Panama Canal cruise tours

[hoosier quilter]

We are going on full transit to Panama Canal leaving Fort Lauderdale to Los Angeles in October.  Wanting to hear from people who have been on this cruise and what excursions they enjoyed.  They range in price from included to $250 a person.  We will be in Cozumel, Cartagena, Colon, Putarenas, Leon, and Cabo.

We are in 70’s and not into strenuous activities.  Thank you for your input.  

[CDNPolar]

All I can tell you is that if your entrance to the canal is at 5:30am or 6:00am, get up at least one hour earlier and get yourself a spot on the open deck of the Explorers Lounge.

 

You want to be front and centre for the approach with the lights before dawn and you want to experience the whole thing.  

 

The approach is slow but the view is beautiful.

[deec]

We did this cruise in 2021 and had a great time but we were just coming out of Covid and somethings were closed. We were on the ship for Thanksgiving so got see some of the Christmas decorations including the awesome gingerbread village that the Ships construct. The canal portion although early was great and narrated by one of lecturers.  Make sure to attend or watch the lectures about the building of the canal.

Cozumel ( included) our excursion to the ruins was canceled because it was closed due to rain the days before.  Replaced with a coffe/chocolate excursion...OK not great...Panorama drive around the Island.

Colon we did Airial tram and Rainforest.  This was a nice tour although the aerial tram was very short ride.

We did A walk in the Clouds in Puntarenas and it was good.

ATV experience in Cabo was not great.

Old Cartenagena by Foot was great ( but depended on guide). better than our friends who did the included.

Leon was canceled ( Viking said not safe)

 

 

Enjoy!!!

[knoxclone]

Did the transit from Panama City to FLL last November which  has a few different ports than your trip I believe, .

 

Best overall excursion was the Tortunga (?) canal boat ride,  Very enjoyable, easy walk to boats - saw tons of native wildlife, w very knowledgeable spotters/ guides.

[molymoo]

We did this itinerary in December.  We did the "Taste of Mexico" in Cozumel, the "Coffee, Cooking Lesson and Street Food" in Cartegena, the "Embera Indian Village Visit" in Colon, the "Monteverde Cloud Forest and Aerial Tram" in Puntarenas, and "Lands End & Whale Watching" in Cabo.  Our ship skipped Leon as there were apparently still some COVID restrictions in place. 

We enjoyed all of the excursions but our two favorites were in Cartegena and Cabo. 

 

[Mariastreby]

On 7/17/2023 at 8:27 AM, molymoo said:

We did this itinerary in December.  We did the "Taste of Mexico" in Cozumel, the "Coffee, Cooking Lesson and Street Food" in Cartegena, the "Embera Indian Village Visit" in Colon, the "Monteverde Cloud Forest and Aerial Tram" in Puntarenas, and "Lands End & Whale Watching" in Cabo.  Our ship skipped Leon as there were apparently still some COVID restrictions in place. 

We enjoyed all of the excursions but our two favorites were in Cartegena and Cabo. 

 

Sorry, I quoted the wrong thing. I was responding about taking this cruise in November.

 

Which direction are you going in - Florida to Long Beach? That's what we'll be doing from 12/17-1/03 this December. We decided to go for the full Christmas and New Years "experience" on the Mars. The main reason I ask is because going in that direction, the ship leaves Cartegena at 2:00 pm. It leaves very little time for what could be a lovely area for further exploration. But going the other way, they might arrive there later in the morning....? 

 

Last year, we did the half-way through the canal round trip Ft Lauderdale itinerary. People said that the included Cozumel excursion was kind of dull, and that the rocks of the small ruin were tough to walk on. No other central America ports that we visited are included this time, other than Colon. We did like the Embera Village excursion. This time, we plan to do the all day Vintage Railroad & Miraflores Locks Museum excursion.

 

I've been warned that there are various reasons why Nicaragua is often cancelled, not just for the former Covid reasons. A friend who cruises on NCL and RCL said that this port seems to get cancelled a lot, for vague reasons. But it's probably due to political unrest or crime in the area. Also a reason why fewer cruises are going to Jamaica. 

 

Besides enjoying holidays onboard, we are just taking this cruise for all the sea days, and we're curious about the rest of the Canal, beyond Gatun Lake. It really is a cool experience to listen to the lecturer on speakers while you are getting closer and closer, and then through the first lock. It was nice that they handed out mimosas and sometimes Bloody Marys in the Explorer Lounge, but only water up on deck 9 where we had to find a place. They also bring out early pastries and put them on the Lounge's bar. I think this year we will watch from behind on the Aquavit deck, which could have more space. Later, going through the cut, we should be able to watch from various places. When we went back through the locks last year, we hung out on our 5th deck balcony and looked straight down at the small gap between the ship and the concrete wall. But it's not as close as what I hear people describe river boat locks to be.

[Gizmoiv]

We will be embarking on Ft. Lauderdale for the Dec 17,2023 Panama Canal cruise . May be a silly question but is the somewhere near the port to purchase liquor - Wine? 

[sfocruiser]

1 hour ago, Gizmoiv said:

We will be embarking on Ft. Lauderdale for the Dec 17,2023 Panama Canal cruise . May be a silly question but is the somewhere near the port to purchase liquor - Wine? 

 
There is a crown wine and spirits  crownwineandspirits.com on 17th near the port which has a nice wine selection.    We are on the same cruise and are staying at the Renaissance.   Crown is an easy walk from there and also on the way to our traditional pre-cruise seafood fix southportrawbar.com

 

Looking forward to the cruise!!

 

 

[Romocruiser]

Also on the Dec. 17 cruise.  Looking forward to it.  Ill definitely read all the postings and advice about the ports and excursions.  I’m not above waking up early and claiming a good spot to watch entering into the canal.  But you know how people are—no doubt there will be people arriving very late and pushing their way through or pushing people out of the way.  

[Mariastreby]

Actually, last year there really weren’t pushers. Occasionally someone tried to get into where my husband and I were, behind the glass up on the sports deck. But we got drizzle for maybe 20 minutes, and the woman just kind of knelt down in front of us, but didn’t keep us from getting good pics and videos.
 

When we were halfway through the lock, and closer to the “mules” on the side, we actually found an open area on the Explorer Lounge deck. I guess the earliest risers were getting hungry, had already seen the main event, or needed a bathroom break. Trust me, the whole thing goes sooooo sloooowly that everyone will get a chance to see things from various viewpoints, including your balcony. 

[junglejane]

We're on the Viking Star 10-24-2023 full transit and our window to book shore excursions opens on 8/8. This is our first time on Viking so any tips on booking shore excursions will be appreciated.

 

In Colon DH is very interested in the Miraflores Locks "privileged access" excursion. Any feedback on that one and is it difficult to get a spot? In Cozumel we are looking at Tulum, in Cartagena maybe the Old Cartagena By Foot or the Columbian Village & Botanical Garden. In Puntarenas we're hoping for the Monteverde Cloud Forest Aerial Tram, in Colon probably the Art & Architecure tour. We've been to Cabo a bunch of times and are thinking of doing the Sportfishing there for something different (although we don't fish). Any feedback on these?  And how likely are we to get what we want (we're in a Penthouse Veranda).  Thanks!

[hoosier quilter]

Jungle Jane, because you are in Penthouse Veranda you shouldn’t have problems booking tours you want.  We can’t start booking until Aug 18 since we are in DV4.  Our British Isles cruise last year was first Viking Ocean cruise.  We heard that you can put your name on a waiting list if there is tour that you can’t book ahead of time.  And sometimes there can be cancellations or tours added due to popularity,  One thing very nice is choice of restaurants without any extra charges.  

Afternoon tea is lovely.  My husband is a very active person while at home-gardening, painting watercolor pictures, woodworking, etc.  I am concerned that he will be bored since he doesn’t read.  Hopefully they will have enough activities that he will enjoy the “at sea days”. 

[junglejane]

Thank you @hoosier quilter! I know we'll be fans of afternoon tea. It used to be nice on Princess but devolved into a rushed, crowded mass production event. Afternoon tea on Viking sounds wonderful and I expect we'll hit all the lectures. My husband used to be a big reader but now likes to listen to audio books and podcasts. 

[Mariastreby]

On 7/20/2023 at 11:06 PM, junglejane said:

We're on the Viking Star 10-24-2023 full transit and our window to book shore excursions opens on 8/8. This is our first time on Viking so any tips on booking shore excursions will be appreciated.

 

In Colon DH is very interested in the Miraflores Locks "privileged access" excursion. Any feedback on that one and is it difficult to get a spot? In Cozumel we are looking at Tulum, in Cartagena maybe the Old Cartagena By Foot or the Columbian Village & Botanical Garden. In Puntarenas we're hoping for the Monteverde Cloud Forest Aerial Tram, in Colon probably the Art & Architecure tour. We've been to Cabo a bunch of times and are thinking of doing the Sportfishing there for something different (although we don't fish). Any feedback on these?  And how likely are we to get what we want (we're in a Penthouse Veranda).  Thanks!

I’m not sure about how booked up the Miraflores Locks excursion gets booked up. We hope to take the all day Vintage train excursion, which has a full visit to those locks and museum on the way back from Panama City, and includes lunch. So we will get to see them that way. Regarding Puntarenus, someone wrote that you are barely up in the aerial tram for 15 minutes, making it a rather overpriced excursion. 
 

As for getting to Tulum when you’re in Cozumel? I know that’s not offered by Viking. But it would involve longish ferry rides in either direction. And now that area is really built up and crowded. Was this going to be a private tour you would book? I’d be nervous about getting back to the ship in time, though the ruin itself is quite something to see. 

[junglejane]

3 minutes ago, Mariastreby said:

As for getting to Tulum when you’re in Cozumel? I know that’s not offered by Viking. But it would involve longish ferry rides in either direction. And now that area is really built up and crowded. Was this going to be a private tour you would book? I’d be nervous about getting back to the ship in time, though the ruin itself is quite something to see. 

There are two Viking tours listed on MVJ that go to Tulum. "Tulum Mayan Ruins" and "Tulum & Casa Tortuga."

[Mariastreby]

3 minutes ago, junglejane said:

There are two Viking tours listed on MVJ that go to Tulum. "Tulum Mayan Ruins" and "Tulum & Casa Tortuga."

Seriously? I haven’t seen those listed on Viking’s website descriptions of possible excursions from Cozumel yet. We are talking about the full Panama Canal transit itinerary, right?
We are doing Ft Lauderdale to LA in December, so will have several months before we get to see our “official” excursion choices. But those must be brand new offerings for sure. How many hours long, and what prices are those excursions?

[junglejane]

@Mariastreby Tulum Mayan Ruins is 9 hours and $159 pp. Tulum Ruins & Casa Tortuga is 9 hours and $179 pp. I’ve attached screenshots of the descriptions. We're on the Oct. 24 full transit Ft Lauderdale to LA.

 

Edited July 23, 2023 by junglejane

[janetcbl]

@junglejane Thanks for posting the descriptions. We sign up for our excursions in October, so I will be interested in your opinions on excursions you enjoyed or didn’t after you return. I hope you will update. Thanks!

[aungrl]

10 hours ago, junglejane said:

@Mariastreby Tulum Mayan Ruins is 9 hours and $159 pp. Tulum Ruins & Casa Tortuga is 9 hours and $179 pp. I’ve attached screenshots of the descriptions. We're on the Oct. 24 full transit Ft Lauderdale to LA.

 

We did the Tulum Mayan ruins excursion with a different cruise line before we discovered Viking, and the description above is basically identical to the one we took.  So while I don't have direct experience with the Viking excursion, if it's as described, this was one of the best excursions of that entire cruise.  Of course, YMMV regardless of cruise line, since so much depends on the quality of the guide.