Panama Canal partial transit excursions from Ship

[cruiser4242]

We are booked on Island Princess on a partial in March 2020. Does anyone have any experience with the excursion where you get off the boat in the canal and return to ship in Colon? Also does anyone know if the Island Princess has an international cafe?

[Colo Cruiser]

1 minute ago, cruiser4242 said:

We are booked on Island Princess on a partial in March 2020. Does anyone have any experience with the excursion where you get off the boat in the canal and return to ship in Colon? Also does anyone know if the Island Princess has an international cafe?

Island has no International Cafe. Coral does,

[famski740]

The first time we went to the Canal, we got off after the initial transit and took the observation car on the train along the canal to Panama city.  Once there we transferred to a bus and were given a tour of the city and stopped on the Bridge of the Americas.  We were able to walk up on the locks in Panama City and see the operation.  After, we got back on the train to go to Colon to be transferred back to the ship.  During the train ride we were provided a bagged lunch.  All in all, it was a very enjoyable day.

[cruisingpeople]

Double post... Sorry.

Edited March 7, 2019 by cruisingpeople

[cruisingpeople]

There is also the "Panama Canal Excursion by Boat". After being tendered to shore, you are bused to a smaller boat and you go thru the Locks all the way to the end. It is a LONG day but is worth the experience, (IMHO).

[darienill]

We took the through the canal trip and it was a disaster. They said that the lake level was down and we had to follow a cargo ship through all the locks. Once you've been through a lock or two, they're all the same. We ended up getting back to the ship way after dark and about an hour after scheduled departure time. We were the last folks let into the dining room and the last to leave. Sitting on a bench for 8 hours is not fun. 

On our first trip we stayed on board and went through the locks in and out of the lake. had lunch, took a nap. etc. All in A/C comfort. 

[Steven_&_Daniel]

We did the same as famski740 only in reverse. We tendered off the ship in Gatun Lake, rode the bus to Panama City and rode the train to Colon. We enjoyed it and would certainly recommend it. While on the train, we rode for a while in the upper dome area but found it rather tight. Once we moved down to the bar area of the car, it was much more enjoyable as there were only a few people there spread out over several tables.

[LeeW]

On 3/7/2019 at 8:46 AM, cruisingpeople said:

There is also the "Panama Canal Excursion by Boat". After being tendered to shore, you are bused to a smaller boat and you go thru the Locks all the way to the end. It is a LONG day but is worth the experience, (IMHO).

 

Have done this one multiple times.  You get to see the locks from a much smaller boat.  Return to ship in Colon port is much easier now that new expressway across the Zone is done.

[donswife]

We did the ferry boat excursion when we did a partial transit on the Caribbean Princess. The boat was very crowded, but once I got over my claustrophobia, it was a great experience. I moved around the different levels and sides of the boat throughout the trip, and we were blessed with fairly mild weather. Since our ship went through the new locks with the rolling gates,  it was great to go through the old swing door locks on the Pacific side. It was also a very different perspective being on a much smaller vessel.  We were fortunate that they were letting extra water out, so we went through all the locks with just 2 other ferries, and the cargo ship went after us.

 

The bus ride back was fine.

[georgiacat]

We did the partial tour through the Panama Canal on the Coral.  We took a ship excursion to Panama City and the Miraflores locks.  That excursion was wonderful.  We got off the ship in Lake Gatun after watching our ship go through the locks in the morning.  We got on a bus that took us to old Panama City and a walking tour (very enjoyable), then to the Miraflores locks, then to Colon to get back on the ship.  It was a wonderful day.  I just wish I had done more shopping in Panama City.  Maybe I will get back some day.

[satxdiver]

When we did the partial transit, we tendered to a nearby small dock after entering Gatun Lake where we boarded a vista train car and went to PC.  While the train did indeed follow the canal most of the time we were not able to see the canal.  In PC we transferred to a tour bus that took us to several locations including the Miraflor locks where we were able to watch the locks from a balcony.  It was in a tourist oriented building with a small cafeteria.  We returned to the train back to the terminal we had left earlier and then a bus to the ship which had moved out into the Caribbean.  It was really a nice day. 

 

At dinner that night (2nd TD) a couple was late in joining us as they had just got off the canal boat tour.  Their boat had to follow a cargo ship through the canal both ways!  The Island Princess left port that night right after they boarded as the ship had waited well over an hour for their return.  They were not all that happy and I have heard on here other cases where the ferry through the canal was a bad idea.  

 

BTW the train excursion usually sells out long before the cruise so don't wait if you want to do it.