Gatun Lake Excursions Ending in Colon

[HALrunner]

We are consider a HAL Gatun Lake excursion that ends in Colon. The excursion has this disclaimer which has me a little concerned...

 

"Tour departs from Gatún Lake and ends in Colón where you will re-join the ship. You may arrive in Colón before the ship does. "

 

On previous trips through the canal, when stopping in Colon it didn't look like somewhere I wanted to hang out....especially without the giant safety net of the ship sitting there.

Has anyone taken a similar excursion? If so, what did you do while waiting for your ship to arrive in Colon?

[BillB48]

Some of the shorter excursions that don't involve going to the Pacific side can arrive back at the pier before the ship arrives.  The pier where the ship arrives is also a shopping mall that is somewhat walled off from Colon and the times I have been there adequate security was present.  There are shops to peruse, even a grocery store... just exercise normal precautions as you would anywhere else.

[RGEDad]

Just FYI: I got this notice yesterday from the US Embassy in Panama

Security Alert:  U.S. Embassy Panama City, Panama (November 9, 2021)

Location:  Panama

Event:  U.S. Embassy Panama reminds U.S. citizens in Panama to exercise increased caution due to crime.  U.S. citizens are reminded to take appropriate precautions and raise your personal safety level of awareness to avoid kidnapping.  Business owners may be targeted by criminals, who may offer advantageous land or other business deals to lure victims into a ransom situation.  Take care in vetting new business contacts and when setting meeting locations. The Embassy also reminds all travelers and residents in Panama that the holiday season brings with it a spike in crimes of opportunity.  Always maintain awareness of your surroundings. 

***

There are pretty consistent warnings in CC about venturing outside the terminal/mall area in Colon.

[MaggieNY]

Our ship stopped in Colon for a day last week. My husband had to venture out into the city to find crutches for me. If he hadn't needed to go out, he would have turned around and gone right back to the ship. He's very fit and does martial arts but was very worried while walking through the city trying to find a pharmacy or medical supply store. The city of Colon is very poor and depressed. He was lucky and eventually found a really good cab driver who took care of him. If you get to Colon before your ship does, you should probably just enter the secure area of the terminal and hang out until your ship gets there. 

[2dot2dot]

On 11/24/2021 at 3:34 PM, MaggieNY said:

Our ship stopped in Colon for a day last week. My husband had to venture out into the city to find crutches for me. If he hadn't needed to go out, he would have turned around and gone right back to the ship. He's very fit and does martial arts but was very worried while walking through the city trying to find a pharmacy or medical supply store. The city of Colon is very poor and depressed. He was lucky and eventually found a really good cab driver who took care of him. If you get to Colon before your ship does, you should probably just enter the secure area of the terminal and hang out until your ship gets there. 

Do you think it is safe if you are on a ship excursion and not on your own?

[MaggieNY]

4 minutes ago, 2dot2dot said:

Do you think it is safe if you are on a ship excursion and not on your own?

I would think so. Ship excursions were boarding passengers at the port (where there was security) and then driving out to the visitor's center at the locks. None of the excursions even ventured into the city of Colon.

[BillB48]

30 minutes ago, 2dot2dot said:

Do you think it is safe if you are on a ship excursion and not on your own?

In short there is nothing inherently dangerous in going through Colon as part of a ship's excursion.  The same goes if you were on a private excursion or even in a taxi.  As long as you are with someone ( meaning a local) there is no problem.  It is unfortunate that  is such a dump, the good thing is all you need to do is drive through Colon while on your excursion from and back the ship.  There are no tourist attractions in Colon at all.