Panama Canal

[BIG O in TEXAS]

I'm going on the Freedom on April 9th. Been looking at Shore Excursions for Panama. Has anyone done the Panama Canal Tour. It lasts 8 hours and the cost is $179.99. If it's a good excursion I don't mind spending that much but thought I'd try to find out more. Also has anyone done this with a non Carnival company. Thanks for any help.

[golfadj]

Go to the port of call pages for more info.

 

Apparently this tour gets back late pretty regularly so for this would not take a chance with a non Carnival excursion.

 

We have used myfriendmario two other times and had two outstanding tours.

[CbusCruiser]

We took this cruise in February 2009. We booked the excursion through Carnival. If you have never been to the canal. The trip through the canal is worth it. Specially now that they are making it bigger....you can see the construction going on. As golfadj said, it does get back late. We got back almost an hour late...last people on ship. If you were not on a Carnival excursion, they won't wait for you. If you decide to do it, be sure to wear a hat or something...the sun is pretty strong down there. It was pretty cool on the trip...we got to see a rainbow complete circle the sun. The tour guide said it does happen but it is a rare event. If you have anymore questions, let me know.

[mavis2222]

I recommend you book a full transit cruise where the ship itself goes through the canal instead of you paying extra to do the same thing on a shore excurson, cruise that is considered "Panama canal" when it really isnt.

[mishelly76]

I'm going on the Freedom on April 9th. Been looking at Shore Excursions for Panama. Has anyone done the Panama Canal Tour. It lasts 8 hours and the cost is $179.99. If it's a good excursion I don't mind spending that much but thought I'd try to find out more. Also has anyone done this with a non Carnival company. Thanks for any help.

 

Just off the Freedom on Sunday and we spent Thanksgiving doing this tour. It was well worth the money since it is probably a once-in-a-lifetime experience. But as others said the tour does frequently come back late (we were two hours late after one of the locks broke). It is also HOT and when I say HOT, I mean HOT!!! LOL!

 

Someone also suggested booking a cruse through the locks but there are only a select number of smaller ships that fit until the expansion is complete (2014). But we went through 4 of the 8 locks, good enough for me. :) Also a cruise that would currently go through the locks takes two days just to make the trip as you go half way and then dock overnight in Gatun Lake and then finish the trip the next day. I also would think that doing it on a smaller boat would give you a much better prespective then standing on a balcony or outside deck 50-75 feet above the action.

 

Let me know if you have any other questions.

[Essiesmom]

Just off the Freedom on Sunday and we spent Thanksgiving doing this tour. It was well worth the money since it is probably a once-in-a-lifetime experience. But as others said the tour does frequently come back late (we were two hours late after one of the locks broke). It is also HOT and when I say HOT, I mean HOT!!! LOL!

 

Someone also suggested booking a cruse through the locks but there are only a select number of smaller ships that fit until the expansion is complete (2014). But we went through 4 of the 8 locks, good enough for me. :) Also a cruise that would currently go through the locks takes two days just to make the trip as you go half way and then dock overnight in Gatun Lake and then finish the trip the next day. I also would think that doing it on a smaller boat would give you a much better prespective then standing on a balcony or outside deck 50-75 feet above the action.

 

Let me know if you have any other questions.

 

Actually, there are far more ships that can fit through the locks than those that can't. Most of those that can't are Carnival and Royal ships. Others would be NCL Epic and QM2, plus a number of Princess ships. All of HA'Ls ships fit. Carnival will be doing two full transits next year when they switch out Paradise and Inspiration. EM

[mavis2222]

I went through on a REPO cruise. Transit took 8 hours from the Carabbean to the Pacific side including going under the bridge of americas. Of course it was a one way trip from Miami to San Fransisco. I will do it again in the future. Expecailly when after the Widening project.

I did this in Apr 2001 on the Norweigan Wind from NCL.

[hertz4319]

My partner and I will be on the Freedom on Jan 15th. We are going to Panama and thinking about booking a non Carnival panama canal ferry tour. This post got me concerned about missing the ship. Does Canival and the other tour providers use the same ferry? If so then if the Carnival group comes back late everyone comes back late. Just wondering. I want to make the best decision. Thanks Stewart.

[Mary Ellen1]

My partner and I will be on the Freedom on Jan 15th. We are going to Panama and thinking about booking a non Carnival panama canal ferry tour. This post got me concerned about missing the ship. Does Canival and the other tour providers use the same ferry? If so then if the Carnival group comes back late everyone comes back late. Just wondering. I want to make the best decision. Thanks Stewart.

 

I can't speak to them using the same ferry, but a member of our roll call told us that the bus drivers all know each other, and are in communication with one another. He was on a non-Carnival tour (with myfriendmario) and, as mishelly76 said, the ship's tours were getting back 1.5-2 hours late. His tour stayed late because his driver knew that the ship's tours were also running late. I would NOT recommend using this as a strategy, though... If you use a non-ship's tour make sure they get you back well before the stated boarding time.

[Prairie_Gal]

We went to Panama on our Miracle cruise and took the ferry excursion through the locks. It was a once in a lifetime experience. If you click on the link in my signature you can see pictures from this excursion.

[mucklucks]

If you can put up with the quiet HAL does an amazing 10 night Sunfarer that transits the first lock and heads to the Gatun Lake before contiuing the journey it explores ports such as Costa Rica,Aruba,Curacoa etc it has a bit of everything and you do not need to take a tour to experience the canal...

Just a thought

Later,

Rhonda aka mucklucks

[hertz4319]

We went to Panama on our Miracle cruise and took the ferry excursion through the locks. It was a once in a lifetime experience. If you click on the link in my signature you can see pictures from this excursion.

 

Thanks Prairie_ Gal

 

Did you take the ship's tour? Were you late back to the ship? Thanks Stewart.

[Stacey779]

I've been researching this excursion as well. It's pricey, but from what I've read on the ports of call boards here on CC most people have said it's worth it. For us, we don't know if we'll ever do a full-transit cruise through the canal, so I think we're going to do it.

 

One other note - we always do independent excursions, but for this one we're going to book through Carnival. I don't want to spend the whole tour stressing about getting back on time, and from what I've read it frequently runs late.

[mosaic_mom]

My partner and I will be on the Freedom on Jan 15th. We are going to Panama and thinking about booking a non Carnival panama canal ferry tour. This post got me concerned about missing the ship. Does Canival and the other tour providers use the same ferry? If so then if the Carnival group comes back late everyone comes back late. Just wondering. I want to make the best decision. Thanks Stewart.

 

Hi Stewart. Come on over to the roll call section. We got a great roll call going for Jan 15 cruise on the Freedom. Several of us will be doing the Carnival excursion.

[BigDoug]

The Canal by Ferry tour is well worth the money. You get a very up close and personal tour of the canal. The guides that we had on the bus (to the Pacific side) were former Canal Zone employees. Very knowledgeable and friendly. The delays are usually caused by waiting for a free lock for the ferry to enter. Also there can be traffic delays on the way back to the ship. The railroad tour takes you to the Visitors Center at the Miraflores Lock. The ferry takes you into the lock.

From inside the Miraflores lock.

View of the Miraflores lock from the Visitor's Center.

[hertz4319]

Doug,

 

Thanks for the info. The pictures look awesome. Did you take the ship's tour or an independent one. Did you arrive back late? Thanks Stewart

[evandbob]

I did a Miraflores transit through CCL (the Legend I believe) had to wait for us because we returned late. I was on a small ferry that went through the locks behind a giant transport ship, it was very interesting and I'm glad to have done it for the experience. We cruised a rather lengthy section of the Canal, and work was just starting on widening it. When I returned home to NY, I marveled at how I didn't appreciate the grandeur of the Hudson River and Palisades right outside my home - that scenery was infinitely greater than what I saw at the Canal!

[gaelan]

We went to Panama on our Miracle cruise and took the ferry excursion through the locks. It was a once in a lifetime experience. If you click on the link in my signature you can see pictures from this excursion.

 

We also did the CCL Panama canal tour on the Miracle this past March. It was well worth the price and you get to see the canal up close and personal which I don't think you would experience on a large ship. Also we were the last vessel to transit the locks west to east and it was fun watching the big ships come by in the opposite direction and really close, quite an experience plus you get a very informative guided tour and history of the canal. We typically avoid the cruise line tours and go independent, but on this tour, being all day with many chances for delays I would go Carnival all the way. As one OP said the locks can get congested, buses break etc.....just not IMHO worth the gamble to see the stern of your ship sailing away in the distance.

[BIG O in TEXAS]

Thanks so much for the information. I believe like so many of you said it will be better to book through Carnival and not have to worry about the time. Thanks again.

[Mekamax]

One more vote for the money difference to do the full transit. When we went in 1996 it was the ONLY way to go and it is well worth it. We were only in our 20s and early 30s and thought it really wouldn't be that interesting (we really went to see Aruba which was the only way to get to that port back then) but it was amazing doing the full transit. Also you can get close to the locks just book a balcony cabin on a lower deck... The Bridge of Americas was amazing.