Coral Princess--Stay On Ship or Full Transit by Ferry

[BillB48]

I'm reading this post with interest because we have already done a full transit of the canal and are now booked for a partial transit. If you had already done a full transit, would you still choose the ferry excursion or would you pick something else? Is the view from a smaller boat different enough to make it worthwhile? If anyone has done a different excursion while in the canal, I would love to hear about those too. Thanks!

 

That's a good question, but a hard one to answer. For a Canal geek (perhaps me) who doesn't ever quench a thirst for the Canal, the transit on the smaller vessel does give another perspective you don't see on your large Panamax ship. Also how long ago was your transit... the landscape on the particularly on the Pacific side with the expansion project underway has changed a great deal. Panama used to have a saying, "It's more than a Canal" and that certainly is true. Probably the number one shore excursion after the partial transit by ferry is a trip to see the Embera Indians. Most people rate this tour among the best... just short of a Nat Geo experience. A trip to Panama City gives you a peek of the ruins of Old Panama where Henry Morgan had a hand in some free lance urban renewal. Then you can see El Casco Viejo that was built after Morgan's visit which provided the basis for present day Panama City which probably has one of the most impressive skylines in Latin America.

 

Of course there are a whole list of other shore excursions that you can pick from as well, depending on your interests. Whether it is a trip to Portobelo to see the old customs house and surrounding fortifications, ride the Panama Railroad (not the fastest, but the quickest transcontinental RR;)) or some of the Eco oriented tours, lots to do. I guess what I am saying is while I probably opt for ferry excursion, however I think most people would get more out seeing what all Panama has to offer.

Edited May 3, 2015 by BillB48

[CruisingJs]

That's a good question, but a hard one to answer. For a Canal geek (perhaps me) who doesn't ever quench a thirst for the Canal, the transit on the smaller vessel does give another perspective you don't see on your large Panamax ship. Also how long ago was your transit... the landscape on the particularly on the Pacific side with the expansion project underway has changed a great deal. Panama used to have a saying, "It's more than a Canal" and that certainly is true. Probably the number one shore excursion after the partial transit by ferry is a trip to see the Embera Indians. Most people rate this tour among the best... just short of a Nat Geo experience. A trip to Panama City gives you a peek of the ruins of Old Panama where Henry Morgan had a hand in some free lance urban renewal. Then you can see El Casco Viejo that was built after Morgan's visit which provided the basis for present day Panama City which probably has one of the most impressive skylines in Latin America.

 

Of course there are a whole list of other shore excursions that you can pick from as well, depending on your interests. Whether it is a trip to Portobelo to see the old customs house and surrounding fortifications, ride the Panama Railroad (not the fastest, but the quickest transcontinental RR;)) or some of the Eco oriented tours, lots to do. I guess what I am saying is while I probably opt for ferry excursion, however I think most people would get more out seeing what all Panama has to offer.

 

Thanks for the reply. You gave me a lot to think about. It has been a while since our full transit but the Embera Indians sound interesting too. Might have to book again!

[Jetswdo]

all I read were negative reviews. From Princess it is called PCI-605- I started the thread above, so far no responses.

It is supposed to be a short walk through Melia Resort Rainforest Gardens, boat ride on Gaton Lake, and viewing of Gaton Locks. But someone posted that it was a 2 hour wait to get back on the ship in Colon---In the heat, that would drive me nuts.

 

I was hoping that someone recently did this tour, which now uses a catamaran, not a speed boat, would write a positive review. So if anyone did this one, even through another cruise line, please write about it. Anita

Edited May 7, 2015 by Jetswdo