Where do the ex-girlfriends sleep? In the room next door?
Colon admittedly has one of the worst crime problems in the Americas, and doesn’t give a good picture of the rest of Panama. (It was used as a stand-in for Haiti in the Bond move Quantum of Solace.) I would guess you saw policemen (there are various branches, with different uniforms, some of which resemble military-style ones), though some places employ security guards. I only rarely see armed police in Panama City.
Basing your evaluation of the country of Panama on 20 minutes in Colon is like doing the same for the United States based on a visit to the worst slum in Detroit.
So, was Captain Cook as good a seaman as they say? 
I am aware of this, and I tried to strike a balance in my post that expressed my unease upon getting off the boat while not completely writing off the whole country based on my vision of a few acres. It would be more fair, perhaps, to point out the ports of call sometimes contrast sharply with the luxury and glamor of the boat. Frankly, I felt like prey every time I got off the boat and I wasn’t prepared for that. It was understood I was prey while ON the boat.
The library is great.
Don’t go unless you have a balcony. A little bit of privacy to read or watch a movie while enjoying the ocean is completely priceless, especially for your “days at sea” when the pool side tables and lounge chairs fill up.
If you’re getting two rooms (say, you and your cousins are close) have the other room be a handicapped state room*.
*We were offered this, we didn’t snatch it from anyone else and they were fully aware we were not disabled in any way.