More questions- Royal Decameron etc | Debbie's Caribbean Resort Reviews Forums

Hi all,One of my group was wondering…what is the atmosphere like in the airport in Panama when arriving and departing? Are your bags searched? Are you viewed with the utmost suspicion? Do you need to keep your eyes peeled to avoid being scammed with overweight luggage charges? Are the lineups long? I know this seems like a lot of trivial stuff, but when one is prepared for stuff like this, it makes it easier to deal with. Thanks!TN

good morning TN
arriving didn’t seem to have any issues at all that i can remember. get your luggage and head outside to find your bus to the decameron. it’s quite nice, they had you a couple cervasa, water and load you up. be very careful!!! there is only one stop on the way for a biffy break! lol my eyes were floating my the time we arrived

going home, we left from the radisson in panama city. There were about 10 of us on our little shuttle and we lucked out and beat the two buses coming from RD & Gamboa. so got in line ahead of them. it went smooth and yes they search all luggage. The only thing we seen was a lady forgot to dispose of her lighter, they took it. not a big deal. Once we got out seats, confusion started on the day that we were departing. they gave us the wrong gates. We finally found our friends that had left from the RD and sat at the "correct" gate. As we were waiting, we seen our plane come in and it kept going rite on by. After 1/2 hour, another person went on the search, came back to tell the other 200 of us that our gate had been changed and we were at the opposite end of the airport. The mad rush was on! lolahhh, although a bit of a mix up, nothing that got us upset. Luggage charges, they do weigh and i must say i was amazed at how lite mine was! i did expect to get very close to the limit but seemed ok.

hope this helps.

Hi TN;As Lynn said, arriving is no problem at all, departing is another story. This past trip, it was a bit crazy when arriving at the airport for departure. We were lined up OUTSIDE the airport, in the sun and heat. (Good idea to have a bottle of water with you.) Don’t know what happened there. Too many buses arriving at the same time perhaps? On top of that security was checking all checked luggage prior to going to the counter. They were looking for combustible items and aerosols. Confiscating them when found. Pump sprays are fine. This is all done in front of everyone in line, and they do it with such utmost care. Regarding your carry-on, when you go through security, it is screened and if they see anything questionable, they will pull it aside and ask you to open your bag. I have witnessed people being charged with excess weight, but this is after giving them the option to move things around between suitcases. On one of our trips, we actually saw them walk a dog through the line-up of people sniffing at suitcases. Bebbie

TN & Bebbie, forgot to mention

when we arrived back in Toronto, went through customs fine (dogs were sniffing us in the line) then we walked around the corner … OMG i have never seen anything like it!! there were approx 10 – 12 armed guards – all dressed in black from head to toe like the SWAT team! freaked me out. we had to walk in between them coming through. Had nothing to hid but funny how one almost has a guilt on. anyway nothing harmful, just kinda freaked us a bit.

Thanks to both of you

It is much easier to deal with things when you are prepared for them in advance. I will pass this on to my friend. We will be there in just shy of 6 months ;D

Oh, does anyone have a map of the Royal Decameron they would be willing to part with or else copy and send to me?? I found one on Debbies site, but cannot seem to enlarge it and then print the whole thing…I only get half of it !

TN:I have a resort map that I could copy and send to you if you want.

Sorry won’t part with it.

Send me a personal message with your address and I can mail off a copy to you.

Bebbie

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