taking the bus from colon, panama to panama city

[tagabukid]

is it safe to walk from wherever the cruise ship docks in colon, panama to the bus that will take me to panama city? how far is the bus terminal from the port. i would have wanted to take the train to panama city but i arrive on sunday so my plan is to take a bus to the city, then come back on a train the following day or two. my rough guide and lonlely planet guidebooks seem clear about how dangerous to walk around in colon, even in broad daylight. i would appreciate any input from those who have done this trip solo as i am travelling by myself on budget. thanks in advance.

[BillB48]

One problem is there is more than one dock the cruise ships use. However the short answer is NO. Colon is really different. While it is not unsafe to travel through Colon with a tour or even in a taxi, it is not safe for you to head out there by yourself.

[Bonnie J.]

Will you be on a cruise? No ship spends the night in Colon.

[tagabukid]

to billb48 and bonniej:

thanks for the responses. i will disembarking at colon from a cruise with enchantment of the seas that depart fort laudedale on the 28th, nov.

i am very much an independent budget traveller. so, in reading the rough guide gudebook about transport from colon to panama city arriving on a sunday, my options are: the bus ride with rci, or the public bus at colon bus termnal. it seems that the bus terminal is about 500 meters from the port. i just wonder how much foot traffic there is from the dock to the public bus terminal in the morning when the ship arrives. again thanks for the replies, bill and bonnie

[Fantasy09]

Hi, me and my friend are taking the same cruise. We will be staying in Panama city for couple days. Maybe we could share a taxi from Colon to Panama city.

[Bax]

Hi. I don't think I have seen either of you on the Meet and Mingle board for this cruise, but the subject of ground transportation from coast to coast in Panama has been discussed at length over there. We will be on the same cruise November 28-Dec. 6. The general consensus seems to be that My Friend Mario is the best bet for Sunday van transportation. Twenty bucks.

[groundzero3424]

My wife & I are taking that cruise as well and we've been trying to figure out what to do in terms of transportation between Colon and PC. We would be interested in splitting a group fare with anyone from the cruise. Let me know!

We're staying at Veneto a Wyndham Grand Panama hotel in downtown PC.

[Bonnie J.]

Welcome to cruisecritic ground zero!

What ship are you talking about? Does the cruise start in Panama? How are you getting more than 8 hours in one port?

[MSN-Travelers]

Welcome to cruisecritic ground zero!

What ship are you talking about? Does the cruise start in Panama? How are you getting more than 8 hours in one port?

 

RCI's Enchantment of the Seas does a series of cruise itineraries that start/end in Colon, Panama.

[cruisindonna]

I was on the QM2 in November and it docks in Cristobal, which is the port area next to Colon. Our ship's tour was a bus ride to the Pedro Miguel dock, partial transit of the canal by ferry and return from Panama City area by bus. Going through Colon on the bus I can understand why cruise passengers are told not to venture into town on their own. Our ship docked a few miles outside of Colon, so I am not sure how close you would be on another ship, but I would not go into town to catch a bus or train. Even our tour guide, who is a Panamanian said she does not go into Colon.