Panama Canal train ride across isthmus?

[jowahe]

Has anyone taken the train ride along the Panama Canal from one coast to the other? As I understand it, one way is by train with return by bus. Any comments, pro and con will be welcomed. Is train/bus air conditioned? Are lavatories available? Is seating comfortable? Thanks for your helpful info.

[davidnsteph]

We took this train in 2002 from Colon to the Pacific side. We rode in a dome car with views out the top. It was air conditioned, and there were bathrooms. The views were great. We visited the Miraflores Locks visitor center, and got an excellent view of Panama City from across the canal and the big suspension bridge spanning the canal. We also saw old government and military builidings that were used by the USA when the canal zone was a US protectorate.

 

DavidnSteph

[Colo Cruiser]

Has anyone taken the train ride along the Panama Canal from one coast to the other? As I understand it, one way is by train with return by bus. Any comments, pro and con will be welcomed. Is train/bus air conditioned? Are lavatories available? Is seating comfortable? Thanks for your helpful info.

 

 

We did, through Princess it was called the Ocean to Ocean. They offered the newer train cars and the antique ones on the same train.

I think its one of the best excursions offered there.

Train has AC, yes there are lavs, and the seats were good. :)

[flamomo]

I am guessing that you are doing a partial transit cruise out of FLL.

 

Have you considered the excursion that takes you via a smaller ship through the rest of the Canal, out into the Pacific and around Panama City, docks at a yacht club, and then you get on a tour bus for the return to the ship at Cristobal?

 

That was the very best excursion that I have ever taken. Being aboard a small ship gives one an entirely different perspective of the size of the locks than what one gets onboard the cruise ship.

[Charles4515]

I am guessing that you are doing a partial transit cruise out of FLL.

 

Have you considered the excursion that takes you via a smaller ship through the rest of the Canal, out into the Pacific and around Panama City, docks at a yacht club, and then you get on a tour bus for the return to the ship at Cristobal?

 

That was the very best excursion that I have ever taken. Being aboard a small ship gives one an entirely different perspective of the size of the locks than what one gets onboard the cruise ship.

 

Glad you brought up the boat excursion because I was going to mention it.

 

I have done both the train ride excursion and the trip on a small boat excursion. The trip thru the canal on a small boat wins hands down over the train ride. The boat goes thru the locks and canal, under the bridge of the Americas to the Pacific.

 

You don't see near as much on the train because it is not going thru the canal and also because of the speed of the train. The only pro of the train is that it is air conditioned. The con of the boat that it can be hot on deck observing the canal. I recommend the boat excursion over the train because you see a lot more on the boat.

[reggielew]

Hi!

 

We did the domed railway car in November and LOVED it. We took the train both from the ship and back to the ship, so we avoided a lot of traffic by not needing a bus on the way back. Those who took the small boat also loved the trip, but they returned to the ship at least 2 hours after we did. I'm sure that you would see even more on the small boat than we did from the train, but we wanted the air conditioning and wanted to avoid a long bus ride back to the ship. They are both EXCELLENT tours; it just depends on what type of trip better meets your needs.

 

Reggie

[Grego]

Having taken the train on our first visit to the Canal, I thought that was a great tour. The tour guide was fantastic, the ride was good and the view as very nice, when you could see through the trees. Back then, 6 years ago, the train made a stop in Panama City and you toured the Visitor's Center and the city and climbed back aboard for more beer and commentary. I believe that today's tour is a bus ride back.

 

Now that I have read a few books on the Canal, we are taking the smaller boat so that we can actually see the Canal and view the amazing cut that was made.

[judynorth]

Glad you brought up the boat excursion because I was going to mention it.

 

I have done both the train ride excursion and the trip on a small boat excursion. The trip thru the canal on a small boat wins hands down over the train ride. The boat goes thru the locks and canal, under the bridge of the Americas to the Pacific.

 

You don't see near as much on the train because it is not going thru the canal and also because of the speed of the train. The only pro of the train is that it is air conditioned. The con of the boat that it can be hot on deck observing the canal. I recommend the boat excursion over the train because you see a lot more on the boat.

 

I have read on a couple of posts that there is at least a part of the boat that is air conditioned. Is that correct? We signed up for this excursion but I am really sensitive to the heat and wonder if it might be too hot with such a long time on the boat. How long are you actually on the boat and how long is the transfer time before and after the boat trip?

 

Reggie, I didn't realize that you could take the train both ways. I thought all the excursions were train one way and bus the other. How did you arrange to go both ways by train?

[Charles4515]

I have read on a couple of posts that there is at least a part of the boat that is air conditioned. Is that correct? We signed up for this excursion but I am really sensitive to the heat and wonder if it might be too hot with such a long time on the boat. How long are you actually on the boat and how long is the transfer time before and after the boat trip?

 

Reggie, I didn't realize that you could take the train both ways. I thought all the excursions were train one way and bus the other. How did you arrange to go both ways by train?

 

Yes, there is an inside air conditioned part of the boat.

[judynorth]

Yes, there is an inside air conditioned part of the boat.

 

Ah, so if the heat gets too much for me I can seek relief in the AC. Thanks.

[reggielew]

Hi!

 

Although the brochure stated that we would take the train to the Pacific coast and a bus back, we were pleasantly surprised to find that all the passengers took the train in both directions. There was no choice; that was just the way it was done on our Island Princess cruise this past November. We weren't at all looking forward to the long bus ride back, so this worked out great!!! We felt that we really saw a lot in a very relaxed and comfortable manner. For us, it was definitely an excellent choice!

 

Reggie

[mae]

We're taking the ship through the canal and up the Pacific side. I can see why you would want to do these trips when not going through the canal. We don't want to miss anything, so is it necessary to do these, that is do you see any more of the canal than we will see going through it.

[Charles4515]

We're taking the ship through the canal and up the Pacific side. I can see why you would want to do these trips when not going through the canal. We don't want to miss anything, so is it necessary to do these, that is do you see any more of the canal than we will see going through it.

 

If you are doing a full transit there is no need to do the excursions mentioned here.

[jowahe]

Thanks to all for your helpful replies and suggestions. I'll be on the Star Princess in April (Santiago to San Francisco) when it makes a stop on the Pacific side of the Canal for just a day. I'm a train buff, so the train ride caught my attention plus I've done a full transit of the Canal by cruise ship on 3 other occasions. I wish it was a train ride both ways, but the excursion description says return by bus. Even so, it will be new and different for me.

[Palmist]

Hi,

We were on the train and loved it. Sat in a booth and saw a lot of scenery with Reggie and Lew in Nov. Our guide was funny spoke good English too. We enjoyed not having to take a long bus ride back to the ship too. It was well worth the expense not to have to be on a boat in the heat for a long time. We have wonderful pictures of the locks and the bridge.

Myrna & Howard

[Grammar Goddess]

My husband and I took this trip on December 22, and we both think it was one of the best shore excursions we've ever been on. We did NOT have the dome car, just an error on our part, but we were perfectly satisfied with the "vintage" executive train car we did have. The car itself was lovely, vintage 1930's I'd say, with very comfortable leather booths with tables between, very European. It was not at all crowded; in fact, some other passengers on our cruise were upset that they were told it was sold out. We had room for many more in our car. The windows were huge & clean. Our guide was wonderful, the views extraordinary, and there were a bathroom, snacks, and an observation deck. We had the good fortune to be able to ride the train both ways with a bus tour in Panama City. I would recommend this without hesitation. We loved the scenery and the stops that we made at the locks & at the overlooks. The box lunch on the return trip was quite adequate, too. From our guide we learned many interesting facts about the building of the Canal, and on the return trip there were costumed school girls who danced for us and a Santa who gave out candy! I can't imagine a better way to spend the time off the ship. :)

 

GG