Panama Canal cruise on Voledam

[poorsusan]

We are thinking of doing one of these cruises in January. Any one have any input on what to expect? The whole Itinery is Ft Lauderdale, Half Moon Cay, Aruba, Curacao, Panama Canal, 2 stops in Panama, and Costa Rica. We have been to Aruba several times - have a time share there - and to Curacao a couple of times. We would do this cruise for the sea days and the Canal itself.

 

Thanks for you assistance.

[peaches from georgia]

It's a fabulous cruise- our favorite. Every port is wonderful including Costa Rica which we loved. Try the Tortuguero Canal excursion. A lovely and interesting day. It has gotten rave reviews here and we thought it the best of any shore excursion we have ever taken. Take it in the morning if you can- you will see more animals peeking out of the trees. :D

[Krazy Kruizers]

Great cruise!!

 

And here is another vote for the Tortuguero Canal excursion. We also did it and loved it!!

 

Are you going to stay on the ship as it enters and leaves the canal? Have you ever gone through the locks?

[poorsusan]

No we haven't - my husband is a Navy veteran but has never done the Canal....his ship had just come back when he arrived.

 

We would probably stay in the ship as it goes through the canal.

 

It is just a thought at this time - other possibility is 2 weeks in Aruba or Belize.

[schwabby]

We would probably stay in the ship as it goes through the canal.

 

 

We did this trip last March. Even if you get off to do a shore excursion, you will still go through the locks into Gatun Lake. That's where people are disembarked for shore excursions. Then, you would meet the ship back in Colon after it has made it's return trip back through the locks. We did the Domed Train excursion and it was good. Many others did the excursion to Panama City and loved that.

 

We also did the Tortuguero Canal trip and loved it.

[schwabby]

In my last post that "we would probably stay on the ship" was supposed to be quoted from Poorsusan's" post.

 

We wouldn't stay on the ship because we would rather experience something else than a return trip through the same lock.

[CrystalLady]

We are doing this itinerary in early November. Please remember that it is a PARTIAL Canal transit - only goes as far as Gatun Lake/Gatun Locks. You can, however, take shore excursions that go farther.

 

The itinerary sounds fabulous.

[sail7seas]

IMO, HAL's partial Panama Canal transit cruises are outstanding. We have done it about 4 or 5 times and would do it again. We love the round trip FLL..... It's a wonderful cruise.

 

[Krazy Kruizers]

We have done the domed train ride as well as Panama City -- great excursions.

[judgebsn]

Loved this cruise - we did in this past January. We got up at 5:00 am to watch the approach to the canal and the entry. We then got off in Lake Gatun, took a long bus rife to the next lock and got on a small ferry to go the rest of the way through the Canal to the Pacific, where we got a bus back to the ship in Colon. Other than the bus ride, the ferry trip through the remaining locks was wonderful.

[wrp96]

No we haven't - my husband is a Navy veteran but has never done the Canal....his ship had just come back when he arrived.

 

We would probably stay in the ship as it goes through the canal.

 

Susan, to really see the canal, look at doing the excursion through the ship where you continue through the rest of the canal by Ferry. The engineering of the canal is amazing and it is quite different to see it from the ferry than the decks of a large ship.