Making History! A 2017 Westbound Panama Canal Trip Report **Complete**

Monday, May 8, Travel Day

Our alarm woke us at 4:30am. *groan* We quickly got ready and made it to the lobby to catch the 5am hotel shuttle to the airport
. After about a 5 minute ride, we arrived at San Diego International Airport. Though maneuvering around the airport was a tad confusing, we made it through security with ease and settled in to wait for our flight.

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Jimmy was feeling too lazy to pull out his own sweater so he stole mine.

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Our wait was unusually quiet. Other than my family, I don't believe another soul (other than the gate agent) spoke the entire time we were at the gate. It turned out that Jimmy and Emily were the only children on the flight. This was definitely a change from flying out of Orlando.

Soon, we were boarding the plane. Goodbye California!

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The flight was uneventful. The kids slept most of the way. We landed at Chicago Midway Airport for a 2 hour and 50 minute layover. We disembarked, used the restroom, and found a place to charge our electronic devices. Jimmy pretended to go back to sleep.

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We took turns exploring the terminal and stretching our legs. We also grabbed lunch. There were plenty of choices.

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I chose the Mediterranean Chicken Sandwich from Pot Belly's. It was full of seasoned meat and veggies. It was a good choice.

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The rest of my crew chose McDonald's. The boys both had double cheeseburger meals, while Emily had...

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a crispy chicken sandwich.

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Our layover flew by. Stretching our legs and getting lunch was all we had time for. Although our flight home was delayed by twenty minutes, we were in the air again in no time.

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The second leg of our journey was very short. We basically reached cruising altitude and came back down again.

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Before we knew it, we arrived at Bishop International Airport in Flint, Michigan.

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Walter Chrysler here kept us company while we waited for our luggage.

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We called the hotel where we'd parked our van for a shuttle, collected our luggage, and went outside to wait.

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and wait...

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and wait.

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It took 45 minutes for the shuttle to show up. Ugh! This wouldn't have been that big of a deal if we weren't so tired and cranky. Eventually, we were picked up and we collected our van. An hour later, we were home. Our magical vacation was official over.

Up Next: My final thoughts
 
Final Thoughts

First off, let me give the usual disclaimer. These are my experiences, impressions, feelings, and opinions. I, in no way, intend to demean, offend, or contradict anyone else's thoughts, feelings, or opinions. I am sharing to, hopefully, help others prepare for future cruises. Heck, and to provide a written reminder for myself as well! So, let's get on with it...


Overall Impressions

Let me start by saying we had a WONDERful time! It was an amazing vacation. If you enjoy DCL's shorter cruises, I highly recommend you try a 14-night Panama Canal cruise. While we loved the 5 and 7 day cruises we have taken with DCL, both of our PC cruises were superior in almost every way. They were the best vacations my family has taken.

In a few ways, this WBPC cruise was different from our EBPC cruise. First off, deck 4 was much more peaceful on this trip. There were far fewer walkers using the path, less passengers using the loungers throughout the day, and less chair hogs on Panama Canal day. For James and I, who love to quietly read on deck 4, we preferred the peace available on this cruise.

There were also a lot of new cast members being trained during this cruise. That meant that things did not always flow as smoothly as they had on our previous cruises. For the most part, this didn't bother us. We understand that staff must be trained. No biggie! The only area where this was even a minor issue was in the children's areas. It seemed, on a few occasions, that the new CMs had a difficult time managing some behavioral issues. While this annoyed my children a bit, it did not stop them from having a great time in the kids' clubs.

Finally, some days felt like there were fewer activities offered than there had been on our last PC cruise. While we were never bored, the pace of a few of the days was a bit slower than we'd expected. At the same time, we preferred the new activities that were offered on this cruise compared to those that we lost from our last one, such as the additional ballroom dance classes and the evening performances in the atrium.
We'd prefer to keep the slower pace if it meant keeping these new additions.

In the end, I can't say that I preferred one PC cruise over the other. They were both incredible in their own ways. Though, we were certainly more knowledgeable this time, and we did find that it was easier on our bodies travelling west than it was travelling east. And let's not forget about all of those extra dance classes! I would definitely do either again. In fact, we're already booked on the next two PC cruises if that tells you anything!

The Refurbishments

Prior to going on this cruise, I did not think that I would like some of the Wonder's refurbishments, particularly removing Route 66. However, I must admit that I LOVE the Under the Sea theme that is now carried throughout the ship. My family also adored the changes to Animator's Palate and Tiana's Place. The kids enjoyed the changes to the kids clubs, although Jimmy said that while he liked the new décor of the Edge, he liked the previous set up better. Emily also missed the pirate ship in the Oceaneer Club. The changes to deck 9 were also very positive. The additional food venues, the Aqua Lab, and the Twist 'n Spout slide were all great additions.

The Service

The service on this cruise was exceptional, as always. Even with the new trainees, we were treated like royalty. Nan was great. Levi, Putu, and Englebert were fabulous. Even the CMs in ladies bathrooms helped add to the magic of our vacation. Was everything perfect all the time? Of course not, but when something went awry, the DCL CMs were quick to make things right. That'sthe Disney difference.

The Entertainment

As you might expect, it was extraordinary. I admit, I did miss Adult Entertainment Director, Brett. This was our first cruise without him. However, Joh was pretty great, too. She was energetic and tons of fun. Frozen Musical Spectacular was just that - spectacular. While we didn't care for Liverpool Legends or ABBA Fab, we thoroughly enjoyed the rest of the main theater performances. We also had a great time at the nighttime adult entertainment. We felt that the movie selection in the Buena Vista Theater was better on this cruise than on our last. Same goes for the cabin TV options. You all know how I feel about Willem, Natalia, and Jarrod. As always, DCL went above and beyond in entertainment
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The Food

Now, I realize that this is subjective. We all have different tastes. My family has always loved DCL's food, and this cruise was no exception. We enjoyed the sit down lunch option on embarkation day. We will definitely take advantage of this in the future. We loved the refurbishment of Beach Blanket Buffet to Cabana's. There were many more food options and the room was better situated. We also enjoyed the new lunch menus both in Cabanas and in Triton's. While I missed several of the old menu items, especially the cold fruit soups, I found several new items I wouldn't want to pass up. As for dinner, it was never a disappointment. While we'd prefer the music to be quieter, we LOVED Tiana's Place - both the atmosphere and the menus.

Levi went above and beyond nearly every night. Our tablemates had food allergies. Though they said it was a little disorganized on the first couple of days, they were beyond impressed with how their allergies were managed for the remainder of the cruise. For those of you who have food allergies, I can assure you that my tablemates had a variety of delicious appetizers, main courses, and desserts every night. No one went hungry!

There was only one thing I would like to see changed. I would like DCL to offer more food options in the evenings after dinner. There were savory snacks offered in Cove Café, Promenade Lounge, and Crown and Fin, and I know room service was always available, but who wants to wait in their room in order to have real food in the evenings when you could be out having fun? Not that I would utilize this much, but there were a couple of nights a light sandwich and some fruit or a treat other than soft serve ice cream might have been nice.

The Children's Areas

Again, DCL does great in this area. My children's safety and happiness are two of the main reasons we continue to sail with DCL. I won't say much here because I've talked about the kids clubs and my children's experiences throughout my trip report, but I will say that both of my children prefer the 14 day cruises to the shorter cruises because of the smaller number of children onboard. They like the individualized attention.

The only thing I would do differently next time is that I think I will get Jimmy a waiver Vibe. I got Emily a waiver to Edge, but she felt that it was too rowdy in there for her tastes so she never used it. At the time, Jimmy wasn't interested. He was bored during the times that Edge invaded Vibe. However, he has since changed his mind. He said that it would have been nice to have a second kid-space to go to when things got too rowdy in Edge. He also said he would like the extra sports deck fun and video game opportunities afforded to him by being able to enter both clubs. We'll see how that works out next time.


The Adult Areas

The Quiet Cove was rarely quiet. However, it was more peaceful than it was on our last PC cruise. While the loungers surrounding the pool were consistently occupied, there was nearly always a place to sit near the Cove Café to read or look out at the ocean. As for the deck 3 adult areas, James and I practically lived in Azure. Crown 'n Fin was usually packed with people participating in activities, but it also provided a comfortable place to play a board game or read.


The DCL Navigator App

This was the first time we used the DCL Navigator App. James downloaded onto his phone. It did have some advantages, but I didn't feel it was necessary. We still used the paper navigators more than we did the app. So, if you are in the small minority of folks who, like me, prefer family-time to be technology free, do not feel that the app is a necessity. Other than seeing if certain movies will be offered later in the week, I doubt we will use it in the future.


In Conclusion

Well folks, I think that's about it. Thank you for joining me as I shared my adventure. Like I mentioned earlier in my trip report, my children and I will be sailing on the upcoming EBPC cruise on October 27, 2017. We fly to California in 36 days - Hurray! It will be very strange (and a little scary) to be sailing without James. He will be missed, but I'm sure the kids and I will have a whole new set of adventures to share with you when we return.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask. Happy cruising!


 
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I'm not sure I've commented, but I've been following your trip report and loving it! Your writing is refreshingly positive, and your family is very sweet! I'd love to go on a Panama Canal cruise, but I no longer homeschool my kids, so that isn't going to happen, I'm afraid. Well, maybe when they head off to college!

You'll have to write a trip report on the experience of taking a long cruise with just your kiddos! :)
 
I'm not sure I've commented, but I've been following your trip report and loving it! Your writing is refreshingly positive, and your family is very sweet! I'd love to go on a Panama Canal cruise, but I no longer homeschool my kids, so that isn't going to happen, I'm afraid. Well, maybe when they head off to college!

You'll have to write a trip report on the experience of taking a long cruise with just your kiddos! :)

Thank you for your kind words. When the kids grow up, you should definitely take a PC cruise. It's amazing! I understand your pain. Beginning Fall 2018, Jimmy will begin taking Dual Enrollment classes at a local college. With Emily 3 years behind him, we will be confined within a school-year schedule for 7 years. Yuck! So, we are squeezing in as many of these cruises as we can before then.

Oh, and I do hope to do another trip report after our next cruise. It'll be very different without James. I took the kids to WDW once on my own years ago. It actually went very well. It'll be an adventure!
 
Thanks for the informative report and the pictures! I felt like we went on vacation with you. I wish you a great sailing and look forward to reading about it !
 


I saw that you had joined our sailing! Our FB group, as you probably saw, is quite active and we're all terribly excited for embarkations day. It will be nice to meet you in person now that I've 'met' you all through the trip reports.
 
I saw that you had joined our sailing! Our FB group, as you probably saw, is quite active and we're all terribly excited for embarkations day. It will be nice to meet you in person now that I've 'met' you all through the trip reports.

I am so excited for the upcoming cruise. I look forward to meeting you and the rest of the group. We're going to have so much fun!
 
I saw that you had joined our sailing! Our FB group, as you probably saw, is quite active and we're all terribly excited for embarkations day. It will be nice to meet you in person now that I've 'met' you all through the trip reports.
I've been looking for the FB group and haven't found it. Could you give me a hint?
 
I'm trying to convince my husband to do the dance classes with me. :teeth:

My hubby needed convincing at first then it turned out he loved them. Tell him to give them a try. Willem makes it fun!

I've been looking for the FB group and haven't found it. Could you give me a hint?

I know we aren't supposed to provide links to FB, but try a search for the ship name, the dates, and "The Panamaniacs"
 
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Once cleaned up, the kids skittered off to their clubs to soak in a few more hours of fun. James and I returned to the atrium (or above it, at least) to catch the See You Real Soon show.

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Great trip report Joy! I have enjoyed it immensely and I am frequently using it to fact check my own report of the same cruise. We did a lot of the same activities. I think we were with you guys on the Art of the Theme Ship tour, and we were in the audience when James got up on stage with Maryellen Hooper. In your picture above, from the See You Real Soon show, my DW and I are the ones getting our photo taken with Ariel in the bottom right. I'm not to that day yet in my own report, but when I get there, I'll post that photo we took with Ariel.

Thanks again for the wonderful review. You have a beautiful family.

Regards,

JG
 
Great trip report Joy! I have enjoyed it immensely and I am frequently using it to fact check my own report of the same cruise. We did a lot of the same activities. I think we were with you guys on the Art of the Theme Ship tour, and we were in the audience when James got up on stage with Maryellen Hooper. In your picture above, from the See You Real Soon show, my DW and I are the ones getting our photo taken with Ariel in the bottom right. I'm not to that day yet in my own report, but when I get there, I'll post that photo we took with Ariel.

Thanks again for the wonderful review. You have a beautiful family.

Regards,

JG

Thank you, John! That's neat that you are in the picture. It was such a great cruise. I'm enjoying your trip report and the others. Its great to see the cruise from others' perspectives. I look forward to reading the rest of your report. Happy cruising!
 
I very much enjoyed your trip report! Thank you for including the menus and daily navigators as it makes the report more fun to read. I'm looking forward to reading the adventures of Joy, Jimmy and Emily on the upcoming PC cruise.
 

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