How hot are PC cruises?

[MickeyEarrings]

110 degrees! Yikes!!!

Can't thank you all enough for your replies. So very helpful.

Don't let the weather scare you away from seeing the Panama Canal - it was an amazing cruise and a considerable bargain, as cruises go. There are lots of places to escape the heat and the sun.

 

[RedSox68]

Don't let the weather scare you away from seeing the Panama Canal - it was an amazing cruise and a considerable bargain, as cruises go. There are lots of places to escape the heat and the sun.

Yes, my DD and I hung out in the adult pool while my husband ran all over taking pictures. It was an incredibly relaxing day. My DH got up at dawn to see the pilot being brought onboard and the beginning of it all. They had a BBQ up on deck, too. I loved that day and hope to do it again.

 

[belac]

Likely, the only DCL we will ever take again is the WBPC...and for Cartagena, I highly recommend Dora from Cartagena Tours. She came highly recommended here on DIS and her yelp and tripadvisor reviews were also stellar. I arranged a private tour for 19 people from our cruise group. We covered 4 (current offered) full tour itineraries that DCL offers in less time (no large busses, beat the rush, she knew everyone so we got in fast. It was awesome). I think we paid $40 per person. I asked everyone on the tour to tip her 20% and the driver 10% since they put a special tour together for our group and gave us a discount. Disney wanted 2-5 times what we paid. Our driver was awesome. He kept the shuttle cool the entire time and even offered a lady on our tour who was struggling with the walking/heat a private driving tour while the rest of us were in the old city.

Hi Mun
Is this her website and her? We were unimpressed with the DCL excursions and looking for something else. Also what to do in Cabo and Puerto V? Not doing beach days so was looking for more cultural things. Any recommendations?


http://www.cartagenatour.com/cruiseshiptour.html

 

[QuiltLover]

I went on the 2016 Eastbound. I didn't have a verandah but was outside a bit (tracking down my boyfriend that LOVES the sun lol). It was pleasant departing San Diego and with each day getting closer to the equator, it became very hot with intense sun (like Tibet). There was quite a bit of humidity sailing through the locks and Cartagena was the peak humidity.
After Columbia, it became less humid and intense as we sailed north

We were also on the same cruise! We tend to not be heat friendly people and it was hotter than I cared it to be. Maybe because it was the end of August. I would assume it might be cooler in October. Finding cool areas was not a problem though. We spent the day on deck 4 on PC day (we had an inside room) and found it to be very comfortable in the shade of the life boats. A big bonus was the Disney characters were roaming this deck.

 

[WDWJonasGirl]

I was on the 2017 Westbound. It was hot pretty much everywhere with the exception of getting off in San Diego. It was cold and rainy there

 

[Amunet]

We were also on the same cruise! We tend to not be heat friendly people and it was hotter than I cared it to be. Maybe because it was the end of August. I would assume it might be cooler in October. Finding cool areas was not a problem though. We spent the day on deck 4 on PC day (we had an inside room) and found it to be very comfortable in the shade of the life boats. A big bonus was the Disney characters were roaming this deck.

We had an inside cabin as well! Ours was one of the sideways cabins. Yeah, I'm not heat friendly or humid friendly either, I spent most of my time inside watching the Bridge cam, eating breakfast at Triton's during the first lock and popping outside for a few pictures while hunting down my boyfriend lol

 

[HappilyEverAfter80]

For those of you who have experienced PC cruises, were you able to enjoy your verandah during the day and evening? TIA!

Haha I'm such a dork I thought you meant Port Canaveral cruises

 

[Dug720]

Haha I'm such a dork I thought you meant Port Canaveral cruises

You are not alone. Most people use EBPC or WBPC so that the confusion isn't there.

 

[HappilyEverAfter80]

Haha I don't actually know what EBPC WBPC is... I assume eastbound/westbound Panama Canal...
I realized this thread was about Panama Canal once I started to read the answers
Haven't done Panama Canal cruise yet, although we have been to Panama for a land vacation and it was very humid and somewhat rainy (in May).

 

[Dug720]

Haha I don't actually know what EBPC WBPC is... I assume eastbound/westbound Panama Canal...
I realized this thread was about Panama Canal once I started to read the answers
Haven't done Panama Canal cruise yet, although we have been to Panama for a land vacation and it was very humid and somewhat rainy (in May).

Yes. Eastbound and Westbound. Most of the time people add those on to avoid confusion with Port Canaveral. (then there's the thread about elevating cats...that one made me go HUH??? until I read it and realized they meant CATEGORIES but just didn't type out the word). Sometimes acronyms and abbreviations are hard.

 

[RedSox68]

Hi Mun
Is this her website and her? We were unimpressed with the DCL excursions and looking for something else. Also what to do in Cabo and Puerto V? Not doing beach days so was looking for more cultural things. Any recommendations?


http://www.cartagenatour.com/cruiseshiptour.html

This is one port we haven't been to yet and this is great information to save for a future cruise. Thanks!

 

[belac]

This is one port we haven't been to yet and this is great information to save for a future cruise. Thanks!

That is why we are doing it, we got sick of the same old ports, although we will be redoing GC and Cozumel, but we get 3 that we never did. Time for something different.

 

[RedSox68]

That is why we are doing it, we got sick of the same old ports, although we will be redoing GC and Cozumel, but we get 3 that we never did. Time for something different.

The EBPC is one I want to repeat as a retirement gift to myself!

 

[belac]

Ah.... Retirement; that is another Port I want to hit...

 

[RedSox68]

Ah.... Retirement; that is another Port I want to hit...

this post got me looking at Panama Canal cruises for 2019. I'll have to wait until the Fall I guess for Disney's spring 2019 pricing, but I can get an idea. Princess is including an all inclusive drink package

 

[sweetpee_1993]

In 2015, going Westbound, it was warm and overcast. I do not recall being uncomfortable. We had an oceanview room, so we spent time on deck 4 in the early morning. It was too hot for coffee and that is what they had available on a roaming cart. By mid morning, we went inside for some brunch. Around lunch time, we went up to Cabana's and grabbed a table on deck outside (in direct sun). We stayed there until about 5pm. (There were not crowds, so we did not feel bad holding the table). It was hot and the kiddo spent a lot of time on a beach towel under the table in the shade playing because the kids clubs were closed for most of the transit. We kept our drinks full and had a good time.

We were on the same transit as you. I thought the transit day was warm & muggy (it's a jungle, after all) but it wasn't unbearable. We spent time outside on deck 4 and on our verandah. I wasn't fighting the herd up top. Got fabulous pics. Could always step inside a door for a cool off. Now Cartagena.......that's a whole different ballgame!

I was on the recently completed wbpc also. Cartagena day was a killer, and I didn't even leave the ship!! Our cabin was on deck 5, and at the elevator lobbies you could feel the heat from the doors to the promenade deck opening and closing. At sea, there was usually a nice breeze, but the sun is brutal in those little latitudes...

We did a walking tour in Cartagena. Towards the end our guide was like, "Oh! We can walk over to ______ to see ______" but after we'd already been out there over 2 hours I don't think we even let her finish that sentence. "No, thank you!" To this day anytime be of us utters the words "I'm hot" the response is *always* "...but is it Cartagena hot????" LOL! I absolutely loved our tour. It was so fascinating. So glad we did it. Don't think I'd do it again.






We booked a private tour for our family of 6 through Dora. Our guide was an amazing older lady, Mercedes. She was a retired school teacher. Her son was our driver. It was an amazing tour. I could not believe this woman's stamina and she walked with a cane. Even my teenage sons struggled to keep up with her! I just think she was acclimated so much more than us! LOL! Highly recommend a tour with Dora. Even if she isn't your guide, she has fabulous people on her team.

 

[belac]

We booked a private tour for our family of 6 through Dora. Our guide was an amazing older lady, Mercedes. She was a retired school teacher. Her son was our driver. It was an amazing tour. I could not believe this woman's stamina and she walked with a cane. Even my teenage sons struggled to keep up with her! I just think she was acclimated so much more than us! LOL! Highly recommend a tour with Dora. Even if she isn't your guide, she has fabulous people on her team.

Hey Sweetpee
Is that the Dora in above post,?I'd like to use her if it is, just want to be sure.
TIA

 

[sweetpee_1993]

Hey Sweetpee
Is that the Dora in above post,?I'd like to use her if it is, just want to be sure.
TIA

Yeah. Same lady. She was one of the top 2 rated on TripAdvisor when we went. We were not disappointed. Fabulous tour.

 

[belac]

Great thanks for confirming
I will be emailing her this weekend