Advice on first time Panama Canal Cruise

[Chapparal]

I want to do the Panama Canal cruise. I understand the re-positoning one where you fly back from where you end up enables one to see all the canal, etc. I live in Phoenix. Any advice on cruise line and cruise and dates that might work the best. I understand this is generally a 14 or 16 day cruise?  Thanks for the info!!

[CruiserBruce]

Have you read any of the board? Do you have a cruise line(s) you like?

[BillB48]

The repositioning cruises generally occur Sep-Oct time frame when the cruise lines start shifting from the Alaskan itineraries to the Caribbean and then again in April-May when they leave the Caribbean and head back to the West Coast and Alaska.  You can also find full transits from various lines through out the "Canal Season" which loosely runs from September through May.  I did a quick look at Princess and HAL and they both offer a number full transit cruises during the winter and spring.

 

As far as a cruise line recommendation, my suggestion would be to decide on what you like in a cruise line, do you have favorite line or at least pleased with?  Then see if they have any full transits available.  Most of the mainstream cruise lines have some Canal cruises to offer, some of them are the true re-po cruises at the beginning and end of the Canal Season and then to a lesser extent you can find a few cruise lines they have some offerings throughout the "Season."  Two cruise lines off the top of my head where you can find Canal cruise throughout the Season are Princess and HAL.  However, you just may find dates that would work for you on Royal Caribbean, NCL, Celebrity, Carnival and the smaller boutique cruise lines like Windstar, for example.

 

The September to May period does fall in both of Panama's two seasons.  The two seasons are the Rainy Season and the Dry Season.  No four seasons in this part of the world, just wet and dry.  The Dry Season starts in late December and runs through April.  I think in general based on weather alone, January and February are about the "best" months weather wise in Panama.  However meaningful differences are slight and I would only use this as a tie breaker in your decision making.

 

Whether you choose a transit from Atlantic to Pacific or vice versa, either direction would be equally rewarding.  I would let your travel preferences on getting to the embarkation port and getting home from the disembarking port.  Some people prefer to have the "easier" travel arrangements after the cruise and to some it doesn't make a difference.

 

Let me add one more thing that you will have to make a decision on that I don't believe you have thought of.  You will have to choose whether you will want to make the transit of the Canal using the new locks or the original locks.  To some it may not make any difference, but IMO the best Canal experience would be a transit using the original locks.

 

Yes, 14-16 day cruises is pretty standard.

[Turtles06]

3 hours ago, Chapparal said:

I want to do the Panama Canal cruise.

 

You've gotten excellent advice above. I will just add that you should read David McCullough's "The Path Between the Seas" before you go.  You will appreciate the Canal even more.

[quillwercruisers]

NCL also has full transit cruises that start in Panama City (Fuerte Amador) does the full transit and then goes to the ABC's then disembarks in Colon.  That way we can use the same airport so that it is a round trip. This is what we are doing in March 2023 for our first time going through the canal.  We will be on the Jewel and will use the old locks.  There is an 8 day, 9 day, and 12 day cruise on their website.