Panama Canal (Cruising)

[charlielinda]

On the itinerary it shows:

 

Panama Canal (Cruising) - Tendered - Arrive 6:00 a.m. / Depart 4:00 p.m.

 

Does this mean that the ship is going through the canal at this time so we would stay on the ship and watch the ship go through the canal? I'm confused with the arrive and departure times and also the fact that Celebrity shows excursions.

 

It also shows that we are a Cristobal Pier from 6:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m. What in the world has anyone done there at that time of day?

 

Any suggestions or directions would be welcome! Thanks!

[chessbriar]

Not sure what they mean by tendering at for Panama Canal cruising unless they are letting you off the ship right after you enter the Canal for shore excursions. You'll want to stay on.

 

As to Cristobal, don't expect anything. You don't wan't to go into town especially at night. They have shops and a pizza hut and a small bar right where the ships docks. You don't need to go any further.

 

I would definitely pick this cruise over the Century. You'll have a blast.

[LSilver]

I've taken the Canal cruise three times - each time from West to East.

 

The ship enters the Canal from the Pacific at about 6am and it takes all day to make the transit. The actual time is set by the Canal authority and can vary by maybe up to an hour.

 

The Canal itself is a few miles inland from the Pacific. Along the way to it the ship goes under the Bridge of the Americas -- the only land-link between North and South America (though I think another one is being built.)

 

In Gatun Lake, just before the Atlantic locks, the people taking excursion are picked up by a large tender/ferry (not the ship's). The ship then procedes thru the Atlantic locks and docks at Cristobal pier.

 

At Cristobal pier the ship usually gets refueled and waits for the passangers who took excursions. There are some shopping kiosks at the pier.

[2552phxcrzr]

On our cruise, from the Pacific to the Atlantic, excursions were offered to those passengers who wished to disembark at Gatun Lake. They were picked up at Cristobal when the ship docked at the end of the transit.

 

In Cristobal, there was a hangar-full of kiosks with locals selling their wares. Also, at the end of the pier there was a restaurant, and attached to the hangar was another shopping area with a courtyard in the center. Both on the pier as the ship was docking, and later in the enclosed courtyard, there were folklore shows - teenagers in traditional costumes and indigenous natives as well.

[makethegrade]

From what I have researched, it seems that it's best to stay close to the ship in Panama.

 

I think we will save our adventures for Costa Rica.

[makethegrade]

whoops..

here's the link

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=62227

[98Charlie]

From the sound of it you are going to go through a lock and in Gatun lake. A complete transit of the canal takes some 8 hours.

 

From the lake you have the opportunity to leave the ship by tender, just as with any port. The ship will pass back through the lock and dock at the pier at Cristobol from 4 to 6 PM. If you are off of the ship during this time you will rejoin the ship at the pier. If you are taking a ship excursion, they will know where to return you.

 

We were on the Horizon earlier this year and stopped at Cristobol. We took the Domed Train Excursion. It was fantastic. The train travels the 50 miles from Cristobol to Panama City. There is a bus tour before the return train trip. We rate the domed train as the highlight of the cruise.

 

The train has 8 or 10 cars. Only one is domed and it sells out early, usually before the cruise departure date. There are a total of 50 seats on the domed car.

 

We were advised that the area outside of the shopping mall is not a great place to be walking about.

 

Enjoy the cruise,

 

Charlie

[98Charlie]

OK, DW reminded me that the ships that go into the lake may dock at a different pier than where we docked. Ours was very new and there was a mall across the road from the pier.

 

So, be advised that YMMV on the info regarding the pier.

 

Charlie

[Mike2131]

The above posts pretty much covered what you need to know. There is, however, one very important difference form other ports to be aware of. Unless you are booked on a ship's excursion, you probably will not be allowed off the ship in Gatun Lake. It was this way with Princess, and I would think that is the case with Celebrity. Check with your TA or Celebrity before you even consider any independent tour.

There are no vendors or independent tour operators at the tender dock, just the drivers and guides to meet you for your ship-booked tours.

As mentioned, the time that the ship enters the Canal is up to the Canal Authority, but passenger vessels do get preference. I am sure that the hefty fees the cruise lines pay undoubtedly contributes to that special treatment.

 

You will step up through the 3 Gatun Locks and the ship will stop in Gatun Lake. Passengers on the above referenced tours will be tendered to shore and then the ship will be moved back through the locks to Cristobal pier.

 

As mentioned, there is shopping at the pier but, from what we saw, you don't want to venture off the dock. It looked like a pretty rough area when we were returning from or excursion.

 

Have a great cruise. The Canal is a fascinating experience and we are looking forward to full transit in the future.

[makethegrade]

We are likely to simply ride through the canal on ship and enjoy the view... Are the tours really that good not to be missed? (It seems not by the general concensus)

Any final thoughts?

Our cruise just opened booking for shore excursions...

[Mike2131]

We are likely to simply ride through the canal on ship and enjoy the view... Are the tours really that good not to be missed? (It seems not by the general concensus)

Any final thoughts?

Our cruise just opened booking for shore excursions...

 

We took the rainforest hike and it was just OK. The plants were interesting, but the wildlife sightings were very sparse. There were some tucans (I missed seeing them), hummingbirds, and a few beautiful butterflies.

We heard some good feedback on the boat trip through the canal and the train trip (dome car). For us, the Canal was the highlight.

[Randyk47]

In March on the Galaxy we started through the locks very early in the morning. In fact, we were up and out of our cabin by about 5:30 AM. It was a great experience and the reason we took the cruise in the first place. As mentioned above we anchored in Gatun Lake after we passed through the locks and only those passengers on tours were allowed off at that time. We went back to bed and had a great nap.

[makethegrade]

thanks for the feedback.

We are 90% likely to simply ride it out on our balcony of the ship.. All the tours seem just ok...

[Randyk47]

If you've never been through the Canal before then I'd highly recommend you go aft. Pick out a nice spot with a table and chairs and enjoy the transit. Several friends on our cruise initially tried to watch the transit from their verandahs and discovered they couldn't see much.

[CelebrityMan]

Hi,

 

Adding one bit of Canal trivia.... The Bridge of the Americas is no longer the only land link, as a previous poster surmised. In 2004 a spectacular new suspension bridge, The Centennial Bridge, was completed over the Canal south of the Guillard Cut and north of Panama City environs.

 

And by way of gentle reminder, geography being what it is, the Canal actually runs north/south though is commonly thought of as east/west.

 

The whole on-board experience is not to be missed, and yes, DON'T attempt to get the full impact from a private veranda. Get up and out on deck, the higher the better in many places through the Canal. The only time I'd suggest returning to your veranda would be during one stage of the lockage at Gatun, and then only if your veranda is low enough in the ship as to give you the sensation of being "deep" in the lock chamber. If it is, you'll get a very special feeling for how little clearance there is for the ship -- mere inches, really.

 

Have a fantastic cruise!!

 

 

 

 

 

CM

[makethegrade]

Again, thanks for the great insight.

We have decided (at least for now), to experience the canal on (in?) the canal.

[makethegrade]

I found a cool web site about the canal..

not surprisingly

http://www.panamacanal.com

lots of pix, etc.

[Liat]

We did a Canal transit in 2002 on Infinity. We have a thorough review on http://www.cruisereviews.com. Click on "cruise reviews" then on Celebrity, and then go down the menu to Infinity and click on that.

The best advice we have is to read "The Path Between the Seas" by David McCullough. It will give you an appreciation of the Canal like nothing else.

And follow the advice from oter posters here who said to stay on board and go out on the deck as you go through the locks.

Cruising Lake Gatun is just that - a lazy passage during which you can enjoy the ship and the surroundings.

[makethegrade]

great advice. In fact, someone else has recommended reading this.... we intend to got on deck, or our balcony, and just take it all in. We have decided to forego any land tours for this day... How often do you cruise through the Panama Canal?

[TEXASMUNK]

Dunk the balcony when you are going through the locks!

 

Head forward or aft, that is the only way to see the locks operate. Then hit your balcony for the second lock. But the view is all the way forward or at the stern of the ship when entering the locks

[makethegrade]

Thanks for the advice.

 

We had another couple suggest just lapping the ship to get all angles.

 

How long does it take to get through the lock?

[canderson]

The above posts pretty much covered what you need to know. There is, however, one very important difference form other ports to be aware of. Unless you are booked on a ship's excursion, you probably will not be allowed off the ship in Gatun Lake.

Have found that it IS possible to book a private excursion from Gatun Lake. The tour operator will need to have already contacted the cruise line and come to a mutual agreement about this, and you'll need a hardcopy of the confirmation of your tour in hand when you depart the ship for the tender.

 

Thus far, I've only found two operators, one of which has made arrangements with Celebrity (Gold Coast). Not sure how many actually exist that have done this and for which lines.

[pboedeker]

We've booked the Fishing Trip in Gatun Lake on our upcoming Galaxy cruise. My question is: We will have enough time on on the ship going through the locks to Gatun Lakes to enjoy the experience or should we cancel the excursion and ride the ship back out of Gatun and see more "Lock" time?

[AFT_LOVER]

for our 11/20 Transcanal on Summit & we are CC AFT, so we are planning breakfast, lunch & maybe dinner for 12 folks, great friends from past cruises that booked with me 14 months ago. This will be one very special memoir for our mental travel book.

[makethegrade]

How long if the trip?

I think the Gatu transit is about 5 hours?