Table Of Content

From sailing and rainforest adventures to guided heritage explorations and up-close Panama Canal tours, our Panama Canal shore excursions bring you the best of the regional cuisine, culture, history and natural beauty. Extended evening stays and overnights give you the chance to more fully embrace the local culture with explorations ashore and leisurely, meaningful touring. The Panama Canal is one of the most astonishing human-made wonders, a sliver of ingenuity that allows ships to move from one ocean to another. Cruise from the Pacific to the Atlantic, or vice versa, and take in the scenery as you move through this engineering marvel built in 1914. There is something for every type of explorer in this culturally diverse region. Choose from immersive excursions such as exploring the engineering mastery of the Canal, trekking through surrounding rainforests, visiting local villages and relaxing on the pristine beaches of the Caribbean.
Panama Canal Cruise Port Highlights
Holland America Opens Bookings for 2025-26 Panama Canal and Hawaii Cruises - Cruise Industry News
Holland America Opens Bookings for 2025-26 Panama Canal and Hawaii Cruises.
Posted: Mon, 04 Mar 2024 08:00:00 GMT [source]
Celebrity offers a variety of Panama Canal cruises, with several different ports of call. You could sail from Fort Lauderdale to the ABC Islands (Aruba, Bonaire, and Curacao) and Cartagena in Colombia. A sailing from Miami to Los Angeles visits Cartagena, Puntarenas in Costa Rica, and Puerto Vallarta. When your ship spends the day in Colon, you can see more of Panama on a range of shore excursions. Despite the monumental achievement of engineering that the Panama Canal represents, the drive from Colon to Panama City is just under an hour, so there are plenty of options.

Panama Canal cruises
Explore the breathtaking beaches of Cabo San Lucas, the colorful colonial architecture of Cartagena, the thriving jungles of Costa Rica, and more. The Panama Canal is open to ships year-round, but the most pleasant time to cruise is in the winter season, from November to May. Celebrity will take you seamlessly from one adventure to the next as you explore jewel-like Caribbean islands and historic Cartagena. On a one-way voyage, combine the thrill of the canal with adrenaline-fueled adventure in Costa Rica and iced margaritas on Mexico’s golden beaches. Make the most of your time ashore with our range of imaginative excursions, from Destination Highlights to Small Group Discoveries and Private Journeys designed just for you.
Santa Marta
Enjoy the best of the Panama Canal with a day to explore the locks, kayak the forested fringes of serene Gatun Lake, or admire the fine Spanish colonial architecture of Panama City’s historic Casco Viejo. There’s no shortage of beach time on these 11-night cruises, with blissful, sun-soaked days on the dazzling white sands that fringe Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao, and a day to explore Grand Cayman’s glorious Seven Mile Beach. We craft our Panama Canal itineraries to enrich our guests' experiences to provide the most exposure to this bucket-list destination. You'll be enchanted by Spanish and Dutch cities dating back centuries, as well as diverse tropical rainforests, white-sand beaches, dramatic volcanoes and UNESCO World Heritage Sites. And Princess provides live narration from the bridge while transiting the locks, just one reason we were voted "Best Cruise Line for Enrichment" by Cruise International.
Cunard's 29-day Alaska & Panama Canal cruise
Hit the gift shop on the way out for a hat, T-shirt or another souvenir to mark the day you traveled in 10 hours from one ocean to another. Originally known as the Thatcher Ferry Bridge, the Bridge of the Americas connects North and South America and serves as the gateway to the Pacific Ocean. After traveling through the Miraflores Locks, which allow the ship to finish the descent to sea level, you have 8 miles to find a spot on deck, grab a flute of Champagne and get your phone or camera ready. You'll undoubtedly learn many fascinating factoids about the construction of the Panama Canal and the steps needed to cross it.

If you're considering this bucket-list sailing, you'll want to find the best time to cruise the Panama Canal, whether that be to find better weather, lower pricing or fewer crowds. Those who can't stand the hustle and bustle of a big cruise ship like the Norwegian Pearl may rather travel the canal on a smaller vessel—say, one that has only 60 guests as opposed to 2,000-some. Some companies, like Grand Circle Travel, offer full-transit land-and-cruise tours for these smaller groups of people. The combination tours—which can last between one and two weeks—provide a more intimate experience and they actually allow travelers to see more of the country than they would aboard a mega-ship.
Ocean to Ocean
With that being said, all Panama Canal cruises can be categorized into three categories– Trans-Canal Crossing, Partial Crossing, and Faux Crossing. Also, it is important to make sure to avoid the loudest staterooms onboard to completely relax on your Panama Canal cruise. When I went on my Panama Canal cruise, there were plenty of clouds in the sky, however, it did not rain. That being said, make sure to bring your rain jacket as it could have just as easily gone the other way. It was also fairly humid, leading to fog during the morning hours of the Panama Canal transit.
The busiest travel months for Panama are from October through April, with temperatures starting off cool in October and getting warmer as the weeks pass. Major cruise lines that sail to Panama include Carnival, Royal Caribbean Princess, Holland America Line (HAL), Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL), Celebrity, Oceania and Viking. Prices per person depend on several factors, including which line you book, the month you travel and the duration of the trip.
A short trip from the port at Puerto Quetzal, the city is home to museums like Casa de los Sueños, where the history of this town is depicted through art. Extend your cruise vacation, and simplify your travel plans with a hotel stay at the beginning or end of your cruise. With a Cruise Plus Hotel Package, a Princess representative meets you at the airport and pier, transporting you to and from your hotel. The package includes the cost of your hotel stay, transportation, luggage handling and the services of the representative.
For a Panama Canal experience that begins and ends in Fort Lauderdale, Celebrity Cruises' 11-night Panama Canal & Southern Caribbean itinerary is a great option. There's plenty of time to plan ahead for the Dec. 2, 2024 cruise or the half-dozen almost identical sailings that follow through March 2025. Thanks to a 2016 canal expansion project, a third set of locks can now accommodate larger vessels. It's possible to cruise the Panama Canal on ships of all sizes (from 148 guests to more than 3,000) on itineraries that range from a week in the sun to a six-month world cruise. Experiencing this marvel of early 20th-century engineering appeals to those with a wide array of interests, from history and politics to colonial architecture and wildlife spotting. To get the most out of your trip, it's wise to avoid cruising during Panama's rainy season between May and December.
Active travelers may be looking for expedition-style voyages or cruises on a smaller ship to enjoy more time exploring the Panama Canal. If you have been dreaming about cruising the Panama Canal for a while, this cruise itinerary is definitely for you! Plus, you will more than likely receive an in-depth history of Panama and the lock system involved with the Canal. Therefore, if you are an engineering geek and don’t mind not getting off the ship within Panama, this itinerary is for you.
There are three types of cruise ships you can take to see the wonder up close. Calls on Golfito and Puntarenas in Costa Rica offer access to eco-adventure. The 450-guest Seabourn Sojourn will sail from Miami to Los Angeles in December. Some ships sail a full transit of the canal, from the Atlantic to the Pacific, or vice versa. These one-way journeys between Miami or Fort Lauderdale and Los Angeles or San Diego, visits ports in Central America, South America, Mexico and California. We know the destinations you'll be visiting and what there is to see, do and experience.
No comments:
Post a Comment