Gatun Yacht Club No More?

[JMARINER]

I have been looking at the next several Panama Canal cruise and I looks like the ships no longer make a stop at the Gatun Yacht club or for that matter any stops at the Canal at all.

 

Anyone know why?

 

To me being able to get off and visit the locks, and other shoreX's in the Canal were great adventures. I really enjoyed getting to swim in the Canal too.

 

j

[ChatKat in Ca.]

It was one of the highlights of the Panama Canal Cruise back in 2003 for us.

[OrpingtonT]

I don.t know why the docking in Gatun was terminated but there was a thread discussing this earlier in the year. It was a pleasant stop with some interesting excursions. The actual "Yacht Club" consisted of a few stalls and the opportunity to swim in the Canal.

[Hambagahle]

when we stopped at the Gatun Yacht Club (bit of a misnomer, I think!) some people swam in the Gatun Lake... and beat a speedy retreat from the water because they had company - an aligator!! So maybe not the best thing to do.

 

I loved the helicopter tour we did from there, but hated the "folkloric" dancing and stalls. I wouldn't miss it, I don't think!!

[ChatKat in Ca.]

hated the "folkloric" dancing and stalls. I wouldn't miss it, I don't think!!

 

Exactly what I enjoyed most. That and watching some of the passengers when they first saw some of the local women in their traditional dress....

[Dolebludger]

And that "local dress didn't include any tops. What this "Yacht Club" is (or was) amounted to a good sized roofed building with no sides, where the locals sold their crafts. It didn't resemble any "Yacht Club" I have ever visited (thought I must admit that I have visited few of them!). IMO, this stop didn't amount to much, except a chance to get off the ship on the shores of the lake that forms the middle of the Panama Canal. Just a chance to "stretch your legs, so to speak.

 

But it is worrisome to read that RSSC has cancelled the opportunity for guests to visit the platforms beside the locks and have the operation of the canal explained to them. That was very educational.

[jhp]

It was just as Dolebludger described, a nice way to get off the ship for a couple of hours in the middle of the canal. No more than that. To me it was a pleasant stop, but not a highlight, except giving a wink to chatkat's description of some of the passengers' reaction to the local dress of the dancers. Certainly nothing more than most could see at home ;) My best memory of that stop was sitting and talking with Patrick, the recently departed DR mgr on the Voyager, along with another favorite (but not often enough) fellow cruiser I had met before!

 

No way I would have waded into those waters. Might have done it in Antarctica, but not here!

 

Perhaps transits of the canal lately have been timed so it doesn't work that they can enter and exit to meet the itinerary requirements?

[OrpingtonT]

, a nice way to get off the ship for a couple of hours in the middle of the canal. No more than that.

 

I don't think I would dismiss the stop quite like that. There were some good excursions. Hambagahle went on a helicopter trip, I did a boat trip seeing plenty of wildlife. As I remember there was a walk into the forest spotting exotic birdlife (not the folklore dancers!) and an informative one around the Gatun Locks.

 

However it seems to be off the agenda for a while and a bonus is that if you sail in reasonably early you do the transit of the canal all in daylight.

[Hambagahle]

My problem with all these "national dress" things is that this is not the way the people normally dress. It seems so fake to me and something put on for the tourists. Which we are, of course, when we travel. I have no problem with singing and music etc but would prefer it to be something current and not someone's "idea" of what the "real" Panama should be... I know I am an old curmudgeon, but there you go!!

[xrvlcruiser]

The stop (and the tour I took) gave me a chance to see a little more of the Canal Zone, to see the locks from a different angle and to see the show presented at the yacht club.

 

Touristy? Yes but no more than the local shows brought on board or seen in other ports.

 

Also, a chance to support and buy some excellent local crafts.

[ChatKat in Ca.]

Actually, after stopping there I was at an art gallery in Santa Fe and there were baskets made by the local people that only sold their wares at that port stop. There was a whole article about them and about the authenticity of their living exactly the same for many many years. It wasn't fake. I really found it interesting because that was my initial impresssion is that they dressed like that as an act - I only came to appreciate it after reading that article a few months later.

[Dolebludger]

Interesting, ChatKat:

 

I'm certainly no expert on primitive, hand-made crafts. I suspect those who are truly interested in such things amount to sort of a "cult following" -- but that does not mean that the items are unimportant. These items are almost certainly more collectable and valuable that the stuff sold at ships' art auctions according to your report, and thanks for the education! I now see why the Yacht Club was on the itinerary in the first place, and wish it would return.