Trans canal or intra canal

Hi! I am planning a Panama Canal cruise in 2006.

 

I am not sure which type of cruise to take, either trans canal or intra canal.

 

I am sure that the transcanal is better, but I'm not sure if we will have the time (or $$) to do the 14 day minimum cruise (it seems to be the shortest transcanal cruise).

 

I have seen several cruises that are only 10-11 days that are intra canal.

Do you really miss out by doing this type of cruise? Does it then become sort of like just another Carribean cruise?

What's the scoop here?

 

Thanks in advance for everyone's input.

Hi! I am planning a Panama Canal cruise in 2006.

 

I am not sure which type of cruise to take, either trans canal or intra canal.

 

I am sure that the transcanal is better, but I'm not sure if we will have the time (or $$) to do the 14 day minimum cruise (it seems to be the shortest transcanal cruise).

 

I have seen several cruises that are only 10-11 days that are intra canal.

Do you really miss out by doing this type of cruise? Does it then become sort of like just another Carribean cruise?

What's the scoop here?

 

Thanks in advance for everyone's input.

 

Our cruise in December was a partial transit and we had a wonderful time. The Coral is a beautiful ship, and it was a terrific itinerary - 5 ports (Costa Rica, the Canal, Grand Cayman, Cozumel, and Belize) mixed with 4 sea days.

While we would like to take a full transit cruise in the future, this is one I can definitely recommend.

If you are pressed for time, I don't think you will feel really short changed with the intra-canal choice. You still have the experience of transiting a set of locks. Then you will have lots of time do one of the interesting tours.

 

One tour that might give you a better sense of the entire canal is the Ocean-to-Ocean Train tour which runs along the canal for much of its trip and returns. During that tour you will learn much of the fascinating history of how the canal was built.

 

Of course, cruising the entire canal would be the ultimate experience, but just doing the partial trip was more than adequate for me. If you don't have the time for the full transit, I'm certain the partial cruise will be memorable on its own.

 

Oh, by the way, silly me. When I booked the Panama Canal Cruise (Brilliance of the Seas), I didn't even know we would not transit the entire canal. I was totally unaware that there was such a thing as a "half transit." When I found out, while we were on board, I was really disappointed and felt cheated. But, guess what, the experience we had turned out to be well worth our time. In fact, I'm not really sure an entire transit of the canal would have added substantially to the experience.

Check this thread for info about the differences and options And the shorter Transcanal trips are usually repositioning cruises, generally from San Juan or other closer ports, thru to the Mexican Riviera or Southern California (or vice-versa). A good travel agent can find these for you in no time.