Panama Canal was interesting but Costa Rica was the best! We especially loved the zip line through the rainforest canopy, even in the rain. We want to go back someday, in the sun.
Embarkation
4 out of 5
We arrived later than most and walked right in... no lines. :)
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
Don’t waste $ on specialty dining. We tried 2 and they were not that special. Cafeteria and regular dining were quite good. They also had a convenient build-your-own taco bar and “Dive In” burgers and hot dogs poolside.
Piano Bar
5 out of 5
Billboard On Board has 2 excellent young pianists, Andy and Emily. They took requests and could play pretty much anything. The bar service (and unadvertised happy hour at 4) was the best. Sheena, mixologist extraordinaire, made 3 new mini martinis for $4 each to sample each day. Wilson and Lindsay served the area and were great.
Onboard Activities
3 out of 5
There weren’t a lot of activities. One treasure I discovered late was the Test Kitchen demos held in the B.B. King Lounge. If you are a foodie, you will enjoy the demos and free recipes they give out daily.
They did have a nice workout area which several members of our group appreciated.
Children's Programs
No children along
Service and Staff
4 out of 5
Our cabin crew was dedicated, efficientand friendly. We had some billing errors early on in the bars and restaurants, so get a receipt every time and check it!
Ship Quality
3 out of 5
The ship had been in dry dock recently for upgrades, including new carpets and a renovated Crows Nest/observation deck. But there were definitely issues yet to be addressed! There was a lingering sewer smell in parts of the ship and it leaked in the rain so they had to have buckets around to catch drips. There was cracked glass in a few places too. They were constantly cleaning though and had hand sanitizer available all over (though not maditory).
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
We were glad we got the balcony, especially for the Panama Canal. It was surprisingly quiet inside with the door shut. We had plenty of room for 2, because there was a convertible sofa/bed with extra storage overhead. They also had little drawers on each side of bed which you could lock. And you should lock up valuables because doors are often left open while they are busy cleaning.
Ship tip
Be smart, plan ahead, ask the right questions and check your billing statement often. They have a self service printer but I tried to use it and it didn’t work for me. We also tried the Navigator app which they offered free over their onboard WiFi but it was not kept up to date very well and there was no way to communicate with others in our party for planning or anything. If going to Panama Canal, watch the documentaries available on board before. They don’t give much information, no play-by-play or anything. And get up early if you want to watch entering the locks! Lake Gatun was unimpressive... no “tour”, we just sat there until they let us leave again. Timing there is all subject to change based on ship traffic at the time.
We did a small bus tour, on our own, from port. It was interesting and she took us to some great views but there was a bit of a language barrier... her humor did not always translate well.
Going through the locks was interesting and the engineering is impressive, especially since it was done a century ago already. Some folks planned an excursion ( through the second set of locks going into the Pacific) but it was canceled because there was not enough time. I don’t think it would’ve been different.
They had an impressive collection of parrots, peacocks and other wildlife here. We did a small group tour and it was fine but not great. It was all about getting you to shop and we weren’t there for that.
We pre-booked a 3 part tour with Greenway Tours. They were very good, guiding us all the way through with a river boat ride - trying their best to get us up close to all the wildlife there. On to our favorite, a zip line through the rainforest canopy (in the rain... so bring a light poncho!) and ending with a drive to (but not inside, dues to laws protecting crops) a banana plantation. Our guide, Alberto (aka Beto) was great, giving us lots of information and demonstrating as much as possible. He even gave us free samples and they had fresh fruit for us at every stop. I’d go again in a heartbeat.
The usual, slow and go, but controlled chaos. Being so near the Ft. Lauderdale airport, we made our flight in plenty of time. We took a transport from the port for $11 per person. That was comparable to what we paid for the taxi on the way in.
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