All the way through the canal?

So, on my bucket list is to go all the way through the panama canal.

I found this NCL cruise on Jan 9th 2017 - that is on the Pearl, 10 days that looks like it goes through the canal so I booked it (see attached) - with all the freebies that were being offered, and half price deposit (lowest level suite).

My DH just sent me an email that says it does not not look like this cruise will be going all the way through. This is what he says:

Looks like you just begin to enter the canal then turn around. You may not clear any locks.

So, I have attached what NCL says - can someone who is much better at this this confirm that we will be going all the way through or confirm that my DH is indeed correct?

Many thanks in advance!!

It's easy to tell. If you embark and disembark from the same port, you will not go through the locks. If you emark at one port and disembark at a different port on the opposit coast, you will go through the locks.

The ship will go through the first set of locks, turn around in Gatun Lake, and go back through the same set of locks to return to the Atlantic. To clarify what the poster above said, if the cruise is round-trip Miami you will not see the Pacific-side locks or ocean. But you still get to see the ship raised and lowered in the lock chambers six times: three times in and three times out, just in the same Atlantic-side set of locks both times.

No, this is not a full Canal transit. As fisywood said you would go through the first set of locks, go into Gatun Lake and return. A full Canal Transit from Miami to San Diego or Los Angeles takes 14 days and well worth it.

So, on my bucket list is to go all the way through the panama canal.

 

I found this NCL cruise on Jan 9th 2017 - that is on the Pearl, 10 days that looks like it goes through the canal so I booked it (see attached) - with all the freebies that were being offered, and half price deposit (lowest level suite).

 

My DH just sent me an email that says it does not not look like this cruise will be going all the way through. This is what he says:

 

 

So, I have attached what NCL says - can someone who is much better at this this confirm that we will be going all the way through or confirm that my DH is indeed

Many thanks in advance!!

To go all the way through, you need one of the repositioning cruises, 14 or 15 days. There may be a tour on the 10 day cruise that picks you up in Gatun Lake and with a ferry continues to the Pacific side, with a train ride back across to the ship then waiting in Colon.

To go all the way through, you need one of the repositioning cruises, 14 or 15 days. There may be a tour on the 10 day cruise that picks you up in Gatun Lake and with a ferry continues to the Pacific side, with a train ride back across to the ship then waiting in Colon.

Or a B2B. Last year I went from Miami to LA and then from LA to Miami.

However, if one wants to SEE the locks in operation and to go through the locks......there is nothing wrong with what the OP is booking. To see all the locks you'd need to do the B2B or a repo cruise.

Harriet

I've been through the locks, and also to Colon without entering the canal. On the latter cruise we took a land tour across the isthmus and a walking tour in Panama City, along with stops to see the locks from the land side.

Now, we're booked on the Nov 22 Pearl cruise to Gatun Lake and back, pretty much the same cruise you described. Here's my take on the canal...

Once in the canal, you pass through the Atlantic side locks (and will get a good look at the new locks that will accommodate larger ships). Then, into Gatun Lake, then back out the Atlantic side. What most folks don't realize is that when a ship goes all the way through the canal, the majority of the trip is on Gatun Lake, a very large and wide "lake" high in Panama, and the source of the water that operates the locks. The trip through Gatun Lake and the Chagres River is over 20 miles. Then, the ship enters what most would think of as the "real" canal, the Culebra Cut, which slices through a mountain ridge for less than 8 miles, before entering the Pacific side locks.

The truth is, much of the trip through the canal is less than exciting, and, in my opinion, the trip up to Gatun Lake and back will offer enough of the flavor of the canal to be memorable, with the advantage of returning to the same port from which you sailed.

Some day, if you have the $$$ and time, a trip all the way through is a check off the old bucket list. We'll be doing it again, this time from Pacific to

Atlantic, next June.

You're doing what is called a partial transit. Your ship will go through the Gatun Locks into the lake and back out again through the same locks. HOWEVER, you can still see the entire Canal by booking the ferry excursion. After the ship anchors in Gatun Lake it will tender all the excursion passengers ashore and you continue through to the Pacific side by small boat (ferry) - holds about 300 people. You will get an up close, narrated look at the Cut, Pedro Miguel and Miraflores locks, both bridges, etc. and once you get to the Pacific Ocean, a bus will return you to Colon to reboard the ship. I just did this in December as it was much more affordable than a full transit. It's an all-day excursion with tendering and return bus trip. But well worth it. If you're going to be that close, might as well go the whole way through and see both oceans in the same day.