Please Help... canal tours on Princess "Pacific Panama Canal" 19 day sailing

[Sandy R]

I've asked Princess directly but have not been able to get an answer... why am I not surprised!

 

We will be sailing on the 19 day "Pacific Panama Canal" - Los Angeles to Los Angeles sailing. Every excursion on the Princess website states "for Coral Princess only". Taken literally, that means that there are no Panama Canal tours offered for the 19 day sailing.

 

For anyone that has done the 19 day Panama Canal sailing, did Princess offer any canal tours? Specifically, was the ferry and railroad tours available? Or, did passengers have to stay on the ship during the 2 days in the Panama Canal area?

 

Thank you for any answers you can provide... Sandy

[senior lady]

Sandy,

 

We did the 19 day canal cruise last May. The Coral is a beautiful ship, you will enjoy her a lot.

 

It only takes 8-10 hrs going through the canal. We were longer as we got stuck behind a slow cargo ship.

You can't get off the ship during the transit.

 

To get off you need to take the 10 day partial canal cruise. You only go through one set of locks and stay on Gatun lake then turn around and go back. That cruise offers the train trip.

 

We had such a good time on our Panama Canal cruise and loved the Coral so much that we came home and booked the 15 day Hawaii out of LA on the Island Princess (sister ship to the Coral).

 

If you have any questions, I'll be more than happy to answer.:D

[mii]

I agree with Karen in that we were both on the same cruise. I have also been on the partial transit r/t out of Ft. lauderdale and as Karen said once you pass Gatun Locks you then can go on excursions such as the train and by ferry to the Pacific side of which I have done. You will have the Coral. She is a great, great ship.

 

Marilyn

[Sandy R]

Thanks to both of you for posting so quickly. Actually, we will be taking the Island Princess next September and there doesn't seem to be any excursions offered for the Island Princess, once we've partially transited the canal.

 

Even Princess didn't have any answers as to why this was the case, only that we wouldn't be stopping anywhere to let passengers off for a tour. How is that possible?

 

The cruise is published as a Panama Canal cruise. The itinerary states: Panama Canal: Saturday 7 am to Sunday 4:30 pm - Fuerte Amador: Sunday 5 pm to 10 pm.

 

If the itinerary is correct, we must overnight somewhere in the Panama Canal area. It can't take 21 1/2 hours to go through the locks. So where do we stop? And, where does the ship turn around to be in the right direction to return to Los Angeles?

 

I'm thinking maybe we booked one of those mystery cruises, I've heard mentioned... and I really don't like surprises!

 

Sandy

[Sandy R]

This was just a duplicate... sorry.

[mii]

First of all Sandy our cruise started from Ft. lauderdale and ended for me in S.F. then went on to Vancouver. Now in your case I looked at the itiniery and it seems to me by all of the stops on your cruise is that you go through the Panama Canal east, then turn around after going through the Gatun Locks and head right back into the Gatun locks and then head for the Pacific Side again because your next stops are in Guatamala, etc and they are all on the west cost of Central America. Strange cruise. I never have seen that before. I do know that the Coral also does this cruise but when it leaves Vancouver in 2007 it goes through the canal and then back to Ft. Lauderdale where they will started the 10 day ones. It also has me baffled too but hey whatever just go with the flow.:D

 

Marilyn

[Sandy R]

Since I've received so much valuable travel information from cruisecritic posters over the past several years, I thought I'd post my findings as to why there are no ship tours available during a partial canal crossing on the "Pacific Panama Canal" 19 day cruise, Los Angeles/Los Angeles.

 

I hope my explanation is clear... Entering the canal locks from the west (Pacific Ocean) and reaching Gatun Lake, is a far greater distance than entering the canal locks from the east (Atlantic Ocean) and reaching Gatun Lake. The ship enters the canal from the Pacific side approximately 7am, and doesn't reach Gatun Lake until late in the afternoon, making it any tours impossible. The itinerary calls for the ship to return the next day, reaching the Pacific Ocean at 4:30pm, then stopping at Fuerte Amador, 30 minutes later, at 5pm. Hence, no time to do a canal tour that day either.

 

This cruise does stand on it's own merit... stopping in Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Guatemala - 3 extremely interesting stops. And, we will definitely enjoy our 19 days aboard the Island Princess, just as much as we have our last 31 cruises with Princess! Still, I wish they had added: Panama Canal (cruising only) when they published this itinerary. Perhaps a phone call to Princess is in order...

 

Sandy

[mii]

Sandy thanks for that information. Now it does make sense. The sailing from the pacific side to the Gatun locks is longer than the Atlantic side and then going through the locks. Yes, I agree that they should have put "sailing only, no excursions for the canal.

 

Thanks for that information.

 

Marilyn

[CruisinChris]

Sandy,

 

There are shore excursions and you can look at them on Princess.com. Go to "book a cruise" select Panama Canal, island princess, 19 days...click view itinerary. Notice the clickable tabs above the itinerary...one says shore excursions...click it. Then select panama canal from the drop down box. The tours offered during your time in the canal will be displayed - there were a number of them. There was also a listing for Fuerte Amador so you'll want to check that out too.

 

Happy Cruising! The canal is awesome!

[sashas_mom]

We will be going on a 16 day Panama Canal cruise in April on the Coral. Have any of you that have already done this cruise done excursions that are air conditioned in the other ports(ie. Costa Rica, Aruba, Curacao, Nicaragua ) that you would recommend? I need to stay out of the heat as much as possible but still want to see places I've never been. Thanks.

sasha'smom

[lois1112]

I am doing the 19 pacific panama cannal in April on the regal. Our shore excurison are posted. There is the one tour of the "panama canal" at night that we can take. is anyone on this cruise? if you are please join our roll call!

(HI Eileen!)

[Sandy R]

Chris... you are right that Princess offers tours while in the canal. Problem is, when you click on them, they all say "only for Coral Princess sailings".

 

That is precisely what prompted me to call Princess and then post this thread. There are 2 tours offered the 19 day sailing, once we dock in Fuerte Amador, but that's after we go through the canal, turn around, and return to the Pacific Ocean.

[natesfirewife]

I am on the Island Princess 04/21/2008 and we are not able to look at the shore excursions for our specific sailing. I read that they wouldn't be available until 4 months before we sail. Until then we can only guess what we want to do by previous sailings.

[senior lady]

I am doing the 19 pacific panama cannal in April on the regal. Our shore excurison are posted. There is the one tour of the "panama canal" at night that we can take. is anyone on this cruise? if you are please join our roll call!

(HI Eileen!)

 

We were on the Coral last may. My husband did the "panama canal workings" at night. He was very dissapointed and said it wasn't worth it.

 

Also be careful of the "Panama City tour" Depending on what time you get there, it could be in the dark. Again people were not happy with the tour. You can't see much at night.

 

I just got off the ship in Fuerte Amador and walked around the little market that is there.

As you must tender that place, it takes a long time.

Don't know if i'd get off next time.

 

Great cruise!!!