Future of full transit Panama Canal Cruises on NCL ???

[calex]

Has anyone else noticed that NCL is phasing out most of the full transit Panama Canal cruises after April 2015? The NCL Star will make her last transit on April 12th after being in dry dock between 3/1/15 and 3/22/15. Then the Star will be deployed to the Baltics for the Summer 2015 season before returning to Tampa Bay for 7-day Caribbean cruises.

 

The Jewel, Pearl, and Sun will make a full Panama Canal cruise when they get redeployed from the Caribbean to Alaska in April 2015. After the Alaska season, the Pearl will be the only ship doing a full Panama Canal cruise when it gets deployed back to Miami. Then it will be offering 10 and 11 day round trip partial Panama Canal cruises out of Miami.

 

The Jewel will be moved to Los Angles for 7-day Mexican Riviera cruises until the 2016 Alaska season. The Sun will move south and do three 11-day cruises to Acapulco out of San Diego before moving to South America for 14-day one way trips between Chile and Argentina around Cape Horn.

 

After April 2015, NCL will only offer 1 full transit cruise of the Panama Canal in the remainder of 2015. It seems ironic that Panama is investing $5.25 billion to expand the Panama Canal while NCL scales back its offering of full transit Panama cruises.

[roger001]

Has anyone else noticed that NCL is phasing out most of the full transit Panama Canal cruises after April 2015? The NCL Star will make her last transit on April 12th after being in dry dock between 3/1/15 and 3/22/15. Then the Star will be deployed to the Baltics for the Summer 2015 season before returning to Tampa Bay for 7-day Caribbean cruises.

 

The Jewel, Pearl, and Sun will make a full Panama Canal cruise when they get redeployed from the Caribbean to Alaska in April 2015. After the Alaska season, the Pearl will be the only ship doing a full Panama Canal cruise when it gets deployed back to Miami. Then it will be offering 10 and 11 day round trip partial Panama Canal cruises out of Miami.

 

The Jewel will be moved to Los Angles for 7-day Mexican Riviera cruises until the 2016 Alaska season. The Sun will move south and do three 11-day cruises to Acapulco out of San Diego before moving to South America for 14-day one way trips between Chile and Argentina around Cape Horn.

 

After April 2015, NCL will only offer 1 full transit cruise of the Panama Canal in the remainder of 2015. It seems ironic that Panama is investing $5.25 billion to expand the Panama Canal while NCL scales back its offering of full transit Panama cruises.

 

I understood the PC expansion is to build larger locks to accommodate the larger ships....and that project has encountered many problems and setbacks so far. And....NCL's activity through the canal is just a drop in the bucket reference canal activity. Approximately 40 ships a day pass through the canal.

[HokiePoq]

That would be a shame. The Star seemed fulled both ways on the Panama Canal cruises we took this past winter. It is VERY expensive to transit the Canal and I wouldn't know what the bottom line of profit/loss is on a cruise like that. The Star and Pearl were the largest ones that could make it through . Larger ones will when the new canal is finished and that will be years ahead and probably even more expensive to transit. I think we were told cost depends both on size of the ship and number of passengers. If Harriet is on the board, she might recall that exactly.

[Aussie Jeep]

I'm glad I have booked the full transit on the Pearl in April 2015

[calex]

That would be a shame. The Star seemed fulled both ways on the Panama Canal cruises we took this past winter. It is VERY expensive to transit the Canal and I wouldn't know what the bottom line of profit/loss is on a cruise like that. The Star and Pearl were the largest ones that could make it through . Larger ones will when the new canal is finished and that will be years ahead and probably even more expensive to transit. I think we were told cost depends both on size of the ship and number of passengers. If Harriet is on the board, she might recall that exactly.

 

From what I have read recently about fees for Panama Canal transits, cruises ships are charged $134 per occupied berths and $107 per unoccupied berths for passengers and crew. The NCL Star has 2,348 passenger berths and 1,083 crew berths. So, if the ship was fully occupied, the fee for transit would be nearly $460,000. That extra cost is passed on directly to the passengers via a higher charge for the Gov't Taxes, Fees & Port Expenses. For my 13-day Panama Canal cruise in November, this fee is $324 per person.

 

When the expanded Panama Canal opens in late 2015 (or later), the New Panamax size is 1200' long and 161' wide. The Breakaway class ships are 1068.3' long and 169.7' wide. So, these newer NCL ships are too wide to transit the expanded Panama Canal. Too bad...

[maremike]

Aussie Jeep

We are with you on April 2015 transit

Maremike

[Hikini]

I hope NCL will re-expand in a couple years because we really want to go through the Panama Canal, but have to wait.

 

We'll still be cruising elsewhere until then. :)

[roger001]

I highly recommend the following before you do the PC cruise. Reading this book first will add much to your PC enjoyment.

 

http://www.amazon.com/Path-Between-Seas-Creation-1870-1914-ebook/dp/B002FK3U4Q/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1403818569&sr=1-1&keywords=the+path+between+the+seas

[hpecorari]

That would be a shame. The Star seemed fulled both ways on the Panama Canal cruises we took this past winter. It is VERY expensive to transit the Canal and I wouldn't know what the bottom line of profit/loss is on a cruise like that. The Star and Pearl were the largest ones that could make it through . Larger ones will when the new canal is finished and that will be years ahead and probably even more expensive to transit. I think we were told cost depends both on size of the ship and number of passengers. If Harriet is on the board, she might recall that exactly.

 

If I'm not mistaken the charge for cruise ships is per person/bed of about $130.00 or $140.00 but I can't remember if that includes crew as well. That's for each way, of course, and it must be paid in full prior to crossing.

 

Harriet

Edited June 26, 2014 by hpecorari

[grandpa99]

In April 2012 on the Pearl the Captain announced that NCL paid $525,000 to Panama for the transit.

[calex]

I highly recommend the following before you do the PC cruise. Reading this book first will add much to your PC enjoyment.

 

http://www.amazon.com/Path-Between-Seas-Creation-1870-1914-ebook/dp/B002FK3U4Q/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1403818569&sr=1-1&keywords=the+path+between+the+seas

 

Thanks for the heads up Roger, I just bought an used copy on eBay and paid a total of $4.26 with shipping. It appears to be a BIG book with 704 pages.

 

It any one else wants to get a copy, the ISBN is 9780671244095. Just Google the number 9780671244095 and you will get a lot of options.

Edited June 26, 2014 by calex

[roger001]

It is a big book. But it reads easily. Well written. Starts with the initial French effort until completion in 1914. Totally amazing. I think of it as being equivalent to landing on the moon with 1969 technology. The canal came so close to not happening, at least not back then.

[pookey1265]

We are going October 1-18, 2015 on the Pearl from San Francisco to Miami. 17 days. Love it.

[hpecorari]

We are going October 1-18, 2015 on the Pearl from San Francisco to Miami. 17 days. Love it.

 

The ship holds 2,394 passengers and 1,099 crew according to NCL.Com.

 

That would be about $150.00 per person.

 

Harriet

[kelleyfarms]

From what I have read recently about fees for Panama Canal transits, cruises ships are charged $134 per occupied berths and $107 per unoccupied berths for passengers and crew. The NCL Star has 2,348 passenger berths and 1,083 crew berths. So, if the ship was fully occupied, the fee for transit would be nearly $460,000. That extra cost is passed on directly to the passengers via a higher charge for the Gov't Taxes, Fees & Port Expenses. For my 13-day Panama Canal cruise in November, this fee is $324 per person.

 

When the expanded Panama Canal opens in late 2015 (or later), the New Panamax size is 1200' long and 161' wide. The Breakaway class ships are 1068.3' long and 169.7' wide. So, these newer NCL ships are too wide to transit the expanded Panama Canal. Too bad...

I think the last time we visited the Canal, the engineer there told us that the new locks that they were building were going to be 1400 feet long X 180 feet wide. That should be plenty large to accommodate the largest ships that NCL and other cruise lines are building at the present time.

John

[OzCanuck]

I think the last time we visited the Canal, the engineer there told us that the new locks that they were building were going to be 1400 feet long X 180 feet wide. That should be plenty large to accommodate the largest ships that NCL and other cruise lines are building at the present time.

John

 

http://www.pancanal.com/eng/expansion/rpts/components/201404.pdf

 

See page 7. Maximum vessel size is 1200 ft x 161 ft as noted in prior post. The lock itself will be 1400 ft x 180 ft.

[Joken35]

I was excited to see a round trip from Miami but now the partial transit seems less exciting! What would a partial transit look like?

[rajones007]

It seems ironic that Panama is investing $5.25 billion to expand the Panama Canal while NCL scales back its offering of full transit Panama cruises.

I doubt the people who run the PC have much, if any, concern about NCL (and other cruise ships) when making economic decisions.

 

Considering the vast amount of cargo that passes thru there, what the PC earns from NCL/cruises is probably just a drop in the bucket.

[barnacle_boy]

When the expanded Panama Canal opens in late 2015 (or later), the New Panamax size is 1200' long and 161' wide. The Breakaway class ships are 1068.3' long and 169.7' wide. So, these newer NCL ships are too wide to transit the expanded Panama Canal. Too bad...

 

Breakaway and Getaway were specifically designed to fit through the new locks. The davits are on gigantic pins, and when they are unbolted from the hull they can actually swing inwards. Many of the photos from Meyer Werft show the davits in this folded position before the boats were installed. Breadth overall with the tenders is 172 ft, but when the boats are lowered and the davits are folded inwards the new breadth is closer to 130 ft. It would be an extremely time and labor intensive process to lower all 18 boats and fold the davits, but it's certainly possible. I don't think you'd see these ships running frequently through the canal like Star does now, but the occasional repositioning could happen.

[roger001]

I was excited to see a round trip from Miami but now the partial transit seems less exciting! What would a partial transit look like?

 

A chance to see the canal on a 10 or 11 day cruise, at a slightly less cost. You will still go through the eastern side locks up into Gatun lake. I believe an option then will be to continue on through the western locks on a ferry, returning to meet your ship via bus back across the isthmus. We've done the full transit twice, but this still seems like a good idea for those who don't have as much time available. And you will still have some port stops along the way.

[HokiePoq]

From what I have read recently about fees for Panama Canal transits, cruises ships are charged $134 per occupied berths and $107 per unoccupied berths for passengers and crew. The NCL Star has 2,348 passenger berths and 1,083 crew berths. So, if the ship was fully occupied, the fee for transit would be nearly $460,000. That extra cost is passed on directly to the passengers via a higher charge for the Gov't Taxes, Fees & Port Expenses. For my 13-day Panama Canal cruise in November, this fee is $324 per person.

 

When the expanded Panama Canal opens in late 2015 (or later), the New Panamax size is 1200' long and 161' wide. The Breakaway class ships are 1068.3' long and 169.7' wide. So, these newer NCL ships are too wide to transit the expanded Panama Canal. Too bad...

 

Thanks for the correct info! I am not sure about the lessening of these cruises as I went and looked on the sheet we were given onboard of upcoming cruises. It looked like the Star had the same for 2015 as it did for this year. NCL doesn't seem to put out advance cruises like a few lines do, so we'll have to wait and see what's there for 2016 and years following.

[HokiePoq]

If I'm not mistaken the charge for cruise ships is per person/bed of about $130.00 or $140.00 but I can't remember if that includes crew as well. That's for each way, of course, and it must be paid in full prior to crossing.

 

Harriet

 

Thanks....you were in the ball park according to the other poster who replied. It is expensive.

[bobg529]

A chance to see the canal on a 10 or 11 day cruise, at a slightly less cost. You will still go through the eastern side locks up into Gatun lake. I believe an option then will be to continue on through the western locks on a ferry, returning to meet your ship via bus back across the isthmus. We've done the full transit twice, but this still seems like a good idea for those who don't have as much time available. And you will still have some port stops along the way.

 

The time factor is exactly why I booked this option for November 2015 on the Pearl. Looking forward to the view from my aft balcony! :D

[swedish weave]

NCL has made a three year commitment to homeport the Getaway in Miami, so I don't think you will see that ship altered to use Panama in the near future.

[Cubechick]

NCL has made a three year commitment to homeport the Getaway in Miami, so I don't think you will see that ship altered to use Panama in the near future.

 

It would also need to use the new locks.