Panama Canal question

[betsyl]

My DH and I are thinking about taking a Panama Canal cruise next year. I see there is one that goes from Tampa to San Diego that sounds interesting. But I also see one that goes round trip from Ft. Lauderdale. Is the difference that the Ft. Lauderdale cruise doesn't actually go THROUGH the Panama Canal? You just get to see it? Thanks for your comments.:confused:

[kyriecat]

The Fort Lauderdale roundtrip cruise DOCKS in Panama. The ship never enters the canal. You can choose to take an excursion and go half-way through the canal on a smaller boat. I think you return by bus.

 

If you are interested in a roundtrip cruise that goes half-way through the canal, Holland America and Princess both go through the canal to Gatun Lake then turn-around. I believe both lines leave and return to Fort Lauderdale.

[chef_christoph]

That is correct. The round-trip PC cruises do not actually go through the canal, while the full transit goes all the way through.

 

I have done an east to west transit and it is amongst the best cruises I have ever taken.

 

I'm not sure if they do any more, but the round trip cruises used to go through the first set of lock chambers and into Gatun Lake. I'm sure someone who has been recently can tell you if this is still the case.....edit...see the post directly above mine....

 

If I had the choice, I'd do the full transit every time and I'd do it before 2014 when the canal enlargement is slated to be completed. I'm not so sure the experience would be as interesting once the enlargement is completed.

 

Maybe I'll have to take another transit after 2014 just to see for myself....I'll use any excuse to take a cruise. :)

[betsyl]

Thanks to you both for your helpful information!:)

[Aubiecruiser]

On our 06 Panama Canal cruise, we did a partial transit through Gatun locks, stopped and went back through after a couple of hours. I understand that the majority of the Panama Canal cruises, do not enter the canal anymore unless it is a full transit from one side to the other. I think the cost of even a partial transit made it too expensive for the cruise lines to absorb. Probably you will dock in Colon and from there you can take a ferry into the canal or take the train from the Atlantic to the Pacific side and back to the ship. .

Aubie

[Tim,n,Sue]

We did the 12 day cruise this year in April on the Jewel. Origianally the Jewel was going to do a partial transit but that has been discontinued. The Jewel docked at Colon and from there you have to take an excursion. Do not attempt to go anywhere in Colon, outside of the immediate dock area, by yourself or you will become a statistic. We did the smaller boat tour and it was great. We took a bus to about 1/3 the way into the Canal then boarded a boat that jheld about 600 people. We went through the two sets of docks and into the Pacific Ocean where we docked again and boarded buses back to Colon. This is a great tour.

[katstoy]

We just did this trip in March on Carnival. We ported out of Ft. Lauderdale and the first stop was Colon. We took the ship's excursion for a partial canal transit. We arrived in Panama early morning. I got up and it was pretty awesome to see the west bound canal traffic coming out into the Atlantic. We docked in Colon and were bused to the Pacific! Two oceans within about an hour. From there we boarded a ferry and went through the Mira Flores and Miguel locks (three locks in all). We then went through a small portion of Gatun lake and got off the ferry and back on to the bus back to port.

 

It was the most expensive shore excursion but definitely worth it. I would do it before the expansion to see what the original canal is like. We saw the work crews on the expansion and saw some of the blasting from the ship. Our tour guide said the "toll" through the canal was expensive. It think our ferry alone was $5,000.

[kyriecat]

Some other members of my family did the partial transit on Jewel in Feb. '09. They were onboard Jewel into Gatun Lake then transferred onto the ferry to finish the canal transit. They had a little time in Panama City then took a bus back to the ship. That tour was the highlight of their trip. They loved the comparison between being on the upper deck of a cruise ship and looking down at the canal activities then being on the much smaller ferry and seeing how tall the walls of the canal actually are.

 

Their description made me want to take that same tour. Since RC doesn't offer the partial canal transit, I researched other cruiselines that do. Next April, I'll get to see the the canal operating from the deck of the Zuiderdam to Gatun Lake then from the ferry to the Pacific side. Can't wait!

[TravelerThom]

On our 06 Panama Canal cruise, we did a partial transit through Gatun locks, stopped and went back through after a couple of hours. I understand that the majority of the Panama Canal cruises, do not enter the canal anymore unless it is a full transit from one side to the other. I think the cost of even a partial transit made it too expensive for the cruise lines to absorb. Probably you will dock in Colon and from there you can take a ferry into the canal or take the train from the Atlantic to the Pacific side and back to the ship. .

Aubie

It costs a cruise ship about a quater of a million dollars to go in the canal [at $115 per occupied berth, and $92 per unoccupied berth]. Note that you go up three locks and down three locks whether you do a through transit, or you turn around and return the way you came; I have to assume the cost would be the same which ever way the ship does it. So the cruise line saves $115 [plus pro rata cost of unoccupied berths] per passenger by docking in Colon rather than doing a partial transist.

 

I have done both an East bound transist [Atlantic to Pacific] and a West bound transist [Pacific to Atlantic]. That is not a typo, as the Atlantic end of the canal is actually West [and North] of the Pacific end.

 

Thom

[Aubiecruiser]

I have done both an East bound transist [Atlantic to Pacific] and a West bound transist [Pacific to Atlantic]. That is not a typo, as the Atlantic end of the canal is actually West [and North] of the Pacific end.

 

Thom

 

You are correct, but try to explain that in a Trivia contest.:D

Aubie

[nana541]

Did a 16 day full transit from West Coast to Miami...Wow is all I can say! The approach to the canal under the Bridge of the Americas is not to be missed....

Do I full transit and you will never regret it!

[unberwoob]

We did the partial on the Jewel and it was great. But now we are doing the full transit.

 

Keep in mind that the Tampa to San Diego cruise next April will be the last for the Radiance (as far as we know) because she is going to Australia next fall.

[BillB48]

Another Trivia fact.. where can you see the sun rise in the Pacific and watch it set in the Atlantic (technically the Caribbean)? You're correct, Panama! OK, back on topic, I believe only Princess and HAL are still offering partial transits through the Atlantic Locks. If you are doing a cruise that just stops in Panama and you want to have a good look at the Canal, the RCI tour CO26, Panama Canal Tour is the tour to take. This is the tour some refer to as Canal by Ferry. It will take you through the two Pacific Locks and through Gaillard Cut, this tour will give you a good look at the Canal and it's operation. They also have tours that will include a visit at the locks as well.

 

I have provided a response here on the Panama Canal board, http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1251220, scroll down to post #4. If you don't want to read all of it, here is the key portion: Now for the partial transit by the ferry. After you leave your ship, whether you are on a partial transit from Gatun Locks or on a ship that just stops in Colon, you will be bussed to the Pacfic side. (Just a side note here, this tour can be run in the reverse of what I'm going to describe. You'll see the same things, either direction is great.) You will board the ferry in Balboa, this is the Pacific approach to the Canal. You will sail under the first of two large bridges that span the Canal, the Bridge of the Americas. The first lock you will come to is Miraflores which take you up in two steps to the smaller of the two artificial lakes on the Canal. After exiting Miraflores Locks you will sail across Miraflores Lake, about a mile to the one step locks of Pedro Miguel. At Pedro Miguel you will be raised to the level of Gatun Lake and begin your passage through the Gaillard Cut. Gaillard Cut is where the bulk of the excavation occured during the construction of Canal. The passage through the Gaillard Cut is about 8 miles and you tour will end in Gamboa where you will reboard busses and return to Colon. Forgot to mention, in Gaillard Cut you will have a good view of the begining of the construction to build to new set of locks for the Canal.

[mrbbb]

Actually it doesnt cost the cruise line anything to transit the canal. The fee is included in the port charges and fees that the passengers pay. My trip last year on Millenium the fees were the highest I have ever paid but as everyone else stated well worth it.;)

[MJN]

We did a 14 day transit from San Diego to Fort Lauderdale perhaps 8 or 10 years ago (have to check my records) and it was one of our most enjoyable cruises yet. It was in January so started off cool but certainly got warmer as we moved further and further south. We stopped at Acapulco, which was wonderful, Cabo San Lucas and saw whales breaching, did a river rafting adventure in Costa Rica and then the transit which took all day but was so fascinating! Highly recommend it! We had one stop at the end of the canal for shopping only in the port terminal and then another in Aruba and then to Fort Lauderdale. Do it before it changes ( and perhaps again after).