BillB48

When I was last at the Colon 2000 facility taxis/vans were available as well as people offering to sell you various tours. Don't know what it would cost to get to Tocumen, but the price would be negotiable. One thing to consider is many of the regular taxis run on LPG and they have a rather large fuel tank in the trunk. As a result they might be limited on the amount of luggage they can carry, so you may have to end up using a van.

Been awhile since I have flown into Tocumen, however getting a taxi was not a problem.

Hope you are enjoying the second half of the B2B and your northbound transit as well. Here are few webcam pics I grabbed from the Pacific side on your transit back north.

Not really, the primary purpose of the stop is to pick up passengers who went on shore excursions after locking up to Gatun Lake at the Atlantic Locks. Passengers who do not take a shore ex will lock back through the same locks they locked up that morning and have a short sail to Colon. There is a limited amount of shopping at the pier, so there is time to buy the obligatory T shirt that says something about Panama!

By all means go for the full transit and the Radiance is a great ship for the Canal, lots of topside, forward viewing areas as well as the bow is open for passengers to view the transit from there as well. I know the tour that takes you through the Pacific Locks and Gaillard Cut can wind up being a long day, but not every one of those tours end up being hopelessly delayed with late return to the ship. Even though you are planning a full transit, this excursion provides a different experience being on a smaller vessel, very different from when you transit on a large ship. Give the excursion another thought when you visit Colon. Whatever you eventually wind up doing... enjoy!

The cruise terminal is about 20 miles from the international airport. The name of the main airport is Tocumen International PTY is the airport code.

The Vision and Radiance class ships use the original locks. To date Royal has not sent any of their larger ships through the Canal. Many of their larger ships such as the Oasis class won't fit under the Bridge of Americas. At the top of this forum there is a pinned post Panamax Ships, the last post in that thread has a fairly complete list of ships from various cruise lines that can use the original locks. Royal Carib is listed with all of their ships that can use the old locks.

As long as the M class ships are the Millennium sized ships which can use the original locks, there would be no advantage to either size ships (the Azamara being a little smaller), just what ever you prefer size wise. The only other factor is what itinerary are you most satisfied with. If this is your first transit of the Panama Canal, I think the original locks are more rewarding and would be my first choice.

As near as I can tell from the picture you posted, you met the Gem either in Buena Vista or Tabernilla Reach. Barro Colorado Island is the largest island in Gatun Lake ( on your starboard side) and has been the Smitsonian's Tropical Research Center for a long time. You were traveling left to right (southbound) and the Gem right to left on this map. The red areas are "beaching" areas in case something goes uh oh.

Does seem a little odd there was no recognition, particularly when you are in one of the more remote sections of the Canal. Not that there was any way the whistle blasts would be confused with other ships. They will sound ship's and locomotive whistles while in Locks for employees who are leaving for the last time, so definitely not a banned gesture.

That's PanCanalese or Panama Canal Speak😁. A Panamax ship ship is a ship that has dimensions that permit it to pass through the original locks of the Canal. A NeoPanamax is the "new" maximum sized ship that must use the new locks which were completed in 2016. Often times many people just refer to the locks as original or old locks and the larger locks as the "new" locks. The Canal generally refers to the different set of locks as Panamax Locks or Neo Panamax Locks.

Hi Turtles, had been wondering when exactly was your B2B. I saw the Gem heading up this morning on the Pacific side, great you witnessed passing. Have a great northbound trip as well! Whistles would have been pilot discretion, no prohibition unless the whistles could have caused confusion. In the middle of Gatun Lake, not much chance for confusion.

1. What time range is optimal viewing from the ship? You will probably enter the Atlantic breakwater some time around 5, picking up the pilot. 2. Even if the ship is in the lock between Cristobal and Gatun Lake, it's between 5 and 9 AM. Between getting up in the morning, breakfast, and getting ready to go on the excursion, we won't have time to see any of the canal. Is this understanding correct? It boils down to one key question: if we take an excursion and get off the ship at 9 AM and rejoin at 3 PM, are we missing all the good viewing? More than likely you will arrive at Gatun Locks a little after 6. While the sun doesn't rise until about 6:20 there are things to be seen as you travel from the breakwater to Gatun Locks. Colon and Cristobal on the port side, sailing under the Atlantic Bridge, after passing under the Bridge a good view of the new Agua Clara Locks again on the port side. On the starboard side before you get to the Gatun Locks you will have a quick opportunity to see what is left of the original French excavation. Even though it will be dark moving towards twilight and dawn, there is a lot of illumination for you to be able to see. Breakfast could be a little challenging on this day. Maybe a good time to fill up on those Panama Rolls HAL is famous for. After you leave the ship for your excursion you will miss the return down trip through Gatun Locks. This is mostly a replay of what you experienced in the morning. 3. Where exactly does the ship dock at Gatun Lake to let people off for excursions? No docking in Gatun Lake, only tendering. The tendering takes place in the Gatun Lake Anchorage very near the former Gatun Yacht Club which is in sight of Gatun Locks... maybe half mile away. 4. Also, just for my own understanding, on a partial transit, does the ship go through the Gatun locks, hang out in Gatun Lake for a while, then go back through the Agua Clara Locks? How far into the Gatun Lake does the ship usually go? Based on Google Map, the The ship generally stays very near the same location where the tendering took place. Normally you will be able to see Gatun Locks from where you are anchored. Your ship will return through Gatun Locks. 5. One of the excursions we are looking at is a kayak trip. Its description is not very clear about exactly what's entailed. It talks about Agua Clara locks, but I am not sure if we actually paddle through the locks or we are just paddling in the lake for a while, then be taken to the Aqua Clara locks on land. And where is the area that we will be kayaking? If anybody has done this excursion, I would appreciate a detailed play-by-play. I don't have any direct knowledge on the kayak excursion, but I suspect they may include a stop at the Visitor's Center at Agua Clara Locks on your way to the kayaks. I believe the kayak activity takes place at the Melia Hotel facilities which are located at another area of Gatun Lake, I am confident you won't be any where near either locks in a kayak.

I don't know when the change went into effect, but at the beginning of January the first available time for my time was 6:45. Extremely popular time.

Depending on where in Panama City... For example the Casco Antiguo, of course depending on traffic 20 to 40 minutes. Distance wise probably 5 to 7 miles. Other parts of the City like the ruins of Old Panama, probably closer to 40-50min, again depending on traffic. From the port to Miraflores (traffic??) 30 minutes. Distance wise, about 10 miles.

Okay, you are a northbound transit and as EM pointed out that is the shadier side of the ship... sort of. Really the sun should not be much of a problem that time of day and being December there is normally some clouds (not necessarily rain clouds) about to break up any real direct sun. There are many twists and turns in the Canal, so regardless of where you are the sun will dance around a bit. I think most people will find they will have more issue with the humidity, really not all that hot but humid. From the Pacific entrance of the Canal all the way to Cocoli Locks there is plenty to take in on both sides of the ship, some of the larger islands in the Bay are on the port side, while great views of the Panama City skyline are available on the starboard side. Good time to have access to the 360 field of view. While in the locks thing happen pretty slowly so you will have time to position yourself to take in what ever interests you. Passing through Cocoli will take about 2 hours. As you reach the upper level of Cocoli Locks, the original locks of Miraflores and Pedro Miguel separated by Miraflores Lake will be in view on the starboard side. You will pass very close to Pedro Miguel Locks as you proceed up the channel to enter Gaillard Cut. After entering the Cut may be a good time for your balcony if your are looking to take a break. For the next hour or so you will transiting the Gaillard Cut or perhaps more correctly Culebra Cut as it is officially called now. Largely similar scenery on both sides of the ship, the notable exception might be Contractor's Hill on the port and Gold Hill on the starboard, the span of water between these two hills denotes the Continental Divide where almost 300' of spoils were removed to reach the original depth of the Canal. On leaving the Cut on the starboard side will be where the Chagres River empties into the Canal followed immediately by the Canal's Dredging Division Headquarters in Gamboa where many of their dredges and large cranes are moored. This will commence the Gatun Lake portion of the transit and is the best place to view ship traffic coming in the opposite direction on the port side. Suppose your balcony might be calling. The next "attraction" would be Agua Clara Locks and your exit into the Atlantic, a great time to try and take in whatever is of interest. One final thought, I don't know if the Joy has any air draft issues with the Bridge of Americas and therefore need to pass at low tide which could affect arrival time at Cocoli Locks. Barring that little caveat I would expect you to be at the Locks somewhere between the hours of 7 to 9AM. EM's had a pic of the Joy in Cocoli at around 5PM which is near high tide today and the Bridge of Americas is fairly close to the Locks, so I don't know what to think... they could have waited after clearing the Locks or there may not be an issue??

Panama and the Canal have long played havoc with a lot of people's mental picture of the Canal's route. Many people, without benefit of consulting a more detailed map of Panama and the Canal, believe the Canal runs along an east west axis. However in a general direction the Canal runs north to south and to be precise it runs northwest to southeast. To put it another way, if you start at the north end of the Canal (Atlantic entrance), at the end of your transit (Pacific) you will be about 35 miles further south and 20 miles further east than you were at the start. Not knowing which half of the transit you are likely to devote to the balcony or which direction you will be transiting I can't really give you my preference for a side of the ship to select. Probably the most opportune time to take to the balcony is when the ship crosses Gatun Lake. Generally I prefer balconies that are higher up, but honestly most of the balconies are high enough for good viewing. Tell us what direction you are planing, it will be easier to help with a choice of sides. While both sides are rewarding and both have sights that are worth seeing, I do have a side preference.

Pick your direction of transit based on the mix of ports that you would like to visit as well as you preferences in travel to the port of embarkation and disembarkation etc. The Canal is equally rewarding in either direction. Here is another vote for a transit using the original locks first. Sorry, can't be of any help on the dolphin encounter.

Thanks for the replies! I guess with that change I will have to rethink my choices. I sure much prefer the way MTD was configured before.

I have been choosing MTD for some time now and it has always operated in the following manner... The MTD portion of the MDR would open anywhere from 15 to 30 minutes before the first sitting began and remain available to book reservations until the normal close of the MDR. On a recent cruise on the Radiance I selected MTD, I was surprised to find out that the earliest time for MTD with reservation or just show up was 6:45PM. The dining room where the MTD was handling a first sitting starting at 5:15PM. This certainly limited the time that was available for the MTD guests. I was wondering is this now the manner MTD is operated or was it just unique to the Radiance.

The excursion I mentioned about the partial transit of the Pacific Locks was not in the list above and is "normally" offered when a ship calls at Colon or on the Pacific side of Panama. Various cruise lines call it by several names like Canal by Boat/Ferry. I tried looking at Royal's shore excursions, even though I am quite familiar with their website I can't seem to see anything but a few generic mentions that sounded more like fiction of what to see. Not helpful of informative. Maybe you can see more since you actually have a booking. Even if it does not appear on their website now I would look for it when you get onboard. The excursion may also have descriptors such as "partial transit", "Pacific Locks", "Culebra/Gaillard Cut"... hard to tell as it goes by many names, but it is usually one of the more or most expensive shore excursions. If you have any interest in the Canal at all that is the tour to take. Basically the tour runs from the Pacific Anchorage through the two original locks on the Pacific side and through Gaillard Cut to Gamboa. It can also run in the reverse order, just as enjoyable. In practical terms it is about half of the Canal, but it is the better half. If you can find anything like I have described in their shore excursions paste it here and I can tell you if that is the one I am referencing. The cruise I was just on did not stop in Cartagena or Colon, it was just a Western Caribbean with the obligatory stops in Cozumel and Georgetown. I have been to Cartagena and Colon both as part of a Canal cruise and non Canal cruises. Unfortunately the Radiance will not enter the Canal or pass through any locks before docking in Colon. Nothing of any significance to point out on your way into Colon, but there is a good chance you will see a lot of ships waiting at anchor to transit the Canal. Except for where your ship docks which is a passenger facility Colon is a busy container port. I know they will always caution you about taking food items off the ship. In my experience in Colon that only applies to fruits or non factory sealed items. Water, chips, small boxes of cereal were OK.

Since I am pretty much a nuts and bolts type, I would trend towards picking something that has to do with the Canal. However I do enjoy just seeing the country side, towns, etc. so of the what is listed above I would probably lean towards No. 4 Panama City tour and Canal Locks which gives some of the sightseeing aspect and the mechanical side of what I like. I think just seeing Panama City will be a surprise to most people, particularly when they see Colon first! Talk about two different worlds!! You see countryside, at least a drive by of the ruins of Old Panama and then on to Casco Antiguo. All in between those two sites you will have Panama City to fill in the gap. If you can believe the tour description you will then go to the new expansion locks of Agua Clara on the Atlantic side on the way back to the ship. Being honest, while I like seeing the new locks could be a wee bit underwhelming. Compared to the original locks there is just less to see. Although the lock chambers are larger, there is only one lane as compared to two lanes at the original locks, there are no mules towing the ships and when the ships move... it is on the slow side. Having said all that, I still think it is worth the stop. The visitor's center at Agua Clara gives you a nice view of Gatun Lake and you can see ships moving through Gatun Locks (original) about a mile away. You probably can't see the locks because of their low profile, but you will be able to see the ships. Maybe even more importantly you can see the apartment building I lived in at one time!!😄 Won't be any issue with you changing tours at the shore excursion desk, they will credit you and add any increase to your account. Of course my favorite tour would be the partial transit of the Pacific Locks and Gaillard (Culebra) Cut... if it turns into a real long day, then you will be certain it will be memorable!!😉 Just got off the Radiance this past Saturday, great ship!

I just responded in another post about Panama Viejo. Are you referring to Old Panama (Panama Viejo), which is the is the ruins of the original settlement founded in 1519? Or are you referring to Casco Viejo also called Casco Antiguo which is where the settlement was relocated after Morgan's visit in 1671? Both sites are all in what is metropolitan Panama City about 5 miles straight line apart. It certainly would be possible to arrange something with a taxi where you disembark the ship at Ft. Amador. I am assuming you are arriving by ship for a day stop. Can't really help on tour operators.

1. The IMAX movie is worthwhile and is nicely done, narrated by Morgan Freeman. The IMAX theater is located at Miraflores Locks, however it is unclear to me as to whether the free time they speak of will allow you to spend any time viewing the operations of Miraflores Locks. The exploring the former Canal Zone and learning about its history may have limited interest for someone who has not had a connection to the Canal Zone. Those who have a connection to the Canal Zone would be former employees of the Canal or relatives of former employees. This would also apply to members of the military who had been stationed at some point in the Canal Zone. 2. I think the primary part of this tour is the visit to the Embera Indian village. This a demonstration village, don't be turned against it because of it being a demonstration village. The village does accurately represent their way of life and their culture. 3. This is the excursion I know the least about, I believe this excursion stays on the Atlantic side and would have the least amount of bus travel if my assumption is correct. 4. This tour will take you to the same area as the excursion that is called Colonial Panama on Your Own, this area goes by three names depending on who is describing it. Casco Antiguo, Casco Viejo as well as Colonial Panama are all the same place. Sounds like this tour includes at least a drive by Panama Viejo which is the ruins of the original first European settlement on the Pacific side of Panama in 1519. After an welcomed visit by Henry Morgan in 1671, the town was moved to where Casco Antiguo is now. Modern day Panama City has filled the what was empty space between the two sites. 5. Portobelo will have the remains of old Spanish fortifications, I would expect the visit would include stops at the old Customs House as well the Church of the Black Christ which is in the area. The real name of the church is Iglesia de San Felipe, but it is rare to ever hear it called by that name. One thing I forgot to mention about the Panama Canal and Monkey Eco Tour earlier, they will often sell out on line before sailing. However that is for on line sails only. If that excursion is something you are interested in, go to the excursion desk when they first open as they normally hold back a number of excursions to be sold onboard.

I am assuming you are just making a port call in Colon and not transiting the Canal. If you are trying to avoid the longer bus travel, only one of those tour suggestions possibly does not involve a fair amount of bus travel. Almost every tour listed will involve transportation to the some location on the Pacific side. The bus ride over and back is really not a bad trip, a large part of it is over an expressway and while I would allow an hour an a half each way the trip is really just a little over an hour. However there is always a couple of stragglers that are the last to get on the bus and the like... so the hour and half is probably more accurate. The bus ride to Portobelo does not go to the Pacific side and is over secondary roads going through some country side as well working class towns I think if you want to go through the locks and see a good part of the most interesting parts of the Canal, I really think that still is your best choice. Although I don't believe you listed that tour. The boat portion of the tour lasts about 4.5 hours, but that often times depends of the vagaries of shipping. In other words ship happens and that can cause the longer tour times. About the only tour that would offer a chance of a little shopping and local food sampling would be the Colonial Panama on Your Own. There has been in the past ample native goods available in the area of the Las Bovedas and Plaza Francia. As far as food goes, I am not much help there, I know there are a number of boutique restaurants, read high prices and probably not that representative of "comida tipica" (local food) in this section of Panama City. Interesting sites in Colonial Panama (also called Casco Antiguo or Viejo) are the Panama Canal Museum, Palacio de Las Garzas (Presidential Palace), Church of San Jose (Church of the Golden Altar), the ruins of the Convent and Church of Santo Domingo (Flat Arch) as well as Las Bovedas mentioned earlier. While the Casco is not that big, I am not sure how convenient these sites would be to visit walking on your own. There are lots of interesting things to see in Panama and well worth the visit, to me the Canal is the star. If there is anyway to do the partial transit that would be my first choice. The good thing is the partial transit will not spoil the experience when you return on a full transit cruise. If you have any questions about the other tours I'll try to answer them, just try to include some of Royal's description of the tour. I looked at their website and could not find much that detailed the tour.