Panama Canal & Locks Transit By Boat offering by Princess: Recent Review

[mary_228]

This Princess tour was one of the first to tender ashore due to the length of this excursion. After a short ride we disembarked at the Yacht Club where we quickly boarded a bus for an informative highway drive to Gamboa. There we boarded a ferry for the long journey to the Pacific Ocean. The tour guide had an excellent speaker system so that no matter where one sat, outdoors, inside, up or down, his commentary was clearly heard (despite the rude passengers who felt the need to speak even more loudly to be heard over the tour guide).

 

A nice lunch of local foods was provided, along with water or soda. Beer was available to purchase for a bargain price of $2-3.

 

We had studied the current usage of the canal and had attended a lecture onboard the Emerald Princess, yet the information presented on the ferry was very informative and was brought to life by being in the actual locations. At one point we could even touch the sides of the locks.

 

There is air conditioning on the enclosed lower level of the boat, and ample lavatories onboard for this very long journey. We had a beautiful day in late December for our tour and it was not too hot. Upon our arrival in Panama City, we had a long bus ride back to the ship, which occurred mostly in darkness, during which our tour guide did not speak much about his country, to our disappointment.  The bus brought us right up to the gangway, as the shuttles were no longer operating and the ship was ready to get underway. Interestingly, the tour company had an empty bus following the four filled tour buses as a backup in case there was an unforeseen event, ensuring we would be able to get back to the ship in a timely manner.

 

All in all, I heartily recommend this tour for those who wish to complete a full transit but do not have 15 days to do it in the traditional manner (LA-FLL).

 

Edited January 1, 2022 by mary_228
clarity

[loveapug]

Thank you so much for sharing this information.

[HBCcruiser]

Thanks for a detailed review! Were you able to go through the locks on the cruise ship prior to getting off for this excursion? If so, what time did that occur? 

[Essiesmom]

12 minutes ago, HBCcruiser said:

Thanks for a detailed review! Were you able to go through the locks on the cruise ship prior to getting off for this excursion? If so, what time did that occur? 

When you read ‘tendered ashore’ you know they have passed through the locks into Gatun Lake and are being tendered to the Gatun Yacht Club pier where they meet their excursions.  EM

[HBCcruiser]

2 minutes ago, Essiesmom said:

When you read ‘tendered ashore’ you know they have passed through the locks into Gatun Lake and are being tendered to the Gatun Yacht Club pier where they meet their excursions.  EM

Do you know what time ships usually start going through the locks? 

[Essiesmom]

Sometimes before breakfast.  The ship reserves a time, but it depends on the progress of the ships before them in line.  To see the ship coming through the breakwater and under the Atlantic bridge, you should be up by 0600.  EM

[blueridgemama]

If we don't do an excursion what is there to see and or do on the ship?

[BillB48]

You will experience the reverse process of going through Gatun Locks and the short trip to Colon.  While it is interesting and pleasant, particularly the prime viewing spots are more accessible with less passengers on the ship.  Even if your prime interest is not the Canal, Panama has a lot of history and is not a typical day of sun, sand and surf that is the mainstay attraction at many other Caribbean ports of call.

[greatestvalue]

On 1/1/2022 at 9:57 AM, mary_228 said:

first to tender ashore

Where did you actually port in Panama? 

 

There appears to be a couple of ports when doing a Panama Canal cruise and I cant remember which one tenders in

Thank you

[Essiesmom]

10 minutes ago, greatestvalue said:

Where did you actually port in Panama? 

 

There appears to be a couple of ports when doing a Panama Canal cruise and I cant remember which one tenders in

Thank you

Did you read the whole post?  She was on a partial transit, which means they transited through a set of locks into Gatun Lake, where they tendered ashore to the Gatun Yacht Club, and were picked up by the buses to their excursions.  The ship then locked back down out of the canal and only docked in Colon/Cristobal to retrieve the excursion passengers.  EM

[greatestvalue]

6 minutes ago, Essiesmom said:

Did you read the whole post?

Yes, I did read the whole post!!!  And wouldnt have asked the question if I either understood what I read or captured the "PORT" in which was closest to where they tendered in from. 

 

Sorry not as up to date on Panama Canal as you but thanks for the input.