May for full transit?

[poss]

There's an 18-day itinerary (on Regent, our cruise line of choice) that begins in Miami, ends in San Francisco.   The timing is good for our calendar.   BUT:  I'm wondering if it's a terrible idea to do such an itinerary in May.

Also:   Are mosquitoes quite awful on the various excursions (excursions are included on Regent)?

Thanks!

[CruiserBruce]

Mosquitoes won't be a problem unless you wonder into the jungle in Panama. Or first Canal transit was in early May. No real difference from our 3 other transits in other months.

[BillB48]

Let's get the bad news out of the way first... May is the beginning of the Rainy Season.  That doesn't mean your transit of the Canal will be wash out by any means, just a slightly better chance of some showers.  You will find similar conditions in Colombia and Costa Rica.  As Bruce pointed out the only place you are likely to find mosquitoes is in the deep woods.  There is one tour in Panama that would take you into what would be considered deep woods, that would be to the Embera Indians.  Don't let the threat of mosquitoes deter you if that is the tour you would like to do.  If mosquitoes are present they are usually only active at dusk and dawn which are not popular tour times!  Besides, those same bad actor mosquitoes are present here in Florida and a lot of other southern states.

 

The bulk of my transits have been in what is considered the wetter months (Oct/Nov) and rain has never been a serious detriment.

Edited July 28, 2019 by BillB48

[poss]

Thanks for the responses.   The Regent trip, alas, will be late May, and I am spectacularly allergic to mosquitoes. They get me no matter what I do for protection.

 

Bill, it interests me that you use the phrase "the bulk of my transits."   Wow, you must really love the area.   I wish I could get more interested in the itinerary (as my husband is).    One of the drawbacks for me is the knowledge that some of the ports may be cancelled due to... whatever... (civil unrest, volcanoes, etc)   There are so many sea days already among those 18 days that I'd be fairly bored if ports were excluded.    And some of the ports, e.g. Mazatlan, don't have any interest at all for me.  Nor Acapulco. 

I'm reading PATH BETWEEN THE SEAS, and finding it very interesting, but for some reason I'm not overly enthusiastic about seeing the thing in the flesh.   For my husband's sake, I hope I can somehow become more interested.

Thanks again to both of you.

[BillB48]

Maybe I can re phrase and refine the bulk of my transit reference.  Regarding "bulk of my transits", those are the ones I paid for.  Having worked for the Canal I got an occasional transit as part of my job and then I would hitch a ride with a pilot friend or tug captain and enjoy the Canal that way as well.  So there were many opportunities to experience the rain, the good thing is I always new where my umbrella was!  The reality was it was at the office or at home and not with me, so I am very used to dodging rain drops.  I probably in the minority of people who can take a cruise back home.😀

 

Now volcanoes can be interesting as long as they don't get too carried away.  Here is a shot below of El Fuego in Guatemala when we were there last November.  We were about 15 miles from the volcano where the picture was taken and all the tours ran as scheduled.  I realize that are any number of scenarios that would prevent stopping at a particular port, but I feel sure you will hit most of them if not all.

 

Do keep up with the "Path", I realize that I might not be the most objective person in the world when it comes to the Canal and can be a bit of a cheerleader.  When you start your transit and arrive at the first set of locks (Gatun in your direction) every critical structure and equipment you see except the locomotives (mules) that guide the ship have been operating over a 100 years.  To me that says so much when you look at your 2 year old smart phone which is now so out of date.  Then when you cruise through Gaillard Cut (Culebra), stop and picture you are cruising over an area where 200 trains per day laden with spoils from the Cut once traversed.  Hopefully once you are there you will enjoy it more.

 

[Turtles06]

17 hours ago, poss said:

And some of the ports, e.g. Mazatlan, don't have any interest at all for me. 

 

May I ask why, in terms of Mazatlan?  We very much enjoyed our day there, seeing the old city and then hiring a pulmonia to show us the new city. Not to mention a wonderful Mexican lunch sitting outdoors in a beautiful square. 

[poss]

Thanks for coming back, Bill!

Turtles, for one thing, last I checked Mazatlan was a category 4 (!) risk on State Department site.   Also, we're not  all that interested in towns and cities.  I.e. if they're something especially splendid or historical, we do enjoy them, but our main enjoyment at this point in our lives is nature, gorgeous scenery, that kind of thing.

[Turtles06]

On 7/29/2019 at 3:07 PM, poss said:

Turtles, for one thing, last I checked Mazatlan was a category 4 (!) risk on State Department site. Also, we're not  all that interested in towns and cities.  

 

For the record, while the state of Sinaloa is classified as Category 4, Mazatlan is singled out as permissible for U.S. government employees to visit if they arrive by air or sea and stick to the "Zona Dorada and historic town center."  

 

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages/Mexico.html

[TeeRick]

We did a full transit in early May.  Some rain on most days.  Very very hot and humid all days.

[poss]

Thanks for responding.   TeeRick, does "very, very hot" mean over 100 degrees?    And humidity right about at that level too?   I don't think we could manage that despite the fact that we live in sw Florida.

Edited September 10, 2019 by poss

[CruiserBruce]

1 hour ago, poss said:

Thanks for responding.   TeeRick, does "very, very hot" mean over 100 degrees?    And humidity right about at that level too?   I don't think we could manage that despite the fact that we live in sw Florida.

Hot means 90s, and humidity nearly as high. We have also done a transit in mid May.

[BillB48]

2 hours ago, poss said:

Thanks for responding.   TeeRick, does "very, very hot" mean over 100 degrees?    And humidity right about at that level too?   I don't think we could manage that despite the fact that we live in sw Florida.

 

Actually in May the temps are rarely out of the 80s.  Now that doesn't mean the humidity can't tack a few degrees of the what it feels like temp.

[poss]

Thanks to all the responders.   Much appreciated.