Clothing for Panama Canal Excursions

[Jammie]

We will be going on the Princess 10-day r/t Panama Canal Cruise in a few weeks. What sort of clothing should we wear on excursions? We are taking the Ocean-to Ocean excursion that will take us all the way through the canal on a 200 person boat. We also have a stop in Limon, Costa Rica. I expect both places will be very humid. Should we wear shorts or long pants? T-shirt or long sleeved shirts? Will we need raingear or an umbrella? What about footwear? Are sandals okay or should we wear walking shoes? Thanks for any advice.

[LAC2]

Great thread! We will be going to PC in 11 days and would like to know the answers to your questions also. Hope someone contributes soon.

[lszu]

I'm going in December and also doing the Locks by Ferry excursion you have described (going through one set on our ship and the other two on a ferry) so we can see the whole canal.

 

Check weather.com for almanac information regarding Costa Rica and Panama. Looks to me like it's going to be hot and humid. I was planning on bringing shorts for shore excursions. I did pick up a couple of "disposable" rain ponchos for Costa Rica. They were $1.99 (I think) at Sports Authority in the camping section. Small enough to carry around and cheap enought to toss if we use them. Better safe than sorry, right?

[mii]

We were on the Coral this Feb and did the same you guys want to do. We went on the ocean to ocean and and it was hot and humid. I wore shorts, tank top and a blouse that opened like a jacket (Big shirt). I wore sandals because we were on the 200 passenger boat and did not have to walk anywhere. I was comfortable the whole time. Did not take a poncho or umbrella because we were either in a tender, bus or on the boat. Have fun. You will love that excursion.

 

Marilyn

[Jammie]

On the Ocean-to-Ocean, will we need to worry about mosquitos? I guess the reason I may go with long pants instead of shorts is because of bug bites. I may take my zip off pants to solve the problem. Also, on Costa Rica shore excursions, will clothing requirements be the same (shorts, long sleeve shirts, sandals). I expect the weather to be hot and humid there too.

[Jimmr]

Jammie,

We have not done the exact excursion you are refering to but in 2000, we were on Celebrity's Mercury for their trans-canal cruise, Atlantic to Pacific, over Halloween and into November. It was very hot and humid. However, I do not recall ever having an issue with mosquitos or other insects----not to say that won't be a concern on your particular trip. We always take an insect "skeeter stick" dab on any bites we get on a trip, but have never had to use it. As for Costa Rica, we stopped on the Pacific side for an excursion to the "Cloud Forest" at the top of a volcano and we wound up getting some wind breakers to wear! Up to 5,000 ft or so...temp dropped 20-30 degrees. If you stay down near sea level, it will be as hot as Panama...even in Nov. Definitely go the shorts and t-shirt route. Hope you have a great time!!!

[doone]

Very hot and humid here. Light, cool clothing with lots of sun block and possibly a wide brimmed hat would be good.

 

I had no problems with bugs, saw none, was bothered by none, maybe it was too hot!!!!!!

 

Puerto Limon, Costa Rica, I just loved, great coffee here, be sure to get some. Also, great excursion we did, highly recommend the Tortugera(sp) Canal tour, it was the best excursion I have done, I think you will enjoy it. If you choose this excursion, do an early morning time as the animals you will see along the way will seek shade and cooler places as the day goes on and it gets hotter and hotter.

[kdw]

We were on a Panama tour last Jan/Feb. Belize was cooler than normal but by the time we reached Costa Rica and Panama it was HOT and yes, humid. But we loved it. Halter sundress (no bra!) works well or similar top with shorts. Sidenote, I actually purchased a couple pair of 'thongs' (which I thought I abhorred) as the temperature and humidity turns all undies into thongs as you walk!

[kdw]

Never saw or felt a bug (Jan/Feb) on our entire Panama cruise, which included cav-river tubing through the jungle and a Costa Rican jungle excursion. Took a small container of bug repellent along anyway, but nevr needed it.