Great Bucket List Cruise

Item: Legend of the Seas
Rating: 4
Author: MDNana

Legend of the Seas Cruise Review to Panama Canal, Central America

MDNana

Contributor Level: Third Mate

Cruises: 2-3 cruises

Reviews: 2

Helpful Votes: 24

Overall rating:

4 out of 5

Verified Review

15 Night Panama Canal Westbound (Ft. Lauderdale To San Diego)

Sail date: March 30, 2015

Ship: Legend of the Seas

Cabin type: Inside

Cabin number: 7503

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 9 years ago

Review summary

Going through the Panama Canal is an exciting experience. It is amazing to see the workings of a system that was built over 100 years ago. The cruise ship barely fits in the locks and it takes all day to travel from one ocean to the other. A bonus of the size restriction of the locks is that the ship is small enough that you cross paths with other passengers frequently. The Panama Canal cruise also attracts passengers from across the globe. The ports of call were interesting with a good variety of excursions.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

5 out of 5

Onboard Activities

3 out of 5

Entertainment

3 out of 5

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

Ship Quality

5 out of 5

Cabin / Stateroom

This cabin is definitely roomier with the beds apart. There is plenty of closet and drawer space to hold everything 2 people need for a 15 day cruise. The location is down a "dead end" hallway so this is very little passenger traffic.

Ship tip

Check out the Park Cafe in the solarium for a great salad, sandwich or late night snack.

Thumbs up

Ports of call

Cartagena, Colombia

5 out of 5

Interesting contrast between old and new city. Although the bus used for the Party Bus excursion was very different than what I pictured, it was a fun excursion that combined sightseeing and shipping with a party atmosphere. The open sided bus had special "cup" holders for an ice bucket, a triangular shaped rum bottle, and a large coke bottle for each row of bench seats.

Thumbs Up 0

Colon, Panama

5 out of 5

Going through the canal in a small boat is worth the cost of the excursion. It gives you a completely different perspective than the transit on the cruise ship.

Thumbs Up 3

Panama Canal Transit

5 out of 5

Stand on the upper deck while going through one set of locks and then on deck 4 for the other set of locks. On the lower deck you will see the detail of the track used by the mules and get a better appreciation of the rise/fall of the ship in the locks.

Thumbs Up 2

Puntarenas, Costa Rica

3 out of 5

Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala

3 out of 5

Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

5 out of 5

Enjoyed the excursion to the Marieta Islands. Large, motorized double decker catamaran with platform for easy access to kayaks. Great lunch and open bar with an attentive and fun loving, entertaining crew.i

Thumbs Up 1

Cabo San Lucas, Mexico

5 out of 5

The whale watching trip on the double decker, motorized catamaran was exciting. We saw 2 different type of whales. The sea was a little rough, but the boat was large enough that it handled it well. The crew delivered drinks and snacks to you so that you did not have to divert your attention from whale watching.

Thumbs Up 1

San Diego, California

3 out of 5

2 Comments

glomarrone 9 years ago

I have done the full transit of the canal twi ce on HAL & I will repeat it again next year. I never get bored watching what is going all around us as we transit. Thanks for all you comments.

Thumbs Up 0

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JusMe 9 years ago

Thank you for your review of the cruise and the tips. I'd like it if you had any pictures to share of going through the Canal and of some of the ports that you visited.

Thumbs Up 0

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