"Two Oceans By Railroad" Excursion .... Thoughts and Comments, Please.

[ajtraveler66]

NCL offers an excursion at the Panama port (Pacific Terminal) called "Two Oceans By Railroad".  At the end of the train ride, the participant is supposed to get a close-up view of how the locks work.

 

For those of you who have taken this excursion, please share your thoughts.  I realize it's expensive, but if it's truly 'more than just taking a train ride' we will probably be interested.

 

Thanks.

[BillB48]

NCL's train and close up excursion from the Ft. Amador cruise terminal is relatively new since the terminal has only recently began to receive cruise ships.  Add to that, the terminal is not completely finished so ships calling there and the details of the excursions are a work in progress.

 

With that as a disclaimer, I can give you some info on the railroad trip.  The Panama Railroad has quite a history and it was the first transcontinental railroad completed in 1855.  Until transcontinental RR was completed in the US in 1869, the PRR provided an alternative to the grueling wagon trip across the plains and Rockies or a long voyage around Cape Horn to reach the west coast.  Of course it was key in the construction of the Panama Canal.  Lots of history and nostalgia when you ride that train, probably on a train buff's bucket list.  However while the train trip is scenic in some respects you only see glimpses of the Canal on the trip and that is if you are on the correct side.  Much of the trip is through undeveloped areas and not many panoramic vistas are presented.  I am not trying to be negative, only to convey that to many people it is just a train ride and it is the history you are experiencing.

 

The second part of the excursion of giving you a close up view of how the locks work... there are two scenarios for that part of the tour I can think of.  One is take you to the visitor's center at either the original locks at Miraflores on the Pacific side or the visitor's center at the new Agua Clara Locks on the Atlantic side.  This stop could be accomplished either before or after the train portion of the excursion.  Another item, the train ride could be a round trip or a combination one way train and one way bus.