Panama City Tour thru CCL

[chacha813]

Anyone done this tour thru Carnival. What sights did you see? How was the lunch? Was it very long, it says 8 hours, but was there stops? Not leaving till Sept. but would like to book before. Any help thanks!:o

[velvetred]

Dh and I went on Carnival's Panama City tour by bus in November. We went to the Gatun locks for 45 minutes or so and enjoyed this part of the tour very much. A ship was passing through the locks while we were there. Dh would have liked to stayed at the Gatun locks for a longer time but I felt the time there was adequate. Then we went traveled to Panama City on the country's main highway passing by Gatun Lake. We toured the colonial section of the city including a stop for a short visit at a church. We walked a few blocks in the Colonial section of the city with a stop at one store so everyone could use the restroom. We stopped at an area that had a boardwalk with views of the ships waiting for to enter the Canal and distant views of the modern Panama City. In the area there were also locals selling handicrafts and cheap souveniers. Dh picked up some 4 dollar hats, cheap bracelets, etc. Our guide gave us a bit of history about the area and we found it interesting. We drove through parts of the modern city (remnant/transformed buildings from the time of American management of the Canal, banks, McDonald's, apartments, homes, car dealerships, restaurants, and other modern city amenities) with commentary by the guide. We had a nice included lunch at a restaurant with a choice of chicken or beef. One thing we noted in Panama was the abundance of Panamanian flags from homes and businesses - they seem much more patriotic than other countries in our travels if flying the national flag is an accurate indicator. The ride back was slow because of traffic snafu's including separate wrecks involving overturned semis. We were late returning to our ship - in fact, we did not return until after the planned sailaway time. One other tour bus returned to the ship even later than our group. We enjoyed the all day tour - wouldn't do it again but glad we did it once. There are shops by the pier area but we did not have time to check them out. However, we heard positive comments about the pier area shops from fellow cruisers. Hope this helps. Have a great cruise.

[BillB48]

The good news to those going over to the Pacific side is the new road is now open, so it should not be such a grueling adventure as it was on the old road. That should allow for more time sightseeing/shopping in the Panama City area.

 

Velvetred, as you were there in November, probably the reason for the flags is November 3 is Panama's Independence Day from Colombia and November 4 is Flag Day, I'm sure the country was in a festive mood!

[chacha813]

Thanks for the info. Looking forward to see more of the other sights than spending so much time at the locks. Will let everyone know what I thought of this excursion when we return. Thanks again .

[toonye]

Thanks for the info. Looking forward to see more of the other sights than spending so much time at the locks. Will let everyone know what I thought of this excursion when we return. Thanks again .

 

Hi!

 

And, how did you enjoy your tour?!!

 

Which one did you select?

 

Did you have some time to wander around in the city?

Were you in the bus all time?

 

Thank you so much for your feedback!

We might book this excursion as well but couldn't find many reviews for now

 

Toonye