12 best Panama Canal cruises for a bucket-list trip
Table Of Content
Our one-way cruises take you either east or westbound between Florida and California. See the intricate workings of the locks and the graceful Bridge of the Americas as you cross the narrow Panama isthmus. Discover the lush scenery around manmade Lake Gatun, listen to tales of pirates and conquistadors, and buy exquisite handicrafts made by Panama’s indigenous Emberá tribe. Other highlights include vibrant Cartagena, glamorous Puerto Vallarta, and thrilling Costa Rica. Fall in love with the romantic streets and flower-strewn balconies of Cartagena.
Best Time for Panama Canal Cruises
The large capacity of the Holland America Line and the long cruise time can lead to sea fatigue for some passengers. Experiencing the Panama Canal doesn't have to be time-consuming or budget-busting. Panama Canal cruise itineraries also include wonderful ports of call in the Caribbean, Central and South America and Mexico. Travelers can explore these different ports and enjoy a number of activities including sightseeing, shopping, watersports, beautiful beaches and friendly people. Taking a cruise through the Panama Canal allows travelers to witness first hand this marvel of modern engineering. The canal system is made up of three locks and a series of artificial lakes and canals.
San Juan del Sur Excursions: A Volcanic Adventure in Nicaragua
Known as The Emerald City, Seattle is a beautiful, luscious city with incredible views of the Cascade Mountains and Elliott Bay. The city is full of activities for both water lovers and outdoor enthusiasts. Situated on the Pacific Ocean, San Diego is known for its near perfect weather, beautiful beaches and abundance of activities.
Best Panama Canal cruise excursions from Colon and Panama City - The Points Guy
Best Panama Canal cruise excursions from Colon and Panama City.
Posted: Sun, 17 Dec 2023 08:00:00 GMT [source]
Partial Crossing
This translates into the easy planning of a crossing anytime is convenient for you. A cruise to the Panama Canal is filled with country-hopping adventures that take you to Mexico's Mayan ruins, white beaches in Cabo San Lucas or Colonial treasures in Colombia. A stop in Colón, Panama, lets you lay on the sand at serene Maria Chiquita beach or hike your way through Portobelo National Park to reach the 17th-century San Lorenzo Fort.
Aerial tram tour at Gamboa Rainforest ReservePrice: $
Here you will find hundreds of frogs, butterflies, and reptiles, in addition to monkeys, sloths, and birds up above. Just a few miles from Puerto Limón is the breathtaking Playa Bonita, the perfect tropical beach offering crystal-clear waters and soft sand. If you are an adrenalin-junkie, check out the rafting opportunities on the Reventazon River. Puntarenas is most popular as the biggest beach town near Costa Rica’s capital city.
The city of Colón is most frequently referred to as the gateway to the Caribbean for the country of Panama. Therefore, if you are cruising through the Panama Canal, there is a high chance this port will be on your cruise itinerary. No matter which cruise line and itinerary you ultimately decide on, you will likely visit a mix of these fantastic Panama, Caribbean, and Central American cruise ports.
Related Cruises
If you choose a cruise that includes a partial transit of the canal, you can experience Panama’s beauty during a day in Colon. Excursions from here include eco-adventures on Gatun Lake, where you can see capuchin and howler monkeys, caimans, and three-toed sloths. You could visit the locks along the canal and tour the visitor centers, stopping to watch ships pass through the narrow channels. Holland America offers a variety of Panama Canal cruises, but the most popular itineraries span 14 to 16 days. They offer a full transit between Fort Lauderdale and San Diego, or vice versa, and are offered on multiple ships, including Zaandam, Eurodam, Nieuw Amsterdam and Volendam. These sailings call on Cartagena, Colombia; Puntarenas, Costa Rica; Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala; Huatulco and Puerto Vallarta or Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.
Vacation Deals
From engineering marvels to exotic wildlife, there's so much to discover while on your Panama Canal cruise. Despite the early start, you'll want to be prepared for the Panama sun, as it can get surprisingly hot while you're out there waiting. Some ships will do their best to make passengers comfortable, offering chilled towels and water, juice and Panama rolls (Danish-like pastries with sweet fruit filling in the center) for a small breakfast alfresco. Tortuguero National Park offers close encounters with the green tortoise, crocodiles, monkeys and exotic birds, all seen at water level on the canals. Let Princess pick you up from the airport and take you directly to your ship or hotel when you arrive, even if you didn't book your airfare through us. A uniformed Princess representative meets you at the airport after you've retrieved your luggage and transports you directly to your ship or hotel without you having to worry about the logistics of navigating a new city.
Once you’ve crossed the lake, you will descend 85 feet back to sea level through another set of locks. A full transit of the Panama Canal takes you from the Pacific to the Caribbean, or vice versa. A partial transit, on the other hand, gives you a taste of the Panama Canal on a shorter cruise from Colon, on the Caribbean side, to the Gatun Locks and back again. The most important thing to do is to head up on deck and absorb this spectacular experience.
As a simple and laidback town, Puntarenas used to be to the largest fishing port in the country. This is the best way to see the Old City area on your Panama Canal cruise as you can easily spend hours meandering the streets boasting loads of fascinating Colombian history. To dive deeper into Cartagena’s history, head over to San Felipe Castle— the most famous landmark in Cartagena, built back in 1657.
When you sail through you really get a sense of the magnitude of the project, which was completed in 1914. To cruise through the Panama Canal you can leave from either the East Coast or the West Coast. There are cruises that leave from Miami, New Orleans, San Francisco or Los Angeles. A cruise to the Panama Canal is a chance to land on amazing destinations during the same trip. Once you're crossing the canal, head to the front of the ship for the best view. The canal never stops working and you will traverse along with other ships and boats and witness the swift movement of these vessels.
The canal is a 48 mile long canal that links the Atlantic and the Pacific oceans. Twice a year in the fall and the spring as the ships reposition between the Caribbean and Alaska cruise lines offer full transit through the canal. These itineraries sail roundtrip from Florida, pass through the locks before turning around and returning to their originating port after re-entering the canal system on the return trip. Passengers often choose an Atlantic to Pacific or Pacific to Atlantic route, depending on where they live, although you'll gain hours if you choose the latter. If having the full "canal experience" is part of your bucket list -- or if you're an engineering geek and don't care too much about shore excursions within Panama itself -- this trip is for you. Most full Panama Canal cruises do call in the Western Caribbean, the Costa Rican ports of Limon (on the Atlantic side) and Puntarenas (on the Pacific), and Cartagena, Colombia.
You will likely be safer on a shore excursion, booked through the ship or independently, than if you decide to head on your own into town. If you're not a fan of tours, know that in Colon, city officials have regulated taxis and provided good shopping and cafe facilities at the two main cruise ship docking areas, Colon 2000 and nearby Cristobal Pier. In addition to either a full or partial crossing of the Panama Canal, most cruises in this region include stops in popular ports throughout Central America, Mexico and the Caribbean. That means you can do anything from lounge on the beach to explore ancient ruins or enjoy some duty-free shopping. A cruise on the Panama Canal through Central America can appeal to more than one type of passenger.
It takes passengers through the remaining two Canal locks, all the way to the Pacific Ocean. A motorcoach ride delivers passengers back to their waiting ships at Colon. If you can’t decide what to do during your time in the Puntarenas cruise port, many shore excursions offer numerous stops at the city’s top attractions during their tours. If you are lucky, you may be able to find some longer sailings departing from Seattle, Washington or Vancouver, Canada. However, if you prefer to plan a back to back cruise, I highly suggest heading out of and to one of the most popular ports, as these will typically have more options to extend your cruising vacation. Some onboard activities include the Lincoln Center Stage, B.B. King’s Blues Club, and BBC Earth In Concert.
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