Post Cards From the Panama Canal

[mort&fran]

We will be on a HAL cruise transiting the Panama Canal with no stops planned for Panama. We send postcards to out grandchildren from the ports we visit (when I remember to look for postcards), and would like to send them one from the Canal. Does anyone who has transited the Canal in the past know if, for ships that transit the Canal, there is some way to purchase (and mail) post cards?

 

ThanX!

[O2B@C]

If all else fails, maybe you can have one of the ship's photographers take a photo of you during the canal transit and print it out in a postcard size - then mail it from the next stop. Maybe?

[catl331]

IIRC the photographers get off somehow to take shots of the passengers up on the ship, but I don't think mail or anything else gets off. Maybe the shops on board will have canal postcards that you can send from the next stop.

[Tarpeian Rock]

We will be on a HAL cruise transiting the Panama Canal with no stops planned for Panama. We send postcards to out grandchildren from the ports we visit (when I remember to look for postcards), and would like to send them one from the Canal. Does anyone who has transited the Canal in the past know if, for ships that transit the Canal, there is some way to purchase (and mail) post cards?

 

ThanX!

 

 

 

 

We transited the Canal last week on Zuiderdam. We got off the ship for a couple of hours in Colon but - per all the advice we received - we limited our visit to the shops in the immediate port area. I recall seeing post cards for sale in at least one shop, but don't recall seeing either Panama stamps or a mail box, but as we weren't interested we didn't ask at the counter. So there's a chance that they might.

[catl331]

We transited the Canal last week on Zuiderdam. We got off the ship for a couple of hours in Colon but ...

Was that a full transit, or just the partial in as far as Gatun lake? I didn't think any passengers could get off on a full transit because of the time limitations. I know we couldn't.

 

The OP said "no stops are planned for Panama" on her cruise.

[Tarpeian Rock]

Was that a full transit, or just in as far as Gatun lake? I didn't think any passengers could get off on a full transit because of the time limitations. I know we couldn't.

 

 

 

Sorry, it was the partial transit with the turnaround in Gatun Lake. We tied up at Colon for several hours waiting for the excursion (train, kayak etc.) folks to rejoin the ship.

[Krazy Kruizers]

On the full transit cruises that we have taken -- rarely have there been postcards to buy in the ship's shops.

Also there is no way to send them from the ship as there are no stops.

[catl331]

You could upload your own digital photo to a service site (such as snapfish.com etc) and have them make and send a postcard while you're still on the ship ... maybe even still in the Canal. :) Cost is about $0.75 per card plus s&h. You should set up your snapfish (or other) account before you leave home.

 

You could also buy postcard sticky backings for any 4"x6" photo, but then the problem is getting the print made. I don't know if the ship photo shop would do that for you.

 

You could also prepare your own postcard before you leave home from a picture you find someplace on the web (maybe even Cruise Critic ports of call photo gallery http://pictures.cruisecritic.com/showgallery.php?cat=510

and mail it from the first port after leaving the Canal.

[catl331]

You can search the CC photo gallery for Panama Canal and come up with these: http://pictures.cruisecritic.com/search.php?searchid=223716

 

And here's some of HAL ships in the PC:

http://pictures.cruisecritic.com/search.php?searchid=223717