Doing the Canal

[golfb4cruzing]

For the folks who have done the partial Canal trip:

 

Is it better to stay onboard and experience the locks and return back through or is there enough experience and then time to do excursion? The Canal experience is been on our bucket list for some time and don't want to miss any of it.

[skynight]

For the folks who have done the partial Canal trip:

 

Is it better to stay onboard and experience the locks and return back through or is there enough experience and then time to do excursion? The Canal experience is been on our bucket list for some time and don't want to miss any of it.

Select a Princess tour, there is lots to see.

 

You start the approach to the Atlantic locks very early in the morning, around 6am. It takes a few hours to go through. Once the ship is in Gatun Lake it sits there until sometime in the afternoon when it receives clearance to exit through the locks. It then docks at Colon for a few hours. At the Colon dock there is a warehouse with vendors, but there really isn't much time to do any touring at Colon. If you stay on the ship it will most likely be very hot as the ship is not moving, and Panama sun is strong.

 

Princess offers a number of tours from the ship while it is in Gatun Lake. Only passengers that have booked a Princess tour are allowed to board the tenders. Princess tours will return you to the Colon dock for re-boarding. There are no private tours.

[thecruiselover7]

I just did a partial canal transit on Island Princess a month ago.

 

I've heard good things about doing an excursion there, and I have heard not so good things. On my cruise I heard some great things about the train ride excursion. I also hear that it's a neat experience to take a smaller boat through the locks.

 

I was told before getting on the ship that it's better to stay on board. And I did stay on the ship. I don't feel like I missed out on anything.

 

I know the excursions for the Panama Canal are more expensive than other ports. I guess it depends if you want another point of view of the canal from the ships view.

 

Either way, the Panama Canal is spectacular.

[satxdiver]

Your choice is to sit on the ship for hours before finally leaving the lake or take a tour for the day where you will be brought back to the ship after it has cleared the lock. There is nothing to do in Colon. Only those pax on ship excursions are allowed to leave the ship in Gatun Lake. Pax will be taken by tender to a private pier where the buses will be waiting. There is nothing else there.

 

Gatun lock actually consists of three locks in succession. There will be a ship beside yours as the lock is two parallel locks side by side. The ship will use the side that they are assigned as they approach the lock. In the morning the ships move to the Pacific and in the afternoon they switch the ship direction to take ships to the Caribbean.

 

We did the train trip to Panama City and Miraflores Locks. If you decide to do this, book as early as possible as it normally sells out long before the ship sails. Waiting buses will take you to the train station, haul you around Panama City and pick you up at the train station to take you to the ship in Colon.

 

The Panama currency is Balboas BTW. The canal actually goes more north to south than east to west because of the land orientation. North end is the Caribbean and south end is the Pacific. The Pacific is higher than the Atlantic.

[Colo Cruiser]

For the folks who have done the partial Canal trip:

 

Is it better to stay onboard and experience the locks and return back through or is there enough experience and then time to do excursion? The Canal experience is been on our bucket list for some time and don't want to miss any of it.

 

 

A quick search found a thread with your exact question.....

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2287855&highlight=partial+transit

[BillB48]

While not implying that staying on the ship for the return through Gatun Locks and the short sail to Colon in not an enjoyable experience, however you are missing an opportunity to see a great deal more of the Canal and or Panama. The transit through Gatun Locks takes in only about 8 miles of a 50 mile Canal, the return trip to Colon mostly is already travelled ground... uh water;). Not selling the Atlantic side portion of the Canal short, by comparison it is the less visual appealing portion of the Canal when compared to the Pacific Locks and the passage through Gaillard Cut. You will sail beneath the Bridge of Americas, the Centennial Bridge, cross the Continental Divide, view the impressive skyline of Panama City and so on. All this would be available of the shore excursion Panama Canal & Locks Transit by Boat.

 

If your initial passage through Gatun Locks fills your Canal curiosity then there are other great shore excursions as well, such as a trip to visit the Embera Indians, shore side visits to the locks or as mentioned the train trip. Staying aboard for the return through the locks might be a good choice if you have been through the Canal or visited Panama previously. Lots of great choices, go ahead and pick one!

 

A previous poster mentioned the Panamanian currency is the Balboa... just wanted to point out they are easily recognizable... all the paper money has pictures of George Washington, Abe Lincoln, Hamilton, Jackson! Panama solely uses US paper currency along with Panamanian coins which are interchangeable with US coins. You will get some funny looks if you accidentally try and give a clerk a Panamanian coin when you return to the US!

[luckysadie]

We, too, did the small boat transit to the Pacific in October, 2014. It was a very interesting excursion, however, that summer Panama suffered a drought and we had to transit the Miraflores locks with another boat to conserve water. We got back to the ship at 8:00p.m., but we had a great story to tell!

[georgiacat]

We did the partial transit of the Panama Canal in 2012 on the Coral. It was great. We did a ship bus tour for old Panama City and the Miraflores locks. It took all day, very tiring, but worth it. We visited a "local" craft market; I wish now I had bought some of the lovely things there. A fellow traveler bought a basket in a shop we went through for less money than I paid for a similar basket on the gangway to the ship ($20). Caution: lunch is included, but it was not served until about 3 pm on the bus on the way to visit the Miraflores locks. Fortunately I had brought granola bars for us to snack on at the market as my husband is a diabetic. Always carry water with you. And do not turn down any water provided on the tours.

Not much to do in Colon. We were on the decks watching all the time as our ship went through the Gatun locks, but thought we got enough (husband is engineer too).

Can't wait to return for the whole trip.

Enjoy your cruise.

[golfb4cruzing]

Thanks all, great help. After waiting to do this trip, we don't want to waste time and not see some different part of the World. The wife is interested in the Rainforest and the tribal village and others. So excursion it will be.

 

Thanks again.

[h20skibum]

We did the canal transit by boat and enjoyed the experience. Probably our next canal trip, we will do the Embera excursion.

 

If it is your first trip to the canal, get off the ship and do something. There is a lot to experience here. Just not much in Colon.

[cb at sea]

The partial trip thru the locks IS an excursion unto itself. There is no need to spend extra to see more of the locks....unless you are REALLY into the canal! There is a navigator on the ship who will explain everything about the canal during your trip into Lake Gatun.

 

Since ALL excursions off ship will be THROUGH the ship, you have no time worries, if you decide to do an excursion. Remember how freaking HOT it's going to be...we welcomed the AC on the ship throughout the afternoon!

[golfb4cruzing]

We are looking at the Embera Excursion but the details say travel in a motorized dugout canoe for an hour, one way. I have some mobility issues and might not make it out of canoe. Anyone have pictures of the canoes??

 

Thanks.

[Tyme2Cruise]

For the folks who have done the partial Canal trip:

 

Is it better to stay onboard and experience the locks and return back through or is there enough experience and then time to do excursion? The Canal experience is been on our bucket list for some time and don't want to miss any of it.

 

We did the partial transit last year, on Holland America. We got off the ship and did the Ferry Transit on lake Gatun and transited the locks on the Pacific side. We had a great guide and learned a lot about Panama and the canal. We also got to touch and kiss (if that's your thing) the wall in one of the locks. They also provided food and drinks on the ferry. I would recommend this tour if available. :)

Edited January 10, 2016 by Tyme2Cruise

[MarcsSharon]

We did the trip in November and took the monkey cruise. LOVED the experience. We saw some of the countryside on our way to the boat and then really enjoyed getting up close to the monkeys...and they did come right onto our boat:)

[floridalover5623]

The partial trip thru the locks IS an excursion unto itself. There is no need to spend extra to see more of the locks....unless you are REALLY into the canal! There is a navigator on the ship who will explain everything about the canal during your trip into Lake Gatun.

 

Since ALL excursions off ship will be THROUGH the ship, you have no time worries, if you decide to do an excursion. Remember how freaking HOT it's going to be...we welcomed the AC on the ship throughout the afternoon!

 

Pray for clouds. :D

[BillB48]

We are looking at the Embera Excursion but the details say travel in a motorized dugout canoe for an hour, one way. I have some mobility issues and might not make it out of canoe. Anyone have pictures of the canoes??

 

Thanks.

 

This is typical of the "canoes" that are used, they are fairly large and are called cayucos in Panama. The cayucos used are quite a bit bigger than what most would describe as a canoe.

 

 

 

[golfb4cruzing]

That's for the pic. That solidifies us not doing that excursion. My hip was ruined doing a replacement and I have issues walking on a sandy beach. I'd never come out of that. I'd be left in the Rain forest.