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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. Passenger ships will usually invite a local guide on board to provide a running commentary of what's happening all day; usually, their narration is piped through the ship's intercom. Wear a hat and long-sleeved clothes if you can, apply sunscreen before heading out on deck — and reapply often — and drink plenty of water all day. Here are some Panama Canal cruise tips to help you plan and get the most out of this bucket list experience.
Ocean to Ocean Between Atlantic & Pacific Oceans
Cruise by the famed Lovers Beach, past the sea lion colony and the towering rock formations of Land’s End, then set sail for Chileno Bay. Voted Best Onboard Entertainment, Best Specialty Restaurants, and Best Casinos, you know you’re in for an exciting cruise experience. Sit back, relax, and let Norwegian take you through one of the most magnificent marvels in the world. A cruise is an ideal way to see the Panama Canal because it gives you an opportunity to get close to the impressive mechanics, and really appreciate what this piece of engineering is.
Pedro Miguel Lock
If you are doing a full transit through to the Pacific Ocean side and you're staying in the area, you might want to carve out some time for the Miraflores Visitor Center. However, as of press time, the four exhibition halls that portray the canal's history, construction, biodiversity and importance are temporarily closed for renovations. While it's enthralling to stand on the deck, watch the locks fill with water and the ship imperceptibly rise, remember that sun reflects off the water. You might have a false sense of security that just because you're wearing street clothes instead of sitting by the pool in a bathing suit, your exposure is minimal.
Featured Cruise Itineraries
Play the fastest-growing sport in the U.S. with Holland America Line, the exclusive cruise line partner of the Professional Pickleball Association. All our cruise ships feature pickleball courts with amazing top-deck views. The equipment and courts are available for a match anytime, so long as the weather allows. Join a pickleball tournament at sea and put your dink shot to the test. Learn the basics at complimentary beginner’s lessons, starting in spring 2023.
This translates into the easy planning of a crossing anytime is convenient for you. Options are plentiful for cruise lines that sail to Panama, including popular ones like Carnival, Royal Caribbean Princess, Holland America Line (HAL), Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL), Celebrity, Oceania and Viking. You'll first see the skyscrapers of Balboa on the port side, then eventually the Bridge of the Americas will come into view. Take some photos and video as you go underneath it; if it's too crowded with passengers jockeying for position, head aft on the ship and snap some after you pass under it. As you approach the Miraflores Locks, the last set of locks before reaching the Pacific Ocean, there is a live stream webcam by the Visitor Center. It's often slow, refreshing only every five or 10 seconds, but it can still be fun to text or call friends and family and have them look for you.
Panama Canal Partial Transit
From there, you may opt to dive a little deeper into the history and mechanics of the Panama Canal on one of our many shore excursions. Zoom your map way out and Panama looks like a small sliver of land, so a trip through its famous canal is a quickie, right? But not so fast — traversing the canal actually takes at least 20 hours! Cruise the Panama Canal and enjoy a zoomed-in real-life look at perhaps last century’s greatest engineering achievement… along with its surrounding lush, verdant lands. This testament to human audacity joins the Pacific and Caribbean in the most direct way possible, and is worth making a leisurely part of your vacation.
Most cruise lines do their best to give everyone a decent seat -- sometimes opening up "crew only" areas -- but competition can still get fierce. So set your alarm; the sooner you can pull yourself out of bed, the better the spot you'll snag. Other great shore excursion options include taking the refurbished Panama Railway from the Pacific to the Atlantic. It rides parallel to the Canal and offers a great view in luxuriously paneled railway cars. Another exciting alternative is to take a trek through the rain forest at Gamboa, or visit an authentic Embera Indian Village on the Chagres River (which often takes place by canoe).
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]
Two lower beds convertible to one queen-size bed—our signature Mariner's Dream™ bed with plush Euro-Top mattresses, premium massage shower heads and a host of amenities are featured in these comfortable staterooms. Learn about the latest ships and destinations by browsing hundreds of questions (and the answers to those questions) posted by real cruisers. If you happen not to find what you’re looking for, you can even post a question of your own.
best Panama Canal cruises for a bucket-list trip
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. All sailings are aboard the new 3,260-guest Celebrity Beyond and visit Cartagena, Colombia; Colon, Panama; Oranjestad, Aruba; Kralendjik, Bonaire; and George Town, Grand Cayman (Willemstad, Curacao replaces Grand Cayman on some 2025 sailings).
Personalize your cruise experience with our free mobile-friendly tool. Stop by the professionally staffed Fitness Center equipped with the latest cardio and weight machines. Try one of our classes on indoor cycling, Pilates and more or work out at your own pace. You can also head out for fresh air and exercise on deck, where you'll find basketball and volleyball courts, and two refreshing pools (available on select ships). Enjoy a wide variety of duty-free shopping in such signature shops as The Vault, Diamonds and Gemstones by Merabella, which offers the best diamonds at sea, brought to you by Effy. This popular bar is at the top of the atrium and is the perfect locale for cocktails and dancing.
Jalisco, the state where Puerto Vallarta is found, is the definitive influence on this destination's cuisine. Go for the famous lemon-marinated grilled fish known as pescado embarazado, and ask for huichol sauce, a blend of chili peppers, cumin and vinegar. 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.
On Edge-Series ships, the Magic Carpet, suspended over the side of the ship, gives you uninterrupted sea views and is the perfect place to sit with a coffee or cocktail, enjoying the sea air. Or spend part of your Panama Canal transit in the Sunset Bar, at the aft of the ship, for wonderful views of the ships following you. Being in the locks is a thrilling experience and gives you an insight into how extraordinary the canal is, all the more so given that it’s more than 100 years old.
Cross foggy suspended bridges or zip-line along the treetops at the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve near Puntarenas, Costa Rica, where local travel guides take you deep within the forest as you learn about its precious ecosystems. Accessible only by water taxi, El Arco at Land's End in Cabo San Lucas is a natural rock arch that frames a powdery beach. It's the perfect backdroparagraphCopy for a jaw-dropping photograph — just watch out for the sea lions that like to photobomb while sunbathing on the rocks. 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. And if you're in the mood for the city life, head to Panama City, the Caribbean's most urban cluster that's only an hour away by car. Taste your way through the diverse culinary culture of Panama on your Panama Canal cruise with Princess.
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. Carnival Cruises has a range of Panama Canal cruises leaving from different ports in the US, including Tampa, New Orleans and Galveston. Most of the major lines and some smaller ones offer at least a few Panama Canal sailings each season.
Our relaxing café with panoramic views is your home for handcrafted espresso drinks during the day and refreshing cocktails in the evening. Canaletto is a relaxed setting with authentic Italian cuisine that is best enjoyed when shared. FREE Holland America specialists to help you plan your cruise vacation. While the temperature in Panama is reliably warm, averaging between around 77°F and 87°F all year, rainfall can vary quite significantly. November is the peak of the wet season when most days see a vast amount of rain. We have the answers so your first time will be nothing but smooth sailing.
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