I chose this cruise because I had never been to the Panama canal and thought it would be good to see. It was disappointing at best. I have cruised about 9 times with many different ships and by far this was the best embark and debark one I had every been on. We choose to take a ksa tours bus $10 each from the ship to the airport. It was easy. Next time I would just take a taxi for $14. The cabin was big compared to other ships. I cannot say enough about the new mattresses, we did not want to get out of bed due to the comfort of it. We choose to do buffet every meal and we were not disappointed. We ate when, what and how much we wanted. Next time I would choose an early anytime dining. The comedians/magician were good the production shows were awful except Bravo. The service was good everywhere. The problems for me on this cruise were: the average age was 75 and up, not enough activities (except trivia 3x a day) for me to completely engage, many people travelled in groups of up to 10 and would take all the extra chairs, block walkways etc., a little bit of Zumba and diy pickleball, the gym was good but could not get on the treadmills until 8 am. We travelled with no children and there were a total of 7 on board so that was nice for a change. They had the biggest freshwater pools I have every seen with lots of room.

Excursions: Hop on Hop off bus Cartenga but there was no hop, we were stuck on the bus for the whole hour to the old walled city. We had a walking tour which was good but the VENDORS were horrible! oh my word they were like fleas on a dog's back you would think you had gotten rid of 4 of them and then walk 15 to 20 feet or turn a corner and boom you would walk into a wall of them selling the same wares as the previous ones. If the bus stopped they would ring a bell to make you look down and start the spiel. I understand proverty but annoying was the word of the day for me. At one point I raised my voice to fend off yet another vendor wanting to put a hat on my head or offer me a necklace etc.

Vergura Rainforest: Not worth the money to go. Two hour drive. It was mid afternoon by the time we got onto the tram and we all know what animals do in the warmth. Sleep! But no mosquitos or flies at this time of year. Read more