Colon Panama Shore Excursion

[Akujibrone]

I am trying to find some info about one of the shore excursions but can't seem to get reliable info anywhere on RCI site or by calling them. My grandpa has limited mobility but wants to go on the grand tour of the Panama canal. The excursion says that the boat is not wheel chair accessible but I'm trying to figure out if there is a place to store his scooter once he gets on the boat? And if so what's it like getting on that boat? Stairs? Steep ramp? He can walk a short ways, at least a few hundred feet, before needing a rest, but not if a lot of stairs are involved. Seeing the canal is a bucket list item for him so I'm trying really hard to find him an excursion that he can go on too. Thank you for any help. 

[1025cruise]

While I have no first hand experience, I thought the boat picked you up from the ship directly, similar to a tender. In which case, I would expect the scooter would need to stay on the ship.

[orville99]

My understanding is there are actually two versions of the excursion: one that picks you up at the ship in a smaller boat that takes you through the canal to the Pacific side and then busses you back to the ship, and one that reverses the routes - taking you by bus to the Pacific side and then by boat through the canal back to the ship.

[shipgeeks]

Is this a cruise in which your ship will go into the Canal, then turn around, exit, and pull into Colon to await the passengers who did tours?  Or does it only dock at Colon for the day?

If the first, at least he will have the experience of going through the locks, which is probably the most interesting part of the day.

 

[LeeW]

Have done this several times on partial transit cruises.  Normally once the ship reaches Gatun Lake you catch a tender-like boat to shore and then are bussed to the other side of the lake (where the pilot boats dock).  Maybe 100' from bus to the boat, then a few steps down into the boat.  Ours had some seating on picnic tables aft but most people stood for the transit and moved around a lot.  In all three cases we took the boat southbound and were bussed back to Colon after the tour. You will likely share the lock with a freighter of some kind and can touch the walls. You do miss the cruise ship return transit to Colon but get to see the Cut and the original locks on the Pacific side (ask pilot about dent in Miraflores Lock). 

 

Have never seen them try to handle a scooter, and frankly the small boat used doesn't have any room to run around.  Would require them lifting the scooter over the side of the dock into the boat and back at the other end.  If he can walk a few hundred feet and get on and off buses he will like this tour.