Same port or different?

[WeBeCruisinMon]

I’m new to cruising to this destination and couldn’t find a distinct answer when googling.

 

Are these the same place or different? 
 

• Panama City (Pacific Cruise Terminal),Panama
• Panama City (Fuerte Amador),Panama

 

Wondering if I could get off the ship a day early at the pacific cruise terminal instead of waiting until 6am the next day at the fuerte Amador.. airfare home works out much better the date of the pacific cruise terminal.

 

Here is what the itinerary states. Wondering if it is the same place and we are just parked there overnight? 

 

Thanks! 

Edited September 27, 2023 by WeBeCruisinMon
Added pic

[wsurrette2424]

Hi WeBeCruisinMon,

 

I had this exact same question.   Are you cruising relatively soon?   

 

We are doing a canal transit and will arrive in Panama the day before the official debarkation day.  The itinerary is exactly like yours with the two different port names in Panama City.  I called NCL to try to get clarification (and a whole lot of googling) and now believe that the Pacific Cruise Terminal and Fuerte Amador port are one in the same.  Our issue was that the best flight out of Panama to Boston was at 10:00AM... the airport is quite a distance from the port and there is no way we could make it in time.

 

So, our plan was to debark the first day and book a hotel at the airport.... get up early and board our plane.  We called NCL and asked if that was possible.. they said no, that is not allowed.   I'm not sure why... as you will have cleared customs in Panama the first morning.  I'm pretty sure they won't have guards at the debarkation ramp preventing from taking your luggage off the ship.

 

We have come up with a different strategy, but PM me.... for a bit more information.

 

Cheers!

 

Gusman

[nansi]

Same port. 

[BillB48]

5 hours ago, wsurrette2424 said:

We called NCL and asked if that was possible.. they said no, that is not allowed.   I'm not sure why... as you will have cleared customs in Panama the first morning

Not necessarily, since the new terminal has not been used for embarkation and disembarkation as yet, only the pier has been in operation.  The authorities may not have personnel available to handle the customs and immigration formalities on the first day.  My concern is you could get to the airport and not have  "officially" entered the country.  In the past you had to clear emigration officials on leaving.   Best of luck and yes, it is the same facility.

[WeBeCruisinMon]

9 hours ago, wsurrette2424 said:

Hi WeBeCruisinMon,

 

I had this exact same question.   Are you cruising relatively soon?   

 

We are doing a canal transit and will arrive in Panama the day before the official debarkation day.  The itinerary is exactly like yours with the two different port names in Panama City.  I called NCL to try to get clarification (and a whole lot of googling) and now believe that the Pacific Cruise Terminal and Fuerte Amador port are one in the same.  Our issue was that the best flight out of Panama to Boston was at 10:00AM... the airport is quite a distance from the port and there is no way we could make it in time.

 

So, our plan was to debark the first day and book a hotel at the airport.... get up early and board our plane.  We called NCL and asked if that was possible.. they said no, that is not allowed.   I'm not sure why... as you will have cleared customs in Panama the first morning.  I'm pretty sure they won't have guards at the debarkation ramp preventing from taking your luggage off the ship.

 

We have come up with a different strategy, but PM me.... for a bit more information.

 

Cheers!

 

Gusman

Thanks for the info! I tried to PM you but it is telling me that feature is disabled. I looked at your profile and it looks like we’re talking about the same sailing - NCL Joy out of Miami on Nov 25! Id like to know more info on what your plan is.. I previously called about a different cruise a few years ago asking if we could get off early and I got mixed answered based on whoever I talked to. Some said yes, some said no. 
 

I know when we went to Tahiti and docked overnight we were able to get off that night if we wanted to as some people did, but that wasn’t posted like this as two different days/ports, it just stated overnight. 

[CruiserBruce]

@WeBeCruisinMon, the PM function is not active on Cruise Critic.

[Turtles06]

22 hours ago, BillB48 said:

Not necessarily, since the new terminal has not been used for embarkation and disembarkation as yet, only the pier has been in operation.  The authorities may not have personnel available to handle the customs and immigration formalities on the first day.  My concern is you could get to the airport and not have  "officially" entered the country.  In the past you had to clear emigration officials on leaving.   Best of luck and yes, it is the same facility.

Please pay careful attention to this advice. The Fuerte Amador cruise terminal is not yet operational. Ships are docking there, but guests, including arriving and departing guests, are being bused elsewhere for processing.