Panama Canal LA to Miami excursions

[woofdog]

We have booked the Pearl in Sept 2010 LA to Miami and are trying to figure out what excursions we will want to do. There is nothing really available at NCL.com yet so that isnt any help.

 

The itinerary is as follows:

 

 

Sun Cabo San Lucas 10:00 AM 4:00 PM

Tue Acapulco 8:00 AM 5:00 PM

Wed Huatulco 8:00 AM 1:00 PM

Thu Puerto Quetzal 8:00 AM 5:00 PM

Sat Puntarenas 8:00 AM 5:00 PM

Mon Daylight Transit Panama Canal

Tue Cartagena 10:00 AM 7:00 PM

 

We would not be interested in any "beach" days, we'd be more into local culture. A great interest in Coffee plantations as well...

 

TIA for any direction you may steer us!

 

WOOF! :)

[watchung hills]

Anne Vipond's book, Panama Canal by Cruise Ship has some helpful information about some of the ports you will be visiting.

[woofdog]

Anne Vipond's book, Panama Canal by Cruise Ship has some helpful information about some of the ports you will be visiting.

 

thanks! I'll check it out. :)

[travelbig]

woofdog,

We are on NCL Pearl for the repo from Miami to LA starting April 10, 2010.

Look at the excursions offered to us to get an idea of what will be offered to you. Will probably be the same excursions, all of the ports are the same.

[Sukies]

:pCabo San Lucas

Small Mexican town, nice harbour, short walk into town, so no need to book tour

Took ship tour Whale watching, tours can be booked on dockside, smaller boats, did not check prices

Acapulco

Too big to tour on foot, 4 hour mini bus tour booked in cruise terminal, $ 20 per person. White vehicles, very good driver, who adapted to what we wanted. Included cliff diving at 13.00, entrance fee of $3 each.

Fort de San Diego adjacent terminal worth a visit, free entry, charge for museum.

Huatulco

Small settlement on sea shore, main town is 2 miles inland, took taxi from rank, $ 3 for ride each way, walked round main square, plenty of taxi’s to get back to ship.

Nice beach for paddle before rejoining ship. $5 for lounger

Puntarenas

Lot of market stalls adjacent to quayside.

Very limited activity locally.

Need to take a ship tour or get a tour from the quayside if you want to see some of the country.

We went on the mangrove swamp trip which was very good, saw a lot of wildlife.

Fuerte Amador

Marina adjacent Panama city, interesting terminal & marina. Best place to get your Duty free goods.

We went on the Trans Panama Railway journey, expensive but very informative and well worth the money. Includes trip to Gatun Locks, snack & water on train

Tours are available from quayside into Panama City. Too far to walk.

Panama Transit

Good viewing from cabin balconies, worth visiting promenade deck to appreciate vertical movement.

Transit can take 5/6 hours.

Cartagena

Ship terminal is in docks area, too far to walk into town.

Took tour from cruise terminal, 3 hrs for $ 20 per person. Included visit to monastery, old city. Did not have time to go into fort. Alternative tours available.

Monastery, on top of hill, good panoramic view of city.

Old town worth a visit

Aruba

Ship docks at Oranjestad, short walk into town, interesting sightseeing.

Free beaches are to the West, too far to walk.

Eagle Beach is good. $ 13 by taxi, $ 2 by bus. Bus station is directly opposite cruise terminal entrance.

All ports accept US $.

[One Eye Open]

Thanks for the overview, Sukies. Will be on the Star in Dec MIA-LA.

[GDoll]

Sukies: How was the whale watching? Travelling with DH and 2 kids, 12&9. We did this in Boston and the kids loved it. Trying to decide between this and Ember Village. Thoughts?

 

Thanks

[TTown Traveller]

We have booked the Pearl in Sept 2010 LA to Miami and are trying to figure out what excursions we will want to do. There is nothing really available at NCL.com yet so that isnt any help.

 

The itinerary is as follows:

 

 

Sun Cabo San Lucas 10:00 AM 4:00 PM

Tue Acapulco 8:00 AM 5:00 PM

Wed Huatulco 8:00 AM 1:00 PM

Thu Puerto Quetzal 8:00 AM 5:00 PM

Sat Puntarenas 8:00 AM 5:00 PM

Mon Daylight Transit Panama Canal

Tue Cartagena 10:00 AM 7:00 PM

 

We would not be interested in any "beach" days, we'd be more into local culture. A great interest in Coffee plantations as well...

 

TIA for any direction you may steer us!

 

WOOF! :)

We are on the Pearl in April going from Miami to LA so our itinerary is reversed but there are several coffee plantation tours in Puntarenas Costa Rica. If you go to NCl website and just go to Panama Canal shore excursions it will tell you the ones available in each port of call. You might want to check the Puerta Quetzal for plantation tours as well.

Have fun.

[TERRIER1]

We just got back and did whale watching on a high speed zodiac that seats 12. We booked through Ocean Riders in Cabo. It was great.

[xnavydoc2]

Hi WoofDog,

 

My Lovely Wife Opal and I are on the same cruise your on. Should be GREAT. Thanks for the info Sukies and everyone else.:)

[RNPJN]

We have booked the Pearl in Sept 2010 LA to Miami and are trying to figure out what excursions we will want to do. There is nothing really available at NCL.com yet so that isnt any help.

 

The itinerary is as follows:

 

 

Sun Cabo San Lucas 10:00 AM 4:00 PM

Tue Acapulco 8:00 AM 5:00 PM

Wed Huatulco 8:00 AM 1:00 PM

Thu Puerto Quetzal 8:00 AM 5:00 PM

Sat Puntarenas 8:00 AM 5:00 PM

Mon Daylight Transit Panama Canal

Tue Cartagena 10:00 AM 7:00 PM

 

We would not be interested in any "beach" days, we'd be more into local culture. A great interest in Coffee plantations as well...

 

TIA for any direction you may steer us!

 

WOOF! :)

 

 

I am no help to you at all, because we're not going on the Panama Canal cruise until Sept 2011 on the Pearl (maybe I'll finish that 700 page book about the canal by then!) Anyway, I hope that fellow members can give you some more information about the excursions. And I'm hoping you'll post a review after your trip also. We live in Florida and will be flying to Los Angeles. We have plenty of time to figure out flights and the hotel, but we do rely on people that have already done it. This forum is a big help.

And I noticed you're planning a trip on the Spirit. We're interested in that ship also, but not finding too much information about it.

[RNPJN]

My mistake - I misread the post and it was another person sailing on the Spirit. Sorry! Guess I'm just too excited about going on this Panama Canal trip...which is just so many months away.

[TTown Traveller]

I am no help to you at all, because we're not going on the Panama Canal cruise until Sept 2011 on the Pearl (maybe I'll finish that 700 page book about the canal by then!) Anyway, I hope that fellow members can give you some more information about the excursions. And I'm hoping you'll post a review after your trip also. We live in Florida and will be flying to Los Angeles. We have plenty of time to figure out flights and the hotel, but we do rely on people that have already done it. This forum is a big help.

And I noticed you're planning a trip on the Spirit. We're interested in that ship also, but not finding too much information about it.

We are doing the reverse sailing on the Pearl (Miami to LA) in April so will report back after our cruise on the excursions we did.

 

DH and I are also booked on the Spirit in January and I'm not finding as much information as I'd like either. Would love any links you find.

[RNPJN]

Thank you in advance! I am hoping that more people will critique the ship sponsored excursions on the NCL website after this fall sailing. We have had great luck in doing things on our own & arranging with private companies, but I'd rather be safe than sorry. Drives my husband nuts! (So far, we're considering the "Real Coffee Experience" in Puntarenas. Not sure about Acapulco - not interested in the cliff divers, seems too touristy but the other sight-seeing trips, seems everyone was complaining about the traffic & not getting much time to actually visit the actual destinations)

& there is a new thread going on in the NCL message board about the Spirit. Not crazy about the itinerary because we have been to those places already, but taking some time in New Orleans before the sail would be so much fun. And if the ship is so much different than all the other ones, I'm leaning to trying it, but first we'll have to budget for it! This Panama Canal trip is huge for us - its my dream trip whereas my DH can't wait to get on the Epic. Personally, don't think I'll really care for such a huge ship, we'll see.

Happy Sailing!!!

[itsanita]

We are going on the Celebrity Infinity in Sept, from Seattle to FL and are trying to decide on our port excursions. This post has been really helpful. Our biggest decision is to stay on ship all the way thru, or take an excursion as we do stop at the Cristobal Pier in Panama. How about some opinions on that. This will probably be our only time thru the canal, so which do you recomend?

[BillB48]

My choice would be to stay on the ship for the entire transit, particularly if you have not been through the Canal before. That way you get all the bragging rights of going ocean to ocean;)! I'm not trying to short change any of the tours that are offered, but many of the tours are often centered around some aspect of the Canal. The description I gave in another thread which you may have seen, is, if you elect to take a tour you will tender off the ship just before in locks through Gatun Locks. At this point you will have been thorugh about 80% of the Canal. If you had a portion of the Canal to "give up" this is probably where you could do it and not feel terribly guilty. The process at Gatun is just the reverse form what you did at Miraflores and Pedro Miguel earlier with the exception of it all being at one lock complex. While the ship is locking through Gatun Locks and making it's 5 mile journey down the channel to Cristobal, you will be on your tour. You will rejoin the ship in Cristobal.

[itsanita]

But according to our itinerary, we stop at Cristobal Pier (going east). So would we still get off somewhere before that and get back on there? It does not mention any other stops in Panama other than Cristobol.

[BillB48]

Actually where they stop to tender you off is not really a stop in the normal sense. While the ship is waiting for it's turn to go through Gatun Locks at the Gatun Lake anchorage, they will tender passengers who have booked tours (through the ship, no private tours at this point and no one else may disembark at this time.) The tendering process does not take very long since it is very close to shore, probably less than an hour. They will then resume the transit through the locks and dock in Cristobal. If past experience is any guide, you probably will find the arrival/departure times for Cristobal fairly fluid. They often arrive at the pier between 3 to 5PM and if all the tours are back leave before the scheduled 8PM departure. On one cruise we even stayed 3 hours beyond the scheduled depature

[itsanita]

thanks so much for answering these questions...its finally coming clear.

 

So, if we elected to do a tour, we would be on ship thru the Miraflores Locks and the Pedro Miguel Locks, but we would NOT be on the ship thru the Gatum Locks. We would be taking our 'tour' while are ship goes thru the locks to the Cristobol Pier, which is on the east side of the Gatum Locks.

 

From my reading, the Gatum Locks are the most impressive, so would it be better to see from land? or by going thru them on the ship? I guess that's what we will need to decide. Most of the ships excursions have a stop at the locks. Is it interestesing seeing them on land vs from the ship? Opinions on this?

 

There is a tour that combines the locks with a lake cruise to a re-creation of a Embera Indian village. Another that does the locks and also a drive to Panama City and to Casco Antiguo (colonial city). Another the locks and Portobelo. ANy suggestions on which of these three we should consider if we do choose a tour?

 

Again, thanks for the help

[BillB48]

So, if we elected to do a tour, we would be on ship thru the Miraflores Locks and the Pedro Miguel Locks, but we would NOT be on the ship thru the Gatum Locks. We would be taking our 'tour' while are ship goes thru the locks to the Cristobol Pier, which is on the east side of the Gatum Locks.

That's correct, you would leave the ship before it goes through Gatun Locks. The Cristobal piers are located in Colon which is about 5 miles by water from the locks.

 

From my reading, the Gatum Locks are the most impressive, so would it be better to see from land? or by going thru them on the ship? I guess that's what we will need to decide. Most of the ships excursions have a stop at the locks. Is it interestesing seeing them on land vs from the ship? Opinions on this?

Gatun Locks are the largest locks on the Canal. Essentially they are what Miraflores and Pedro Miguel Locks are... just placed together in one unit. If the tour is timed right you may be able to see your ship going through the Gatun Locks. In any event it would give you another perspective.

 

There is a tour that combines the locks with a lake cruise to a re-creation of a Embera Indian village. Another that does the locks and also a drive to Panama City and to Casco Antiguo (colonial city). Another the locks and Portobelo. ANy suggestions on which of these three we should consider if we do choose a tour?

Hmmm.. that's a hard one. I'm the nuts and bolts type of person so it is a little for me to offer advice in this case. I have not taken the Embera Village tour, I have read good reviews about both the demonstrtion village as well as the "real" village. The tour to Panama City and the Colonial City would give you a chance to see some of the urban areas as well as some of the City. In the other thread about "Colon Worth Getting Off The Ship?" there are some pictures posted by Hien Bloed.. a couple of them were taken in the old Colonial City. That would give you an idea of what's to see. Going Portobelo would give you a chance to the old custom"s house and old fortifications that date back to the late 1500s. I'm sure with any of the tours you would get a good overview in history department which would be interesting.