Embera Village Tour with Anne Gordon de Barrigón?

[Smokeyham]

Hello,

 

We will be doing a Panama Canal cruise in February, 2022 with Princess.  We have from 7:00 AM to 6:00 PM in Fuerte Amador and are thinking of doing the Embera Village Tour offered by Anne Gordon de Barrigón.

 

On another thread from 2019 a passenger said they were quoted $275/person for Anne's tour, vs a posted cost $99.99 for the Princess offered tour on our cruise in 2022.  I understand Anne's tour includes lunch while the Princess tour (at 6.5 hours) includes only a snack.  Does Anne's tour provide a more in depth experience?

The other concern is that Fuerte Amador is a tender port (though we will have a long day there).  

 

If you have been on Anne's tour, or have any thoughts on this, we would be most interested to hear them.   

 

 

[Essiesmom]

There is a thread on the second page about this tour, and two on the third...you might see who they used and what they liked.  EM

[Smokeyham]

Essiesmom,

 

Thanks for the response.  I looked through the forum before posting but did not see a specific discussion about the Anne Gordon de Barrigón tours.  Sorry if I missed that.

I see you are experienced in this area.  Have you taken her tour of the Embera Village?

[BillB48]

Smokeyham, while I can't state this with absolute certainty, a passenger terminal is presently under construction.  The terminal had been scheduled to be open by now, but considering how "different" this past year has been the terminal has not seen its first ship.  I would think by the time of your cruise the new terminal should be in service and you won't be subject to a tender port.

 

Full disclosure, I have not been on Anne's tour but I have been in the area some time ago.  Anne's village is one of the more remote villages that host visitors, it is probably the most authentic.  I do not wish to imply the other more close in villages the cruise lines use are not authentic.  These villages are real in the sense that some people do live there, however they were built primarily to demonstrate how the Embara people live and handle an influx of tourists.  They are not a thrown together roadside tourist trap, they do accurately depict Embara life.

[Smokeyham]

7 hours ago, BillB48 said:

Smokeyham, while I can't state this with absolute certainty, a passenger terminal is presently under construction.  The terminal had been scheduled to be open by now, but considering how "different" this past year has been the terminal has not seen its first ship.  I would think by the time of your cruise the new terminal should be in service and you won't be subject to a tender port.

 

Full disclosure, I have not been on Anne's tour but I have been in the area some time ago.  Anne's village is one of the more remote villages that host visitors, it is probably the most authentic.  I do not wish to imply the other more close in villages the cruise lines use are not authentic.  These villages are real in the sense that some people do live there, however they were built primarily to demonstrate how the Embara people live and handle an influx of tourists.  They are not a thrown together roadside tourist trap, they do accurately depict Embara life.

@BillB48

Thanks for the update on the future terminal at Fuerte Amador and the information on the differences between Anne's tour and the ship provided tour.  I'll continue to research and see which seems to be the best fit.