Fuerte Amador Cruise Terminal — still a mess (Feb. 6, 2023)

[Turtles06]

My wife and I are aboard the NCL Gem today, docked in Fuerte Amador. It’s turnaround day — the Jan. 25 cruise from NY ended here today, and the cruise back to NY begins here today.  This is just an update on the status of the Fuerte Amador Cruise Terminal — it’s still a mess and nowhere close to being finished. The area is a construction zone, and guests still must be bused to and from the ship.  
 

Because this is not a port call for the Gem, the buses are not dropping folks off at nearby Flamenco Island, but instead are running to and from the Panama Convention Center (several miles away), which is playing the role of a cruise terminal and being used to check in guests who are boarding today.  (Probably the best arrangements that could be made under the circumstances.)  All disembarking guests who weren’t going to the airport, and those of us on the B2B who were going ashore, also had to be bused to the Convention Center.  (We also had to return there and board a bus back to the ship, a tedious and time-wasting process.)

 

I have no idea how long it will take for the Cruise Terminal to be finished, but it’s really not a great situation right now. 
 

 

[Essiesmom]

Thank you for the update and pictures.  The question is if it is a port call, is tendering better…. EM

[v3cruiser]

 

oh boy. looks like when we board on the 22nd it ought to be fun. LOL. Still no documents or email from NCL where the meeting point is to be bussed to board the ship. If its the panama convention center that is not bad as it is right up the Amador causeway that leads to port. hopefully this is it. We are staying at the radisson not too far north of there. Thanks for update!

Edited February 7, 2023 by v3cruiser

[Turtles06]

1 hour ago, v3cruiser said:

Still no documents or email from NCL where the meeting point is to be bussed to board the ship.

During this last cruise, I asked several times for information as to where the buses would be running, as we needed to set a meeting point (and time) with a guide. The ship was waiting for information from Panama and Miami about these things, and only received it a few days ago. If you are embarking in Fuerte Amador, I think it’s a good bet it will be handled as it was today. 

[Longstockingpippi1]

Thank you for this information. Disembarking there on March 12 with a family member in a wheelchair, grateful I’m not embarking 👍👍. And that I splurged for a suite ( for the first time). 

[BillB48]

On 2/6/2023 at 7:00 PM, Turtles06 said:

My wife and I are aboard the NCL Gem today, docked in Fuerte Amador. It’s turnaround day — the Jan. 25 cruise from NY ended here today, and the cruise back to NY begins here today.  This is just an update on the status of the Fuerte Amador Cruise Terminal — it’s still a mess and nowhere close to being finished. The area is a construction zone, and guests still must be bused to and from the ship.  
 

Because this is not a port call for the Gem, the buses are not dropping folks off at nearby Flamenco Island, but instead are running to and from the Panama Convention Center (several miles away), which is playing the role of a cruise terminal and being used to check in guests who are boarding today.  (Probably the best arrangements that could be made under the circumstances.)  All disembarking guests who weren’t going to the airport, and those of us on the B2B who were going ashore, also had to be bused to the Convention Center.  (We also had to return there and board a bus back to the ship, a tedious and time-wasting process.)

 

I have no idea how long it will take for the Cruise Terminal to be finished, but it’s really not a great situation right now. 
 

 

 

 

Hope you are enjoying the second half of the B2B and your northbound transit as well.  Here are few webcam pics I grabbed from the Pacific side on your transit back north.

 

 

 

[Turtles06]

2 hours ago, BillB48 said:

Hope you are enjoying the second half of the B2B and your northbound transit as well.  Here are few webcam pics I grabbed from the Pacific side on your transit back north.

Bill, thanks so much for your good wishes, and for posting those webcam photos!

 

We’re having a great time. The northbound transit was our first in that direction, and it was fantastic. No surprise to you, but it was so much more than seeing things in the “reverse” order.  A terrific day that started with our sail under the Bridge of the Americas at 5:35am, and ended about 3:15pm as we went under the new Atlantic Bridge. 
 

I especially appreciate your screen shot of the Gem in Pedro Miguel, as I’d gone down to the bow for that lock. I’m the little blue dot. 😂

 

[Panhandle Couple]

Any hope that this will be completed by Dec 2023?

 

Booked a complete transit on the Bliss, and looking for excursions, etc since we are there overnight.

 

Not looking forward to being bussed around just to get to any form of local transportation.

 

[Turtles06]

28 minutes ago, Panhandle Couple said:

Any hope that this will be completed by Dec 2023?

 

There's always hope, isn't there?  🙂 

[Panhandle Couple]

Yes there is always Hope.

Is there any web site or other place that progress can be checked?

 

Cruise news perhaps?

[BillB48]

My guess if there was any other sites that could provide info on the progress of the Ft. Amador Cruise Terminal it would have surfaced somewhere, there are a number of us Canal aficionados in this corner of Cruise Critic just looking for some news.  To date most of the news that provided projections of the opening have been more like wishful thinking.  IIRC the first projected opening was 2019.  Think we can safely say that one was missed😉!

[BillB48]

Just by chance my contact from the Canal sent me the following that appeared in some local outlet and is a Google translation.  He didn't have the source that I could attribute the article, but at this point it is better info than we have at this point!  Below is the most pertinent portion...

 

March 17, 2023

 

A delegation of the National Government, headed by the administrator of the Tourism Authority of Panama (ATP) Iván Eskildsen, and representatives of the shipping company Norwegian Cruise Line and the construction company China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC) made this a tour of the facilities of the Amador Cruise Port.

 

After the tour, the administrator of the ATP said that the entrepreneurs of the Norwegian Cruise Line shipping company were pleased with the progress of construction, while the contractor committed to deliver the Amador Cruise Port in November 2023.

[Panhandle Couple]

Thanks Bill !

 

Fingers crossed for Dec 2023 cruise.

[Panhandle Couple]

Thanks Bill !

 

Fingers crossed for Dec 2023 cruise.

 

Another question:

 

Is NCL funding a part of, or all of this new port?

Are they involved in the design?

 

Just curious.

[njhorseman]

5 hours ago, BillB48 said:

Just by chance my contact from the Canal sent me the following that appeared in some local outlet and is a Google translation.  He didn't have the source that I could attribute the article, but at this point it is better info than we have at this point!  Below is the most pertinent portion...

 

March 17, 2023

 

A delegation of the National Government, headed by the administrator of the Tourism Authority of Panama (ATP) Iván Eskildsen, and representatives of the shipping company Norwegian Cruise Line and the construction company China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC) made this a tour of the facilities of the Amador Cruise Port.

 

After the tour, the administrator of the ATP said that the entrepreneurs of the Norwegian Cruise Line shipping company were pleased with the progress of construction, while the contractor committed to deliver the Amador Cruise Port in November 2023.

Quite interesting in light of the article you posted 10 days ago that said NCL was discontinuing homeporting from Panama...and it is true that NCL only has one more scheduled departure this year from Fuerte Amador, in December, and then in 2024 only a single departure from there a year later,  in December.

 

https://www.cruisehive.com/norwegian-not-planning-on-more-sailings-from-panama/96077

 

They still have some cruises with port calls at Fuerte Amador, but not a huge number of them.

[BillB48]

You are right seems like a bit of a contradiction.  Guess the port authority may have some hopes of rekindling a desire for NCL to add more arrivals/departures from Amador.  I'm sure over time the Pier in Amador will prove beneficial for cruise lines to include a Pacific stop on Canal cruises.  Using ship's tenders there was just a general PITA.  Honestly, I just don't see Amador becoming much of a embark/disembark point for cruises.

[Panhandle Couple]

An older article, Jan 2022:

 

https://panamaequity.com/exploring-living-in-panama/the-panama-cruise-terminal-an-update-2022/

 

Of note:

Norwegian has even established a homeport contract in Panama City, permanently basing a ship in one of the two ports during non-trip activity. 

 

Looks like NCL has backed off that contract?  An easy out would be that the facility wasn't ready.

 

My thoughts are that NCL is trying to get things rolling on the construction.  Local authorities will (or should) respond to lack of income when NCL doesn't use it (or greatly reduces it) as a home port, or a stop over port.

 

And just today:

 

https://www.panamaamerica.com.pa/economia/vicepresidente-de-norwegian-cruise-line-visita-panama-1219692

 

( a pop up should appear asking for English or Spanish version)

 

 

[roydio1948]

We arrive tomorrow at Fuerte Amador with Emerald Princess, water shuttle will bring us to some terminal. Is there a Hop On Hop Off bus there?

[roydio1948]

On 4/10/2023 at 4:20 PM, roydio1948 said:

We arrive tomorrow at Fuerte Amador with Emerald Princess, water shuttle will bring us to some terminal. Is there a Hop On Hop Off bus there?

So today we got off at around 9 AM from Emerald Princess Cruise Ship, we docked at a pier and shuttle to Isla Perico was very short. We did find the Hop On Off Bus stop which is at Fuerte Amador Resort & Marina, about a 15 minute walk from where our shuttle bus stopped (Marinn Tropical Vibes Hotel). 

[roydio1948]

20 hours ago, roydio1948 said:

So today we got off at around 9 AM from Emerald Princess Cruise Ship, we docked at a pier and shuttle to Isla Perico was very short. We did find the Hop On Off Bus stop which is at Fuerte Amador Resort & Marina, about a 15 minute walk from where our shuttle bus stopped (Marinn Tropical Vibes Hotel). 

You can also take Uber to Casco Viejo for $4 or so, we used Uber twice and saved us a lot of time waiting for HoHo Bus, we spent 2+ hours walking all over Casco Viejo, had lunch at Cafe Coca Cola (Panamian food) and the waiter showed us where the HoHo Bus stop was, 2 short blocks, which we did the full route all the way back to Emerald Princess Shuttle Bus! 

[love to cruise 2017]

On 2/6/2023 at 6:52 PM, v3cruiser said:

 

oh boy. looks like when we board on the 22nd it ought to be fun. LOL. Still no documents or email from NCL where the meeting point is to be bussed to board the ship. If its the panama convention center that is not bad as it is right up the Amador causeway that leads to port. hopefully this is it. We are staying at the radisson not too far north of there. Thanks for update!

how was the hotel?? we are looking at that one for new year 

[Capster]

We are on the Norwegian Encore which has fuerte amador/ pacific cruise terminal as Port of Call on Nov 12 and 13.

Does anyone know where the shuttle will take us?  We are trying to arrange meeting someone but unable to tell him where. 

Thanks. 

[Turtles06]

Just now, Capster said:

We are on the Norwegian Encore which has fuerte amador/ pacific cruise terminal as Port of Call on Nov 12 and 13.

Does anyone know where the shuttle will take us?  We are trying to arrange meeting someone but unable to tell him where. 

Thanks. 

I don’t think anyone has that information yet; perhaps the cruise terminal will be finished by then (although that does not seem likely). If a shuttle is still being used, you may not have the drop off information until you are on the ship. 
 

Patience … 😊