Opt out of tours at Gatun lake

[happygrammy100]

is there much to see if we opt not to do a Gatun lake excursion and stay on board. We will be on the ruby doing a partial crossing. The princess excursion reviews have been mixed and not sure I want to do these pricey excursions. thinking it would be okay to stay onboard while the ship makes its way to colon. Your thoughts 

[CruiserBruce]

Many people stay on board. The ship returns back through the locks, and heads to Colon.

[BillB48]

Staying onboard is enjoyable, but please consider this, you have come a long way and expended many $$$ to get to see the Canal.  Then why not see more of it?  Staying on the ship and locking down the same locks and sailing back to Colon is all ground you have covered already.  Why not go see more of the Canal?  That would be a partial transit of the Pacific Locks and a passage through Gaillard Cut.  That would give you almost a complete transit of the Canal.  If you are on a partial transit using the new locks this would give you an excellent chance to experience both the new and the old..  Yes the shore excursions are a tad pricey, but you will experience a lot of what the Canal has to offer.

[Turtles06]

18 hours ago, happygrammy100 said:

We will be on the ruby doing a partial crossing.

The Ruby Princess will use the new locks for your partial transit.  You will experience only a small part of the Canal, and you will not experience the historic locks. Unless you really have very little interest in the Canal, imho you should consider the excursion recommended above by @BillB48  

 

Not only would you see much more of the Canal and experience the original locks, but you’d do so in a ferry-size vessel, very different than being on a huge cruise ship. 
 

It’s a long hot day. Spend some time reading up on that excursion and see if it makes sense for you. 
 

Enjoy your cruise! 

[torringtonwyo]

we are also doing the partial transit we have done full transit both ways, since some of our group have not done the canal can you explain the exact procedure ?? if we select an excursion where does it start, in the lake or at Cristobal ?since most excursion return to ship at Cristobal pier.. thanks for info

[CruiserBruce]

37 minutes ago, torringtonwyo said:

we are also doing the partial transit we have done full transit both ways, since some of our group have not done the canal can you explain the exact procedure ?? if we select an excursion where does it start, in the lake or at Cristobal ?since most excursion return to ship at Cristobal pier.. thanks for info

I would expect your excursion will start by tendering off in Gatun Lake, after the ship has transited up to Gatun Lake. You will reboard the ship in Colon.

[Essiesmom]

On 9/29/2023 at 12:20 PM, Turtles06 said:

The Ruby Princess will use the new locks for your partial transit.  You will experience only a small part of the Canal, and you will not experience the historic locks. Unless you really have very little interest in the Canal, imho you should consider the excursion recommended above by @BillB48  

 

Not only would you see much more of the Canal and experience the original locks, but you’d do so in a ferry-size vessel, very different than being on a huge cruise ship. 
 

It’s a long hot day. Spend some time reading up on that excursion and see if it makes sense for you. 
 

Enjoy your cruise! 

The small vessel in this capture from the Miraflores locks cam in the Pacific Queen, one of the small excursion ferries that do the canal excursions.  This was taken today.

[john bowtie]

On my Panama Canal cruise, I met a couple who had been there so many times, they decided to do their laundry while the ship was doing the transit! But if it's a once in a lifetime trip, I recommend doing an excursion--the historic old locks by small ferry if possible. 

[BillB48]

I have transited the Canal many times and have been on many, many partial transits and the thought of doing laundry during the transit, I can honestly say has never entered my mind!😁  Completely agree, the ferry excursion through the original locks is well worth it.  Glad you enjoyed.

[shiner6]

On 10/28/2023 at 3:11 PM, BillB48 said:

I have transited the Canal many times and have been on many, many partial transits and the thought of doing laundry during the transit, I can honestly say has never entered my mind!😁  Completely agree, the ferry excursion through the original locks is well worth it.  Glad you enjoyed.

My main concern is the humidity for such a lengthy time.  Are there A/C areas on the Ferry which would allow passengers to cool off for periods during the transit? Also, the excursion description clearly states "your patience is appreciated" in reference to wait times for return to Colon to reboard the ship. I am trying to weigh my choices. I really want to do the ferry boat excursion, but am concerned about my husband being able to tolerate the wait.  This thread has been very helpful for me. It is interesting to note that I happily booked this excursion months ago while I was super excited to being on this cruise.  Now, I am going back and re-reading all the fine print! LOL!  Perhaps I should have read it then?  Live and learn.

[BillB48]

Shiner, I am only familiar with one of the vessels used in this excursion, they have more than one.  The Pacific Queen does have and air conditioned area, however I don't know about the others.  The only advice I can offer is there is almost always some shade to be found and as long as you are out of the sun even the slightest breeze will provide some relief. 

 

Much of the time the waits occur when the tour vessel arrives at the locks way before the larger ship that they will normally lock with arrives.  In times when water wasn't an issue they would often lock the excursion vessel through alone.  Conserving water is a high priority now, so the excursion vessel will wait if necessary.  Also when there are delays they usually are not one long delay but a series of shorter delays.  It all can translate into a longer excursion time.

 

Not all of these excursions end up being some sort of lesson in testing your patience, but it can happen.  As they sometimes will remind you ship happens!😉

[shiner6]

4 hours ago, BillB48 said:

Shiner, I am only familiar with one of the vessels used in this excursion, they have more than one.  The Pacific Queen does have and air conditioned area, however I don't know about the others.  The only advice I can offer is there is almost always some shade to be found and as long as you are out of the sun even the slightest breeze will provide some relief. 

 

Much of the time the waits occur when the tour vessel arrives at the locks way before the larger ship that they will normally lock with arrives.  In times when water wasn't an issue they would often lock the excursion vessel through alone.  Conserving water is a high priority now, so the excursion vessel will wait if necessary.  Also when there are delays they usually are not one long delay but a series of shorter delays.  It all can translate into a longer excursion time.

 

Not all of these excursions end up being some sort of lesson in testing your patience, but it can happen.  As they sometimes will remind you ship happens!😉

BillB48, 

  Your information is very helpful.  I have discussed with Hubbie and he is in agreement. We will keep the excursion. After all is said and done--The reason we booked this trip is to see the canaL.

  BTW, I am reading "The Path between the Seas", by David McCullough.  After all the time involved in reading this novel, I owe it to myself to see it up close and marvel at the historical significance.

 We will take every precaution to remain cool and hydrated. Of course our patience will travel along with us on this journey.  Thanks again!

[Turtles06]

On 2/5/2024 at 10:06 AM, shiner6 said:

BTW, I am reading "The Path between the Seas", by David McCullough.  After all the time involved in reading this novel, I owe it to myself to see it up close and marvel at the historical significanc

It’s a fabulous book and one that I recommend to everyone going to the Canal for the first time. I’m glad you’re reading it! 
(Of course, it’s not a novel. It’s non-fiction, even if what it recounts may seem almost impossible. 😉)

 

Enjoy your trip!