panama shore excursions

[jam42]

I am sailing on the Summit in Jan from LA to Florida. Shore excursions are offered from Gatun Lake? Has anyone taken them. Do you miss anything by leaving the ship at that point?

Thank you

[Host Kat]

Howdy jam42!

 

Welcome to Cruise Critic and the Help Forum!

 

I fully understand your need to know more information about shore excursions! However, you have posted on the Help Forum where members ask for information about the board's software and how to use it. This is not the place for your type of post and the information you seek is off topic.

 

Per the Community Guidelines and to help you out, I am moving this thread to the Ports of Call - Panama Canal Forum where it will be on topic. I'm sure your fellow Cruise Critic members will be able to help you there. I sincerely hope you will be able to find it in the new location!

 

Glad to have you aboard Cruise Critic and I sincerely hope you have a wonderful cruise!

 

Happy trails to you...

 

Kat

 

Added info: I used the Search This Forum feature here for you using "Gatun Lake" as my key words. It shows 92 threads on this forum you might want to research.

[wanda1101]

I'm assuming your cruise is a partial transit and you arrived at Gatun Lake on the ship. If so, you will have already transited through a set of locks and will not miss anything. The ship will most likely be anchored off an island.

[cruiseLMG]

We enjoyed panama. We have been there three times. The first time was on a partial transit where the ship went through the first set of locks and passengers with excursions were taken from there. The only thing we missed on the ship was it going back through the same set of locks and docking at the pier. We then did the ocean to ocean railroad. It was a nice tour, very easy for the older crowd. Good tour guides with plenty of good information on the area.

The second time we were there all tours were cancelled due to a national transportation strike. The last time we were there we did the Embera Indian village. If it had been my first time to Panama, I would have been disappointed that I did not see more of the country. It was nice seeing the native people, but, it is not in their village. It is on an island with 2 or three replica buildings and dancing by the villagers.

[Pudgesmom]

If you are going from LA to Florida, this is a full transit.

 

I don't know about other ships, but on our transit, the ship did not stop. Gatun Lake, while it looks large, is really only two ships wide in the channel.

 

Unless you are turning around, which you're not, the ship probably won't even stop.

 

You'll enter from the Pacific going northeast, pass the Bridge of Americas, then go through 3 locks which are spread out. This was the most difficult part of the construction.

 

Then you'll spend a couple of hours transiting Gatun Lake, after which you'll arrive on the Atlantic side, where the locks are much more closely spaced.

 

In my opinion, if you're doing a full transit, THAT IS the shore excursion. Its very interesting, and will take the entire day to travel from one end to the other.

 

Beth