Must choose between ports on Trans-Panama Canal cruise: Help needed please

[jocelysue]

DH & I will be taking the West to East Trans-Panama Canal in April. Ports included: Cabo, Puerto Vallarta,Puerto Quetzal, Puntarenas,Colon, Cartagena.

 

While we would love to visit all the ports DH has some mobility issues and tires quite easily. However, this is definitely his bucket list cruise : he loves to try different ways to get from one ocean to the other, has done most of them but has kept the Panama Canal until 2014 so as to pass through it just before it widens.

 

 

So would appreciate your take on the ports of call, which cities or towns have the most interesting historical sights accessible without too much walking and climbing ? We deifinitely are going to Antigua on Easter Sunday with the ship's bus. Once there will take a taxi.

 

We have been o Mexico quite a few times (Mexico City, Yucatan Peninsula, Riviera Maya)but never to the West Coast. What we really enjoyed were the archeologial sights. In South America we enjoyed going to central markets and watching the handicrafters. We also enjoy visiting schools and churches.

 

So, hopefully you will help guide us as th there are indeed some sights not to be missed on our cruise or some expedition we definitely should take for the experience itself. Hopefully, we would like to pace ourselves without missing too much.

 

 

Thanks for your insights. FYI, DH can walk and stand by himself but uses a rollator so as not to hold other passengers or friends upduring visits and tours. During a guide's explanations he can sit on his rolator and rest. Same in muséums ,so , in reality, he is not a hindrance. It's stamina that is lacking.

 

Once again, I look froward to your helpful advice and greatly appreciate the time you will take to answer this question.

[dorisis]

Cartegna is without a doubt the most interesting of the ports. I do not know how difficult it would be in a wheelchair. You could check it on the Ports of Call Board or the Handicapped Cruising Board.

[crystalspin]

We did E-W Panama Canal last month with stops at Cartagena, Puntarenas, Puerto Chiapas (ruins there), Huatulco, Puerto Vallarta, and Cabo. So I can speak a bit about

 

Cabo, Puerto Vallarta, Puntarenas, Cartagena

 

Cabo and PV are modern/tourist cities. Cabo is a tender port and what we did was the earliest/shortest Land's End boat tour by way of priority tendering, then walked around the shops near the tender dock. It was of course our last port and we were nearly shopped out, but if you bargain there are deals to be had! My memory is the walkways are flat and easy there, with many a few easy steps to levels around the little bay. Most (?) of the other activities offered to us were pretty strenuous and pretty expensive!

 

PV we took the city bus (marked "CENTRO" to the end of the Malecon which itself is broad and easy. Streets approaching and the Old Town bordering at the other end were ROUGH and cobbly. We did not take a ship's excursion.

 

We went to the ruins at Puerto Chiapas; they are modest, but there was also a nice museum. You are not going there but it looks like there are somewhat more interesting ruins near Puerto Quetzal for you to look into. One thing to be aware of is that AT LEAST all ports south of PV are extremely hot and humid (and some find PV & Cabo that way too!).

 

Puntarenas: we did a bus-boat-train half day and walked to a restaurant with wifi after. No history or ruins, but you get both some nature and a peep at people's lives. Although the pier is long, I believe this wouldn't have been too challenging; there are helpers to get in the boat, etc.

 

Cartagena: we did the HopOnHopOff bus, which we rode once around and got off almost back to the start for an un-billed but included walking tour of (a very small piece of) the Old Town. Old Town is old, with cobbly streets and broken sidewalks. We went to the Hard Rock Cafe to access wifi before catching the HOHO back to port. I have read that tours to the fort and monastery (as well as the dungeons, a shopping area) have quite a few steps. If you can sign up for a van or bus tour just to SEE the sights and not walk to them that might be the ticket.

 

Have fun! Hope you get more insights on your other ports!