Ferry through the canal?

We will be on the Celebrity Equinox stopping for the day at Colon, Panama, next April. I would very much like to take a ferry through the canal since the ship does not go through the canal. I have heard recommendations for Almiza Tours (My Friend Mario) or Robtad's, but neither one has a website that specifies exactly what their tours do. Are those on ferries (or are people just using the word ferry to refer to small boat tours)? Has anybody been on one of those small-boat tours of the canal, or on another company's boat tour, and how did you find it? Thanks for whatever info you can give.

Mario or Robtads don't operate any of the "ferry" trips through the Canal, they would just normally arrange a trip from the company that operates scheduled ferry trips through the Canal. When a cruise ship is in port generally all of the ferry's assets are devoted to the cruise line, so I don't think any independent Canal trips would be available. There just are not numerous providers of small boat tours through the Canal.

This company, https://www.pmatours.net/, operates the Pacific Queen on a lot of "ferry" transits of the Canal. If you want to make the partial transit of the Canal your best bet is to go ahead with the ship's tour. Book it reasonably early as that tour is very popular.