Fairly Nice 50th Anniversary Cruise to The Panama Canal

Item: Caribbean Princess
Rating: 4.1
Author: Maralee

Caribbean Princess Cruise Review to Panama Canal, Central America

Maralee

Contributor Level: Purser

Cruises: 4-6 cruises

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 40

Overall rating:

4.1 out of 5

10 Night Panama Canal With Costa Rica & Caribbean (Ft. Lauderdale Roundtrip)

Sail date: February 16, 2018

Ship: Caribbean Princess

Cabin type: Suite

Cabin number: D219

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 6 years ago

Review summary

I'd have to give this cruise a B-, C+. The windy weather and my cold dragged it down. I want a do-over!

Embarkation

5 out of 5

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

5 out of 5

Enjoyed our dinners in the main dining room almost every night. Didn't eat in the buffet often, but liked the omelet bar (in the back, by Planks) and all the updates. The International Cafe was a huge hit with us! Great coffee and so many tempting treats... The Crown Grille dinner was also very good.

Vines Wine Bar

5 out of 5

Vines Wine Bar was a fun place to meet up with friends, sip wine and people watch! Sadly, I didn't get to try the wine and chocolate pairing.

Onboard Activities

3 out of 5

Came down with a sinus infection. Sadly, I wasn't able to try many things.

Entertainment

3 out of 5

Comedian, Steve Moris, was laugh-out-loud funny. His musician was great, as well. Should have purchased his CD...

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

The wonderful service on Princess always enhances our cruise...this one was no exception.

Ship Quality

4 out of 5

Beautiful ship. Had a tough time finding our way to The Palm Dining room, tho.

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5

We actually had a mini-suite, for the 1st time. Loved the extra sitting room (great when it was too windy to use the balcony) and the bathtub! The bed was so comfortable.

Ship tip

Get to entertainment venues really early to get a seat.

Thumbs up

Ports of call

Princess Cays (Cruise Line Private Island)

3 out of 5

Enjoyed a bike ride around the island on beach cruiser bikes, but it had too many stops and not enough biking riding.

Thumbs Up 2

Cartagena, Colombia

5 out of 5

Loved our excursion to The National Aviary of Colombia. So many beautiful birds and a very knowledgeable guide.

Thumbs Up 0

Panama Canal (Cruise Into Canal)

4 out of 5

The trip through the canal was fascinating. But our excursion to see the old locks was a poor choice. Never saw the old locks. Too much time spent on a bus, in traffic. The view of The Caribbean Princess, heading out of the Agua Clara locks, was great from the visitors center, tho.

Thumbs Up 0

Colon, Panama

2 out of 5

This port didn't seem ready for visitors.

Thumbs Up 0

Puerto Limon, Costa Rica Did not visit port

Too windy to dock the ship in Costa Rica. So, no excursion to see the Rainforest.

Thumbs Up 0

George Town, Grand Cayman

3 out of 5

Did a snorkel trip of wreck and reef. Wind and cold rains sucked some of the joy from this excursion.

Thumbs Up 1

Disembarkation

5 out of 5

We had an early flight out of Ft. Laurderdale. Got off the ship and to the airport with time to spare. Very smooth disembarkation...the best one we've experienced.