Summary The Canal Transit Cruise is a great cruise, but the ports are not as exciting as on a Baltic, British Isle or Mediterranean cruise. Aruba is not Santorini, Cartagena is not Barcelona, and Panama City is not Istanbul. Nevertheless each port does have something special to offer, but the reason I selected this cruise was to witness my 90,000 gross ton cruise ship lifted onto the fresh water Gatun Lake for the transit - what an awesome and memorable experience. Embarkation Arrived at the Cruise Terminal at about 1230PM and was aboard in about 15 minutes. Well done Princess. The Cabin Classic Mini-Suite that seemed a bit larger than my recollections from the Grand Class Ships, but maybe it was my imagination. D710, an aft cabin, has a lot of shake and rattle from the the power plant and propulsion systems. Much more than aft cabins on the Grand Class ships. The crown moldings and the ventilation vents vibrated and rattled constantly, and when the ship reached 20+ knots during the FL to Aruba and Cabo to LA runs it was a bit hard to sleep. You could actually see the wine vibrating in your glass, and come night time we had to make sure that glasses left on the counter were on paper and not touching to reduce the noise. Even our overnight in Panama City, with the propulsion system stopped, we had a lot of vibration from the electrical power plant. The mattress was in fine condition. The MiniSuite, for a 15 day cruise with lots of sea days, is a sweet ride and for us well was worth the extra cash over the balcony class rooms (which we've also enjoyed on many other cruises). Aruba Nice to get off the ship, but given that the shops opened at 930 or 1000 AM and we departed in the early afternoon it was a very quick stop. However, it was nice to visit the La Bodega Wine Shop a few blocks from the pier to stock our cellar for the next 12 days. See Frommers/Aruba then Google map for location. Cartagena Really nice to get a small glimpse of Columbia, but the heat and humidity are not for the faint of heart. The Monastery, the Fort, and the Old City are the highlights. I especially enjoyed the Fort - El Castillo de San Felipe de Borajas. As the Columbia President was visiting the Old Town, the very large military presence was unexpected. Used a private tour operator Dora (www.cartagenatour.com ), who did a fine job. Given the heat, it was wonderful to have a car (with A/C) and driver at our disposal. The Transit Wow. Much has been written on this board about the transit, and I must agree that it's a great cruise experience. IMHO aft deck 8 and 9 are some of the best places to see the action. As others have said - enjoy all the viewing locations. From Deck 7 you are at eye level with the mules (locomotives that guide the ship through the canal). As we passed the lock control towers the canal operators stepped out onto their tower's balcony and they were about 3 feet away from the Dolphin Deck balconies - really neat! As others have said, consider reading "Path Between the Seas" before you go. Just awesome. Panama City Pre-arranged a car and driver from the firm "My Friend Mario" (mario@myfriendmario.com) for the day. We visited the El Charco rainforest, about 45 minutes from the dock and just beyond the Miraflores Locks and near the Charges River. Everyone else must have been in town shopping, because my wife, myself and our guide Carlos were alone in the rainforest. Quite a treat. While we never sighted the Howler Monkeys, we could hear them screaming as we walked the jungle. The leaf-cutter ants and termites are just amazing, not to mention the flora, vines, trees, butterflies, and jungle canopy. Bring water, bug spray, and take your time. We casually walked for about 90 minutes along a 1 mile, level trail through the rain forest. This isn't Yellowstone or Yosemite! After the walk we had some drinks at a near-by hotel overlooking the Charges River entry point to the canal, and enjoyed the birds and turtles, and the ships making the transit. The remainder of our time was in the Old Town - be prepared for a mix of upscale and poverty. I would not advise walking the Old Town without a guide. Had an authentic Panamanian lunch of sea bass, beans and rice with a Panamanian beer at a nice restaurant a few dozen yards across the plaza from the National Theatre. Carolos insisted that Panamanian Beer was the best in Central America. A few yards from the tender dock at the Marina at the end of the Causeway you'll find a restaurant and gift shop, where you can also buy some acceptable South American wine. Costa Rica We were lucky - this was a scheduled tender port, but I guess space was unexpectedly available and we were able to dock. Pre-arranged a car and driver from Greenway Tours, and Eduardo served as our guide. Many passengers opted for the more exotic destinations, but the bus time to those destinations is just too, too much for my wife and me. IMHO once you get to 4+ hours on the bus, the ultimate destination is rarely worth the sacrifice and the time on location always very short. We instead opted for the Carara National Biological Reserve about 40 minutes from the docks. This rainforest is home to the Scarlet Macaw http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scarlet_Macaw We had just decided to end our walk and return to the van when Eduardo spotted the rare bird in the forest canopy. To see such a beautiful bird in its natural environment was quite special. Lunch and beer at the beach, and Eduardo corrected Carlos, sharing that the Costa Rican beer called Imperial was the best in Central America. Huatulco Given our 4 hour visit, it's mainly an opportunity to walk off the ship for a Mexican Lunch and a Corona. Wish some US airlines few non-stop to this place as it would be a great alternative to busier places like Cabo and Can Cun. Acapulco Nice to now say I have visited, but it's not a place I'd care to visit again. Very busy with city with lots of traffic and smog. For my Mexican vacations I far prefer the smaller, quieter and cleaner town of Ixtapa. However, the divers are famous and I'm sure many passengers enjoyed the viewing. Fort San Diego is across the street from the Cruise Terminal. My guide Manuel corrected both Carols and Eduardo - he shares that a Corona is the best beer in the world. Cabo Another quick visit - only a 5 hour port-of-call that required a 20 minute tender ride to the Marina. Like Huatulco, it was a good place to lunch and beer. It's a very American town with US citizens far out numbering the locals. Costco, Wal-Mart, Office Depot, McDonalds, KFC, and more are all represented. The Americans live just outside of town. Cabo even has an American staffed hospital to cater to the local American population. The shopping and souvenirs by this time all seem identical to every other port and with good reason - they do all look alike. With the Sapphire Princess and Radiance of the Seas also in port - it was crowded. Dining Room Excellent service, maybe the best of all my Princess cruises. Had requested a table for two for early Traditional, but by luck was assigned the worst table in the room - the first table as you walk into the room. Imagine every diner entering the room passing behind either my wife or myself. After dinner I visited the Dining Room Captain of the Anytime Dining Room, and was assigned a great table with standing reservations for the rest of the cruise. Food quality was as expected and ranged from good to very good. I'm always amazed they do as good as they do considering they are cooking for hundreds and the kitchen is doing 18 knots. Thanks Princess. Horizon Court What can you say....it's the court. Its all about fast and large quantities, both achieved at the understandable sacrifice to quality. Chef's Table If you enjoy a wide variety of food and wine, this is a great experience. Highly recommended. I'd suggest that food at the Chef's Table is simply the very best that a Princess ship can offer. Included with the purchase were photos of the event (delivered back to the table before we finished dessert) and a hardback cookbook of Princess recipes. I was thinking that my wife might enjoy having the book signed by the Executive Chief. When I opened the book I found that it was already autographed. Very thoughtful. This was my best ever on-board Princess experience. Disembarking What a disaster - see http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1087998 for an entire tread on that fiasco. I've added my comments to an already long and sad tale.