10 or 14 day Panama cruise?

[Denis54]

We just started thinking about a Panama canal cruise. Does the 14 day cruise offer a better experience through the locks than the 10 day Sunfarer cruise?

Any comment about the Sunfarer cruise will be appreciated.

We did only one cruise before (Crown Princess). In general, how does Holland compare to Princess?

[cb at sea]

The actual passage thru the canal only takes a day....the rest of the cruise will include stops at different ports.

[the2ofus]

There are a lot of factors to consider. Is the 14 day cruise a transit of the canal? If so, you will need to include more air travel in your plans and open jaw flights tend to be more expensive than round trip. If the cruise is into Gatun Lake only, then your decision probably will depend on the itinerary. Are there ports on the longer cruise that intrigue you? Do you like more days at sea or more visits to ports. Only you can decide.

Either one you choose, passing through the locks will be an amazing experience when you consider how and when they were built and that they continue to operate so well.

It would be helpful to know a bit more about the cruises you are considering.

[CruiserBruce]

I believe the 10 day is only a partial, where the 14 day is most likely a full transit. If you can do it, go for the 14 day.

[Denis54]

The 14 day cruise goes from Fort Lauderdale to San Diego. I guess it must be a full transit

What are the advantages of the full transit vs the partial transit?

I do not care about the other ports on either cruises. My priorities are the lock experience and spending a few days vacation on a cruise to read and relax.

[CruiserBruce]

Well, you get to see the entire Canal on a full transit...

[Krazy Kruizers]

We have done the 10 day Zuiderdam cruise -- it is a partial Panama Canal cruise -- just goes through the Gatun Locks -- it is really an introduction to the locks. It's a teaser to get you to do a full canal.

We have done quite a few full transit cruises and really love them the best.

[kazu]

We opted for the 10 day because of the ease of flights (round trip from FLL) and the difference in cost at the time. We enjoyed it. It was a nice experience and we did enjoy the ports. The 14 day would have been nice, but the flights and the difference in price wasn't at the time;)

[kyriecat]

I haven't done a full transit for a couple of reasons. The first reason is the logistics of leaving one port and ending up in another on the other side of the country. It's so much easier and in most cases cheaper to book roundtrip airline tickets than one-way. The second reason is I mainly cruise to see various ports and the full transit cruises have mostly western Mexican port stops, which hold very little interest for me.

I did the Zuiderdam 10-nt partial cruise in April and loved it. We took the Canal Experience tour so were able to make a full transit, just on two different venues. We went through the Atlantic side locks on Zuiderdam. We spent most of the time either on the upper decks or on our 4th deck balcony so we were able to get excellent views of the locks and surrounding countryside. From our balcony, we could practically shake hands with the workers on the sides of the canal. Once we reached Gatun Lake, we got off the ship and transferred to a 2-deck boat. We mostly stayed on the 2nd deck for the transit. We were still able to see what was going on around the locks but as we were lowered, we were able to touch the walls and see them above us. We went through the Pacific side locks with a cargo ship that was secured practically on our aft so it towered over us. Once we reached the Pacific side, we got on buses and returned to the ship.

Personally I loved the partial transit cruise on Zuiderdam. We also made stops in Half Moon Cay (which I love), Aruba and Curacao (interesting islands but not my favorites), and Costa Rica (I didn't think I'd enjoy it but was pleasantly surprised!).

I would have preferred another port stop instead of having 4 sea days, but that is just a personal opinion. I prefer port days to sea days, but OP is looking for relaxation so having 4 sea days is probably appealing.

I haven't sailed on Princess yet so cannot help with a comparison.

[iriemon]

We did the 10 day on the Zuidy last December and are doing the 11 day on the Zuidy this Dec (one extra port Bonaire). We loved it. As others have said the main reason we have not done the full is the cost of one way airfare. They are expensive enough as it is. Also we were not that hot on the other ports of call. No matter which one you do you will enjoy it, it is one of our favorite cruises with Alaska coming in a close second.

[Linda VH]

If you take the excursion (2 deck boat) be sure to take a book with you. We were stuck in a lock waiting for a tanker to enter which took a looooong time! So long in fact that we had to race back to the ship - we really went fast and ended up with a police escort to boot when we hit the city. We boarded 20 minutes before the ship was to leave (it would have waited as it was a ship sponsored excursion). Anyway, I always have my Kindle with me as I have a messenger bag for it and everyone was very envious that I had something to do as we sat for a good hour or so. I'm still glad we did it as it was a good experience but - just sayin'.

[amster65]

We did the excursion through the canal also. Fantastic trip. Be prepared for a long day though. The Zuiderdam starts going through Gatun Lock before dawn. You have time to take a quick shower and get on deck to watch going through the lock. Once in Gatun Lake we tendered ashore. By this time its about 9:00 am. Bus to the ferry (2 deck boat) and sailing to the next lock Pedro Miguel. Exit Pedro and on the Mira Flores. By the time you get through Mira its pushing 2 pm. Where the ferry disembarks apparently there is only one dock. We had to wait because another ferry beat us to the dock. Anyway after the bus ride back, about an hour and a half we got back to the ship about 5:30 or 6. It was well worth it though. Being in a small ship and looking up at the lock walls that have been operating since 1913. Just amazing. :)

[SwissMyst]

There are so many good ports on the full transit routes - places one would normally not get to see. The actual canal transit was not necessarily the highlight of our recent Statendam cruise, but some of the ports along the way were.

[Joy R]

We did the partial transit (on Princess). As described above, we got off at Gatun Lake, took a coach to the other side of the lake and went through to the Pacific side on a small ferry. It was very interesting to see the canal from the two different perspectives but it was a very long and very tiring day. It was also pouring with rain (though very hot) for some of the time.

The journey on the small ship through the Miraflores Locks took a very long time, and we were an hour late getting back to the ship - it was dark, we were very tired and we were rushed through straight into the Main Dining Room without changing - for once they didn't mind that we were in shorts! We were absolutely exhausted.

Our forthcoming Statendam cruise is a full transit, and I'm looking forward to being able to relax while we go through the Canal!

[travelnap]

The 14 day cruise goes from Fort Lauderdale to San Diego. I guess it must be a full transit

What are the advantages of the full transit vs the partial transit?

I do not care about the other ports on either cruises. My priorities are the lock experience and spending a few days vacation on a cruise to read and relax.
Denis54, If I were you I think I would go for the full transit, that way you will go through all three sets of locks instead of just the Gatun Locks. They break the trip up pretty well as it is port day/sea day so you will have plenty of time for reading and relaxing. I did the full transit last November and it was a great trip. I think you would enjoy it. All three sets of locks are different so I think you would enjoy them. Happy sailing.

[luvcruisn']

I have not done the partial transit but I did a full transit in 2008, and it was a fabulous trip. My family and I spent the day going from one deck to another, front of the ship to the back to get different views of going through the locks. You could take your lunch break, but still view the locks from the windows of the Lido or dining room. It was a great day. We also enjoyed all of our port stops in Costa Rica and Mexico.

[lcand1923]

The full transit of the Panama Canal is our favorite cruise. If you have the time, it is well worth it. If you don't have the time, go with the partial transit. It is still a great cruise.

[Cayoooga]

The itinerary would be a major consideration first. A full transit is the way to go if at all possible. We did a full transit LA to Ft Lauderdale on the Coral Princess (Conde' Nast Traveller recommendation few years ago) and it was wonderful. I also wouldn't hestitate to go with Holland America either. It all depends on want you prefer. Do a little research and then go for it.
To cruise from the Caribbean and turn around on Gaton Lake you would miss about 2/3's of the Canal experience.

I would recommend reading "The Path Between the Seas": The Creation of the Panama Canal before you go.

[Valley Girl of VA]

I was on the Sunfarer in February and wished I had gone on the full transist instead.

[Typhoon1]

Go for the 14 day. The canal is a once in a lifetime opportunity.

[SJSULIBRARIAN]

We have done the full transit once and partial transit twice. I like the full transit - it is a long day but to see this engineering marvel of the early 1900s is really quite spectacular. We will soon be doing another full transit and am so looking forward to it.

[BillB48]

Seeing the whole Canal is the way to go... in either direction. One thing you may wish to look into is many of the ships that are offering full transits are also including a stop in Panama either before or after your transit. That way you could take a shore excursion to one of the locks and see it from another perspective.

[NMLady]

The 14 day cruise goes from Fort Lauderdale to San Diego. I guess it must be a full transit

What are the advantages of the full transit vs the partial transit?

I do not care about the other ports on either cruises. My priorities are the lock experience and spending a few days vacation on a cruise to read and relax.

If your priorities are the 'lock' experience and spending time reading and relaxing, then I'd highly recommend the 14 day cruise if you can afford the open jaw airfare.

You'd have more locks to experience since the full transit goes through additional locks whereas the 10 day one repeats the locks you already went through. Also, you'd have 4 additional days for reading and relaxing if you choose not to explore the ports where the ship stops.