Tour of new locks or Miraflores Locks

[adgtravel]

We are doing full transit San Francisco to Ft Lauderdale on Coral Princess stopping in Fuerte Amador before going thru Canal.  We can’t decide on a tour in Fuerte Amador.  We go thru the old locks the day after this stop.  One tour goes to new locks and Miraflores Locks. Another tour goes to new locks and former Panama Canal Zone.  Or Colonial Panama and Miraflores Locks.  I am confused what Miraflores Locks are, is this the old locks we will go thru the next day?  Worth seeing from observation deck?  Thank you for any info!

[CruiserBruce]

A quick Google search would reveal the Miraflores locks are one of the sets of old locks you will pass through as you do your full transit.

 

Only you can decide if it is "worth it" to see both from land and ship. Depends how interested you are.

[BillB48]

I think it is good to see the operation of the locks from shore side, it will give you another perspective of the operation.  In addition to the observation deck there is an extensive museum dedicated to the Canal and highlights of the construction.  The visit to "Colonial" Panama takes you to the part of Panama City that was founded in 1673 after Henry Morgan destroyed the original Panama Viejo and has many preserved buildings with a lot of history.  Your visit here will take you through a good part of modern Panama City as well.

 

The trip to the new locks of Agua Clara on the Atlantic is a pleasant enough drive and the Locks are an impressive sight with  a great overlook of Gatun Lake and the Atlantic approach.  The main attraction here aside from a video presentation will be to see one of the large ships passing through the locks which takes quite awhile, as a result you will only be able to watch a portion of the process.  The part of this tour that takes you through the former Panama Canal Zone is probably more beneficial  for someone who has had a previous connection with the Canal or was stationed at one of the old military bases in the former Canal Zone.

 

IMO, the tour to Colonial Panama and Miraflores Locks would have a broader appeal to more people.