Which shore excursion of the locks?

[Thelma600]

i need advice. My husband and I will be on Azamara doing the full canal and have narrowed down our shore excursions in Fuerte Amador to the following. A 6 hour 'Expansion of the canal, past and present' which includes the Miraflores locks, outdoor terrace, expansion observatory platform or 'Miraflores locks and canal zone'. This is 4 hrs and here we will 'observe the locks in action' with a guide, see a model, drive to Albrook airforce base and thru Balboa. The prices are similar. We can't really tell from the descriptions what we will see. Why is there 2 hours time difference? Any tips would be greatly appreciated.

[BillB48]

Even though it is a little hard to glean the actual details from Azamara's excursion descriptions, I think the difference in the two is the following... The 6 hour tour that includes the "expansion" will take you to Miraflores Locks (original locks) on the Pacific side and then drive you over to the Atlantic side to see the new locks of Agua Clara recently completed expansion the Canal expansion. The drive to Atlantic side will get you out of urban areas a you will see a little of the country side. The 4 hour tour will take you to the Miraflores Locks and show you Albrook and Balboa, the three sites on this excursion all are on the Pacific side not far from Ft. Amador.

 

 

IMO, the inclusion of Albrook and Balboa would be of particular interest to someone who had a connection with the Canal Zone either with the Canal or the military. Also you will drive through parts Balboa, some which dates back to pre 1914 and probably drive by Albrook which is a former US Air Force Base on both tours. The additional 2 hours I am sure are for the added transportation and visiting time to the Agua Clara Locks.

[cb at sea]

You will observe the "locks in action" while on the ship!

[BillB48]

Agree with you CB that seeing the operation of the locks from the ship is a great place to observe. However seeing the operation from shore side provides another great perspective of it all. While at Miraflores Locks you not only can observe the operation, but you can take in many of the historical items in the connected museum as well as audio visual presentations along with static displays. Agua Clara Locks provides something similar, but concentrates more on the Canal expansion. There are also facilities for dining at both places, just in case the cruise ship is stingy with the food!!! Seeing more of the Canal and some of the country... all good:).

[Essiesmom]

My personal preference would be the tour that goes to the Visitors Center at the Agua Clara locks. Having visited the center during construction, and transited them last Jan., I can say that the lock experience is very different in the new locks. To get an idea of the difference, visit the thread a bit down the page 'Look who's in the canal today'. EM

[Thelma600]

Wow such great help! So with your info I have googled distance, etc. The 6 hr excursion to the new Expansion view will add 1+ hours of driving in each direction (thus the longer trip). Apparently there are no guarantees we will see a ship while at the viewing areas. Our trip will start at 6 am (to accommodate our departure from the port in early afternoon). So - still a good idea to do that excursion? Any more advice?

[BillB48]

The excursion that includes the expansion (Agua Clara Locks) will compliment your transit and you will have a chance to see some the sights a little closer... great views of the Panama City skyline and the ride through the forest preserve is a treat too. This excursion is a good choice. If I knew in which order you would you travel to the locks it would be easy to tell you if there were would be ship traffic at either of the locks. They may wish to to visit the Atlantic side's Agua Clara first since it is the farthest, so really can't help with a ship spotting forecast:(. In any event I don't think your would score a zero at both locks.

[Thelma600]

Thanks! You have been very helpful. I would imagine they will organize the tour for optimum guest experience. I do like the idea of seeing more of the country and bring a ship excursion no worries about traffic, deadlines, etc.

[CarolandNate]

This is interesting.  We will be going in December 2019, but I am starting to do some research.  Since I assume there will be plenty about the locks and the canal on the ship and while we transit through, I was inclined to do things other than the locks/canal excursions, such as city/countryside things.  But I see that the locks/canal excursion could complement what we learn on the ship.  BTW we are going west to east so the Fuerte Amador day is before the transit. 

[BillB48]

3 hours ago, CarolandNate said:

This is interesting.  We will be going in December 2019, but I am starting to do some research.  Since I assume there will be plenty about the locks and the canal on the ship and while we transit through, I was inclined to do things other than the locks/canal excursions, such as city/countryside things.  But I see that the locks/canal excursion could complement what we learn on the ship.  BTW we are going west to east so the Fuerte Amador day is before the transit. 

 

I saw this post after I responded to your other post.  This is what will transpire regarding the stop at Ft. Amador first and then the transit.  As I indicated in the other post, seeing the locks from shore side can compliment your Canal visit, but it is certainly understandable to want to branch out and see more of the country.

[CarolandNate]

Yes.  I saw your response to my original post and the Embera Indians is a great option.  You are saying things that I want to hear.  I would like to be able to call upon your expertise on other stops from time to time.  I also saw that one can only do one message or response per day, so I would like to get in touch with you over time.  More than a year, so there is plenty of time.

 

If you are amenable to email or facebook messenger, that would be great.  I promise I won't bombard you with stupid questions.  Like I mentioned, the only cruising we ever did was a year or so ago to Alaska.  We actually set up excursions on our own and did a land tour on our own after the cruise, renting a car and driving to Denali.  That gave  us a lot of flexibility about where and how long we could do things.  But Alaska is the US.  We are not so adventurous when it comes to other countries.  We also don't want to stress out wondering if we can back to the ship.  In Alaska, we built in enough time and got back early, just in case.

 

Thanks again.

[BillB48]

46 minutes ago, CarolandNate said:

Yes.  I saw your response to my original post and the Embera Indians is a great option.  You are saying things that I want to hear.  I would like to be able to call upon your expertise on other stops from time to time.  I also saw that one can only do one message or response per day, so I would like to get in touch with you over time.  More than a year, so there is plenty of time.

 

If you are amenable to email or facebook messenger, that would be great.  I promise I won't bombard you with stupid questions.  Like I mentioned, the only cruising we ever did was a year or so ago to Alaska.  We actually set up excursions on our own and did a land tour on our own after the cruise, renting a car and driving to Denali.  That gave  us a lot of flexibility about where and how long we could do things.  But Alaska is the US.  We are not so adventurous when it comes to other countries.  We also don't want to stress out wondering if we can back to the ship.  In Alaska, we built in enough time and got back early, just in case.

 

Thanks again.

 

Be glad to answer any questions you might have, email is fine too.  I am "on" FB but don't hang out there much and have only used FB messenger rather sporadically.  As to questions about other ports, my experience there is limited to the few times I have been to them on a cruise.  The Canal and Panama on the other hand is where my real "expertise" resides.

 

You said you would be doing your Canal cruise in Dec. 2019... if all goes as planned the cruise terminal in Ft. Amador should be finished by then, that will be much better than tendering.  The Amador Causeway is a great place to just walk around and take in the sights.

[CarolandNate]

Appreciate that.  This board appears to be a great way for us "rookies" and lightweights to get info from you seasoned veterans.  Good to know about the possibility of the terminal being finished.  I figure that tendering would have some bearing on how much actual time one would have on land.  If I were to email or FB message, how would I find you.  I don't want you to compromise your anonymity by posting things here that are open to the public.  Is there a private message option on Cruise Critic? 

 

Someone else spoke highly about the Embera Indians tour.  The more I hear, the more I like it.  Like I said, we don't have to account for every minute on land and there is something to be said about walking around where we are close to the ship and can go back because we have had enough.  That is what we did in Alaska and we were always back with a lot of time to spare.  Thanks again

 

 

[BillB48]

I don't know if there now is a PM ability with all the "upgrades" to Cruise Critic or not.  My addy is pmlwest at mindspring dot com.   I underlined the should in the completion forecast, just never know.  Not to worry... no one recognizes me without the sun glasses!!

[pelkoger]

Do you or anyone know of tours by Roberto Whitaker. 

[BillB48]

19 minutes ago, pelkoger said:

Do you or anyone know of tours by Roberto Whitaker. 

 

People who have used him have generally been positive in their reviews.  Do know he is a little hard to get a hold of sometimes.  I have no personal experience with him.

[pelkoger]

Thanks.  I am really looking to take a tour of new canal with someone who knows it well. From Colon.