Panama Canal Cruise - Feb. 12 - 26, 2006 aboard Celebrity Cruise Lines "Summit"
Five years ago while taking a Caribbean cruise with members of our family, we decided that the next cruise would be through the Panama Canal. With cruise time limited to February and/or March, we set out to find a cruise that would suit our needs. It wasn't to be an easy task. Whereas cruise lines had offered several opportunities in 2005, 2006 was limited with only Celebrity Cruise Lines offering a transcanal cruise. It was important to us that we take a cruise that traversed the full length of the canal and not just through the first locks and out again.
By the time we found Celebrity, it was June 2005, but we managed to book 4 rooms on the third deck. We felt that it was not necessary to have a verandah.
Departure:
We departed Edmonton right on time a day ahead but ran into problems with our transfer in Vancouver. Because of the lack of speed of USA immigration and a missing piece of luggage, we missed our connecting flight to Los Angeles. The rest of our group made it. We had to take a later flight but it still put us into LA by supper time. Even our missing luggage showed up at the hotel the next morning. Our delay in Vancouver was compensated somewhat by being able to spend the three hour delay in the Maple Leaf lounge. Much more comfortable than the boarding gate area.
Cruise check in was done at the Harbor Hotel near the pier. As most of the guests at the hotel were on the cruise, it meant long lineups to get our sea pass. Once that was obtained, we were able to go straight to the ship and board by 1:30.
Once on board and escorted to our cabin, it was time for a quick tour and some lunch, followed by the requisite lifeboat drill. The ship left at 5:00 as scheduled.
The Ship:
We kept hearing that the Summit was one of the top three cruise ships and we didn't find a lot to change that. Holding close to 2000 passengers and another 1000 crew members, it was truly a city on the waves. We were informed that there were over 40 nations represented by the staff. It was surprising to see so many staff members from Eastern European countries such as Bulgaria, Croatia, Serbia, Poland, etc. It was also interesting to see so many staff from the former Portuguese colony of Goa in India.
Facilities on board were first class. From the Cosmopolitan Restaurant to the AquaSpa to the Martini Bar, everything was well-appointed and impressive. Even our cabin, while small, met our expectations. We didn't plan to spend much time in it anyway.
We spent a lot of time in the AquaSpa, enjoying the large therapy hot pool. Fifteen minutes in the whirlpool did wonders for a tired body.
We even had to check out the Internet cafe. As the Winter Olympic Games were on while we were aboard, this was one of the only ways to find out how the Canadian athletes were performing. You would think with modern technology that some Olympic TV coverage would have been possible but we had to put up with ESPN or CNN who had no idea what the Olympic Games were all about.
We also made our usual donations to the Fortunes Casino - even when things went well for one of us, the other found new ways to leave a deposit.
Food:
Everyone knows you never lose weight on a cruise. There is just too much temptation with the buffets, five course meals, and 24 hour room service. However, with restraint, it can work. I only gained 2 pounds over the two weeks. Main seating for dinner in the Cosmopolitan Restaurant meant we had to be there for 6 pm every evening. If there was a complaint about the food, it concerned the portions of meat. In most cases, the quantity could easily have been cut back and more vegetables put on the plate. As several members of our party were (or had been) involved in the beef industry, there was always speculation on how Alberta AAA beef would have compared. If there was a downside to eating, it would have been the breakfast and lunch buffets. There did not seem to be a lot of choice - it seemed that the same things were available every day. There was also nothing special about the food - just your run of the mill sameness. The one highlight area was the AquaSpa Cafe which provided light cold lunches .
Entertainment:
Critics say that John Howell is one of the best Cruise Directors in the business. We found very little to dispute this. There were activities for everyone, from top notch entertainment in the Celebrity Theatre to lectures to dance lessons. There were several guest entertainers including Ping Xin Xu on the hammer dulcimer, the comedy of Jeff Nease, pop violinist Dominique Ava, master ventriloquist Don Bryan and Mr. Noseworthy, Xylophone player extraordinaire Ian Finkel, and pianist Pearl Kaufman who performed many of her movie compositions. One night we were entertained with a taste of Cirque du Soleil, while in Acapulco a Mexican Folkloric show performed for us. The Celebrity singers and dancers also put on exceptional productions.
Throughout the ship, you could be entertained by La Primavera, a string quartet from Ukraine, Michael McCarthy's piano stylings in Michael's Club, or the party band Top Secret in one of the dance venues.
Celebrity also has an enrichment series in which they bring in guests to talk on different subjects. We attended several lectures by Trevor Hodge, a retired university professor who presented talks on a number of historical topics such as the Incas and Aztecs, Christopher Columbus, the Panama Canal, and early ship travel. No modern technology for him - just an overhead projector and his finger as a pointer.
Ports of call:
There were six ports of call - Cabo San Lucas, Acapulco, and Huatulco in Mexico; Puntarenas, Costa Rica; Cristobel Pier in Panama; and the Caribbean island of Aruba. There were many shore excursions in each port but we opted to do our own thing except in Aruba where we took part in a snorkeling tour to de Palm Island. The capital of Oranjestad is unique with its colourful architecture.
As we had been to Cabo previously, we just spent time walking the town, drinking and eating. In Acapulco, we hired a guide who took us to the market, to the cliff diving show, and toured us around the old town. The divers were impressive and I managed to get some good pictures which you can see in the picture section. Huatulco is a quiet area that is being touted as the next Cancun. There are wonderful beaches and a very different ambience that is not found in the bigger centres.
We had been in Costa Rica on a previous trip so did not take any of the long excursions. Puntarenas is out of the way and to see much of CR, you had to take a long bus ride. The weekend we were there, there was a festival going on and the beaches and community were crowded with local people. It did give us a chance to see how the local people celebrated.
The stop at Cristobel Pier only gave us a brief opportunity to do some shopping in the market at the pier. We did manage to pick up some crafts from the local Indian booth.
Overall experience:
Fourteen days is about as long as you would want to spend on board. It helped to have six ports of call and seven days at sea because it meant that the trip had a good balance. The highlight, of course, was the traverse of the Canal. Having read about its construction and seen video, it was more than we expected. It was fascinating to watch the operation of the locks, to see the cut through the Continental Divide, and to see the city of ships that went through the locks with the Summit. The canal is truly an engineering masterpiece.
Would we recommend the trip to others? Yes!! If you are planning to take a Panama cruise, we would recommend one that goes through all sets of locks rather than just into Gatun Lake and out again. That way you can get the feel for the whole length of the canal.