Partial Transit

[Steeler Transplant]

We're booked with Princess for a partial transit tour in early December. (Husband, son, daughter-in-law and me) Our balcony cabins are on the starboard side. I'm thinking that since the ship will have to go back through Gatun locks, maybe we'd be better off staying on the ship, rather than taking a shore excursion and missing the second pass through. Would we be missing a "must see" if we did this? Don't feel that I have to see the entire lock system.

 

On this cruise, we'll also be visiting ports in Aruba; Cartagena, Columbia; Limon, Costa Rica; and Grand Cayman. From what I've been reading, Cartagena should be relatively safe. I'm interested in visiting the walled city and just walking around on our own. Is taking a taxi advisable versus the ship's 3.5 hr "Colonial City Explorer", part guided, part on your own, that gives you two hours to walk around (cost $39 per person). We're only in port from 9 AM to 3 PM.

 

For now we're booked on the "Rainforest Aerial Tram, Nature Walk & Lunch" excursion through Princess in Costa Rica. It's an eight hour excursion which seems like it will be a long day. I'm hoping the scenery along the drive to the rainforest should be interesting, and I definitely want to take the aerial tram.

 

Any comments/suggestions would be appreciated.

 

Thank you.

[BillB48]

I can understand you wanting to take the two passes through Gatun Locks, the ship usually not crowded for the down lockage and the trip to Colon.

Even though you don't feel the need to see the entire lock system, the Pacific Locks and Gaillard Cut offer most of the eye candy on a Panama Canal tour. This tour is called a number of names by the cruise lines, but essentially it is a transit through the Pacific Locks and Gaillard Cut on a smaller vessel. Combining this tour with your passage through Gatun Locks gives you a real good snapshot of the Canal and what an enormous feat that was accomplished almost a hundred years ago.

 

There are another popular tour is a visit to the Embera village which rates highly and it gives you a chance to see some of the country.

 

Cartegena should be OK, we have been to the walled city a couple of times recently and did not notice anything that was of concern safety wise, although we were on a ship's tour. You will just have to be prepared for some of the most persistent street vendors in the world. They do accept no for an answer but there is another 9000 of them to give it their best shot when you say no to the first one;):D!

 

Welcome to Cruise Critic!

[pilotdane]

Unless you are a total ship or canal buff I would get off the ship. Even though you have a balcony on the starboard side you are allowed to leave your cabin. Walk to the other side of the ship. You can see everything in one transit through the locks and be free to head ashore knowing that you did not miss seeing the other side of the locks.

[Richard in Panama]

Agree . . . even although it doesn't work well on Princess [as it did on Holland America] "Get off the Dam ship!" You've come all this distance to see Panama and the Canal so see it. If you really want to see the Canal . . . all of it . . . then do the Ferry excursion.

 

To see the really good stuff in Panama or in Puerto Limon you have to take a rather long tour, bit believe me its worth it!

 

Regards, Richard

[Steeler Transplant]

Okay--I hear you all! I'll stick with original plan and keep our excursion reservation for the Old Panama City, Miraflores Locks & Scenic Drive in Panama.

 

Thanks for your comments.

[joanne1]

We are on the same itinerary, same ship, different date - we did this cruise 7 years ago and we didn't get off the ship. This time I am thinking differently and want to do an excursion, but I can't remember - when and where do people get off the ship for the excursions. I am thinking that it is after you are on the lake . . . I guess I just didn't pay attention last time because it didn't pertain to me. I did look on the Princess website, and they describe the excursion, but no mention of the process.

 

Thanks to any and all that can help . . .

[BillB48]

I am assuming this is a partial transit cruise we are talking about. You will arrive at the Atlantic entrance to the Canal around 5:AM and proceed to Gatun Locks where you be locked up to Gatun Lake. The lockage at Gatun Locks is normally completed somewhere around 9-10 where the ship anchors adjacent to the Locks. Passengers who are on tours will tender off the ship here and meet your tours. While you are on tour the ship will lock back through Gatun Locks and go to the dock in the Colon where you will rejoin the ship.

 

If for some reason this is not a partial transit cruise the precedure will be somewhat different fot taking tours in Panama.

[joanne1]

thank you . . . that is exactly what I was wondering.

[GradUT]

We visited Cartegena last year on our partial transit on the Island Princess. Cartegena was probably our favorite port. We arranged for a private tour with a guide named Jacinto Jimenez (J.J.)Taborda. J.J. showed us all the places we wanted to see and didn't drag us to any markets or vendors since we told him we were not interested in shopping. In fact, his mere presence deterred any vendors from approaching us. J.J. was a wealth of information (and everyone in the walled city seemed to know him). This greatly contributed to our appreciation of Cartegena. We toured with J.J. from 9am to 1pm.

 

Even if you do not arrange for a private tour, I would make sure that any tour you take includes a visit to La Popa Monastery (which cannot be reached by large tour buses) and the Castillo de San Felipe. Be sure that your visit to the Castillo includes time to walk to the top--not just a drive-by.

[Steeler Transplant]

Thanks so much for the info. That's exactly what I was looking for. Did you prearrange the tour or did you make the arrangement once the ship was docked?

[mastergator]

I'm sure BB will inform you as well, but any excursion at the canal must be booked with the ship. It is illegal for you to disembark the ship in the zone unless you are on a ship excursion. You really don't want to see colon anyway-it sucks. All of the excursions seem to be well thought of. We did the ferry boat ride over to the pacific. Sounds like you may be doing the train ride which gets high marks too. It is a long day but the canal is special and the Mira Flores locks and that area is quite different than Gatun. On the altantic side you go thru 3 locks back to back and rise about 85 feet. I think those locks are a little over 1000 ft long and they are exactly back to back so as BB states the whole deal to get into Lake Gatun is 3 mrs max. Getting back down to the pacific involves 3 more locks but only 2 are at Mira Flores, the third being dowm stream a mile or so. The train ride or the ferry boat ride will show you the hills and jungle they had to cut through to build this rascal. And you will see the Calubra Cut where huge amounts of dirst were moved to create the ditch through the hills. I would get off at Gatun and do something. Watching the operation through the locks is pretty cool but it's slow enough you will get bored looking at the same thing on the way back out. By the way, look at this baby on the map. The canal does north and south, not east and west, and actually it goes a bit south east fron the entrance on the atlantic to the exit on the pacific.

 

Have a ball.

 

Mastergator