14-Night Westbound Panama Canal Cruise

[bananapepper]

Hello! We are leaning towards doing a cruise next year for Thanksgiving and if we like it, are interested in doing the 14-night Panama Canal cruise for our anniversary trip the following year (March 22). My question is: Is there always going to be a trip in March? That is the best time for us as the dates coincide with our kids' spring break so they would only miss about 5 or 6 days of school which is a huge plus. I see one for March 2020 but not 21 and wondering if that is just because it isn't available yet?

Also, for those of you that have done it, is 14 days just too much for kids? They would be 3,6, and 9. Would they (or we) get bored with so many sea days? Thanks

 

[smmco]

This cruise is only twice a year. In 2021 the cruise is in February. No one knows about 2022.

 

[bananapepper]

This cruise is only twice a year. In 2021 the cruise is in February. No one knows about 2022.

Do you know when the other 2021 cruise date is?

 

[otten]

This year's WBPC is during our spring break but looking at past dates I don't think that's typical. It's been in February some years and I think April previously. Since it's a repositioning the timing of it is pretty variable depending on what they want the ship to be doing on the west or east coasts.

 

[Geomom]

The Westbound Panama canal cruise could be anytime from February-April. The Eastbound tends to be in October or November. It's never exactly the same weeks, as @otten said, it depends on when they want the Wonder on the west/east coasts for other cruises. Disney does 1 cruise each way/year to reposition the ship from east to west coast and back. They're sending it to the west coast to do the lucrative summer Alaskan cruises, then back to the Caribbean for the winter season.

 

[bananapepper]

This year's WBPC is during our spring break but looking at past dates I don't think that's typical. It's been in February some years and I think April previously. Since it's a repositioning the timing of it is pretty variable depending on what they want the ship to be doing on the west or east coasts.

Awww darn!

 

[otten]

Awww darn!

Here's the thing though, I think of all the cruises, the WBPC is one of the easiest to make the case for being worth missing school for. There's a lot of opportunity for educational value. So if it's an itinerary you really want to do I think it's worth considering taking your kids out of school for it

 

[bananapepper]

We'd run into truancy issues taking them out for that long and my husband would never go for it He said a week max for travel and only once a year. Disappointed!

 

[lilsonicfan]

Yeah, I had been counting on the 2021 WBPC having the same dates as the 2020, because then my kids would only miss one week of school, the other week would be spring break - but instead, it's now exactly two weeks before spring break, which means my kids would be out for two weeks, then have a two week spring break. Eh. I'm disappointed, but as they get older I want to try as much as possible not to take them out.

 

[DisneyConvert]

Is 14 days just too much for kids? They would be 3,6, and 9. Would they (or we) get bored with so many sea days? Thanks

FWIW, we took our 8-year old out of school for 2+ weeks for the EBTA when he was in 3rd Grade. We were hoping one of the weeks would have been Spring Break, but the calendars didn't align. The 3rd Grade teacher was quite understanding and gave us a few assignments. Plus we made him write a few things in a "Journal" each day about what he saw, what he did, what he learned, etc. Priceless, yes?

I am pretty sure that walking along the levadas in Madeira, or seeing the architecture and trying his Spanish out in Barcelona, or touring the Rock of Gibraltar was just as educational as another 2 weeks of times tables and vocabulary drills. Oh, and there are worse places to play and learn together than the Oceaneer's Lab!

Make sure they can explain how canal locks work and how Panama became an independent country. They will learn plenty. Have a great time!

 

[smmco]

We'd run into truancy issues taking them out for that long and my husband would never go for it He said a week max for travel and only once a year. Disappointed!

Other the seeing the Panama Canal the ports are pretty awful. It is a decent price for a 14-day cruise.

 

[mom4mad]

Have done Panama Canal twice-westbound January 2011 with kids 19 months and 5 years old and eastbound October 2018 with kids 9 and 13 years old. Both missed two weeks of school in 2018. We arranged independent study for the two weeks and the kids completed all of the work they were given. The younger you do it, the easier it is. No one in our group was bored- ages 19 months to late 70’s. Another thing to know about the Panama Canal cruises is there are a lot less people. Both of ours had 200-250 kids total per cruise. Second seating dining looked half empty!