Weather And Seas On Panama Cruise

[kalokincanadian1]

Has anyone recently done the Panama cruise,

What has the weather been like in most of the ports and what have the Seas been like calm rough etc.

 

Have first time cruisers going with us and need some info.

 

Thanks for the help

 

Kate:)

[Honey's Gal]

We sailed from San Diego thru the Canal to San Juan. The seas were fine, but the weather was extremely hot and humid. I really really hate the humidity....It was a wonderful trip, and we would do it again, but I wouldn't take any excursions because of the heat.

[ianturner]

Did the canal on Brilliance in April of 2005, everything was great.

[FunCruiser56]

We did a partial transit on the Brilliance this January. We thought the weather was wonderful and not too hot or humid- 80's for the most part. It poured rain all day in Costa Rica and we had a few little spats of rain early in the day in Aruba/Curaco.

A couple of evenings the seas were very rough and windy, but nothing that spoiled our evenings...

 

Funcruiser

[sas80]

Has anyone recently done the Panama cruise,

What has the weather been like in most of the ports and what have the Seas been like calm rough etc.

 

Have first time cruisers going with us and need some info.

 

Thanks for the help

 

Kate:)

 

We did the canal last year on the Serenade. It was a 2 week cruise from April 24th thru May 8th.

 

The weather was great the entire trip! It was warm/hot and humid.

 

One thing I always pack - just in case - is a travel umbrella. They are so small that they dont take up much room in your suitcase and you just never know when a caribbean downpour is going to happen when you stop in a port.

 

Happy Sailing!!!

[KamloopsCruisers]

sas80 - thanks for the tip about the umbrella - I never would have thought to pack one. We sail in just over a month and this weekend I plan to start getting ready. One more thing to add to the list!

[ilionite65]

Returned from the Panama Canal on the Brilliance 3 weeks ago. Weather couldn't have been better for the entire trip, a 10 day. No problems either with rough seas. Enjoy!

[Sailingseas]

The weather going through the canal, in Huatulco, and Aculpulco was extremely hot, but more importantly, humid. It affected my husband and me because of medications we take. So, the excursions have to be planned accordingly. Take plenty of water with you everywhere you go. We had high seas returning from Cabo San Lucas to Los Angelos. There was a storm in the Pacific at that time. We wear the scop patch and weren't bothered at all. You will have a wonderful time.

[music]

ilionite65 or Sailingseas,

 

Did either of you post a review of your Panama Canal trip on the Brilliance?

I have this trip booked for 1 year away and I find a wealth of info in reviews. Things I did not think to ask.

[Sailingseas]

I posted a review on the Celebrity board as we were on the Summit.

[music]

Thanks, I'll check it out!

[wanda1101]

Realize Panama is in the tropics and has a rainy and a dry season. Rainy season varies greatly, but generally begins in May and ends in December (totally dry/no rain). The humidity is worst during that period of time and makes it feel so much hotter. October is traditionally the worst month. Dry season feels cooler because there is no, or little humidity, and you have the breezes.

 

The temperature in Panama seldom hits 90 and is relatively consistent throughout the year. So much depends on when you are going and where you are coming from. I moved to Panama from Florida in August. No comparison - Panama was far cooler and no more humid.

 

Rainy season is known for rougher seas, although dry season can also be rough.

 

Panama's countryside is at it's most beautiful during rainy season. It is so lush and green. If I had to pick a perfect month, it would probably be December or January - the rains have let up, but all is still green. Before the rains start in May, everything is brown and there are fires.

[combine]

We were on the Galaxy 1st April sailing. We did the ferry trip at the Panama Canal. I also took an umberella and have photos of me using it as a sun shade whilst on the top deck as the sun was very hot. An hour later I have a picture of me using to shelter from the heavy but warm downpour! It does state on the ticket 'may rain' so I was prepared.

 

One other point to mention if you take the ferry journey. The black plastic seats on the top deck can make certain fabrics 'sweat' in the heat. Be careful with light coloured man made fabrics as you may end up sitting in a pool! Luckily I had a beach wrap with me that I tied around and stood up to let everything dry. There were other people this happened to.

 

The trip was fantastic with an excellent well informed guide. He answered many questions. The packed lunch was good and there was a constant supply of free soft drinks including water, coke, lemonade. Beer was at a supplement.

[Travelbug 2]

Has anyone done a repositioning full transit Panama Canal from Vancouver to Ft Lauderdale in late Sept?

 

We are booked to leave Sept 27th for 17 days with HAL and because it is a repo' the price is quite reasonable. We prefer to cruise at that time of year as it coincides with a birthday and an anniversary.

 

What should we expect at that time of year?

[St. Louis Sal]

Travelbug 2-I'd love to hear how your cruise goes. My dh and I are thinking about doing the final Alaskan cruise of the season in 2007 and wondering about staying on to do the Panama Canal. I'd be interested especially in knowing how you found the weather and what excursions you ended up doing.

 

Have a great trip! ;)