JoyP, and welcome to the world of cruising!
 
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drewt

Guest
Oh you're going to love it. I did this cruise in april and it was fantastic. We just did the Bamboo Beach in Jamaica and it came with lunch. Lunch ended up being non-stop service from our own personal waitress. In Costa Rica we took the canal boat through the inland waterways and it was great. We saw Sloth, monkeys, many different birds etc. The bus stops at a banana plantation on the way back to the ship. When we chose our excursions we looked for short drive times because some of the drives are a little wild. If you go to Panama city, the bus ride back is an adventure in itself. Trust me though you've got a good ship and itinerary. Have fun!!:thumb
 
A

Andycat

Guest
Hello Joy. We sailed the Coral Princess back in April.
With this being your first Panama Canal cruise, I highly recommend that you get up extremely early (6am or so!) and experience the approach into the canal from the bow of the ship (as high up as you can go).
The Coral Princess has a lot of glass wind-shields in the front of the ship, so you'll need to get there early to get an open view. It's really well worth it. You'll see (on the starboard side) where the French attempted to build the canal and failed. There will be narrator offering pretty interesting commentaries.
Once you get into the first lock, get on the side of the ship which faces ships in the adjacent lock. It is really cool to watch the ship next to you raise, lower and push forward. We were lucky enough to have a balcony that was on that side of the ship.
Oh, also, it' hot as blazes!!!! Be prepared to escape to the nice, air-conditioned indoors.
That was my 15th Princess Cruise. I rate the Coral as the best ship in their fleet.
Best,
Mike
 
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