Panama Canal Cruise Reviewed by Diane B.

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#1 Reviewer
Sunday, 06 January 2008

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

Embarkation:
HAL representatives were on hand to assist from U.S. Customs clearance to ship transfer. They were wonderful! Assuring us our luggage would be in our stateroom that evening, we boarded a bus and arrived at the port on time to sail away. We don't know how they did it, but out luggage was in our stateroom by 8:00 p.m. that evening. We were directed to the main deck to receive our guest cards and other cruise/ship information. It was a wonderful start on our journey.

Stateroom:
Our stateroom was very nice. Sunrayah, our stateroom attendant, welcomed us aboard and, throughout the cruise, provided top-notch service. His attention to our needs and requests were provided quickly. Our stateroom was well taken care of, always clean and neat. The attendants work very hard to provide excellent service.

Buffet:
The Lido buffet area was excellent. Every food dish imaginable was on the line and it was delicious as well as pleasing to the eye. The variety of dishes was enormous; from morning 'til night was available to cruise guests. The kitchen staff certainly catered to everyone's needs.

Wedding Vows Renewal:
We experienced the ceremony of renewal of our wedding vows and it was one of the highlights of our cruise. The Captain officiated at the ceremony and it was quite an emotional time for everyone involved. His words and personal attention to each couple were a testimonial to his position as leader. We received a leather bound album with certificate and pictures of the ceremony, flower arrangement in our cabin and enjoyed an exquisite dinner in The Pinnacle restaurant.

Entertainment:
With the anticipation of spending three weeks on board with hopefully a vast array of activities, programs, stage shows, and night life, we settled in and began reviewing the listed entertainment. Our first day brought us to the staff teaching country line dancing on Deck-10 at the Crow's Nest. It has a great dance floor and we immediately thought this place was our home away from home. As the "dance instructors" proceeded to teach line dancing, it was obvious they were not comfortable with it. In fact, they told everyone they were having difficulty with instructing, but would do their best. Since it was a large group of student/guests, it became obvious that there would be extensive country music and dancing on board.

This was quite a disappointment for us and for many other guests. One couple from Florida told us they would never cruise with HAL again. No night life!

The other end of the entertainment spectrum was no different. Showtime in the Vista Lounge was another sad experience. HAL had four comedians who were terrible. So terrible, from the first night on board, guests were walking out of the show. Another example of dullness with the hypnotist. She definitely was not entertainment material and again, people walked out. on the good side were the gymnast, piano player, and the local folklore dance teams. Excellent entertainment!

 The program setup of entertainment was out of sequence. For instance, they conducted bingo games while guests were on shore excursions, and at 4:00 p.m. in the afternoon. At this time, folks are returning and getting ready for dinner. Yet, the cruise directors were surprised at the samll turnout for bingo. Hello! Anticipate the bingo game in the morning when people are looking for something to do.

We also enjoy the art auctions. Again, the time presented for these auctions was late in the afternoon (3-4:00 p.m.) when guests are preparing for dinner. The more interesting activities crossed over in time so you couldn't attend everything. For example, the wine somalier had a presentation at the same time the Panama Canal lecturer, Dr. Jay, was speaking. Needless to say this was a conflict of interest and the lecture took priority. His four sessions were superb; but we also missed out on the wine presentation.

Shore Excursions
Our shore excursions were great and we had good English-speaking guides. They were friendly and knowledgeable of their tour.

Children
We did notice a number of children on board. No problem with that, but seeing them all over the ship and at all times of the day and night indicated they didn't have an activity area for them. They monopolized the main pool and guests had a difficult time using the pool area. It stated an adult was to be present to supervise, but the children were at time out of control, running, jumping, and creating a disturbance. More emphasis may be considered to children activities away from the adult agenda.

Overall, we  had a wonderful time, made many new friends and experienced another part of the world we hadn't been to. We plan to continue cruising to unforeseen, and foreseen destinations, but personally, Holland America will not be a choice of cruise lines.