Excursions Missing or Unavailable from Fuerte Amador

[greatestvalue]

NCL is only showing 3 minor excursions at this port.   Can we expect the same types of excursions to be added (ie Panama Canal by Ferry, or Panama Canal Experience) at some point, as those if you were to port in Panama City (Pacific Cruise Terminal)?

 

This is important because I am considering instead of going LA to Miami, swapping out and going Miami to LA.  

 

LA to Miami stops at the Panama City (Pacific Cruise Terminal) and offers the 2 above referenced excursions. This allows us to be lifted thru both the old and new locks via ferry.  

 

However, Miami to LA stops at Panama City (Fuerte Amador) and does not show either of these excursions. If unable to do the above excursions, we would miss the main reason we are doing a Panama Canal cruise. 

 

Has anyone experienced either of these excursions porting at  Panama City (Fuerte Amador)?

 

[Essiesmom]

There is not a large variety of excursions available for the Panama Canal transits.  You are looking at a full transit.  You don’t say when you are cruising, I assume you are on Encore or Bliss?  I also assume that NCL hopes the terminal building will be finished when you arrive, otherwise you will tender to Fuerte Amador.  Pier is done, but terminal was not.  I suspect more excursions will be added later.  But that is not something we are likely to know until after one of these cruises has sailed and someone comes back to report.  EM

[njhorseman]

27 minutes ago, Essiesmom said:

I also assume that NCL hopes the terminal building will be finished when you arrive, otherwise you will tender to Fuerte Amador.  Pier is done, but terminal was not.

Last winter ships were docking even though the terminal building wasn't complete.  A Viking ship was the first, back in November 2021. https://www.seatrade-cruise.com/ports-destinations/viking-first-alongside-new-panama-cruise-terminal

Buses were shuttling passengers to the port building adjacent to where the tender dock is .

I've had cruises that docked at a number ports where there was no terminal building . For example it's not uncommon for a cruise ship to dock at a commercial port where there's no cruise terminal. There are even piers at which normally only cruise ships dock that don't have a terminal.

Edited July 3, 2022 by njhorseman

[Turtles06]

26 minutes ago, Essiesmom said:

I also assume that NCL hopes the terminal building will be finished when you arrive, otherwise you will tender to Fuerte Amador.

 

In addition to what @njhorseman posted above, NCL is now using Fuerte Amador as the starting port and ending port for some of its Panama Canal cruises (he and I are both booked on a couple of them in early 2023).  I doubt NCL is going to tender embarking and disembarking guests and their luggage if the ship can dock instead.   We'll see ... 🙂 

[njhorseman]

8 minutes ago, Turtles06 said:

 

In addition to what @njhorseman posted above, NCL is now using Fuerte Amador as the starting port and ending port for some of its Panama Canal cruises (he and I are both booked on a couple of them in early 2023).  I doubt NCL is going to tender embarking and disembarking guests and their luggage if the ship can dock instead.   We'll see ... 🙂 

I had read that when ships were homeporting in Fuerte Amador earlier this year temporary facilities were set up in a tent .

[njhorseman]

1 hour ago, greatestvalue said:

Panama City (Pacific Cruise Terminal)

If there ever was such a place I don't think it exists any longer. AFAIK Fuerte Amador is the only cruise port in the Panama City area.

[greatestvalue]

2 hours ago, njhorseman said:

AFAIK Fuerte Amador is the only cruise port in the Panama City area.

Thank you njhorseman.  I was hoping someone would say something like this. 

 

After searching thru google and NCL, NCL must be confused as they list the port stop on the LA to Miami via Joy on Jan 6 2023 as "Panama City (Pacific Cruise Terminal), Panama"  

 

 But on Miami to LA its listed as Panama City (Fuerte Amador), Panama

 

It seems no matter how they title the port, you can get to the Miraflores Locks.  This is listed as a place one would visit if they were taking the ferry excursions thru the old and new locks. As long as we can get there via ship or DIY excursion from Panama City (Fuerte Amador), Panama, the Miami to LA sounds like it will still work for us.  

 

Thanks again for your insight, appreciate your many contributions on this Panama Canal forum. 

[njhorseman]

31 minutes ago, greatestvalue said:

Thank you njhorseman.  I was hoping someone would say something like this. 

 

After searching thru google and NCL, NCL must be confused as they list the port stop on the LA to Miami via Joy on Jan 6 2023 as "Panama City (Pacific Cruise Terminal), Panama"  

 

 But on Miami to LA its listed as Panama City (Fuerte Amador), Panama

 

It seems no matter how they title the port, you can get to the Miraflores Locks.  This is listed as a place one would visit if they were taking the ferry excursions thru the old and new locks. As long as we can get there via ship or DIY excursion from Panama City (Fuerte Amador), Panama, the Miami to LA sounds like it will still work for us.  

 

Thanks again for your insight, appreciate your many contributions on this Panama Canal forum. 

Thanks for the compliment. I honestly don't think of myself as a big contributor to this board or an expert on the Panama Canal, but I'll gladly accept your kudos. 🙂

If we can lure @BillB48into this conversation perhaps he can provide some real expertise.

[Essiesmom]

Although NCL Sun spent a lot of time docked at the new pier when in Covid hiatus, and the occasional Viking ship did dock there, many others tendered their guests ashore still.  I track ships through the canal for another website, and would see them anchored and tendering.  EM

[BillB48]

I've been lured and caught😉!  I presume Pacific Cruise Terminal is the "official" moniker of the new pier and terminal at Ft. Amador.  In any case there is only one passenger facility for the Pacific side and it is at Ft. Amador.  There hasn't been any news on the progress of the terminal, but that probably isn't unexpected since this is the off season for Canal cruises. 

 

As far as the number of excursions available, I too think that additional excursions will be added as the sailing date nears

[BillB48]

I just happened to run across this fairly recent aerial photo on FB this morning of the islands at the end of the causeway on the Pacific side at Ft. Amador where the cruise terminal pier is located.  To put things in perspective to those not familiar with the area, these 3 islands sit about 4 miles offshore and are connected to the mainland by a causeway originally constructed for Canal purposes.  The Canal channel is almost directly below the camera.

 

Anyone wishing to learn a little more of these seemingly peaceful islands past, have a look at the included link.  Briefly, Ft. Amador was the mainland portion and the islands were known as Ft. Grant.  Ft. Grant would be the site of the coastal defense artillery for the Canal, consisting of 6" and 14" rifles along with 12" mortars all built into the islands.  While the batteries and emplacements are still there, the artillery pieces were removed shortly after WW 2.  Flamenco Island was home for Hawk missiles during the 60s.

 

https://www.denix.osd.mil/cr/archives/historic/historic-structures-districts-and-landscapes-historic-contexts-archives/report-131/70_A History of Fort Amador and Fort Grant - The Former Panama Canal .pdf

 

[fox02554]

4 hours ago, BillB48 said:

Anyone wishing to learn a little more of these seemingly peaceful islands past, have a look at the included link. 

Very Cool !!! thank you for the link , I spent my teen age years in Panama , living on base and off , cant wait to see how it's changed ( 02/22/2023 ) , as to " Port Amador "  the community play house was out at the end of the Cosway when I was in high school & now I have show tunes from " Oklahoma " swimming around in my head 🤣 

[Turtles06]

16 hours ago, Essiesmom said:

I track ships through the canal for another website, and would see them anchored and tendering.

 

EM -- I appreciate the many screenshots that you have posted of the Canal web cams showing ships in the Canal.

 

If you happen to be monitoring the web cams on Feb. 5, 2023 and/or Feb. 7, 2023, the NCL Gem will be making full transits on those days (southbound and northbound, respectively).  @njhorseman and I and our wives are scheduled to be on those cruises.  Maybe you'll got a shot of us on deck.  🙂 

[Essiesmom]

Unless I am on a ship myself, I’ll be on the cams.  The forum is sea cruise chat dot com.  Just leave out the spaces.  That takes you to the canal schedule, and in the upper left, click on forums.  Then scroll down to Panama Canal transits, and you will see what we do.  I take the screen shots for that forum, but if there is a live from thread here, I’ll post there too.  EM

[BillB48]

13 hours ago, fox02554 said:

Very Cool !!! thank you for the link , I spent my teen age years in Panama , living on base and off , cant wait to see how it's changed ( 02/22/2023 ) , as to " Port Amador "  the community play house was out at the end of the Cosway when I was in high school & now I have show tunes from " Oklahoma " swimming around in my head 🤣 

 

There certainly has been a lot of changes, some of them spectacularly wonderful and some not so much.  I am sure you will be amazed at the transformation.  IIRC wasn't the community theater at the end of the causeway called Surfside?  Saw several productions there as well.

[fox02554]

11 hours ago, BillB48 said:

 

 IIRC wasn't the community theater at the end of the causeway called Surfside?  Saw several productions there as well.

Air Force brat here 😄 early teenage years on Howard AFB and then off base in Los Cumbres , after my brother and I were grown, my parents lived in SanBlas with the Cuna for years