March 2020 Panama Cruise

[Kathlini]

Just booked for our 35 wedding anniversary. Will not be taking any children along. When we did Alaska a few years ago we did it without children and in never felt odd. People told us that was because Alaska isn’t like a lot of the other cruises. Less “kid centric” obvi there were lots of kids but lots of folks without as well. Wondering how the PC is?

 

[jenmiller114]

We did the WBTA last summer and there were about 200 kids on the ship. Normally there are around 800. I have been told Panama Canal is the same way. A big reason for that is because it's during school and even though I might take my kids out for 4 days, there's no way I am taking them out for 2 weeks! They had so many extra activities and things for adults and it was probably the best cruise we have ever taken. Nothing seemed rushed, it wasn't crowded, there were a lot of extra photo opportunities and the guest speakers were terrific. We loved it so much we are doing Panama Canal this November and I can't wait.

 

[disneylove69]

PC was a few years back in January and less then 250 kids on our ship as school was in session. I would have to say it was very quiet. I go childless but the children just add excitement. Definately a different air about it. The only complaint I had was they didnt have a lot of entertainment and no on demand so it was they same tv show loop. Most of the shows cut off before the ending which was very frustrating. Talked with the Cruise Director and made a smart a## comment about limited access. Ummmm.... Disney is the one of the largest owners of tv and movies!!!!! He was more interested in flirting with the pretty guys more then anything. Wrote that on the comment card. Even if there is a lot of kids dont let that worry you. They are at the family pool and kids clubs.

 

[Cruising Engineer]

We did the EBPC and had the same experience as @jenmiller114 . Very few kids on board and many were from other countries. Their school schedule was probably different than US. Lots of thing to do, especially the PC seminars (get there early !). Do a little research and find last year's WBPC navigators to see what they did on board for entertainment.

 

[disneyfaninaz]

We did the EBPC cruise last fall without our DD. It was an amazing cruise and not a lot of kids at all. I loved the entertainment they brought on board and discovered adult only after hours games and shows. We had a great time. You can check out my trip report below in my signature.

 

[Kathlini]

WBPC navigators

What is WBPC Navigator? Brand new here today

 

[Cruising Engineer]

What is WBPC Navigator? Brand new here today

West Bound Panama Canal informational news letter published on the ship.
https://disneycruiselineblog.com/20...ma-canal-cruise-port-canaveral-april-23-2017/

 

[Kathlini]

Thank you so much

 

[jenmiller114]

The only complaint I had was they didnt have a lot of entertainment and no on demand so it was they same tv show loop. Most of the shows cut off before the ending which was very frustrating.

After I replied I thought I should have mentioned the lack of on demand. I am pretty sure they will be getting it during the dry dock next month. All of the other ships have it already. We sail the Wonder a lot since we live in Houston and I told my husband that the 2 weeks would drive me nuts if we had to keep watching the same programming on a loop. There is so much to choose from with the on demand system and I love rewatching all my favorite shows/movies so that will be nice with all of those sea days.

 

[tutumomickey]

We have been on 8 Wonder PC cruises. There were less than 200 on our first and almost 300 on our last . So even though numbers are increasing, there will be far fewer than your average Disney cruise. Enjoy and Happy Anniversary.

 

[mab2012]

My family is booked on the March 2020 Panama Canal cruise, including my two school aged kids. I assume there will be fewer kids than you'd find on a typical DCL cruise, but perhaps more than usual for a Panama Canal cruise. The crossing is later than normal next year, and overlaps with many schools' spring break week. My kids will still miss some school, but not the full two weeks.

That said, I'm sure there will be many people travelling on this cruise without children. There are several posts on the cruise meet thread from couples travelling alone, so I don't think @Kathlini will feel at all out of place!

 

[Kathlini]

thanks. I bet you are right since it is later. Love watching the excitement on kids faces. It was super enjoyable in Alaska lots of kids and couples so we didn’t feel like we shouldn’t be there. . This will be an amazing trip for you children.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

West Bound Panama Canal informational news letter published on the ship.
https://disneycruiselineblog.com/20...ma-canal-cruise-port-canaveral-april-23-2017/

Thank you for sharing this. PC is on our bucket list and this will be helpful. Every time we think to book it, the dates have been out for a while and prices go up so quickly. I will have to pay close attention when dates will be released so we can pounce on it right away.

 

[jilncrl]

My husband and I travel without kids, and we love it! The Panama Canal cruise has less kids so the adult area can be more crowded than usual but not unmanageable.

 

[otten]

There may be more kids on this year’s than in the past though because it coincides with some spring breaks. Just FYI.

We’re going with our two kids.

 

[DisneYE]

There may be more kids on this year’s than in the past though because it coincides with some spring breaks. Just FYI.

We’re going with our two kids.

Yeah, this.
one week out of the 14 days is spring break in Canada. And some places in NE USA (and others maybe?)
We're thinking about changing our 7-day 2020 spring break in the Fantasy for this PC one... precisely bc the 7-night is going to be a zoo with all the kids from spring break... it's almost sold out!
I think the PC cruise will have more than 200 kids for sure, but less than the 700-800 usually seen in ships that cruise during holidays.

 

[otten]

Yeah, this.
one week out of the 14 days is spring break in Canada. And some places in NE USA (and others maybe?)
We're thinking about changing our 7-day 2020 spring break in the Fantasy for this PC one... precisely bc the 7-night is going to be a zoo with all the kids from spring break... it's almost sold out!
I think the PC cruise will have more than 200 kids for sure, but less than the 700-800 usually seen in ships that cruise during holidays.

Next year's WBPC is also almost sold out, indeed at certain points it has appeared totally sold out so I wouldn't wait to book or expect much in the way of discounts after PIF. A lot more of the rooms won't have kids staying than the Fantasy though.

 

[TestingH2O]

I'm on the cruise and in the group, there are definitely a number of families traveling. The majority of people are.still adults only. Looking at the roll call roughy 200 cabins are registered and about 55 of those have kids under 18. If we assume that's a representative sample that's about a 70/30 split. Still much lower than a traditional holiday sailing out of PC but maybe higher than usual for the Panama Canal.

 

[mab2012]

I counted. (Yes, I am procrastinating.)

Not everyone clearly identifies their children, so I had to make some guesses, but I'm getting around 350 adults and 120 children currently registered on the roll call. So that's roughly 75% adults, 25% kids.

Not sure what the ratio is on a typical cruise, but I'd guess closer to 40% during school holidays?

Assuming that the roll call is roughly representative, and extrapolating to 875 cabins, it looks like we can expect around 500 kids on this sailing.