Panama Canal Cruises

[FLCruiser9316]

I've noticed Celebrity has a couple types of Panama Canal cruises.  Most are round-trip from Ft Lauderdale and some go from Ft Lauderdale to Los Angeles. Do the round-trip cruises go all the way to the Pacific and turn around, or just part of the way.  

I couldn't find any info on this on the Celebrity Cruises web site.

 

thanks

[prmssk]

No, the round-trip cruises either go through the Atlantic side locks (drop people off in Gatun Lake for locks related excursions) and then return through those same locks.  Or there may be a few that don't even go through at all and just stop in Panama so that people can take excursions to the locks.

[NutsAboutGolf]

You'll go through the (slang, but it's easier to understand) the "Atlantic locks", turn around before reaching the "Pacific locks" and come back out the Atlantic locks.

[jagoffee]

1 hour ago, NutsAboutGolf said:

You'll go through the (slang, but it's easier to understand) the "Atlantic locks", turn around before reaching the "Pacific locks" and come back out the Atlantic locks.

Turning around before reaching the “Pacific locks” is technically correctly.  The turn around (based on my one partial cruise) was not very far.

[carolina_yankee]

On some podcast I heard the description as:

 

- full transit (both locks)

- partial transit (in the lake, turn around after traffic clears, and head out)

- touch (just stop in panama)

 

It is hard to get enough time for a full transit since I wouldn’t want to turn around and go back, but spend some time in SoCal. I’ve wondered how much you actually miss if you do a partial transit. I’m not sure I’d want to simply to do a “touch.”

 

 

[prmssk]

31 minutes ago, carolina_yankee said:

On some podcast I heard the description as:

 

- full transit (both locks)

- partial transit (in the lake, turn around after traffic clears, and head out)

- touch (just stop in panama)

 

It is hard to get enough time for a full transit since I wouldn’t want to turn around and go back, but spend some time in SoCal. I’ve wondered how much you actually miss if you do a partial transit. I’m not sure I’d want to simply to do a “touch.”

 

 

I think it depends how much of a bucket list cruise the Panama Canal is and your interest in the canal.  With a partial transit, you still get to go through a set of locks (twice) and see Lake Gatun.  And you still get a chance to do excursions about the locks.  

 

Personally, I think it is more important that your ship is small enough to use the old locks.  The old locks have a lot more history and are quite a bit more interesting (although the tugboats were fun to watch going through the new locks).  The Celebrity Millennium uses the old locks.  I'm pretty sure the S class and E class ships are all too big for the old locks so will use the new locks.

[carolina_yankee]

10 minutes ago, prmssk said:

I think it depends how much of a bucket list cruise the Panama Canal is and your interest in the canal.  With a partial transit, you still get to go through a set of locks (twice) and see Lake Gatun.  And you still get a chance to do excursions about the locks.  

 

Personally, I think it is more important that your ship is small enough to use the old locks.  The old locks have a lot more history and are quite a bit more interesting (although the tugboats were fun to watch going through the new locks).  The Celebrity Millennium uses the old locks.  I'm pretty sure the S class and E class ships are all too big for the old locks so will use the new locks.

 

I would definitely want to do the old locks and go on a cruise that also offered some background, either through presentations or excursions. Almost any long cruise is on my bucket list, but two weeks at a shot is about the best I can do unless the dates line up perfectly. We do have family in Southern California, so maybe if I don’t tell them I’m in the area. . . 

[NutsAboutGolf]

26 minutes ago, prmssk said:

I think it depends how much of a bucket list cruise the Panama Canal is and your interest in the canal.  With a partial transit, you still get to go through a set of locks (twice) and see Lake Gatun.  And you still get a chance to do excursions about the locks.  

 

Personally, I think it is more important that your ship is small enough to use the old locks.  The old locks have a lot more history and are quite a bit more interesting (although the tugboats were fun to watch going through the new locks).  The Celebrity Millennium uses the old locks.  I'm pretty sure the S class and E class ships are all too big for the old locks so will use the new locks.

I actually agree with this, that the old locks are far much more interesting then the new.  Only the Millie is scheduled to go through the full transit.  I just did this on sept 30-Oct 15 and it was awesome, much more interesting than the new locks.

[DaKahuna]

We've done one cruise on an S Class that did not go through the locks. 

 

We are scheduled on Millennium for the Westbound in April - May of 2023 Fort Lauderdale to Los Angeles. 

 

 

[FLCruiser9316]

thanks!  Millennium it is!

[cruisegirlppp]

15 hours ago, carolina_yankee said:

 

I would definitely want to do the old locks and go on a cruise that also offered some background, either through presentations or excursions. Almost any long cruise is on my bucket list, but two weeks at a shot is about the best I can do unless the dates line up perfectly. We do have family in Southern California, so maybe if I don’t tell them I’m in the area. . . 

We did the full transit on Celebrity in 2018 and had a speaker who grew up in the Canal zone, He gave lectures and did a narration as we went through the locks...it was fascinating.

[capsplace]

13 hours ago, DaKahuna said:

We've done one cruise on an S Class that did not go through the locks. 

 

We are scheduled on Millennium for the Westbound in April - May of 2023 Fort Lauderdale to Los Angeles. 

 

 

Us too!  See you on board.

[Northern Aurora]

We have done six full Panama Canal transits.  As a child my husband spent several years in the PC Zone when his father, an US Air Force officer, was stationed at the old Albrook AFB.

 

I realize that not everyone has great amount of annual leave, but the full transit is much more interesting than a partial.  The scenery is much different along the route and on the Pacific side you realize the massive amount of blasting which had to be done to create the channel.  Each time we have done a full transit Celebrity has had a "Beyond the Podium" speaker who presented a series of lectures about the PC.  And the actual  transit was narrated and broadcast in public areas.

 

I surprised that no one has mentioned the excellent book on the PC -- "The Path Between the Seas" by the late David McCullough.  

[Turtles06]

On 10/24/2022 at 4:39 PM, carolina_yankee said:

I’ve wondered how much you actually miss if you do a partial transit.

 

Well, you miss something like 42 miles or so of a 50-mile route.

If your partial transit is on the Atlantic side, you miss the Pacific Locks.  You also miss the transit through the entire Canal after Gatun Lake, which means you miss seeing things like the Continental Divide and what it took and still takes to hold back the mountains.  You miss a good deal of what makes the Canal fascinating.

 

I hope you do have the time one day for a full transit.

[JLMcruise]

On 10/25/2022 at 8:33 AM, capsplace said:

Us too!  See you on board.

We will be there too! We were on Millie in August. Looking forward - its going to be a long winter.

[njguy_south]

On 10/26/2022 at 9:32 AM, Turtles06 said:

 

Well, you miss something like 42 miles or so of a 50-mile route.

If your partial transit is on the Atlantic side, you miss the Pacific Locks.  You also miss the transit through the entire Canal after Gatun Lake, which means you miss seeing things like the Continental Divide and what it took and still takes to hold back the mountains.  You miss a good deal of what makes the Canal fascinating.

 

I hope you do have the time one day for a full transit.

I am booking a shore excursion that continues through the locks to the Pacific side. Although not on a cruise ship, does anyone know what that experience is like?

[Turtles06]

3 minutes ago, njguy_south said:

I am booking a shore excursion that continues through the locks to the Pacific side. Although not on a cruise ship, does anyone know what that experience is like?

Discussed often in the Panama Canal port of call forum, where I suggest you do a search and also ask your question. 

[carolina_yankee]

3 hours ago, njguy_south said:

I am booking a shore excursion that continues through the locks to the Pacific side. Although not on a cruise ship, does anyone know what that experience is like?

 

Is this the Edge trip in your signature? That sounds interesting. I would love to do a full transit, but even an opportunity to see the locks and get a sense of what it took to build the canal would be interesting.

[NutsAboutGolf]

I just did the full transit on the old locks from the Millie two weeks ago and last Dec did the partial new locks on CCL.  I believe on the Edge there's a stop in Panama and an X tour where you can go through the old locks in a small boat, if that's the case you'd actually get a much more intimate experience.  Unlike the Carnival ship which was showing her age, the Millie is revolutionized, may simply come down to if you prefer the M-class or E-class, can't make a bad choice.

 

https://www.celebritycruises.com/pcp-excursions/coln-panama-tours/wonders-of-engineering-panama-canal-locks-and-culebra-cut-cruise?excursionItemID=100000004102981274

 

"Board a local ferry and venture into the Panama Canal to experience the unforgettable sensation of crossing between two oceans in one day. Cruise through the Culebra Cut, the biggest structural challenge of the canal. Feel the waters slowly rise and fall as your captain navigates the massive lock system. Spend your day inspired by one of the greatest engineering feats in history."

[njguy_south]

1 hour ago, carolina_yankee said:

 

Is this the Edge trip in your signature? That sounds interesting. I would love to do a full transit, but even an opportunity to see the locks and get a sense of what it took to build the canal would be interesting.

Yes, it is. I am looking forward to the canal experience.

[CruisingWalter]

Partial Transit goes through the first locks at Gatun Lake, the ship will then turn around in Gatun Lake (it's a massive lake) and go back through the locks into the Atlantic side.

 

Full Transit is the ship goes all the way through the canal either east to west or west to east. 

 

We did a Partial Transit on Princess a while back and to see the entire canal, we booked an excursion on a smaller boat that took us all the way to the Pacific. It was actually a very cool way to transit the canal because we were on a very small boat of about 200 so when we pulled into the locks, we were 'at the bottom' looking up at these huge walls around us. And we would have a ship alongside us in the other lock towering above our heads. It's actually a very cool way to see the entire canal and I would recommend this type of excursion if you do a partial transit. We did motor coaches to go back to Panama to meet the ship. Here's a few images. The bridge is the end of the canal and the entrance to the Pacific Ocean. We went under the bridge and the tour ended shortly beyond that. Notice just how little clearance there is for a the big container ship in front of us.

[chisoxfan]

3 hours ago, WheresWalter said:

Partial Transit goes through the first locks at Gatun Lake, the ship will then turn around in Gatun Lake (it's a massive lake) and go back through the locks into the Atlantic side.

 

Full Transit is the ship goes all the way through the canal either east to west or west to east. 

 

We did a Partial Transit on Princess a while back and to see the entire canal, we booked an excursion on a smaller boat that took us all the way to the Pacific. It was actually a very cool way to transit the canal because we were on a very small boat of about 200 so when we pulled into the locks, we were 'at the bottom' looking up at these huge walls around us. And we would have a ship alongside us in the other lock towering above our heads. It's actually a very cool way to see the entire canal and I would recommend this type of excursion if you do a partial transit. We did motor coaches to go back to Panama to meet the ship. Here's a few images. The bridge is the end of the canal and the entrance to the Pacific Ocean. We went under the bridge and the tour ended shortly beyond that. Notice just how little clearance there is for a the big container ship in front of us.

We did this tour also and it is highly recommended. We entered the new locks and transferred to this tour by bus (winding up on the Pacific side). I am envious at your pic as you show many open seats on the bow. Princess brought us to the tour just before departure and there were few choice seats available.  We got 'lucky' sitting on a packed bow and getting some limited shade. Bring lots of sunscreen, hat, and coverup if you take this tour. It was cool being in a small boat and having that perspective along with being able to touch the canal walls. Seeing the canal was memorable and we will plan on a full transit in the future (just not on Princess... the Caribbean Princess was a hot mess and they handled the PC experience as badly. I am sure X or HAL would do a better and more professional job.

[CruisingWalter]

4 hours ago, chisoxfan said:

de). I am envious at your pic as you show many open seats on the bow. Princess brought us to

That's because it was 150 degrees that day (or at least it felt like that) with no breeze and there were many people, including my wife, hiding in the small indoor 'lounge' with A/C. The tour was sold out though. 🤣

[chisoxfan]

17 hours ago, WheresWalter said:

That's because it was 150 degrees that day (or at least it felt like that) with no breeze and there were many people, including my wife, hiding in the small indoor 'lounge' with A/C. The tour was sold out though. 🤣

We were a full boat also and you could  venture inside but not find a place there to sit and see anything.  Before boarding the tour guide recommended not to sit directly in the sun and remarked on how hot it was (Captain Obvious). At that point they jammed our bus as last to board and seating was limited. We moved around a bit and finally sat in the last row of the area you show in your pic where the overhand from wheelhouse gave us a sliver of shade. Those outside bow seats were all occupied on our ride.  Without the drama it was a very memorable trip.

I think we will do a full transit next time.

[carolina_yankee]

Hmm. While the excursion through to the Pacific sounds good and theory, it sounds risking in practice based on weather and numbers. I suspect a full transit till indeed be in order if the Pacific locks are more impressive!

 

The concept of the a lock itself isn’t that impressive to me - I’ve been through plenty on river cruises. It’s the scope and history and of the Panama Canal locks that impress me, plus any local scenery.