Panama Canal

[skip1948]

We are leaving Ft Lauderdale on the Island Princess March 4,2016. I am a bit confused on when we go to Panama whether to stay on the ship for the Canal or go on a Princess Excursion of the area. This is our first and possibly only trip to the Panana Canal. I have read a lot of conflicting opinions.

[sloopsailor]

We are leaving Ft Lauderdale on the Island Princess March 4,2016. I am a bit confused on when we go to Panama whether to stay on the ship for the Canal or go on a Princess Excursion of the area. This is our first and possibly only trip to the Panana Canal. I have read a lot of conflicting opinions.

 

If the ship makes a full transit, I would stay on board. You will see close hand this amazing engineering wonder, and see up close and personal how it works.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited September 18, 2015 by sloopsailor

[skip1948]

It's a partial that is why I do not know the best way to go.

[taglovestocruise]

We are leaving Ft Lauderdale on the Island Princess March 4,2016. I am a bit confused on when we go to Panama whether to stay on the ship for the Canal or go on a Princess Excursion of the area. This is our first and possibly only trip to the Panana Canal. I have read a lot of conflicting opinions.

 

You will go through the first set of locks and then into the lake, you can then take a tender to shore for the excursion. Those that take the excursion will end up back in Colon to meet the ship in the evening, those that stay with the ship will do a turnaround in the lake and back through the locks to Colon. You can see the locks twice by staying aboard or experience the locks once and the jungle once. happy cruising

 

Disembarkation in Gatun Lake is restricted to passengers who have booked the following tours only: PC1-100, PC1-110, PC1-115, PC1-120, PC1-170, PC1-175, PC1-210, PC1-235, PC1-350, PC1-385, PC1-605, PC1-610, PC1-615. Passengers on these tours are taken ashore by tenders. Later in the day, the ship then retraces her route through the Gatun locks to dock at Pier 6 in Colon in the Caribbean. The tours return to this point. All remaining passengers are able to disembark in Colon, where they may explore the dockside shops. There are no tours offered in Colon.

[cb at sea]

I think the ship's transit of the canal IS an excursion! Any off ship tour will be LOOOONG...at least 6 hours.....it's hot and humid...stay on the ship, unless you have some real need to spend a bunch of money or really and truly care about Panama's culture or the surrounding area.

Edited September 18, 2015 by cb at sea

[OCruisers]

It's a partial that is why I do not know the best way to go.

 

If it's going to be your first and only and is on a partial, book an excursion that allows you to see the rest of the canal. :)

[luvscruising2007]

We were on RC's Brilliance of the seas for a partial transit. That in itself is very interesting. We then took a tender and did a boat tour through the other locks. The guide on the boat was very informative. It was hot.

In addition to the excursion we attended the on board presentation of the history and building of the canal. It really enhanced the whole experience.

Enjoy your cruise.

[OCruisers]

On a Partial you really might want to do something. It's boring while the ship is floating around for hours in the lake. ;)

[BillB48]

If you are thinking that this is going to be your only shot at seeing the Canal, then I think you owe it to yourself to see as much of it as possible. The partial transit you will be taking only covers about 8 miles of a 50 mile Canal. While Gatun Locks are impressive and certainly an important part of the Canal you won't see the Gaillard Cut where the bulk of the excavation took place, there are two very striking bridges that cross the Canal on the Pacific side and the two Pacific Locks. When you take Princess's shorex, Panama Canal & Locks Transit by Boat, you have a unique opportunity to see the operation of the Locks from two very different vantage points. Earlier in the AM you will be on a large Panamax ship for your passage through Gatun Locks and later in the day you will see the operation from your smaller vessel. A completely different feel... sometimes the ship can "almost" overpower the locks and then when you are on the smaller vessel you can appreciate just how big the locks actually are. You can even reach out and touch the walls!

 

While you are passing through the Gaillard Cut or near near Gamboa, good chance you will see other Canal equipment at work such as cranes, dredges and such. You will also see some of the work for the Canal expansion on the Pacific side.

[John Bull]

f you stay on the ship, you go thro' the Gatun locks to the lake, turn around, & go back through the Gatun locks.

 

If you take the ship's boat excursion, after going through the Gatun locks on the ship you switch to a boat, which completes the canal transit - thro the Cut and the locks at the Pacific end to Panama City (you'll probably only have a view of the city across the bay). You then return to Colon, which is the city near the canal's Gulf entrance, to meet the ship. I don't know if your return from Panama City is by road or rail - by road it's a rather uninteresting drive.

 

I'd certainly recommend the full transit by ship + boat, rather than staying on the ship.

I don't know if Princess offer any excursions other than the boat transit - but I reckon the only worthwhile one to be that boat trip.

 

Colon is aptly-named. ;)

Dreadful place.

A few decent bars & restaurants opposite the port gate are an opportunity to get off the ship & relax with a sensibly-priced drink & free wifi, but you're not recommended to go further - the city is boring & grubby, and unsafe.

(the only place I've been in the Caribbean that I rate more unsafe is La Guairá, Venezuela)

 

Just MHO as always

 

JB :)

[port msp]

If you are thinking that this is going to be your only shot at seeing the Canal, then I think you owe it to yourself to see as much of it as possible. The partial transit you will be taking only covers about 8 miles of a 50 mile Canal. While Gatun Locks are impressive and certainly an important part of the Canal you won't see the Gaillard Cut where the bulk of the excavation took place, there are two very striking bridges that cross the Canal on the Pacific side and the two Pacific Locks. When you take Princess's shorex, Panama Canal & Locks Transit by Boat, you have a unique opportunity to see the operation of the Locks from two very different vantage points. Earlier in the AM you will be on a large Panamax ship for your passage through Gatun Locks and later in the day you will see the operation from your smaller vessel. A completely different feel... sometimes the ship can "almost" overpower the locks and then when you are on the smaller vessel you can appreciate just how big the locks actually are. You can even reach out and touch the walls!

 

 

I agree! If you're at all interested in the Canal, I think it would be a shame to not see as much of it as possible. You're going to be right there! Take advantage of the opportunity. I've done two sets of locks on a tourist boat (Pedro Miguel and Miraflores). My favorite excursion of all, so far. I'd wanted to see it since 7th grade geography class. Truly a wonder of engineering, especially when one considers when it was built. I very much want to do a full transit one day. Yes, it will be hot, humid, and possibly quite sunny. Dress accordingly. You get a nice breeze as the boat moves down the Canal, which helps a bit.

Free advice is worth exactly what you pay for it. ;)