HawkIVette Posted April 24, 2018 #1 Share Posted April 24, 2018 Does the ship actually go through the locks or is it a smaller excursion boat that you have to pay extra for? I see several Panama Canal cruises and most say partial transit (which I assume is the ship going part way through and turning around and going back to Colon) with no extra cost for an excursion. Some cruises say Colon with (Panama Canal). I assume the ship ports in Colon and you may or may not take an excursion through the locks. Anybody make this clearer for me? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joepeka Posted April 24, 2018 #2 Share Posted April 24, 2018 You pretty much nailed the "partial transit" definition - you enter the locks on the Caribbean side, sail through to Lake Gatun then turn around and go back out the locks to the Caribbean in the same day. Some cruise lines (I don't think Carnival is among them) do offer excursions while you're in the lake. As to the second scenario you mention, I can't help there as we've never done it. :( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mishka422 Posted April 24, 2018 #3 Share Posted April 24, 2018 We just did the partial transit last week. We went through the first set of locks on the Caribbean side, anchored in Gatun lake and came back out. No excursions while in the lake. We only had two hours to anchor so not enough time. Sent from my SM-G925V using Forums mobile app Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lgdick54 Posted April 24, 2018 #4 Share Posted April 24, 2018 Did a partial transit on Princess, once we got through the locks those that wanted to were tendered to the port for either a train or boat ride to the pacific side lock. They were then put on a bus to meet the ship back in Colon. There were a few options, but that was the basic scenario. Pacific side is supposed to be more impressive, but we stayed on the ship. Sent from my SM-G920T using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HawkIVette Posted April 24, 2018 Author #5 Share Posted April 24, 2018 (edited) Thank you for the answers. In 2010, we did a Cruise that went to Colon. We paid for an excursion by bus to Panama City, where we boarded a smaller excursion boat and went through locks to the Lake, then reboarded the bus back to the ship. The extra cost for the excursion was worth it, but if the ship goes through the locks with cost included, that would make a big difference in cost. Did they have anybody on board explaining the lock system while transit was in progress, kind of like the Alaska cruises? Edited April 24, 2018 by HawkIVette Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HawkIVette Posted April 24, 2018 Author #6 Share Posted April 24, 2018 Did a partial transit on Princess, once we got through the locks those that wanted to were tendered to the port for either a train or boat ride to the pacific side lock. They were then put on a bus to meet the ship back in Colon. There were a few options, but that was the basic scenario. Pacific side is supposed to be more impressive, but we stayed on the ship. Sent from my SM-G920T using Tapatalk Yes, I agree. Panama City was an impressive modern city, where Colon was more like a poverty stricken, industrial port. The one thing I remember was the old school buses that end up there for their transportation system. Very Colorful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lottacruises Posted April 24, 2018 #7 Share Posted April 24, 2018 They did have someone on board narrating, even played in cabins. They brought people on board also to sell stuff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
apatchetear Posted September 2, 2018 #8 Share Posted September 2, 2018 We just did the partial transit last week. We went through the first set of locks on the Caribbean side, anchored in Gatun lake and came back out. No excursions while in the lake. We only had two hours to anchor so not enough time. Sent from my SM-G925V using Forums mobile app We are about to go on the Miracle for a partial. It says it takes from 7:30 am to 7 pm. Does it really take this long? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coevan Posted September 2, 2018 #9 Share Posted September 2, 2018 no, the full transit is about 10-12 hours Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
apatchetear Posted September 2, 2018 #10 Share Posted September 2, 2018 no, the full transit is about 10-12 hours Ok. We are surely only going on a partial. Any idea how long that takes? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
molole Posted September 2, 2018 #11 Share Posted September 2, 2018 Ok. We are surely only going on a partial. Any idea how long that takes? The partial one my friends did had actual transit time from 5am to 2pm and then they cruised to Colon and docked at Colon for 3 hours from 5 pm to 8pm and they could get off the ship and walk around a bit. But the main reason for the Colon stop was to wait for those ship excursion cruisers who would arrive at Colon by land and rejoin the ship from there. And then off you leave Colon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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