What ship for Panama canal

[Torfamm]

20 hours ago, RenieRaider said:

Thank you. How are they different besides the New one being new? If you have done both what would you recommend?

The new locks are much larger. At this time Princess has two ships small enough to use the original locks. Besides the fact that they are fascinating from an historical perspective, I’d also consider that it may not always be true that mass market cruise lines will have ships that are small enough for the original locks. I’d try to see them while you can.

[NavyVeteran]

I would definitely recommend the original locks for anyone who hasn't sailed them. The history of building those locks is amazing. I would also recommend anyone going on a Panama Canal cruise read The Path Between the Seas by David McCullough. It is the definitive history of the building of the original Panama Canal.

[cr8tiv1]

OP says they have done the Historic Locks on another cruise line.  Still...I would do it again and again and again.  The new locks are boring and you can "read" about them or watch youtube videos to get an idea of how they work.

[ldubs]

On 4/2/2024 at 1:00 AM, charliedalrymple said:

 

The old locks are definitely on my bucket list. My parents did a full transit through the old locks and thought it got rather tedious after the first few hours.  Do you share that opinion?  Would you recommend a partial transit or even a small-boat excursion instead?

 

When we did the canal transit the new locks were still under construction.  We did a partial transit.  Once we reached the lake, we did an excursion on a small ferry boat that took us the rest of the way through to the Pacific.  Then we were bused back to the ship.  If I recall, there were drinks and snacks made available.  The ferry excursion through the remaining locks was pretty cool.  You could literally reach out and touch the side of the lock, which we shared with other vessels.  There are some long stretches of motoring along that some might find tedious.  If that is an issue, it is likely better to have the amenities of a cruise ship over being on a small ferry.  

[Essiesmom]

We have a section for Panama Canal in the Ports of Call boards.  I have a thread going there called Look Who’s in the Canal Today.  If you go and look at the pics, most from the Panama Canal cams, and some from the bridge cams of the ships.  You will soon see the difference between the old and new locks.  EM

[Ken the cruiser]

Sometimes going through the new locks can be fun, especially if you have an aft-facing cabin and see this type of ship following in next behind you. 😁

 

[NavyVeteran]

On 4/2/2024 at 3:00 AM, charliedalrymple said:

 

The old locks are definitely on my bucket list. My parents did a full transit through the old locks and thought it got rather tedious after the first few hours.  Do you share that opinion?  Would you recommend a partial transit or even a small-boat excursion instead?

A partial transit wouldn't save you any time. It spends about the same amount of time in the locks as a full transit - it just goes through the same locks twice instead of through different locks.

 

When I did a partial transit through the Atlantic locks, I took a small-boat excursion through the Pacific locks. That way, I did a full transit - even though the ship didn't. I would recommend that excursion if you do a partial transit, but probably not if you're doing a full transit.

 

One advantage of staying on the ship on a partial transit is that the ship isn't crowded on the trip back, because so many people get off to do excursions. You won't have any problems getting the best viewing locations without the crowds you had going in.

[alwalaska]

On 4/2/2024 at 4:00 AM, charliedalrymple said:

 

The old locks are definitely on my bucket list. My parents did a full transit through the old locks and thought it got rather tedious after the first few hours.  Do you share that opinion?  Would you recommend a partial transit or even a small-boat excursion instead?

I guess it depends on who you are and what you like.  We loved the entire day and even debated whether or not we should go inside and have lunch of grab food and eat on the balcony, and this was in the middle of the day in the middle of the lake.  My husband is an engineer, so that added to his enjoyment.  I enjoyed watching the other ships, watching for places I had read about before the cruise, and so much more.  We started the day forward and high, sharing the space with a ton of other people.  Once we were inside the first lock, we moved to our balcony.  We watched the are called a "Cut" , can't remember right now, from the promenade deck, moved back to an outside top deck for the entry to the final lock, etc.  

[Bwana Tom]

We have went through the canal twice, once through the old canal then a few years later through the new one. Without a doubt I would choose either the Island or the Coral and go through the OLD canal. For most canal cruisers the most important factor is the history of the canal and you certainly miss that when traveling through the new one. When going through the new one it seems like you are simply traveling down a river. And I would also strongly recommend doing the full transit rather than the usual 10-day cruise that returns to the same port as you departed from.     

[Southward-Bound]

We still have not decided which one we will take. We may just look at the prices when we are able to book. We will see what balcony rooms are available as we want the starboard if leaving from the Caribbean side. Or if we leave from Vancouver we will pick port side. Thanks for all the help. 

[StrawberryHill]

Coral,  Coral,  Coral,  Coral    Island only as a last resort.  Smaller ships give you a better experience.  Island got "re modeled " a few years ago.