Panama Canal Railway Journey

[TJM001]

My wife and I have booked a cruise on the Coral Princess next February that takes us partially through the Panama Canal. Princess offers a Panama Canal Railway Journey excursion that take you through to the Pacific side by train and then returns by bus. It is fairly expensive and takes several hours. If you have taken this excursion we would be interested to know your opinion of it. Did you feel it was worthwhile? Was it worth the expense?

[Druke I]

I haven't taken the train journey, but would like to take it sometime, should I ever take a partial transit cruise. (We've taken two full transit Panama Canal cruises, and thoroughly enjoyed them.)

 

It is one way to see both side (ends) of the Canal when on a partial transit cruise.

[Colo Cruiser]

My wife and I have booked a cruise on the Coral Princess next February that takes us partially through the Panama Canal. Princess offers a Panama Canal Railway Journey excursion that take you through to the Pacific side by train and then returns by bus. It is fairly expensive and takes several hours. If you have taken this excursion we would be interested to know your opinion of it. Did you feel it was worthwhile? Was it worth the expense?

 

 

We did it and picked the restored train car over the newer ones. It was one of the best excursions and well worth the money in my view.

It is a long day but it is a beautiful country. ;)

[CruisinChris]

I've also done it in the restored cars and really enjoyed it. I agree with Druke on this - we've done the full transit a couple of times and when we did the partial we took the train. I think it's a great idea if haven't done a full transit so you can really appreciate the canal - you see such a small part on the partial and miss out on the marvel that are the cuts. even if you have done a full transit this offers a different perspective. I don't think you'll be disappointed.

[LaurieCM]

We did this tour (or one like it) when we were on the Carnival Legend Feb 2007. It was a lovely day, my husband, a retired railroad engineer had me take his picture with the conductor- a beautiful girl, not the usual Conrail freight conductor! After the train trip we bused to the Pacific and the stopped at the canal on the way back, saw a film and then watched a ship go through the locks. It was a great tour- the train was stunning- green leather banquettes at tables; polished metal and wood. I hope our Princess Alaskan tours will be as nice.

[WeBeGone]

We did this trip, and while we liked it, it was a VERY long day and I liked the Embara excursion on a previous cruise better. However, this is an excellent way to see the whole canal. It's worth the money.

[Charles4515]

My wife and I have booked a cruise on the Coral Princess next February that takes us partially through the Panama Canal. Princess offers a Panama Canal Railway Journey excursion that take you through to the Pacific side by train and then returns by bus. It is fairly expensive and takes several hours. If you have taken this excursion we would be interested to know your opinion of it. Did you feel it was worthwhile? Was it worth the expense?

 

I have done it. I prefer the boat excursion they offer thru the locks over the railway excursion. On the railway excursion you are moving by the canal and off the one side of the canal. You miss a lot. On the boat excursion you go thru the locks.

[reggielew]

Hi!

 

We are planning to do the partial transit on the Island Princess in November and are trying to decide between the boat through the canal and the train. Most people seem to think that the boat offers a more in depth view of the canal, but I have heard that the heat and humidity can be very uncomfortable on the boat trip. Is it a lot more comfortable on the train? Both trips are listed as 5 and a half hours, but I was wondering if the boat through the canal can take longer if there are more boats in the locks when your boat is going through. We definitely want to do one of these trips, but if the train trip is a little shorter and more comfortable (while still being interesting and worthwhile) we would probably lean in that direction.

 

Thanks for all your advice.

 

Reggie

[TJM001]

Thanks to all those who replied to my query.

[mamabeac]

In answer to Reggie's question about the comfort on the train, it was wonderfully comfortable and air conditioned. We did this excursion in April and it was an extremely hot and humid day. We rode the train in comfort and didn't even realize how hot the day was. We have already been on a cruise that went through the entire canal so this was a wonderful way to see some of the other side of things. When we arrived at the Pacific side, we toured some via bus and then were able to take the train again back to the Atlantic side. This was near the end of the season and there were no other tours waiting. That was an added bonus for us.