Just a bit curious about the Panama Canal locks ferry trip

I have been reading the review of the last couple of days on Cruise Critic of the ferry trip to the old Panama Canal locks and my husband and I have signed up for this adventure and now are not so sure it is a good idea. With that said, we are curious if we stay on the ship and then end up in Colon are we able to get off the ship in Colon and if so can we find anything of interest at this stop. If you have recently been on this Panama Canal cruise on the Caribbean Princess we would really appreciate any information you have to share. Thanking you in advance.....

Usually where things go south on this shore excursion begins with a late start, then the trip through Gaillard Cut and the Pacific Locks runs into some delays. However this excursion gives a great opportunity to see a large portion of the Canal without having to invest the time, usually 14-16 days on a full transit cruise.

While staying on the ship for the return trip through the Atlantic Locks can be pleasant you are seeing less than 8 miles of a 50 mile Canal. Experiencing the passage through the Locks on a smaller vessel gives you a completely different perspective of the process that you experienced from your cruise ship. The Cut and Pacific Locks IMO have a lot more visual treats for you to take in.

You can normally get off the ship when it reaches Colon and there is a mall connected to the pier which is safe to browse. The stop is a short one since the primary purpose for the stop is to pick up the passengers who are on excursions. There is absolutely nothing for the cruise passenger in Colon for you to do. For the most part it is not a pretty place and you would be strongly cautioned not to leave the mall/pier area. (Note: ships such as the Caribbean Princess have been using Cristobal to pick up the touring passengers. There is no mall here as it is only a container port, the same advice of not venturing into Colon stands.)

The following link will take you to a cruiser detailing his current cruise to the Canal on the Caribbean Princess. He has a very nice review of his partial transit. His comments and pictures

on the partial transit begin with post No. 168... https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2572524&page=9

PS: Not every shore excursion through the Cut and Pacific Locks turn into a marathon:D!