Who has cruised the Panama Canal this year/

[chrismch]

Have been to the "ports" section of CC and it is hard to find recent info (this year) for ports on the Panama Canal cruise. Would love some recent feedback on excursions for Huatulco, Cabo and Acapulco. Would love to snorkle or scuba or anything water related or something where you are not on a bus all day. Your input would be greatly appreciated!:p

[mkbruce]

My wife and I did a eastbound transcanal (San Diego to Ft. Lauderdale) in October 2004 which stopped at the ports you mentioned. We are both in our 30's and prefer active shore excursions. Sitting on a bus is not our idea of a good time.

 

In Cabo, we did a ocean kayaking trip from the harbor out to Lover's Beach and Los Archos where we had about an hour to swim and snorkel. Not much to look at underwater (we are both divers), but a fun trip. Be sure to bring a camera (a ziplock bag works fine to keep it dry- the kayaks are very stable - not a single person in our group tipped over)

 

In Huatulco, we went horseback riding. Niether one of us had been on a horse before, but the luckily the horses know what they were doing. The ride was about 3 hours total on a fairly narrow trail that wound its way through a 'forest' down to one of the bays that line the coastline of Huatulco (I think there are 9 of them, the pier being in one). Once at the ocean, we rode along the beach for a while. My wife's horse (named Trigger) kept wanting to run, but a firm tug on the reins kept him in line. My horse (Raul - about the size of a clydesdale) kept wanting to stop and eat anything he could get his hands on. One of our guides broke off a branch, stripped the leaves and gave it to me to help 'motivate' Raul. At the beach, we went swimming and had a beer. We really enjoyed this excursion, but horseback riding for the first time was not necessarily the best idea for one's honeymoon :). We though our clothes were ruined due to rubbing against horses and saddles all day, but the Summit's laundry got them clean.

 

In Acapulco we did a hiking and snorkeling excursion on a small island that lies in the opening of the bay that forms Acapulco's harbor (can't remember the name of it...) The snorkeling was not very good (not much to see here), but the hike around the island was interesting and scenic. Not our favorite, but it gave us some excercise. In the evening we did a sunset sail around the harbor. Acapulco was not among our favorite ports.

 

All these excursions were booked through Celebrity and they were all well organized, felt safe and well run by the respective tour companies.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Magnus

[mii]

What might be helpful to you is to go the Mex. Riviera Ports of Call board and not Panama Canal as those ports you mentioned are in Mexico.

 

Marilyn