Why do HAL ships not tie up at the pier in Panama City, Panama?

[casavaha]

I have been thru the Canal 3 times and this December will make two more complete

crossings.

 

I dislike tendering at Fuerte Amador. Why can't the cruise ships (HAL, Celebrity, Princess)

dock at the piers that are located west of the Bridge of the Americas? I have seen

The Aida cruise ships docked there. Panama City would get so many more tourists if

they did not have to tender.

 

Thanks,

 

Greg

[Richard in Panama]

It is my understanding that a new cruise ship pier is in the works for Amador. Tender rides are always a bit of a pain, but it is beautiful view of the city skyline when you tender in Amador. The Balboa port is a major working port filled with containers, etc., and is very busy. I suspect cruise lines would prefer not to drop people off in a busy, working port and the port would much rather have container ships than tie up space with a cruise ship with lots of people to move, hampering port operations. And the Balboa port isn't really all that convenient. Less than 2% of the ships using the Canal are passenger ships, so the Canal really isn't about cruise ships.

 

Regards, Richard

[BillB48]

I was going to say that I believe the primary reason passenger ships don't dock there was due to the fact Balboa is a container and drydock facility. Since you have seen Aida ships there, kinda pokes holes into my reasoning. Even if they were to dock over at the old US Navy facility, Rodman on the opposite side the channel there would be some similar problems. The main problem would be there is no shopping/commercial area nearby in Rodman or Balboa. Rodman would also involve two trips on what is already a congested artery, the Bridge of the Americas. Balboa may not have enough desireable space to mix container and passenger operations and it also has the problem of no comercial area nearby in walking distance. The ships that used to call on Cristobal on the Atlantic side have lost that pier to more lucrative container operations and ships now have dock at another pier on the other side of Colon.

 

The only other light I can shed is Panamanian officials are in talks with some of the cruise line about building a berthing area out at Ft. Amador. That will be sometime down the road since it is just "talks."