Partial vs Full transit

[mightytraveler]

Due to time constraints we took a Partial Transit cruise in December 2014. We enjoyed every minute of it but hope to go back for the full transit experience in the future.

 

You might be interested in seeing slide shows my wife made for her website with pictures she took on our cruise. The link below will take you there.

Island Princess Panama Canal Partial Transit Cruise

 

Nancy's slideshow was amazing. Hoping to book for next winter.

[sunshine3215]

Nancy's slideshow was amazing. Hoping to book for next winter.

 

 

I hope someone can help me, I am booked on a Carnival partial that is leaving on Jan 2 2017 out of Balitmore, I looked at the itinerary today and the ship says "partial" but it does not offer any excursions.

 

I thought we would travel though the locks and then be able to get off and get a few souvenirs at least.

 

Am I misunderstanding.

[BillB48]

I hope someone can help me, I am booked on a Carnival partial that is leaving on Jan 2 2017 out of Balitmore, I looked at the itinerary today and the ship says "partial" but it does not offer any excursions.

 

I thought we would travel though the locks and then be able to get off and get a few souvenirs at least.

 

Am I misunderstanding.

 

Other cruise lines that offer partial transit cruises (Princess and HAL for example) normally offer excursions on their partial transit cruises. The way that works is after your ship passes through Gatun Locks and reaches Gatun Lake passengers who have shore excursions tender off the ship to meet their tours. While these passengers are on the excursion the ship will lock back through Gatun Locks and a short sail to Colon where it will dock. The passengers who are tour will rejoin the ship in Colon. This is also where those passengers who stayed on board for the return through Gatun Locks could briefly go ashore for a little shopping. The stop is not long enough for any tours.

 

I looked at your sailing on Carnival's web site and there is no mention of any shore excursions or the brief stop in Colon. Perhaps they have not firmed up the shore excursions as yet, but it is also a possibility that they are not going to offer any and that is why there is no stop planned for Colon. My only advice would be to see what Carnival has to say... hopefully you will get a CSR that can give an accurate answer to the question.

[BillB48]

Thanks for all the interesting comments, as I was going to post this same question. I would love to do full transit, but I found a partial transit that fits into my son's school holidays and was debating on whether or not to book it, or just wait until I get find a full transit that crosses one of his breaks and pull him out for a few days.

 

I'm sure most will agree the full transit cruise is the first choice, but if for convenience the partial will work better for you now, then I would have no hesitation in choosing the partial transit. In fact the partial transit cruise has one distinct advantage if you select the shore excursion that takes you through the Pacific Locks and Gaillard Cut. Your passage through Gatun Locks in the morning on your Panamax ship provides a completely different perspective than what you than what you feel on the smaller vessel through the Pacific Locks and the Cut. This combination of cruise and shore excursion will take you through a large part of the Canal.

 

If you decide to do a full transit cruise after you have already completed a partial transit cruise, it will only enhance your full transit cruise.

[RSLeesburg]

I'm sure most will agree the full transit cruise is the first choice, but if for convenience the partial will work better for you now, then I would have no hesitation in choosing the partial transit. In fact the partial transit cruise has one distinct advantage if you select the shore excursion that takes you through the Pacific Locks and Gaillard Cut. Your passage through Gatun Locks in the morning on your Panamax ship provides a completely different perspective than what you than what you feel on the smaller vessel through the Pacific Locks and the Cut. This combination of cruise and shore excursion will take you through a large part of the Canal.

 

If you decide to do a full transit cruise after you have already completed a partial transit cruise, it will only enhance your full transit cruise.

 

 

Thanks!

[sunshine3215]

Other cruise lines that offer partial transit cruises (Princess and HAL for example) normally offer excursions on their partial transit cruises. The way that works is after your ship passes through Gatun Locks and reaches Gatun Lake passengers who have shore excursions tender off the ship to meet their tours. While these passengers are on the excursion the ship will lock back through Gatun Locks and a short sail to Colon where it will dock. The passengers who are tour will rejoin the ship in Colon. This is also where those passengers who stayed on board for the return through Gatun Locks could briefly go ashore for a little shopping. The stop is not long enough for any tours.

 

I looked at your sailing on Carnival's web site and there is no mention of any shore excursions or the brief stop in Colon. Perhaps they have not firmed up the shore excursions as yet, but it is also a possibility that they are not going to offer any and that is why there is no stop planned for Colon. My only advice would be to see what Carnival has to say... hopefully you will get a CSR that can give an accurate answer to the question.

 

 

 

 

Mr Bill - Thank you so much for your response, I do believe that Carnival has changed the itinerary because when I checked my notes, and the print screen I saved of the original schedule, their was a stop is colon, panama and I had even when on the carnival website and saw the excursion.

Then I happen to go on the carnival site today to buy cruise cash for my upcoming cruise in 17 days and I said....let's look at the January 2017 cruise and the itinerary was totally different....no colon stop at all.

 

Also I did call Carnival and the lady did not want to say much, she acted like well, I don't know so my husband said she probably did not want to get in a debate with me about what was the original advertisement and why the changes occurred. My husband wondered if things have gotten bad in Colon so carnival decided to just not stop but pass through. Who will ever KNOW???

 

 

I'm sort of MAD, that was the entire purpose of the TRIP, I don't know if I should cancel, or just go....The cruise is a repositioning cruise so I guess I'm lucky that it is leaving from up the road in Baltimore.

 

I also believe the price was relatively cheap for 14 days but I'm just disappointed. I think we will just be seeing the canal from the ship. What a disappointment.

Edited April 17, 2016 by sunshine3215

[BillB48]

Mr Bill - Thank you so much for your response,

 

. My husband wondered if things have gotten bad in Colon so carnival decided to just not stop but pass through. Who will ever KNOW???

 

 

 

ss3215, if there is a change as to your calling at Colon, it is not because things have gone down hill. Granted Colon is not on anyone's bucket list because it is the garden spot of the Caribbean... it just happens to be at the entrance to the Canal. Princess has been stopping at Colon on all their recent partial transit cruises and a friend of mine is giving port lectures on a Celebrity ship presently and he was in just in Colon last week. No issues whatsoever.

 

I looked at a couple of web sites that provide ships in port on a given day and on cruisett it still shows your ship calling at Colon. The other, cruisecal doesn't actually say the Pride will be in Colon but does list another ship in calling somewhere in Panama on the same day. Colon can handle two ships on the same day. Neither of these sites are completely accurate, so no definitive conclusions can be drawn.

 

Maybe you can just hold on to your present reservation until just before there is a penalty for cancelling and see what happens. In any event it still sounds like a great itinerary and convenient as well.

[sunshine3215]

Thanks Bill

 

I had a chance to sleep on the issue, we are going so I just have to accept that we might be on the boat, it is still a great schedule and it was only one flight home.