Panama Canal 1/2 transit or full transit question

[hazeleyes]

Panama Canal 1/2 way or full transit question. I'm looking into booking a cruise for the Panama Canal and id like some imput on which is best full transit or 1/2 way. If you have done either of these id like to hear about your experience. And which would you suggest.

[cb at sea]

I'm sure either will be great--we only did the partial,mainly because we didn't want to fly in and out of different ports.

You get the full "flavor" of the canal on a partial, and it's a relaxing day! As you go through the locks, a navigator will be onboard giving your info about this wonder!

It will really depend on whether you want to deal with flights from different places!

[isujim]

I have done both.........to me there is no comparrison......if you can afford the price difference and the time off.....take the full transit......to this date still our favorite cruise.

[cruisin4kicks]

We just came off a full transit on the Serenade the a few weeks ago (San Juan to San Francisco). I've never done the partial transit but absolutely thought the full transit was great. We met an NCL ship going the other way while in the middle of the actual canal and it came along side of us pretty close. That was fun waving at them and both ships blowing the horns at each other.

 

It's a full day from one end of the canal to the other. I'm hoping that sometime in the future to book a cruise transitting the canal in the other direction.

 

Tim

[brentp]

If you do decide on the partial transit, . . . there is an option to "see" the rest of the canal, . . . and to "see" it from 2 different perspectives. You can read more here:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=143158

 

Enjoy.

[Janice M]

We have done both and both are an exceptional experience. The full transit is by far a better cruise. It is well worth the extra cost. I would do it again.

 

Jan

[lv2cruisgrl]

We did the 1/2 and loved it.....

[glgolfer]

We've done the full transit 3 times. Once Atlantic to Pacific and twice Pacific to Atlantic. I would recommend the full transit from the Pacific to the Atlantic. It's always better to end close to home than it is to start close.

[leoandhugh]

The experience of the full transit is best(we are doing our 7th in October) but you have then the disadvantage of higher air fare because of "open jaw" rather than round trip. The full transit has calls at Mexican ports such as Acapulco and Costa Rica, Honduras or Guatemala which are far different from islands of the Caribbean. and the full transit usually involves more days than partial; therefor it is more expensive. Only you can judge that aspect.

[hazeleyes]

I'm sure either will be great--we only did the partial,mainly because we didn't want to fly in and out of different ports.

You get the full "flavor" of the canal on a partial, and it's a relaxing day! As you go through the locks, a navigator will be onboard giving your info about this wonder!

It will really depend on whether you want to deal with flights from different places!

 

We were looking at the round trip miami one and we were also considering miami to CA one, or CA to miami.

[hazeleyes]

I have done both.........to me there is no comparrison......if you can afford the price difference and the time off.....take the full transit......to this date still our favorite cruise.

 

I'm not too worried about the price since we always go with the inside cabins to save money. I'm just trying to figure out if by doing he 1/2 we will miss out alot. Since you've done both and you prefer the full transit you could probably be best to suggest which did you see more on. So your vote is full transit. :)

[hazeleyes]

We just came off a full transit on the Serenade the a few weeks ago (San Juan to San Francisco). I've never done the partial transit but absolutely thought the full transit was great. We met an NCL ship going the other way while in the middle of the actual canal and it came along side of us pretty close. That was fun waving at them and both ships blowing the horns at each other.

 

It's a full day from one end of the canal to the other. I'm hoping that sometime in the future to book a cruise transitting the canal in the other direction.

 

Tim

 

I did see on the internet the one leaving from San Juan and thought it was also good.

[hazeleyes]

If you do decide on the partial transit, . . . there is an option to "see" the rest of the canal, . . . and to "see" it from 2 different perspectives. You can read more here:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=143158

 

Enjoy.

 

Thanks! I'm going to go read your review.

[hazeleyes]

I really appreciate all of your responses. Thank you so much.:)

[isujim]

I'm not too worried about the price since we always go with the inside cabins to save money. I'm just trying to figure out if by doing he 1/2 we will miss out alot. Since you've done both and you prefer the full transit you could probably be best to suggest which did you see more on. So your vote is full transit. :)

 

 

Yes my vote is full transit. We were on the Radiance of the Seas from LA to Florida......15 days. You go through all the locks of the canal not just the Gatun locks. The way they had this laid out, it was port day, sea day, port day, sea day etc........not too many ports and not too many sea days.......very evenly divided. We just enjoyed the ports and the fact it was 15 days.......heck we were on the Ship for three Saturdays as it worked out.

 

I found the locks and full transit fascinating.......but I'm a history buff and enjoyed it very much.

 

Either way you can't go wrong.........but we will probably even repeat this cruise (full transit) sometime in the future. Good luck.