Panama Canal ship excursions

[ConnMom]

I have decided to use ship excursions for our Panama Canal cruise on the Infinity in the ports of Puerto Quetzal, Colon, Puntarenas, and Cartagena, but am having difficulty finding information about the quality of specific tours on the port of call boards and role call for our cruise.

If anyone has taken Celebrity tours in these ports, could you please share your experiences? DH and I are eager to visit historic cities and to view wildlife and beautiful scenery in places like Costa Rica, although we do not want to do ziplining, excessive shopping, and anything really strenuous, considering the heat, humidity and the altitude in some of the areas. We do not mind walking, however.

Our experiences with ship tours have been inconsistent, so I appreciate any help from those who have taken excursions. We are looking forward to our port days and want to make the best possible choices.

Cheryl

[Desertbelle]

We did the Celebrity excursion through the Panama Canal and it was great. We caught a bus at the port that took us to the boat that would take us through the locks. The scenery was beautiful. Because we were traveling with elderly parents and a young child we thought it best to stick with the Celebrity tour for that port.

[terry55]

We also did the ship tour (Equinox) in the Panama Canal with bus to catch the "ferry" through the canal. It was fantastic. We thought it was especially great as in a smaller boat you had the opportunity to view the locks from a much better viewpoint.

[patty1955]

We also did the ship tour (Equinox) in the Panama Canal with bus to catch the "ferry" through the canal. It was fantastic. We thought it was especially great as in a smaller boat you had the opportunity to view the locks from a much better viewpoint.

I think we did the same tour on our last cruise. I thought it was too expensive until we went. It was great! We loved comparing the experience of going through the canal on the small ferry to the trip in the cruise ship.

[terry55]

In Cartagena we did the ship's City Tour by Bus. Think it was only about 3 hrs long. Quite informative; 4 adults and all liked the tour. Had a short time for shopping, walked down a few streets and saw some renovated mansions (some were beautiful), Inquisition Park, and the Monastery were some of the places. Had a great guide. There's a short description/video on the excursion web site. Our trip was April 2010 on Equinox.

[Orlandocruiser]

The OP is on the Infinity - therefore is transiting the entire canal and has no need for the expensive ferry partial transit. (It was a good tour though, we did it last year from the Equinox.)

[Lsimon]

We did a cruise line tour in Colon in 2009 called: "Eco Cruises on the Gatun Lake" that was a pretty nice day. Basically, we went to a hotel on Lage Gatun where we were split into smaller groups and boarded small boats. Each boat had a guide and we sailed around Lake Gutan sightseeing for a while with an emphasis on wildlife and natural beauty of the area. Then we stopped at the Gatun locks long enough to get a good viewing of the locks and see a couple ships pass through in front of us. A very nice day. We'd done a similar tour a few years early which actually was very similar but included a stop at an Umbro Indian village along the lake. I had the impression the Indian village was a bit contrived and touristy but apparently they do live there. Pictures here .

 

On the same cruise we stopped at Cartagena. Rather than book a ship's tour we hired a taxi tour driver at the port gate - basically hired the first guy that approached us as we walked through the exit of the port terminal. Either we got very lucky or many of the taxi tour operators there were very good as ours was a great guide and we had a nice day. He took us to the old fort and guided us through it, doing an excellent job. Then we went to the old town where he parked and guided us through town on foot as well. He offered to show us some other areas but we'd seen what we really wanted to see and had a nice day. One of our small group had been to Cartagena a year or two before and took a ship's tour and indicated that our taxi tour was much nicer so it is something you might want to consider so I thought I'd mention our experience.

[patty1955]

The OP is on the Infinity - therefore is transiting the entire canal and has no need for the expensive ferry partial transit. (It was a good tour though, we did it last year from the Equinox.)

Our cruise went from Ft Lauderdale to San Diego, so we sailed the whole canal. We still loved the ferry and thought it was worth every penny. As I said, comparing the experience in a small boat to the large ship was worth it.

As to the other stops, avoid the Antigua Gautamala tour if it's offered. It wasn't worth whatever we paid for it.

[Desertbelle]

On the ferry ride through the locks we were below ground level and we could even touch the walls of the lock....supposedly if you do this with your true love you will be together forever...it was wonderful to do this with my husband and very lovely to see my elderly parents touching the wall together!

[HDS]

We were on Infinity from Valparaiso to Fort Lauderdale last March. The cruise ship tours we took in Lima (city tour), Colon (Panama City tour), were good. The venues were interesting, guides were competent and informative, the lunches were far better than food on the ship, the shopping inevitable but tolerable. Group sizes were reasonable, buses airconditioned but not much leg room. If you are seated at the back and have questions, ask the guide to come back to talk to you as you enter the bus for the return trip.

It was very easy at Cartegena to get a taxi at the dock for up to four people or a small bus for more. Be specific about what you want to do, dodge the touts who promise "private tour", then herd you into a small van overcrowded with 14 or more on a formulaic tour.

We climbed the old fort, refused to stop at tourist shopping venues and insisted on being on our own in the old town to explore and have a leisurely lunch, with a pick up in time to return to the boat. It is a delightful city to wander and enjoy quietly.

The roll call for your cruise will have passengers arranging small group tours. We joined a CC group in Arica for an excellent tour and in La Serena arranged a private tour with Daniel Russ, which was the best of the entire cruise.

[Northern Aurora]

We have done three full transits of the Panama Canal -- one on the Mercury in 2008, and a pair of B2B cruises on the Infinity this past April.

 

In Puerto Quetzal we took a ship excursion to Antigua. This was essentially the ninety minute ride to Antigua, where we had a quick orientation, were provided a map and were on our own. Antigua is fascinating, and we throughly enjoyed the day. Puerto Quetzal is an industrial port, but there is a nice shopping venue just off the ship with a number of interesting stalls.

 

We have been to Puntarenas three times. In 2008 we went to the Tarcoles River, which we also throughly enjoyed. In 2012 we again went visited the Tarcoles River. On the second leg we went to the Poas Volcano National Park. It was a long day, but very enjoyable.

 

Cartagena is very easy to do on your own if you are interested in the Old Town and fortress. While the port is industrial, if you walk to the port entrance there is a nice shop, small restaurant and taxi stand.

 

On the first leg of the Infinity B2B cruises we stopped at Colon. We took the Panama Railway to Balboa. My husband lived in the Canal Zone for several years as a child (his father was in the Air Force and was stationed at Albrook AFB.). A highlight for us was seeing a number of the old buildings in the former Canal Zone, including his old elementary school! The Panamanians have done an excellent job in keeping the historical integrity of the old buildings.

[ConnMom]

Thank you to everyone for your input. I am thinking of doing the Eco Cruise on Gatun Lake in Panama, although so many of you have praised the ferry trip through the canal that I will put that on my short list for further consideration. I am also considering the City Tour in Cartagena and the Colonial Antigua tour and appreciate hearing that some of you have enjoyed these.

Has anyone been on the Monteverde Trainforest tour?