Partial Panama Canal - Excursion recommendations?

For those of you who have done partial Panama Canal cruises and have taken any of HAL's shore excursions from Gatun Lake, which ones would you recommend (or not), and why? And have any of you just stayed on the ship the whole time? Was there someone narrating after the passengers who were doing excursions were let off the ship?

(As you might have guessed, this will be my first Panama Canal experience.)

The Embera Indian Village excursion is still is one of my all time favorites anywhere. A very special experience. Motor driven dugout canoe down a river, wonderful lunch shared with villagers, ceremonial dance, lovely people and beautiful children.

We listened to,the excursion talks and the. Thought we would do,the Panama tour, but after some thought we decided we would rather watch the ship go both ways through the canal. We are really glad we did. The ship was less than half full at the lake and it was wonderful watching it go back through the canal. I don't think we really missed anything by staying onmthemship

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

Another vote for the Embera Indian Village. We will never forget that tour.

We took a boat ride through the Canal all the way to the Pacific. We then boarded a bus and were brought back to the ship. It was a long, hot day but we loved it! We actually transitted the entire canal, our boat was small enough that we were able to touch the walls of the canal as we were being lowered and we saw everything between the Atlantic in the Pacific! Wouldn't have missed it for the world!

I think the ferry through the canal to the Pacific is the excursion not to be missed. DH and I did the partial transit on the Coral Princess last February and he still talks about how that excursion was the best we have ever been on.

The partial transit is a wonderful itinerary and after doing it, we look forward to making a full transit one day.

Enjoy your cruise.

:D

We did the Embera Village and it was probably the best day we had during a nearly perfect cruise. Great tour guide, bus ride wasn't too bad, loved the dugout canoes and the village itself was fantastic. Bring cash in small bills for some neat local crafts at the village. I bought a beautiful basket and a bracelet for about $35.

We toyed with doing the full canal excursion but I didn't want to be on a small ferry that long since we plan on doing a full transit in the near future. I was doubly glad when the busses came back two hours later than advertised- we had to hold the ship. I don't think that is normal, but it made for a VERY long day for a lot of people.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Train ride along the canal to the Pacific Ocean. The first time we did the Observation Car and the second time we took the regular car. Both were great and gave you a wonderful prospective of the canal and the area.

The first time we did a partial Panama Canal, we did the train. We were in the dome car. Back then we rode the train over to the Pacific area, transferred to a bus for a tour back to the Miraflores locks and a few other stops. Then we took the train back.

Now it is just the train over and bus back.

We have done several Partial Panama Canal cruises. Just last spring we did it again on the Zuiderdam.

Yes we had a narrator.

Don't forget to get your Panama Buns as they are only made for that morning.

We went to the Panama Canal last year and did the ferry to the Pacific side. We had a wonderful narrator and learned a lot about Panama and the canal. They also provided drinks and a buffet lunch. You are close enough to the walls of the lock to touch them. It was a very enjoyable tour and I would highly recommend it.

The Embera Indian Village excursion is still is one of my all time favorites anywhere. A very special experience. Motor driven dugout canoe down a river, wonderful lunch shared with villagers, ceremonial dance, lovely people and beautiful children.

Another vote for the Embera Indian Village. We will never forget that tour.

adding our vote in agreement with the others :)

We took a boat ride through the Canal all the way to the Pacific. We then boarded a bus and were brought back to the ship. It was a long, hot day but we loved it! We actually transitted the entire canal, our boat was small enough that we were able to touch the walls of the canal as we were being lowered and we saw everything between the Atlantic in the Pacific! Wouldn't have missed it for the world!

I think the ferry through the canal to the Pacific is the excursion not to be missed. DH and I did the partial transit on the Coral Princess last February and he still talks about how that excursion was the best we have ever been on.

 

The partial transit is a wonderful itinerary and after doing it, we look forward to making a full transit one day.

 

Enjoy your cruise.

 

:D

This is the shorex that appeals to me the most.

I hope you have a wonderful cruise.

Unless you plan on doing a full transit in the near future, I vote for the ferry/bus route to the Pacific side. What is the point of going all the way to Panama not to see the entire canal. You can't get the same feeling for the canal from staying on the ship. And you will get to see the new canal and locks, briefly, although I don't know if it is yet in service.

We just did the partial cruise in January and it was fabulous. I would also have to vote for the excursion to the Embera Village. It was a wonderful day. I would also add that this is not the excursion for anyone that has mobility issues. You have to balance getting into the dug out canoe (although they do help you get on) and then walk up a slight hill to get into the village area. It's really not too difficult but someone with mobility issues might have a problem.

Helen

Stayed on board the ship for our last partial transit in our aft-wrap cabin and enjoyed the experience of A/C with a bathroom just a few feet away.

Lots of great photographs, Panama buns just a short elevator up to the Lido Restaurant, and a big plate of nachos from the Taco Bar for our verandah guests.

http://www.rogerjett-photography.com/place/panama-canal/panama-canal-eastbound/

Panama buns (custard and mandarin orange filling) are available in the Lido Restaurant with the other breakfast pastries. They are also available at other locations around the ship:

Unless you plan on doing a full transit in the near future, I vote for the ferry/bus route to the Pacific side. What is the point of going all the way to Panama not to see the entire canal. You can't get the same feeling for the canal from staying on the ship. And you will get to see the new canal and locks, briefly, although I don't know if it is yet in service.

I totally agree--if you are going on a Panama Canal cruise, you should see the whole canal. And taking the ferry gives you such a different perspective on the canal as opposed to what you see on the cruise ship. For us, the ferry excursion was the highlight of our entire cruise.

Another vote for Embera Village ... the minute you get into the dugouts, you feel like you step into the pages of National Geographic. Memorable!

We were on the Zuiderdam last month for the partial canal transit. We also did the same cruise in March 2015. This year we did the ferry excursion and last year we did the Embera Village. DW and I liked both excursions, but both had positives and negatives. The negatives were definitely NOT deal breakers. The Embera Village did give you feeling of going back in time. While the bus ride was boring, as so many bus rides are, the thing I remember the most was the range in the quality of the road. The dugout canoe ride was quite nice, just try not to be in the very front unless you like getting wet. The village was quaint looking and the locals are in native dress. The most enjoyable part was watching the kids playing. The lunch we were served was interesting, but probably the worst lunch we've ever had on one of HAL's excursions. The first course was a ham sandwich that you make with white bread right out of the bag. The main course was fish, which was served in a banana leaf (or something similar), that was very fresh tasting, but cold. We also were served fresh fruit that was good. Not having any utensils made for an interesting dining experience. The two things that concerned me the most with the lunch was the fact the fish was cold - not so much from a taste perspective, but whether it was safe. I may be a little paranoid because I got sick several years ago after having lunch on an excursion. My second concern was the sanitary conditions. As I mentioned, we did not have utensils, so we needed to clean our hands. Everyone "washed" their hands in the same wooden bowl. I will say we did not have any digestive issues after the meal. I did a review of last year's cruise and my comments/photos of this excursion are at post 107. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2172711&highlight=hopefully

This year we did the ferry so we could see the locks up close. Maybe if I had been able to get at the very front of the ship's bow, which is pretty hard to do, I could have gotten the same "feel" for the locks. I really liked being so close to the action that you get when on the smaller boat and we're glad we took this excursion. The two primary negatives we felt with this excursion centered around the length and the crowd. As soon as we got on the bus, the guide gave us the opportunity to return to the ship because the trip was going to be longer than advertised due to the ferry's schedule through the lock as dictated by the canal authorities. Before getting to the ferry, we made an added stop so we could "shop" for local goods. Although we were one of the first to get off the bus at the ferry, we obviously weren't the first bus. All the good seats were taken. A buffet lunch, which was dished out by staff, was served soon after we boarded the ferry. For this type of setting, I thought the lunch was fine. We moved around the boat and stood at the rail next to the boat's cabin, rather than sit in the only available chairs. After a while we went inside and sat at a table near the cabin windows. We had good views and more importantly air conditioning! We were able to quickly go back outside and touch the walls when the ferry was going through one of the locks. The ferry makes for a long day, but we really liked seeing the locks up close and personal. You also get to see Panama City's skyline.

I think you'll be happy regardless of which excursion you take. Enjoy your cruise.

Another vote for the Embera Indian Village.