Celebrity Panama Canal Tour

[saldino]

Hello!

Has anyone taken the following Panama Canal Tour through Celebrity?

 

Panama Canal Tour (CO26) After a 1-hour narrated drive to Balboa, the ferry will travel through the Miraflores Locks, along Miraflores Lake, through the Pedro Miguel Locks and through the Gaylard Cut. Your canal experience concludes at the pier in Gamboa for a 1 hour bus ride back to the ship. Lunch buffet included. Special note: Tour duration may vary as unexpected delays in crossing the canal may occur, based on advise by local canal authorities that is beyond our control.

 

My question is how accessible are the bus and ferry? Are there steps, how many? What type of seating on the bus and ferry?

 

Thanks!

[maria1122]

We just returned yesterday and did that tour for the second time. If you want to see the locks working up close this is the tour that you will want. It is well worth the money.

[patty1955]

I didn't really want to take this excursion because I thought it was too expensive. DH disagreed, saying if you're going to the Panama Canal, you have to see the canal up close. He was completely right. This excursion was the highlight of our trip. The bus ride was interesting, with a few stops to take a closer look at the area. The ferry was very nice boat with seating along the railing.

The best part was going through the locks on a small boat then on our large ship. Seeing the canal and locks from two different perspectives was fascinating.

[saldino]

Thanks!

[4774Papa]

We took the excursion from Colon prior to entering the canal the next day that went to the Gatun Locks. It was great seeing everything from the locks, up close. We saw the same locks again the next day when we transited into lake Gatun.

[lovemylab]

Hello!

 

Has anyone taken the following Panama Canal Tour through Celebrity?

 

 

 

Panama Canal Tour (CO26) After a 1-hour narrated drive to Balboa, the ferry will travel through the Miraflores Locks, along Miraflores Lake, through the Pedro Miguel Locks and through the Gaylard Cut. Your canal experience concludes at the pier in Gamboa for a 1 hour bus ride back to the ship. Lunch buffet included. Special note: Tour duration may vary as unexpected delays in crossing the canal may occur, based on advise by local canal authorities that is beyond our control.

 

 

 

My question is how accessible are the bus and ferry? Are there steps, how many? What type of seating on the bus and ferry?

 

 

 

Thanks!

 

 

We did this tour in December and loved it. There were several people on the tour that were in wheelchairs or had scooters. The ferry has two levels. The bottom level offered indoor seating while the upper level offered outdoor seating (some covered and some was in the open). The bus is your typical coach style bus.

 

The tour description mentions unexpected delays. Our tour guide said it's quite common...we were delayed by approximately three hours during the crossing. This resulted in the ship having to wait close to 2 hours for us to return. We also experienced heavy rains. The combination of the delay and the rain made for a lot of cranky passengers - most didn't realize that delays could happen. Most also didn't pack a poncho or rain jacket.

 

We had rain ponchos so while everyone else was getting soaked we were able to still enjoy the tour.

 

We couldn't imagine cruising to Panama and not going through the canal.

[kyriecat]

I don't know fer certain, but this tour sounds like one that my folks did through Royal Caribbean. My mom is a full-time wheelchair user and cannot walk. They contacted special needs before the cruise and the cruiseline had a lift-van available. The ramp to get on the ferry was wide enough for a wheelchair to cross.

 

I don't know how many different ferries they use for the tour. The one my folks had was two decks, only deck 1 was accessible. They claimed the ferry has accessible bathrooms, but "accessible" outside (and sometimes even within) the US does not always mean wheelchair accessible. There were grab-bars in the stall, but the stall was not wide enough for a wheelchair to get inside. If a wheelchair user can walk 5-10 steps on a flat surface, it would be okay.