wilepuff

which tour would you do and why? Two oceans by railroad or the Panama Canal by Ferry? both are the same cost.

Help!:o

Definitely the ferry. Having ridden the railroad and transited the Canal numerous times on cruise ships, yachts and ACP tugs the real Canal experience is found in the bottom of the chambers. My website (http://www.madaboutpanama.com) will give you some insights to the Canal. Enjoy your experience.

Boy, the Panama Railroad just doesn't get any respect!;) Just kidding. The PRR is a pretty unique railroad... first transcontinental railroad, at one time the highest priced stock on the NYSE, instrumental in the construction of the Canal... but it really is a rather low key excursion and is more suited for a railroad aficionado who is interested in its historical significance. It's a very pleasant ride. While you do get glimpses of the Canal on the railroad, usually the Canal is in the distance as the RR skirts the edges of the Canal for a large part of the route.

 

If your primary purpose is to see the Canal, then the Canal by Ferry is a much better choice. Your morning transit through the Atlantic Locks combined with the passage through the two Pacific Locks and Gaillard Cut will allow you to see a large portion and the best parts of the Canal. (I am assuming you are on a partial transit cruise which you only pass through Gatun Locks on your ship).

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We live in Panama and are planning to take a cruise through the Panama Canal in May 2017, leaving from Florida and stopping in Colon, Panama. There are some alcohol products that are not available in Panama, so we would like to go shopping in Florida, and when we visit Colon we would take the bottles home. Each person is allowed to import three bottles of liquor into the country, and it would not be Duty Free products anyway.

We contacted Celebrity who could not give us an answer, even after contacting the ship. We plan to try again closer to the time, but perhaps somebody out there knows if it is possible? Maybe the Cruise Director can babysit our bottles rather than sending them to "jail" for the entire cruise?