Celebrity Panama Canal Itinerary

[sptrout]

Just now, TeeRick said:

People just need to look at the itinerary and know a little geography.  Most full transits are inclusive of ports in both the Atlantic and Pacific.  Our Infinity transit went from Miami to San Diego. Maybe too much to ask? 😀

Over the years, if one monitors the Panama Cruise Board, there have been many questions about what a partial Canal cruise really means. Also, many are very disappointed to find that their cruise just entered Gutan Lake and then turned around and sailed back out never actually seeing more than about 10% of the Canal (5 miles vs. about 50 total miles for example). I am just suggesting that anyone going to Panama carefully read between the lines of the cruise line's brochures (any of them not just Celebrity).

[Host Jazzbeau]

You can always make  your cruise into a full transit by taking the shore excursion that takes you from the cruise ship in Gatun Lake over to the 'yacht club' where you board the ferry to the Pacific.  We did that, and it was even more illuminating than a regular full transit would have been because we got the experience of completely filling the locks on the Atlantic side and then the small ferry experience through the rest of the canal and the Pacific locks.  Bus ride back to Colon to reboard the cruise ship.

[sptrout]

You may be surprised how many times that I have had to explain that a cruise that stops at Colon Panama does not go near the Canal (the only way to see the Canal is with a tour or on our own (not a good idea)). The nearly same situation with the now long gone Cristobal Port, which technically was in the Canal; barely. 

 

Over the years that I have been on CC, I think that I have responded to more posts from totally confused folks about the Canal cruises than any other subject. It is hard to image the thousands of cruisers that do not use CC or others and are very disappointed when they returned home having never seen an inch of the Canal. I would bet this has happened often.