Panama Canal Cruises

[happy cruzin]

Ok...I know you guys can help me out :p

 

DH wants to take a cruise THROUGH the Panama Canal. Carnival says that they only cruise through the canal when they resposition a ship. :rolleyes:

 

Any idea how I can find out how and when that may happen? Is there a list I can put our names on to be contacted when such a cruise occurs? Can you recommend any other cruise lines that offer an itinerary through the canal? Is there a "season" for such cruises - like there are for Alaska? So far we have been loyal Carnival cruisers - but I think I'm going to have to look elsewhere to find a cruise through the Canal.

 

Thanks so much!

[tef43]

*Typically* cruise lines do canal transits when they reposition ships from the Atlantic/Caribbean to the Pacific, and vice versa. Repositioning might occur when a ship sailing a Caribbean itinerary in the winter switches to an Alaskan itinerary for the summer months. That said, you are most likely to see repo cruise offerings in the spring and/or fall months.

[Guest nhrich]

Since Carnival relocated the Spirit to the west coast and use the same ship for Alaska cruises, unfortunately they currently are not offering any Panama Canal cruises. I hope they will reconsider and add some, even if they just brought a ship over and back as two cruises.

 

We sailed on the Spirit through the Canal back in 2003. It was a great cruise, and an incredible experience.

 

Rich, ACC

Carefree Vacations

[MikeM]

Try Royal Caribbean

They a several trips thru or to the canal.

Radiance Of The Seas is one, a beautiful ship we went to Hawaii on.

MikeM

[SPARKY12]

Princess offers several options to cruise through the canal. We did round trip from FLL in February, it was great. You could also do a one way from west coast to east coast etc and go through the entire canal, the round trip only goes through one set of locks and turns around, I think our cruise was 12 days?

[Maryandi]

Celebrity Summit-Nov. 5, '06

HAL ships in April and Oct.

Check with the individual cruiselines or a TA.

We did a partial canal transit and a full transit- the full transit is better.

 

MaryAnn

[Cruisin Oma]

Celebrity Summit-Nov. 5, '06

HAL ships in April and Oct.

Check with the individual cruiselines or a TA.

We did a partial canal transit and a full transit- the full transit is better.

 

MaryAnn

 

I second MaryAnn and add this and the Alaska cruise is where it is really importanrt to have a balcony.

[Papa Dick]

Oceana Cruises apparently does the entire Panama Canal trip. One starts from Long Beach California on 29 January 2006.

 

Papa Dick

[Host Caroline]

All of the ships that are in the Caribbean and then sail Alaska in the summer go through the canal (and vice versa in the fall) and Princess, HAL, Crystal, Celebrity, and Royal Caribbean that I know of offer cruises all the way through at some point between October and April. IMHO only if you're going to "do" the canal wait until you can do a full transit.. it's just not the same on the partial "turnaround".. Even if you can't afford a balcony many more ships have promenade decks and you need to be on open decks forward anyway for part of hte time to get an appreciation for the water levels rising and falling as ships pass thru locks.

[House_Atreides]

NCL is doing a full transit 4/23/06 that I am on (in an aft suite wow what a view!). That cruise if filling up fast but balconies keep opening up. I'd have a look around NCL's site to see if there's anything available and availability does change from day to day;)

 

Best of luck!

Mary