Aruba 
We did the Arikok National Park Hike and Swim. This is very strenuous hike on uneven paths in the park. We were up for the challenge and found it to be interesting and fun. The Park Ranger who escorted us was knowledgeable and patient. Even though I had brought bug spray, I still got a few bug bites. Somehow the bugs always manage to find me, as most of the other hikers were not getting bitten. 
The water was cold at "Baby Beach" and there were no chairs, so we just stood around and visited with some other tourists for 30 minutes while waiting to get back on the bus to return to our ship. Since our time docked in Aruba was short, this portion of the excursion would have been better spent shopping! 



Aruba

Cartagena, Columbia 
We took the Old City and Inquisition Palace tour. Our tour guide, Monica, was informative and very understandable. However, the various vendors who swarmed us outside of the fort were intolerable. They actually got on the bus in their efforts to try to sell us trinkets that were not wanted. The Inquisition Palace was interesting, but too hot with too many people in a room at one time. We also made a too brief stop at the Naval Museum. The native dancers at the Museum were ok, but we would have rather spent more time perusing the actual museum. We decided not to buy any jewelry in Columbia as I did not know enough about the shops that we visited. 


Cartagena (Colombia)

Panama 
We were unable to dock in Panama due to the wind, heavy rain, and flooding, although we enjoyed our ride back and forth through the Canal. Princess reimbursed us for the tour that we missed as well as for the port charges. We completely understand that missed ports due to Mother Nature can happen on any cruise, so while we were disappointed, we certainly were not angry about this. 


Colon (Cristobal)

Limon, Costa Rica 
We took the Eco-Cruise and Train Ride. The eco-cruise was fabulous---we saw monkeys and a sloth in the wild. The train ride was a little boring. It's rainy and damp in Costa Rica so I was glad I had a raincoat with a hood. 
We also visited a Del Monte banana plantation. It was well presented and we came out with a deep appreciation for all the work that goes into the production of bananas. 
There was a busy straw market near the ship's dock, so we were able to purchase some gifts at reasonable prices without having to go too far from the ship. 


Puerto Limon

Ocho Rios, Jamaica 
We went to Dunn's Falls. It was a very strenuous climb and I decided not to do it, electing the dry steps that parallel the falls. This allowed me to take movies and photographs of my DH who thought he was up to the challenge. He finished the climb with a moderate gash in his leg which occurred when he fell on the slippery rocks. The Dunn's Falls' guides were trolling for tips even if they weren't your guide. I simply told them that I had no more money to give them, although I think they suspected that I wasn't totally truthful. 
The tour also drove us around Ocho Rios, which seemed pretty impoverished for the most part. We stopped for a bit of shopping along the way. We also visited an interesting private park overlooking Ocho Rios, Shaw Park Gardens. With fabulous waterfalls and interesting botanical gardens, it made for an interesting hike, although there are a lot of stairs to climb, which was not a problem for us, but might be for less fit travelers. 


Ocho Rios

The Princess ships become a little bit like "home" the more you cruise with them.Hotel in Fort Lauderdale 



We arrived in Fort Lauderdale late in the evening before our cruise and stayed at the Courtyard by Marriott FLL Airport & Cruise Port in Dania Beach.

Coral Princess Review

December 5, 2010 Panama Canal Cruise on the Coral Princess

Rating by category

Additional details

Cabin Review

Balcony

Find a Coral Princess Cruise from $388