Do Cruise Ships Travel Through the Canal

[CM2J2R2S]

I know this sounds strange, but I cannot find the information anywhere. DH wants to know if our ship docks at Puerto Colon or if the ship goes through the Canal.

 

Melissa

[KreinKrunker]

Some do, some don't! Some go all the way through. Some go part way, turn around and come back. If you are going to Colon, you probably are not going into the canal. Why don't you call the cruise line to find out?

[Mike2131]

By the way, passenger vessels have priority. It probably has something to do with those stiff transit fees the cruise lines pay.

[Nitemare]

Some do, some don't.

 

 

Your travel agent REALLY should tell you this stuff. If they can't/won't, you've got a bad Travel Agent.

 

Let us know what ship and itinerary you're on, someone here will know. Or ask in the forum here dedicated to your cruiseline, you'll certainly get your answer there.

[MICruizers]

and to some extent, it depends on the length of the cruise. MOST canal TRANSIT cruises are just repositioning cruises. Basically, you're not going to get from Miami to Los Angeles in 7 days. If your cruise is 7 or 8 days, then chances are, it is NOT a transit cruise, meaning that you will either dock in Colon, or pass thru Gatun Locks, sail around Gatun Lake, pass back thru the locks, dock at Colon or Cristobal briefly to pick up passengers, and head back out to the Atlantic. 10 day cruises more than likely are not transit cruises, but it may be possible. 12 day or longer cruises more than likely are transit cruises, meaning you will sail from Atlantic to Pacific or vice-versa.........also, Canal transits are not called east to west or west to east, they are called Atlantic to Pacific or Pacific to Atlantic, as an east to west PC transit is from the Pacific to Atlantic, and a west to east trip is Atlantic to Pacific.

[KreinKrunker]

For those that don't know what MI is talking about, a bit of explanation. When going from the Atlantic to the Pacific, you actually have to travel in a southeasterly direction. Colon on the Atlantic side is west of Panama City on the Pacific side. Then when going from Pacific to the Atlantic, you travel in a northwesterly direction.

[MICruizers]

Sorry....guess I should have posted a map of Panama when I mentioned that.....due to the shape of the country and the path of the canal, this situation happens....it's also the only country in the world where, if you're in the right places, the sun rises in the Pacific Ocean and sets in the Atlantic Ocean.......interesting geography........

[cruise-wife]

MICruizers

Thanks for the info

We noticed you are sailing on Legend this month, is she sailing into the locks at all? We are sailing Legend in April and do not know what to do or not in Panama. If she is going throught the locks at all, I am inclined to stay on the ship. I would be very interested in your opinion.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Definitely check with your travel agent or go to Carnival's website and see if you can get any information there. If you are scheduled to go through the first set of locks before going to Colon, the itinerary will indicate that by giving times to enter the locks, etc.

[MICruizers]

No, the Carnival Legend does not enter any of the locks. The ship normally docks at Colon 2000, but there was a Celebrity ship there, so we docked in Cristobal, and you could see Gatun Locks off in the distance from deck 9 and 10. The only cruise line that I know of for sure that enters the canal at all (for a round-trip Panama Canal itinerary) is Princess, but RCI and Celebrity may do the same, but I'm not sure about them.

[wrp96]

I'm going on RCI's Brilliance of the Seas at the end of February. And yes, she does enter the Panama Canal locks. Our itinerary specifically dilineates between cruising the Panama Canal (7am to 3pm) and docking at Cristobal Pier (3pm to 7pm).

[cusyl]

Celebrity Mercury goes all the way thru the canal, we took that trip one year. Only the Panamax ships will fit thru the canal. Be sure you get a balcony for a canal trip. The transit takes 8 hours.