Richard in Panama

Two great choices ... can't imagine you'd be disappointed with either one! There are two key factors IMHO ... some time IN Panama to get off the ship and see something of the country in addition to the Canal. The second is to read and research before getting on board so you know something about Panama, it's history, and the Canal, past, present and future plans. Enjoy! REgards, Richard

Caa - Great report!! Sounds like a great trip! Regards, Richard

Once the tendering operation offloading folks on tours is complete, around 11 am or so the ship goes back through the locks to dock at Colon and await everyone returning from the tours. Because it's a long day and all the tours return about the same time, there can be long lines in boarding. I suspect "Transfer back to the tendering pier is a misprint" since the Canal tends to want to get the ships doing turnaround trips out of Gatun and into the locks ASAP. Regards, Richard

The present day Railway while the historical descendant of the original Panama Railroad is interesting, fun ... sit back and relax ... and if you are a railroad buff probably an essential "must do" in Panama. The original route of the railroad is mostly underneath the Canal and, as Bill pointed out, you will only catch glimpses of the Canal. The Railway today has an important function to move containers from one side of the Isthmus to the other, usually in under 4 hours, and while in bond. The history of building the railroad is almost as interesting as the history of building the Canal and the railroad was built about 50 years before the Canal ... so important I feel that I included an entire chapter about the history of the RR and how it relates to the building of the Canal.

Doing the turnaround partial transit I would definitely get off the ship and see something more of Panama. Going back through Gatun Locks is identically the same experience and then you sit on the ship for several hours in Colon waiting for the guests who took tours to come back to the ship. There is nothing, NOTHING safe to see or do in Colon or near to the pier itself. The Canal ferry transit is a great way to experience the entire Canal and important parts like Gaillard or Cuelebra Cut which you would otherwise miss. If you like history, culture, or nature, there are other tours that you should take advantage of. There is so much to do that you'll likely want to come back and just do Panama! Panama is relatively new to tourism, unlike Costa Rica which has been doing it for 40 years, so in many ways Panama is still a bit "undiscovered" as a tourist destination. But it is growing and last year tourism brought in twice the revenue of the Panama Canal.

More on tours and pics...

Hope that helps. Regards, Richard

This is Panama Canal board and the question was should OP get any vaccinations for the Canal cruise: the answer is NO. Sure, it's always good to see your doctor, eat apples, love your Mom, etc. Travel medicine specialists obviously are in business and want to make money, and likely they will recommend tons of stuff, even, God forbid, malaria pills. For the Canal and where you are going in Panama you don't need anything but sun screen, maybe some bug repellent if you're going off the ship, money (US$), and a sense of adventure. Of course speak with your doctor, accountant, priest, rabbi, travel agent, whatever.

Regards, Richard

No.

Have a fantastic trip! Regards,

Richard

Can the objects made in the villages be hand carried back to the states, thru customs ?

Of course! Or wrap them up in your dirty clothes in checked luggage. No problem. Unlike Brazil, which has restrictions on some wood products, Panama does not. Carvings are made in cocobolo a very hard wood, so no insect problems. The "vegetable ivory" carvings are from tagua nut, which is a palm tree fruit. Just has the "ivory" designation because it is very hard when it dries and way back, tagua buttons became a substitute for ivory buttons, then along came plastic. Now, some of the high end clothing lines, like Banana Republic, are using tagua nut buttons that are made here in Panama.

Regards, Richard

I know there are a few people on this board that are frequent visitors to Panama and even Embera villages. On a Panama Canal cruise in December of 2012, my husband and I went on the full day trip to meet the Embera people in their village. Due to financial constraints, we didn't buy a wood carving. I did purchase a few jewelry items, but have regretted not buying a wood carving ever since then. I've looked online and it seems like there a few groups helping indigenous people of Panama sell their work online, but none are from the village we visited.

Any thoughts on how I could go about contacting someone to see if we could work something out? The best outcome would be that I could purchase a carving and have it shipped to the U.S., paying with a credit card, cash, check - anything that wouldn't be inconvenient for them.

I'd suggest contacting Anne Gordon [emberavillagetours.com] and asking her. At one time I thought she, or someone she knew, was trying to sell Embera crafts from Embera Puru online. It's tough because every piece is unique. Panart.com also has some things, but I haven't seen wood carvings. Regards, Richard

I have a somewhat odd question. I'm interested in doing the Authentic Embera Indian Village shore excursion on our Partial Transit Cruise on the Island Princess in December.

 

Although the information on the Princess website says the women are unclothed from the waist up, I've seen pictures on the internet showing the Embera women wearing decorative bikini-type tops.

 

What can I expect to see? I don't want to be taken by surprise and stand there with my mouth gaping open if you know what I mean!

 

Thanks!

_______________

JimAOK - Dress and "nudity" or lack thereof is strictly a cultural issue. Same thing in any culture. And it depends on many things ... a baby sees breasts and thinks "lunch", the same kid when he's fourteen ... is off to lock his bedroom door! Whether or not the women will wear tops or the kind of loose coins strung on strings top will depend on the village you visit and their commitment to "authenticity." The village Princess typically uses on the Authentic all day tour is Embera Puru which prides itself in preserving Embera tradition. As some of my friends there say, "We are the REAL Embera!" Even in this village there are variations. The older women do not wear tops because it is not their Embera tradition. [Remember, these folks live in the steaming Chagres jungle!] The younger, more "rebellious" women, who've been more exposed to gringo culture and fashion, prefer tops. [Funny, in a way the opposite of our culture where "less" is often more "rebellious".] Some of the closer in, more "touristy" villages a few years ago were quietly advised by one tour operator from an upscale cruise line that some guests found the "nudity" offensive, and so that village made an economic decision to adjust. Same thing with the guys and loin cloths. The more "touristy" village developed a kind of beaded skirt for the guys. The tradition outfit for the guys is loin cloth. The fact is loin cloths are highly overrated! Shorts, commando-style, although not "traditional" are more comfortable for daily wear for the guys. Although, in my experience, at least at Embera Puru, in daily life the women dress exactly as you'll see them, depending on their personal choices.

The government provides a primary school and sends in a teacher (a week at a time) to places like Embera Puru. [interestingly the Panama Government requires the children, who run around near-naked otherwise, to wear uniforms and shoes and socks to school!] But if the children want to go to what we call in the US junior and senior high, the parents have to pay (with money they raise from selling craftwork) to send them away to private boarding schools. Many of these schools are run by various missionary outfits which influence the kids fashion sense.

I admire my Embera friends for their commitment to preserve a culture that was here when Columbus arrived. How they work that out, in a country that is quickly becoming "first world" is up to them. I remember going in by dug out canoe with my friend from Embera Puru. We were headed to the little town on the lake where I had left my car, and then to Panama City. Then was headed home but my friend, the village chief at the time, needed to see the village lawyer. We took along a beautiful 16-year-old bare-breasted Embera girl who needed to see a doctor in Panama City. When we got to the village where my car was parked she disappeared and we waited 45 minutes. When she came back she was dressed like any other 16-year-old Panamanian teenager: jeans so tight you'd swear they were painted on, bare midrift, made up to the hilt.

These are warm, wonderful people. Any "nudity" is totally forgotten in ten minutes. Go on the Authentic Embera Village Tour and have a wonderful time! Regards, Richard

Thanks, but I think I'll take modern day cruising!

Regards, Richard

Pilots view in the new Canal Pilots training center simulator . . .

To give a comparison . . .

The smart ports in the US are investing in expanding the infrastructure to accommodate the larger ships, a lot of them playing "catch up." Obviously the economies of scale make the larger ships much more profitable.

Regards, Richard

We stopped in Colon this past March.

 

There's nothing at the port itself, so you really need to get out and explore. One thing we really wanted to do was to see the Panama Canal, though we didn't feel a need to have to ride through it at great expense. We prearranged the "Rainforest (Watching Birds and Monkeys) + San Lorenzo Fort + Gatun Locks" private tour through Almiza Tours (aka My Friend Mario) for US$60 per adult. The tour ran from 8:40am to 3:30pm (ship time). The tour included: Transfer from and to the Colon dock, touring in air conditioned minibus, an English/Spanish speaking guide, beverages (bottled Cokes, water, and local beer), a stop for fruit, and entrance fees to both Gatun locks (a set of locks on the Panama Canal) and San Lorenzo National park (which includes another fort to explore).

 

Our bus had seats for about 30 people, but only fits about 16 comfortably as each pair of seats really only fit 1.5 people. We had 26 passengers plus a driver, our guide, and a spotter (who was genuinely proficient at spotting wildlife). Let's just say we got to know each other really well.

 

The Gutan Locks are located 30 minutes from the pier. We got there in time to watch a huge cargo ship, with barely a few inches on either side of it, enter and exit the Gutan locks guided by mules (powerful little electric-powered train-like locomotive). Each lock is 1050 feet long, 110 feet wide, and 42 feet deep. As ships go through the 3 locks, they are raised or lowered a total of 85-feet. Each of the 3 chambers requires almost 27 Million gallons of water to lift a ship to the required height before moving into the next lock. Interestingly, the Panama Canal was celebrating it's Centennial in 2014.

 

We then drove through the rain forest and took a short narrated walk. We saw Howler Monkeys, 2 or 3 sloths, and lots of flora and fauna. Panama has some 2300 species of trees.

 

Following the hike we stopped at Fort San Lorenzo, a late 1500's fort located near Ft. Sherman, an old US military base. Buccaneer Henry Morgan attacked the fort in 1670, leaving it in ruins, and then sacked the city of Panama a year later. It's a cool fort, in need of repair, with lots of cannons and good picture opportunities. We stopped for cold local pineapple and watermelon on the way back to the ship.

 

http://www.lavasurfer.com/info/panama-canal.jpg

 

More "Secrets of the Caribbean": http://www.lavasurfer.com/info/caribbean-secrets.html

First-hand information on excursions we've taken in 24 Caribbean ports. With photos!

Caribbeanbound: Glad you got off the ship and were able to see a little of what Panama has to offer! To the OP: You get the best view, and IMHO perspective, from the deck of your ship IF you are doing a complete transit.

Generally the ship-sponsored tours use large buses and a lot of the independent operators use "coaster" buses which form the bulk of our private, yet country-wide bus system in Panama. Maybe Panama butts are smaller than cruise passenger butts - ever notice how many people are supposed to fit in lifeboats and the size of the butt spaces they sometimes have painted on the seats?? The seats are supposed to fit 2 people, along with purses, bags and children, and they do for most Panamanians travelling short distances. Usually both the cruise lines and independent operators never fill the buses completely for that reason.

Since I worked a Canal ship for 5 months, do other ships going through the Canal on longer itineraries, and live here, I've put together my reviews and pics of all the tours ... richardinPanama.com ... Most of the tours, although offered by different cruise companies under different names, are run by the same big tourist operations in Panama. Independents generally follow the same program but with fewer people sometimes throw in a few extras. Panama is not like the Caribbean where there are independent operators lined up when you get off the ship "Fuerte Amador." [The one big exception being the Hop On Hop Off tour bus that stops on the Pacific side at You're best, if you want independent, to check out what's available on-line, check reviews on CC and elsewhere, and book in advance. If butt-room is a concern, ask in advance what kind of transportation they use. Some independents only have vans which can get pretty crowded especially if you end up in one of the side "jump seats."

Panama requires a little more advance work and research ... it's not just a matter of getting off the ship and "doing something ... whatever."

Regards, Richard

Nice pics! Glad you had a great cruise. The ZUIDERDAM is special to me. This wasn't an "official" excursion but it was fun to swim in the Canal right in front of the ship...which was far away. The 10 day turnaround cruises are a great way to see as much of the Canal as you wish, some of Panama, and enjoy the Caribbean as well. Regards, Richard

[No, no mermaids in the Canal, just the gals from Shore Ex]

The rainy season is more or less May through December. Less rainy season, or "dry" season is usually mid-December through mid-May, however you can get rain anytime in the Panama Canal area since it is, after all, a rain forest. It is always hot and humid since we are only about 9 degrees off the Equator.

In January - March we get winds from the north, which is a great time to cruise the Canal because the breeze makes it feel cooler when you are out on deck.

Regards, Richard

Richard, is Shade Lady the place that also sells some very good cashew nuts?

LuLu

Don't know about the nuts, but cashew trees are all over Costa Rica and Panama. LuLu

There is a local beach right in town within walking distance of the pier. Not the nicest beach around, but it is busy with locals on weekends especially. Since we're on Costa Rica, not Panama, although often a stop on Canal cruises, there are vendors near the pier. My favorite one was a gringo who sold "Shade Lady Coffee" [not "shady lady" ... that's a business further down and one where you may get more than you pay for.] This guy buys the high altitude Tarrazu coffee, roasts it the day before the ship comes in, and sells it. I raise coffee in Panama, but always bring home a few bags of his stuff. It is VERY good coffee! Regards, Richard

The Canal charges $134 per passenger berth plus a whole lot of extra fees. It now charges $25,000 to make an advance reservation, so the ship doesn't sit there for hours or days waiting to go through, and $30,000 to guarantee a daylight transit. Since the turnover the Canal has been run as a business, not a break-even service. Cruise ships are a drop in the bucket for the Canal and account for only 8-9% of revenue.

This is a charge for passage, not a tax. For cruise lines to add Canal fees in as taxes is just typical slight of hand to come up with as low of a price point as possible, dump as much into additional fees as possible [calling the call fee a tax, adding fuel surcharges, hotel service fees, etc.] and nickle and diming on board as much as possible.

Yes, Panama does derive benefit from the Canal, as it should. The revenue from the Canal, direct check to the government, is around $900 million now, and will be around $1.25 billion when the expansion is completed. The Panama Canal and tourism are the largest contributors to Panama's GDP, which will be about 8% this year, unfortunately down from the 10-12% per year it has been running. Panama has one of the few booming economies, that, plus the fact that it uses the US dollar which has become worth less every year, the high cost of oil, and the fact that most things, other than basic foodstuffs, have to be imported, means that costs go up. 35% in five years, if that is the correct number, isn't that bad since food has almost doubled in cost in five years.

Regards, Richard

No problem since tours can negotiate around any parades. Nov 3rd is "Separation Day" commemorating Panama's separation from Colombia. Nov 28th is Independence Day celebrating independence from Spain. I suspect a lot of folks from Panama City will be on the highways coming into Panama City after spending a long weekend outside the city. If anything I'd expect Panama City to be less busy than usual. Regards, Richard

In regard to WHEN to book: Booking early usually gives you a big discount AND you get the cabin/location you want. Sometimes cruise lines lower the price at the last minute. Usually if you ask [not automatic] cruise line will adjust your booking if a lower offer for which you qualify comes along. The lower offer may or may not be better but you have the choice. For example you may have booked early and gotten the stateroom you want, but the "last-minute" offer is for a "guarantee" ... so you give up the stateroom you want, for the stateroom they give you. Oh the games cruise lines play!

I LOVE the 2-day itinerary! You're coming all this way to Panama, so why not see some of Panama. To do that you need to be able to get off the ship. Just seeing Panama from the Canal would be like sailing into New York, never getting off the ship and saying that you visited New York because you sailed by! Trading a day in Panama for Cabo San Lucas? Really! Cabo once was a sleepy fishing village. Now Cabo is time share after time share, sprawling resort after sprawling resort.

There are great tours available in Panama [in Panama, "Panama" means Panama City. Part of Panama City is the Amador Peninsula which was once a fort, and the tip of the Peninsula where the ship tenders drop you off is called by the cruise lines "Fuerte Amador"]. The ship offers great tours and there are great independent tours. There is even a Hop On Hop Off bus that picks you up at "Fuerte Amador" and takes you all over the city for something like $30.

Regards, Richard

Richard, I think you must have me confused with another. I have never been through the Panama Canal before.

Sorry ... in that case I would seriously consider doing the Panama Canal excursion that takes you on a ferry boat through the Canal. To quote my book;

The Panama Canal Experience … or similarly named tour [History - available Fuerte Amador, Gatun Lake … ship tour only, Colon]

 

This is particularly valuable for people on a ship just calling at Panama, but not making a Canal transit. It is also good for folks on a cruise that is going to enter the Canal and turn around without making a complete transit. You board a small ferry boat at the midway point of the Canal and continue through Gaillard Cut, under the Centennial Bridge, through Pedro Miguel and Miraflores locks, under the Bridge of the Americas and out to Amador Peninsula, where a bus picks you up to take you back to your ship.

 

Going through the locks in a small boat is very different than on a giant cruise ship! You get a whole different perspective and really sense the immensity of the locks. You can actually reach out and touch the sides of the Canal from the ferry boat. The ferry is a ferry, a simple small boat and not a luxury cruise ship by any means. They have narration, free soft drinks and water, local beer for purchase … Atlas, Soberana and my favorite, Panamá … and a simple Panamanian lunch, definitely not like the buffet on board, but good.

If you are coming all this way, to the very entrance of one of the wonders of the world, you need to take a look! You can literally touch out and feel the Canal, and it is a fascinating journey.

Regardless, have a great time! Regards, Richard

Looking back through your posts it looks like you went through the Canal previously. Although it's called by different names on different cruise lines, you'll bus across the Isthmus on the new four lane highway which is quite pleasant (but looks like every other four lane highway). Usually they will take you for a lunch on Amador, show you around there a bit, a little of Balboa (the old center of the US Canal Zone), where they used to stop at the craft market behind the old YMCA - not sure if they are still doing this. You'll do some scenic touring around the new downtown, and then go to Casco Viejo, the Colonial Panama City. Because the big buses can't get into the old narrow Casco Viejo streets, at some point they usually divide up the group into smaller buses and/or vans. In Casco Viejo is where you will do the walking. Take along some water and a hat. It's a fascinating place a lot of which is now under restoration. It has a definite New Orleans feel because a lot of the buildings date back to the French canal building period.

Then back to the ship. It should be an enjoyable tour, but there is walking involved. Have a great trip! Read up on the Canal and Panama (Ah-hem!) and you will enjoy it all the more!

Regards, Richard

I don't find Celebrity's Web site to be the easiest to get around, which is why I asked for the name of the tour. Are you taking a complete transit of the Canal, or doing a turn-around trip. Most of the tours in Panama are operated by two or three big companies. So knowing the name would help me help you. Traffic can be a nightmare in Panama City, maybe less so in Colon or Gamboa depending on which tour. You DO need to take a tour because there is nothing safe to do in Colon. There are some independent tour operators and you'll find discussion of them on this board. Most of the independents know the traffic situation, and also know back roads. They know their reputation depends on getting you back to the ship on time. A little more info please ...

Regards, Richard

What is the name of the tour? Which port?

Regards, Richard

I would expect a lot of kids, but, since it is around Thanksgiving, there may be some families. Your kids are of the age that will find the whole Canal experience interesting. If you have a chance to get off in Panama, I'd definitely take them on the Authentic Embera Indian Village tour. You might call NCL and ask them how many Youth Counselors will be on board. If there are more than two, you will know they've hired some extras because they are expecting more kids. The ships all have places where kids can hang out, play video games, etc. Regards, Richard

Poolboy: You left me trying to get a grasp as well. Can't quite find what your itinerary is for that date ... or how long you are in Colon.

In general if you are doing a complete transit, one ocean to another, you will see the entire Canal. The only additional thing you might like to do, if you have a full stop in Colon, is see the Canal construction underway from the new Gatun Visitor Center. If you have a full day in Colon there are amazing tours that you can do, either through the ship, or some on your own if you plan and book in advance. Colon is not a place where you just want to get off the ship and hope to pick up a tour at the pier. Depending on your areas of interest you can visit historical areas (Old Panama, Colonial Panama, the old Canal Zone areas, Portobelo, the fort at San Lorenzo) or for a unique cultural experience, "right out of National Geographic" the Authentic Embera Village Tour to Embera Puru, or for nature Captain Carl's tour, "monkey island", rain forest hikes, or kayaking or fishing in Gatun Lake. If you're a train buff, the Panama Railway.

Regards, Richard