Would you do the Panama Canal (Reposition) cruise again?

[dthogue]

the cruise is three hours longer going west)

I have to laugh when I read this - I would have never thought of this, much less having it be a deciding factor in which cruise I took We get our extra three hours when we fly out to the West Coast!!

We booked the December PC cruise while onboard last week. We are still deciding because we have pull our two boys out of school (ages 8 and 6, 3rd adn 1st grade) but unless I am threatened with prosecution I am going to do it.

My dilema is wheter to pay $7300 for a 5C balcony on deck 6 or to go on the "cheap" and take the IGT for $4500? Maybe we could pay for an upgrade at port and save some $$.

What do the experts suggest?

I too wanted a balcony so bad for this cruise, but I just couldn't justify the extra cost - we'll have to be happy in our inside cabin. If you can swing the cost, they I would say go for it. I am hoping for a upgrade at the port, but I'm not counting on it. The IGT scares me - the non-refundable part and the payment in full at time of booking was too much for me. Good luck with yout decision. Come over to our meet thread and introduce yourself.

 

[braysmommy]

We booked the December PC cruise while onboard last week. We are still deciding because we have pull our two boys out of school (ages 8 and 6, 3rd adn 1st grade) but unless I am threatened with prosecution I am going to do it.

My dilema is wheter to pay $7300 for a 5C balcony on deck 6 or to go on the "cheap" and take the IGT for $4500? Maybe we could pay for an upgrade at port and save some $$.

What do the experts suggest?

Not an expert but I am taking my DS out of school next May for the WBPC and he will be in 1st grade. If the district gives you problems look at withdrawing the kids and re-enrolling when you get back. Have fun we can't wait!

 

[Tami0220]

We booked the December PC cruise while onboard last week. We are still deciding because we have pull our two boys out of school (ages 8 and 6, 3rd adn 1st grade) but unless I am threatened with prosecution I am going to do it.

My dilema is wheter to pay $7300 for a 5C balcony on deck 6 or to go on the "cheap" and take the IGT for $4500? Maybe we could pay for an upgrade at port and save some $$.

What do the experts suggest?

If you can afford it, do it. We had a balcony and we had room service coffee and danish on it every morning. We would leave the doors open at night and fall asleep to the sound of the sea. I know with children you couldnt do that, but you will definitely use it.

 

[dededisney]

I am so glad to hear all the postive things about the Panama Canal cruises. We just booked the IGT (I know, scary esp since we have only cruised with a verandah), but we just couldn't justify the cost for a verandah. We did purchase trip insurance as well (for the first time in 6 cruises!...but not with Disney)...if we have to cancel for illness or work, we will get all of our money back...DCL insurance, you can just move your money to another cruise (at least that is what the agent told us). So, we are hoping for an upgrade, but will be happy just being on the ship for 14 nights...and without our kids who will be home with my parents!

 

[skoi]

I am so glad to hear all the postive things about the Panama Canal cruises. We just booked the IGT (I know, scary esp since we have only cruised with a verandah), but we just couldn't justify the cost for a verandah. We did purchase trip insurance as well (for the first time in 6 cruises!...but not with Disney)...if we have to cancel for illness or work, we will get all of our money back...DCL insurance, you can just move your money to another cruise (at least that is what the agent told us). So, we are hoping for an upgrade, but will be happy just being on the ship for 14 nights...and without our kids who will be home with my parents!

We're with you on the cruise and are thinking of switching to an IGT-- wondering if you could share who you got your insurance with? We haven't purchased ours yet, usually buy the one the TA suggests which has been great so far, but dh is currently looking for a new job and if he gets one, we might have issues...

 

[Namsupak]

If you can afford it, do it. We had a balcony and we had room service coffee and danish on it every morning. We would leave the doors open at night and fall asleep to the sound of the sea. I know with children you couldnt do that, but you will definitely use it.

We second this. We have a balcony on the WBPC. We had one for the WBTA and we spent a large amount of time just relaxing on our balcony. Of course there are lots of public outside areas but it is so nice to have breakfast out there and even at night just to sit out in pajamas and relax.

 

[Bookwood]

I'm with everyone else that said they'd do it again in a heartbeat!

the only reason I'm not booking the east bound in Dec is that we're doing the Hawaiian in October and just can't do 2 long cruised so close together.

 

[geffric]

I'm with everyone else that said they'd do it again in a heartbeat!

the only reason I'm not booking the east bound in Dec is that we're doing the Hawaiian in October and just can't do 2 long cruised so close together.

me too


Loved the PC cruise and all the peeps... sailed with many of the people on other DCL cruises after that..

I keep in touch with many of the peeps even after 4 years

( hi all!)
BTW we were in an inside and didnt have any issues with being on deck 9 to see everything..as long as I am on the boat..it is okay with me..

 

[dededisney]

We're with you on the cruise and are thinking of switching to an IGT-- wondering if you could share who you got your insurance with? We haven't purchased ours yet, usually buy the one the TA suggests which has been great so far, but dh is currently looking for a new job and if he gets one, we might have issues...

We are using Travelsafe...it looked to be the best coverage for the money. It looks like DH went through squaremouth.com to get it. Good luck on your decision!

 

[Moby]

We're with you on the cruise and are thinking of switching to an IGT-- wondering if you could share who you got your insurance with? We haven't purchased ours yet, usually buy the one the TA suggests which has been great so far, but dh is currently looking for a new job and if he gets one, we might have issues...

I always call Steve at tripinsurancestore.com and tell him exactly what I need and he gives various quotes based on my needs. I'll probably go with his suggestion to use Travel Guard Gold because kids are free if with an insured adult.

 

[ACDSNY]

We'd love to do another Panama cruise, we did this in Jan 2011 and it's one of our best trips ever. We orginally booked an oceanview and changed to verandah before the cruise and I'm so happy we did. We used the verandah alot.

 

[adnil530]

Panama Canal was our favorite so far! Definately would do it again, and again.

Can't resist saying "Hi Angie!"

We booked the EBPC cruise. I think the price is fantastic. I'll be taking my dd11 out of school for 2 full weeks. It will only be the 2 of us as dd16 at the time cannot miss finals. It'll be hard to leave dd and dh behind, but I'm sure I'll manage.

Linda

 

[minnieandmickey]

In a heartbeat! I would definitely get a balcony this time though.

 

[skoi]

Thanks all for the insurance tips. Will look into it.

 

[Chinook]

Be very careful if you book the IGT, as NO changes can be made and it is non-refundable. I don't know if you can upgrade at the port. Definitely get cruise insurance (not DCL's), as a lot can happen between now and December.

Why not DCLs insurance? Is there a insurance you would recommend?

 

[Moby]

Why not DCLs insurance? Is there a insurance you would recommend?

I'm not Nancy but what I've discovered is that you get more bang for your buck when you buy insurance elsewhere plus you can get a waiver of pre-existing conditions which DCL does not offer. Someone please correct me, if I'm wrong. Our insurance (Travel Guard Gold) cost less and we got more coverage than buying DCL's insurance.

 

[dededisney]

I'm not Nancy but what I've discovered is that you get more bang for your buck when you buy insurance elsewhere plus you can get a waiver of pre-existing conditions which DCL does not offer. Someone please correct me, if I'm wrong. Our insurance (Travel Guard Gold) cost less and we got more coverage than buying DCL's insurance.

And to add to this, when we talked to Disney, they said if we cancelled our IGT, with their insurance we could only get a credit for the money for a future cruise. With the insurance we went with, we would get 100% of our money back. Plus we have a lot more coverage than Disney offers and it was less expensive

 

[NancyIL]

Why not DCLs insurance? Is there a insurance you would recommend?

As others have already said, insurance purchased elsewhere often has better coverage at a lower price than DCL's. The insurance policy I choose depends on when I buy it and who is traveling with me. I have family members with health issues, so I want the waiver of pre-existing conditions. That means purchasing the insurance within 10-21 days (the time depends on the policy) of making my FIRST trip payment. If I'm not sure about going on the trip and decide to wait to buy the insurance, I'll get it from one of the companies that has a waiver of pre-existing conditions - as long as it is purchased within 24 hours of making the final trip payment: CSA (some policies) and HTH Worldwide.

I used to buy my trip insurance from InsureMyTrip.com. I had no problems with them, but they have a lot of companies to wade through. Since 2009, I've been buying my trip insurance from the Trip Insurance Store (www.tripinsurancestore.com). They carry insurance policies from only 6 companies, but 4 of those companies are ones I have used at one time or another: Travelex, Travel Insured, Travel Safe, and CSA. Their web site has a lot of information, and I have appreciated the help I've gotten on the phone from Steve and his associates.