Celebrity Panama Agenda

[Outhaul]

Question for anyone who has done the ONE-DAY PANAMA/COLON DESTINATION with Celebrity:

We are BOOKED ON Celebrity Beyond's 11-day in January 2025.The description of what happens during Panama's Day 5 is very sketchy. The itinerary only mentions that the canal is a marvel of engineering and that the ship will be docked in Colon for 4 hours for great shopping.

 

We cannot find an indication where the ship is located or doing when not docked in Colon.  Also, there are excursions offered which run as long as 8 hours.  This implies passengers are taken off the ship while it is not docked.  It also may imply that we would miss some shipboard experiences or sights while on an excursion.

 

Grateful for any information to unscramble our brains. Any sorry for the lengthy screed.

[prmssk]

It sounds like this is a partial transit.

 

Assuming that is the case, you will go through the Atlantic side locks just after sunrise.  The process takes a couple hours.  Then the ship will drop anchor in Gatun Lake (which is in between the Atlantic and Pacific locks).  Anyone on excursions takes a tender from Gatun Lake.  Then in the afternoon, the ship will return back through the Atlantic side locks and then dock in Colon to pick up passengers who took an excursion and there may or may not be time for passengers who didn't take an excursion to get off.

[leaveitallbehind]

If Beyond is doing a partial transit, just be aware that she is too wide (130') and too long (1071') of a ship to fit in the old locks (106' W x 965' L) and therefore would do a partial transit utilizing the new locks.  JMO but the greater interest and historic charm of a partial transit is to do so through the old locks. 

[Outhaul]

5 hours ago, prmssk said:

It sounds like this is a partial transit.

 

Assuming that is the case, you will go through the Atlantic side locks just after sunrise.  The process takes a couple hours.  Then the ship will drop anchor in Gatun Lake (which is in between the Atlantic and Pacific locks).  Anyone on excursions takes a tender from Gatun Lake.  Then in the afternoon, the ship will return back through the Atlantic side locks and then dock in Colon to pick up passengers who took an excursion and there may or may not be time for passengers who didn't take an excursion to get off.

Thanks so much. Perfect information, which makes sense.  Definitely a partial transit, based of bookending stops at Cartagena and Aruba. It sounds like excursioners get to experience the Aqua Clara(?) lock transit into Gatun, but miss the return trip.

[Outhaul]

5 hours ago, leaveitallbehind said:

If Beyond is doing a partial transit, just be aware that she is too wide (130') and too long (1071') of a ship to fit in the old locks (106' W x 965' L) and therefore would do a partial transit utilizing the new locks.  JMO but the greater interest and historic charm of a partial transit is to do so through the old locks. 

Thanks for managing expectations.  As we are on the Beyond, it is what it is.  We may book a shore excursion to see if we can a little more close up and personal with the older locks.

[bjahil47]

We just got off the Beyond 11 day Panama Canal Cruise.  We went to new locks.  They start at about 6 am and go through 3 locks to Gatun Lake.  Takes about 2 1/2 hours.  In Gatun lake they anchor and bring down a few tenders.  They tender people in to a pier there.  You can only get off if you have a ship sponsored tour.  The ship stays awhile and then about 2 pm started to go back through the locks.  Took us same amount of time.  We then headed to Colon where they docked at about 6 pm and stayed until about 9:30 pm.  Nothing to do at port so we stayed on board.  It was a great day!  Just remember for this cruise you need a passport!  

[dreamer321]

This video by Captain Kate might interest you.Captain Kate -Panama Canal

[Outhaul]

This is perfect!  Thanks. How great to learn from someone who has done the same thing our captain will be doing.  It makes total sense and sounds like a great day.  We'll need to see if one of the tours provides a worthwhile dockside experience. I can't imagine we'll ever have the opportunity to do a canal transit, so we want to take as mush as possible away with us.

[hcat]

Taking an excursion is the best way to enjoy this itin. .We did it  yrs ago before the new locks were in use. Saw quite alot, included  aerial tram,  climbed towers with great views, butterfly stop, resort stop for a drink.Return to lively shopping area..food, music, etc..

 

Highly rec the book "Path Between the Seas"..for historical/ engibeering perspective, photos maps  of orig canal.    Worth the long read!

[Outhaul]

13 hours ago, bjahil47 said:

We just got off the Beyond 11 day Panama Canal Cruise.  We went to new locks.  They start at about 6 am and go through 3 locks to Gatun Lake.  Takes about 2 1/2 hours.  In Gatun lake they anchor and bring down a few tenders.  They tender people in to a pier there.  You can only get off if you have a ship sponsored tour.  The ship stays awhile and then about 2 pm started to go back through the locks.  Took us same amount of time.  We then headed to Colon where they docked at about 6 pm and stayed until about 9:30 pm.  Nothing to do at port so we stayed on board.  It was a great day!  Just remember for this cruise you need a passport!  

 

13 hours ago, dreamer321 said:

This video by Captain Kate might interest you.Captain Kate -Panama Canal

Thanks so much!

During the pandemic and my early days on TikTok, I followed Captain Kate as she navigated the entire pandemic crises.  As much as anything it taught me a whole lot about the "non hotel" part of a cruise ship.  How much fun to catch up with her.  If she's still driving the Beyond this coming January, I'll put on my best fan boy face and deliver a salute.

[cruizingOmi]

12 hours ago, Outhaul said:

This is perfect!  Thanks. How great to learn from someone who has done the same thing our captain will be doing.  It makes total sense and sounds like a great day.  We'll need to see if one of the tours provides a worthwhile dockside experience. I can't imagine we'll ever have the opportunity to do a canal transit, so we want to take as mush as possible away with us.

People who were on our cruise and took the Kayaking tour and others took the Nature tour were not satisfied. The Guides according to them did not know the names of the Wildlife they were seeing. We took the Panama City and Agua Clara Locks tour, 1hr at the Locks Visitor ctr, which in our opinion is tooo long.The drive to the City is long, but we enjoyed the tour of the Old City, albeit it was hot..

Drive back was also long but I think all in all it was better choice then the other tours offered.

 

[hcat]

https://www.shoreexcursionsgroup.com/tour/aerial-tram-and-gamboa-rainforest-reserve/cacoaerial

 

hope it is ok to post this link... a pvt tour I found on Google..but it is  very much like the one we took yrs ago  booked through X..

 

Only thing we did not see were animals in the tree tops or on the ground..did see birds!

 

maybe check the port boards of X excursions for  ideas!

[Shadow9612]

On 3/27/2024 at 8:15 PM, dreamer321 said:

This video by Captain Kate might interest you.Captain Kate -Panama Canal

This is great!