panama railway dome car & motor coach to colon

[prshaker]

I hope this is the correct forum to ask a couple of questions about this HAL excursion.

 

Could a few people let me know if they have recently taken this one and if it was worthwhile (specifically domed or not).

 

Is there a period of time between arriving by train in Panama city and departing by bus back to Colon that you sightsee or do a walkabout?

[Krazy Kruizers]

At one time we did the dome car in both directions -- that opetion isn't available anymore -- it was really great -- we loved the dome car.

At Panama City we transfered to buses and did a city tour -- there was no time for us to explore around on our own.

[0bnxshs]

I hope this is the correct forum to ask a couple of questions about this HAL excursion.

 

Could a few people let me know if they have recently taken this one and if it was worthwhile (specifically domed or not).

 

Is there a period of time between arriving by train in Panama city and departing by bus back to Colon that you sightsee or do a walkabout?

 

Really hope you get to do yours. Ours was canceled in Dec. 2011 due to lack of interest. Our ship (Celebrity Infinity) was the only one in Colon that day and evidently there wasn't enough people on board who signed up for this excursion to make it worthwhile to run the train.

 

I know this isn't an answer to your question, but it is a heads-up regarding getting to even go. Good luck! :)

[Willem Ruys]

Took this tour twice. LOVED it both times. Do not hesitate to take this excursion

[bphman]

Colon is a hell hole. We were warned on our cruise to not get off and walk around. It is an extremely impoverished and dangerous city. We had a passenger who did not heed the warning and was shot. Fortunately it was a minor wound and he was cared for on board. A week or two later, armed gunmen boarded a privately arranged tour bus. An ex-marine was on board and grabbed one of them and killed him. The other gunmen ran off. I wasn't sure if the OP was inquiring about time to walk around and I wasn't sure whether it was Colon or Panama City.

[Typhoon1]

It is a great tour. However, that bus ride back to Colon makes for an extremely long day. We would not hesitate to do the tour again.

 

We were seated right behind the driver. That bus did not appear to be properly maintained, as the driver was having difficulty hanging onto the wheel. Such are bus tours in foreign countries.

[sapper1]

We took the small ferry through the canal to Panama City and bussed back to Colon. While the experience was amazing I promised myself that if we arrived back in Colon alive I would never set foot on a bus in a third world country again. At least sit in the back of the bus where you can't see what is going on.

 

We were also warned that if we arrived in Colon before the ship, we were to stay inside the terminal and not to wander about Colon. It is too dangerous.

[the2ofus]

I took the train when it still ran both ways, so no bus ride, thank heaven! It cost extra to ride in the dome car but was well worth it for the better view. The train ride was quite smooth, I thought. If you do go, try to get a seat on the right side of the car as you face forward toward the engine. Otherwise you will be sitting across the aisle and trying to see over the heads of those on the right-hand side.

[wally8]

Sapper1, I have scheduled the same ferry trip to the pacific in Feb so my question is was it worth it with the bus ride back? Thanks,

Bob

[Linda&Vern]

Sapper1, I have scheduled the same ferry trip to the pacific in Feb so my question is was it worth it with the bus ride back? Thanks, Bob

I'm not Sapper1, but DH and I did the Ferry Trip and bus back in 2010. To us it was so worth it. You get a completely different perspective of the Canal riding on the Ferry. I do not remember being overly afraid on the bus - and I'm not very good at concealing my fear of others driving. :eek: Sapper1 obviously had a poor bus experience. She is right - if the ship isn't there when you arrive back to Colon, stay inside the terminal!

[sapper1]

Sapper1, I have scheduled the same ferry trip to the pacific in Feb so my question is was it worth it with the bus ride back? Thanks,

Bob

 

Yes it is worth it to get so up close and personal with the workings of the canal. I did see the train going by us and wondered what kind of perspective they would have.

 

It is truly an experience of a lifetime. There is a small air conditioned room on the ferry and I highly recommend taking breaks from the intense heat in there. I didn't do that and paid the price the next day with a migraine.

Last spring we did a full transit by ship and I remembered to take breaks from the heat and suffered no ill effects after that trip.

 

It wasn't so much that we had a bad bus driver. It was that everyone else on the road seemed to have a death wish, including the pedestrians, who seemed totally oblivious to the traffic. We were followed by an empty back-up bus which lead one to wonder about the mechanical condition of our bus.

 

All said, if doing a partial transit again, I would jump at taking the ferry.

They do provide drinks and an adequate lunch.

[kjw869]

We took the train ride in February 2011 and would do it again in a heartbeat. The tour description for that excursion is the same as it was in 2011, but we took the train both ways.

[wally8]

Thank you for your replies regarding the ferry excursion. I appreciated your comments and look forward to the trip. Bob

[prshaker]

Thank you one and all for your responses and for the advice with regards to Colon; sitting on the right side of the train; and the bus adventure.

 

Can I ask if there is time to walk about in Panama after the train arrives and the bus returns to Colon?

[Typhoon1]

Thank you one and all for your responses and for the advice with regards to Colon; sitting on the right side of the train; and the bus adventure.

 

Can I ask if there is time to walk about in Panama after the train arrives and the bus returns to Colon?

 

There is short time to walk in Panama City. The bus made another stop, there was a gift shop and snack bar.

 

Panama is not the safest place (especially Colon), so I really don't recommend wandering too far from the tour group.