Being able to see the Panama Canal was the big deciding factor in picking this cruise on the Coral Princess. We were also able to book a very nice cabin with handicap accessibility which is important since by partner as serious mobility problems.
From the start of the cruise to the finish everything went very smoothly, with no unpleasant surprises.
Embarkation was a breeze. I think we were on the ship and in our stateroom in less than 30 minutes after arriving at the pier.
Our cabin had handicap-access feature. It was exceptionally roomy -- almost 200 square feet, not including the bathroom. The balcony was another 90 square feet. The room offered plenty of closet and other storage space -- more than were really needed, though we were very consciously not to over-pack. There was one comfotable side chair, plus a chair at the desk. These along with a small table worked perfectly when we would have breakfast in our room.
Our cabin attendant was very meticulous and thorough. He ofter discovered problems before we didi and took steps to get them fixed.
We got to experience Princess's new Luxury Bed which we both found extremely comfortable.
We were in Aruba for only 5 hours (7 a.m. to noon). I did go into town to shop for a pair of summer-weight khadis, and was lucky to find a pair on the sale rack at the Ralph Lauren shop. If you liike to shop then Orangestaad offers lots and lots of opportunties. Otherwise other ports or call will be more interesting.
I dicided to get adventerous and walked from the pier to the Old City, a distance of 2-3 miles, so I found out. Fortuantely I have a pretty good sense of direction and ultimately I made to to the Old City in about 60-90 minutes. I walked around and poked into some of the shops, though I didn't buy anything. I found the Old City truly facinating with its archetecture and brightly painting buildings. It was bustling, but not overrun whtih people.
After spending about an hour I was able to get a taxi driver who would take me back to the ship for $10.
Watich our ships and others transit the Panama Canal was really the high point of the cruise.
There very little see or do in Limon itself.
A typical Caribbean port of call. Lots of jewelry and souvenir shops. But if rum is your liquor of choice, then this is the place to stock up.