What kind of excursions are available at port in Colon?

We'll be there soon to celebrate our 20th. [emoji846]

We're not really interested in doing an eco tour kind of excursion, which seems to be the only type offered by Holland America and the independent operators.

So I'm curious if anyone might know what kind of tours are available once we get off the ship at the pier - city tours, snorkeling, something else?

Thanks.

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Is this on a partial transit when you are only docked at Colon for a couple of hours? Don't think you will have time to do a tour. The ship is docked there primarily to pick up pax who got off in Gatun Lake for tours.

Aha, yes. Total time in port is five hours. So anything else to do around there?

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There is a "flea market" type of shopping at the pier. You aren't allowed to leave that area, and quite frankly, you wouldn't want to. Colon has NOTHING to offer...if you look at the distant city through binoculars, you will see it's in awful shape...looks very slummy, run-down and dangerous.

Generally, on Partial canal trips, the only excursions are through the ship.

Yeah, I hear Colon is a crime-ridden hell hole. ;)

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Since you are on a partial transit the port time usually isn't long enough for you to engage in DIY tours during your time there. Anything of interest is not in Colon and Colon is not the place you want to strike out by your lonesome and soak up all the local color. There is a shopping mall connected to the pier where the ship docks that is safe to wonder around in. The mall has a lot of the type shops you would expect to find in a location like this, it also has a good size grocery store in it as well so you could get a few snack items just in case there is not enough opportunities to eat on the ship!:D There is a Radisson Hotel at the mall and if you are feeling really lucky ease into their casino and pay off the cruise!!

If you want to see anything more of the Canal or Panama, a ship's excursion is the only game in town.

Jeepeers: Just returned 2-weeks ago from the partial Panama Canal cruise on the HAL Zuiderdam. There are no tours of any kind available in Colon. The only ones in Panama are thru HAL (no independents) and are tendered excursions embarking from Gatum Lake. We did HAL's "best of" tour. To me, the tour was overpriced and just OK.. JMO but I'd stay on the ship back thru the Canal and splurge on an excursion in Costa Rica. We did an independent tour there with Syl Travels that was the highlight of our cruise. Again, JMHO.

As others have posted, there are no tours at all offered once docked in Colon. The biggest reason the ship will dock there is to pick up the passengers who tender off in Gatun Lake and take other tours.

We're doing the partial transit as well with HAL and I don't even tell people one of our stops is Colon. For my husband and I, the highlight is the Canal and we are staying on the ship to see both the in and out transit.

I've read comments by others regarding the tours offered after entering the Canal, and many say that while its nice to see other areas of the Canal its a long and hot day off the ship. There is also the possibility that, due to transit time changes, those on tours reach the end and passengers are dropped off at Colon BEFORE the ship has docked. The one thing I'd want to do after a long hot day ashore is get back on the ship and to a shower. I don't want to sit and wait.

I doubt we'll even get off the ship to see the market vendors there at the dock. Its a ship day for us.