Will Carnival go back to the Panama Canal?

[tigervixxxen]

In 2011 I sailed on an 8 day Carnival cruise that stopped in Colon, Panama and DH and I had an excursion to see the canal. My mom was supposed to go on this cruise and backed out at the last minute. Ever since she's been desperate to book this itinerary again with Carnival but apparently they completely stopped offering this destination. She's very loyal to Carnival and is very reluctant to go on any other line (she would also prefer as short of a cruise as possible so the 8 day itinerary was perfect for her). I've been telling her for 4 years to choose another line but she keeps waiting for Carnival to offer this again. Does anyone know definitively if Carnival will ever sail to Panama again or not?

 

My second question is which alternative is best? I see Princess, Norwegian and Holland America offer a 10 day itinerary that is a partial canal transit. Any advice on how to guide her and make her feel comfortable choosing another cruise line would be very much welcome, thanks.

Edited May 10, 2015 by tigervixxxen

[DaytonCruiser]

In 2011 I sailed on an 8 day Carnival cruise that stopped in Colon, Panama and DH and I had an excursion to see the canal. My mom was supposed to go on this cruise and backed out at the last minute. Ever since she's been desperate to book this itinerary again with Carnival but apparently they completely stopped offering this destination. She's very loyal to Carnival and is very reluctant to go on any other line (she would also prefer as short of a cruise as possible so the 8 day itinerary was perfect for her). I've been telling her for 4 years to choose another line but she keeps waiting for Carnival to offer this again. Does anyone know definitively if Carnival will ever sail to Panama again or not?

 

She's might like this one,it is a bit longer than the normal run

 

http://www.carnival.com/itinerary/12-day-southern-caribbean-cruise/galveston/magic/12-days/js0/?evsel=J&numGuests=2&destination=all-destinations&dest=any&datFrom=052015&datTo=042017&dur=D3&shipCode=MC

Edited May 10, 2015 by DaytonCruiser

[tigervixxxen]

She's might like this one,it is a bit longer than the normal run

 

http://www.carnival.com/itinerary/12-day-southern-caribbean-cruise/galveston/magic/12-days/js0/?evsel=J&numGuests=2&destination=all-destinations&dest=any&datFrom=052015&datTo=042017&dur=D3&shipCode=MC

 

Thank you. When does that one depart, I can't tell from the link. She probably would not be up for one that length but it's the first I've seen Carnival go to Panama at all so it's a start.

[DaytonCruiser]

November 27,2016

[tigervixxxen]

November 27,2016

 

Thank you. So they have released the 2016 itineraries and this is the only one to Panama?

[BillB48]

You might try to convince her to give Princess and HAL a go by telling her they are both owned by Carnival so she would not be straying too far from her brand loyalty.

 

 

NCL is new to the partial transit itinerary so you won't be able to get any feed back from people who have experienced NCL on this particular itinerary. Also your Mom may not feel as comfortable with NCL's Freestyle concept for dining. Princess and HAL have similar dining as Carnival, so I think they would better as your first choice.

 

Another selling point is the partial transit cruise is a great opportunity to experience transiting the Canal... much better than just a stop at Colon. In addition to the partial transit a full slate of tours are also available at the Canal.

[JimAOk1945]

We did the Partial Transit cruise on Princess last December. Ours was 11 days round trip from Ft. Lauderdale (Port Everglades), but they also offer a 10 day cruise. Princess is owned by Carnival. It was a wonderful experience.

 

My wife's pictures are on her website at the link below. This section of her website also includes pictures taken around the ship and at each port of call.

 

Panama Canal Partial Transit on the Island Princess December 2014

Edited May 13, 2015 by JimAOk1945