What Is Provided for Snorkeling (Versus What Do I Pack?)
Although the January 2018 departure may involve a different ship than many of the forums have been discussing, I am not so clear about whether I need to pack equipment for the snorkeling activities. Shall I bring my own face mask, snorkel tube, flippers, water ski belt and wet suit? How many of these items are already available aboard the ship? If there is indeed water skiing off the back end of the ship, are ski belts available?
Packing lightly is always a problem for me and this trip (in particular) could put me way over the weight limit if I must bring my own toys. Has anybody information to share about the beaching portion of the activities? Thanks!
Packing lightly is always a problem for me and this trip (in particular) could put me way over the weight limit if I must bring my own toys. Has anybody information to share about the beaching portion of the activities? Thanks!
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That is how it worked in the Galapagos, too. There were plenty of masks, fins, snorkels, flotation vests, and shorty wetsuits, in enough sizes, for everyone (since I often submerge to shoot photos/videos when snorkeling I wore a weight belt- they had a few of those as well). Unless you have a preferred or unique piece of gear you want to take or need a mask with prescription lens, I would not take any of that gear. I am positive if water skiing is provided, skis and ski belt will also be provided. The Windstar ships also have other watersports equipment like paddle and sail boards, kayaks, sailboats, and wind surfing gear, too. Check it out at this link.
Remember, you are traveling with Tauck.
If you haven't read the entire "Before You Go" section you might want to take the time to read it all, especially if this is your first Tauck trip.
Don't forget to drop in here after your trip to let us know all the details. Reviews have special formatting, provide limited space, and there is no opportunity for us to ask questions. So if you are given the opportunity to provide a review (doesn't always happen), do it, but please also stop by the forums and give us the details.
The Panama Canal (and especially going under the Americas Bridge on a sailboat) was the highlight of this experience. The tour is different from what reviews of previous years are referring to. I suspect that there will be much discussion in the forum about having the Wind Star as a travel partner since their personnel are very engaging but sometimes their infrastructure is lacking (e.g., beds).
I will add a caveat on behalf of a fellow traveler about the lower deck of cabins and difficulty of getting around the stairs (no elevators). Wind Star has waterproof doors that are locked during certain points in the trip when there is a remote threat of collision. It is inconvenient for travelers in the cabins number in 100-series, while the travelers in 200-series cabins did not encounter the need sometimes to use the crew's narrow stairways.
I was very surprised about the beach party where there were umbrella cabanas and plenty of chances to set up one's chaise in a shady place. It was surprisingly "Tauck-like" in its quality (so maybe the non-Tauck travelers were surprised by the event). Throughout the adventure our Tour Director was most thoughtful and untiring in his efforts to give Tauck travelers enough amenities as well as plenty of "space" to explore. I think that we were all amazed by his ability to pull one more rabbit out of the hat for our farewell party in Panama City.
Wind Star Cruises sells accommodation for a low price and each excursion, drink, Wi-Fi, et cetera was an extra charge. None of that for the Tauck tribe! The all-inclusive package gave us everything. By the end of our voyage, non-Tauck travelers were asking us how we were spending each day as we clearly had the superior experiences within our tight-knit little group. Since the Panama Canal crossing (which we did completely in daylight) constitutes a second day at sea, travelers will want to do this one the Tauck way instead of being nickeled and dimed all day.
How was the onboard availability of sports equipment? Did you get a chance to use any of it? Did you take any of your own gear? I recently read a review (I believe from several years ago, however) and am not certain of the Star ship, but the reviewer said the water sports equipment was limited and/or not well maintained.
Did you snorkel? How was the water temp, visibility, fish spotting?
How many passengers? Tauck vs non-Tauck?
I can see where below-waterline doors could be a problem for folks with mobility issues. I was in the Navy and there were water-tight doors and what we called "knee-knockers" (could also be considered "ankle bruisers") at major points along below-waterline passageways on my ships. Unfortunately, they are a safety necessity and fact of life on most ships.
How was the food?
Several times we've visited my daughter and family who are stationed there and I've driven over the Bridge of Americas. We took a short excursion/jungle cruise on the canal (Capt'n Carl's) but have never transited the locks.
Was there much dead time while a sea or while waiting to transit. Did the ship transit the new or old locks?
Tanker in the MiraFlores locks:
A view from Ancon Hill of modern skyscrapers in downtown Panama City:
On the day-after bus ride back to Panama City, we stopped to look at the operation of the new-and-wide locks. (The Wind Star used the old-and-narrow locks.) It was our good fortune that the widest, biggest container ship that was scheduled to cross on that particular day was in the first-stage lock when we reached the viewing platform so we could watch everything operate as it moved up each stage to reach Lake Gatun. We had an hour (maybe more) to watch the container ship that was carrying over 900,000 containers on it and paid a usage toll of over $1 million.
An additional set of wide locks is being planned for 2025 to make a second lane. While the fat cargo ship was crossing north to south, an enormous cruise ship was waiting patiently on the south end to use the same water levels to travel north. Apparently jumbo cruise ships are happy to pay such crossing fees even though the experience of crossing looked about the same as when our slender yacht passed through the narrower locks (along with our "companion" ship, I think it was an oil tanker called "Maple Ambition"). I think that the canal authorities are running traffic in one direction only at certain times of the day. At each lock, we could look over and see our colorful companion ship (red and yellow paint). It almost disappeared from sight each time as their lock was drained before ours.
Although I had wanted to report to the relatives about when we would be seen on the Miraflores lock's webcam, our actual starting time was pushed back a little. We were originally projected to start the crossing at dawn, but there were delays. You can well imagine how much fun the captain and crew had with that fact (since they knew the true conditions of the tide tables). To ordinary passengers, going under the Americas bridge looked like a very tight scrape -- just as fitting some of those Panamax vessels into the wide canal looked impossible. As it was, with the engines dragging the vessel along the lock path, the sounds of the hull reacting to the changing pressures (to accelerate or slow down the ship) scared me. Passengers MUST videotape the under-the-bridge sequence to amaze the folks back home because it happens fast. The rest of the canal operations go slowly.
Although I was initially gung-ho to bring my snorkeling/ water sports toys, it was good that you dissuaded me as the Tauck tribe was kept so busy with events off the boat that water sports were a lesser consideration. We could see that the non-Tauck passengers used the "toys" whenever we went ashore or returned to the ship, but I did not personally examine the condition of the equipment. The "toys" were supposed to come ashore for the beach party but I saw only snorkeling. (I did not see anybody using the kayaks or dinghy near shore; there were young people aboard but they were not a part of the Tauck tribe. I think that maybe passengers played with the "toys" off the back end of the yacht during the beach party.) The water was warm, but remember that we traveled in early January to avoid the killer heat. We had rain when we were up in the mountains in the rain forest. It rained heavily early on the day of disembarkation (and we sniggered as we were riding to the airport and saw raindrops on the limosine's windshield). We were told that (a) the dreadful cold weather from the east coast was causing it to rain during January when that was not normally the situation and (b) Panamanians love the rain because they need it to operate the locks. Lots of fresh water is discharged into the ocean with every use of the locks; the wide locks can recycle about two-thirds of their water in retaining chambers, but they still lose a substantial portion of fresh water as the locks are used for crossing.
The Tauck tribe ended up at 38 souls (as one couple flew home with a medical emergency). There was discussion that Tauck was negotiating for a larger allocation of berths on the Wind Star. Thirty-eight passengers would be 26 percent of the stated guest beds. We also carried Tour Directors and a naturalist. There was also a comedian (U.S./ Panama citizen who wants to travel with Tauck to Antarctica but was unwilling to work for them full time). Each port had local tour guides also as is the Tauck way of seeing a country. We were well cared for.
The food on the Wind Star MAY be a notch above that experienced on the Tauck riverboats. The selection for each course was larger in variety. The Wind Star has an affiliation with the James Beard cooking awards and it featured at least one JBA selection for each of the three courses of the meal. (Some of my fellow passengers wanted both the appetizer and soup selections because they were especially provocative items. At least one dessert each night required early ordering so that the kitchen could bake enough souffles or whatever special dessert was being featured.) The entrees were sometimes a bit on the haute cusine end of the spectrum and there were spicy Indian or Thai entrees sometimes. There were always the three classic grilled proteins for anybody who was not feeling adventurous. The evening dining service was especially attentive because the sommelier fetched the non-alcoholic beverages as well as wine. (Tauck tribe had the drink package so we kept the sommelier very busy.) The waiters remembered which ice cream flavors I liked (for nights when I was not feeling adventurous).
On the "day at sea" the Wind Star offered various activities and tours of galley, power plant, et cetera. Tauck tribe had three lectures about Panama history, culture and canals. We could also attend the lectures offered to the entire ship (but I felt like the Excursion Manager was constantly in a "selling mode" so it was the least interesting option). The library has a collection of movie DVDs to borrow and the ship runs two different and recent movies on the closed circuit TV each day. There are also some television channels to get a news fix.
The actual canal crossing also took a day at sea, but the excitement of the event left little time to do any of the regular time-killer activities like shopping, massage or beauty. We pretty much staked out chairs or a place at the railing and gawked at the first set of locks. There was some down time as we crossed the lake in the middle of the path. (It coincided with the lunch break). Time passed quickly as everybody had to remain hydrated. I meant to sit in the ship's jacuzzi but time flew. It may have been January, but we spent most of our shipboard time on the top deck under umbrellas. Indeed, when the ship had their big buffet dinner on the top deck, they had to shoo us away as they transformed the entire back end of the top deck into a white tablecloth restaurant. Things progressed slowly during the voyage, but I never felt that there was dead time.
I hope that I have addressed your excellent questions, Alan. If not, please ask again as I do check the message boards.