Colon (Cristobal) to the Panama Canal & Central America Cruise Reviews

I was very hopeful that Explora would be amazing based on what I had heard and it met all my expectations. I have sailed a lot over the years on luxury cruise ships and have specific things that I look for. Explora meets all of those requirements. Starting with the ship- she is a beautiful ship and you immediately feel at home on her. I was able to dine at all the restaturants on board and ...

Form the moment you enter your suite ( it is an all-suites cruise with terraces), you can’t believe the size of the suite, the size and comfort of the bathroom, and the comfort of that bed. The balcony is a very nice size with a table and 2 chairs, for in room dining and a launch chair for a total relaxation. The details of the room from the automatic light on the bottom of your night table so ...

I set out on my inaugural cruise in February 2024 from Panama, South America, aboard Explora 1!! I can't say enough about the gorgeous modern cruise ship, our sumptuous cabin, delicious food, amazing wines, the staff and service - all absolutely fantastic. Luxurious and first class! The easy embarkation and luggage in our room on arrival set the tone for the cruise. We had amazing culinary ...

I was a little scared to board Explora 1 after all the mixed reviews I had read, but the price was right and this was going to be my first so called "luxury cruise" so I was still very excited. If you have never been on a high end cruise the embarkation and disembaraktion is worth it alone, you basically just walk on and walk off the ship at your leisure, that goes for all the ports as well, ...

Our cruise selection was governed by the itinerary and size of ship. Pros: We loved the size of the ship, there is a great deal of public space and we never felt crowded. Embarkation and disembarkation at ports is very simple. Staff were all amazing and made our trip, especially Gibril, Joel, Guen and Casalyn. Great to be able to visit engine room, kitchen and bridge Washers and ...

Cruise number 14 for us. Panama Canal passage on the list of " must do ". The price seemed very reasonable, although with Norweigan the extras add up like one of those $29 airfares that actually costs $229 when you pay for all the necessary extas. We had put in a "bid" for an upgrade that works like an auction over about a week period. Day before cruise received an email stating that our bid ...

The Jewel was just refurbished in 2018 and is still very new looking. At 2350 capacity she is my size. The seating in the common areas was clean and comfortable. I had a ocean view with 2 persons and it was OK. Beds were new and we had enough space. Entertainment is always a mystery to me. They only play for 45 min and sometimes at really odd times. We ate mostly in the main dinning room and the ...

We arrived early into Panama City airport, and the transport started with an impromptu tour of Panama City and a pit stop for breakfast as we couldn't arrive in Colon before 11. The ride to Colon was purely functional, and we didn't view much that was photo worthy. Embarkation felt like sort of a mess in Colon, and it was a relief to finally get on the ship. My bucket list included full ...

We chose this cruise because we could do the Panama Canal in 8 days, rather than 10 or 14 days. The Jewel is a nice ship, a little dated, but the service on the ship was far better than expected. Our room was always clean. Cindy and Ronald in the Palace dining room went above and beyond to provide excellent service. The entertainment was outstanding with comedy magic and Stephanie Pope and ...

My wife and I finally were able to complete our long awaited Panama Canal cruise which had been postponed twice due to covid. We typically cruise NCL (me - Sapphire, wife - Platinum) and love the Jewel class ships. After staying two nights in the Panama Hilton (wonderful!) on the NCL pre-cruise package we were off to meet the ship in Colon. We opted out of NCL's transportation as my wife ...