Excursions for Panama Canal

[PSU]

We are going on the JOS in Feb. 2009 to the Panama Canal. Is it worth it to do an excursion while in Panama or crusing the canal?

 

I would appreciate any tips.

 

Thanks.:)

[wrp96]

It depends on what you want. I really wanted to see a lot of the canal and a little bit of Panama, so it was definitely worth it to me to do the Panama Canal by Ferry excursion. It was great because you got to transit the full length of the canal and see more of the canal than just one set of locks.

 

Other people prefer to stay on the ship and just relax while everyone gets off the ship - because they see what they want when the ship goes in and out of the canal through the Gatun Locks.

[azbirdz]

We did the ferry excursion (after reading WRP96's review -- thanks!) and it was a great way to experience the locks. Her review was most helpful in getting us out to the heli pad early enough to enjoy the entry into the locks.

 

If you do the ferry -- wear a hat (they do have a covered section, but we sat at the side to see the canal sides etc.), sunscreen and even bug repellent. Not to be at all scary --- but I wished I'd worn more sunscreen than I did and bugs are always a problem near water.

 

HAVE FUN!

[cherylakers]

We just did round trip Ft. Lauderdale in April. When we entered Gatun Lake we took a tender in for a shore excursion. We went on the authentic Embera Indian Village. It was fantastic. 1 hour by bus. Then dug out canoes with a small motor on it to the village. There were 18 families that lived there. They were amazing. They served us fish they caught and fried, fruit and bottled water or coke. They had some crafts they made, mainly baskets. They were beautiful, but expensive. I did buy one though.

 

Great trip

 

Cheryl

[wrp96]

azbirdz, glad to hear that info was helpful to someone else.

[Love2cruise58]

Wrona, How long did it take to get back from the Ferry to the Ship? How long for the actual Ferry ride? Did you have to take a bus back to the ship, and if so how long was the bus ride? Please tell me a little more about your excursion if you have time. We are leaving next week and that is one I have considered.

Thanks in advance for all your help. I always enjoy your posts...

Lori

[wrp96]

These are estimated times, since it was back in 2006, but as I remember it the times were as follows:

 

Bus ride from tender drop off point to ferry - 1 hour. This included the 15 minute stop so we could all stop and take pictures of the sloth in the middle of the road.

 

Ferry ride itself - lasted 7 hours. This time can vary based on other traffic in the canal. I know that one time the ferry ride itself took 12 hours but that is an extreme. Usually it's between 7 and 8 hours.

 

Bus ride back to ship - 2 hours.

 

There were bathrooms available on both bus rides, and a bathroom on the ferry. On the ferry itself they provided unlimited iced down sodas and water (well unlimited until they ran out) but I would toss a bottle or two of water in your bag just in case. They want everyone to drink as much liquids as possible as the heat/humidity can really drain it out of you. One person on our trip did not pay attention - she stayed at the railing out in the sun the whole trip, without eating or drinking very much (she was diabetic so it was an issue). Unfortunately she paid for it as she fainted while we were in the first of the Miraflores Locks, an ambulance met us while we were in the 2nd lock and she was taken to the hospital.

 

I had found a spot at the back rail which gave me an unobstructed view to the back and stayed in the shade the whole day. I walked around every so often for a better view. Even if you don't get a seat by the rails, it is easy to move around and get different views without disturbing other people.

 

You actually board the ferry near where the Chagris River joins up with the Canal. You will be able to see the navigation beacons, the spots where they are dredging the canal to accommodate larger ships, etc. On the ferry itself you go through the Pedro Miguel Lock, and the Miraflores Locks (2 locks). When you exit the Miraflores locks, you actually see the change from the canal water to the Pacific Ocean. Shortly after we left the Canal at the Miraflores Locks we docked at a small area where we got back on the buses. To get back to the ship you drive on the outskirts of Panama City (you'll see the skyscrapers in the distance) before heading back across Panama to the pier.

 

Be aware that if you have early seating dinner you will miss it, and if you have late seating you might miss it if the excursion goes long. I was able to make my late seating dinner but I notified my tablemates that I might not so they wouldn't wait on me to start ordering. It might be best to just plan to eat at the Windjammer, the Seaview, or room service for dinner that night.

 

They did provide a sandwich and a muffin for lunch on the ferry. It was okay, nothing fancy or great. There was someone selling candy bars and chips if you wanted more. Do not attempt to bring any food off the ship in Panama - I know several of the tenders were delayed on our trip because they were checking people's bags for food. You might be able to bring pre-packaged food with you but I would check at guest relations before attempting it.

[Love2cruise58]

Thanks so much for the information.... Unfortunatly, I probably won't get DH off the ship if he knows the bus ride will be that long. We toured Italy a few years ago with a large group I work with....stayed in Rome and took day trips on busses and he swore he would never be "herded around" again...

[Dolby1000]

We did the bus/train ride and loved it. It is airconditioned and the rails parallel the canal. It is a fun and great ride.

 

My wife is a diabetic and felt being in the sun all day on a ferry wasn't the wisest of choices. We loved the train and they included a box lunch which was very nice.

 

As for taking food off the ship, our excursion didn't say that it provided lunch, so we took off several individual size boxes of cereal, just to cover her if there was an emergency. On our cruise, no one was checking bags. Thankfully, since they served us that box lunch, we didn't need to cereal and ate it the next day at breakfast.

 

Our guilt over taking the food off was assuaged later, when during the bus ride across Panama, people in front of us took out several bags of chicken, crackers, cheese, meat and bread, all taken from the Windjammer the previous day. Apparently, their bags were not checked either.

 

Dolby1000

[cyscopup]

When we did the full transit last year we got off the ship in Gatun Lake and did a river ride/ rain forest hike and it was incredible. The excursion ended with us watching the Serenade sail through the Gatun Locks and then we went to Christobol Pier and reboarded the ship.

[luvscruising2007]

Let me recommend the Panama Canal board. It has so much information about all of the Panama Canal excursions.

We did the ferry ride and found it well worth while. It's a long day but really great.