Carnival's Two Oceans by Railroad in November

[kelligirl]

Anyone out there with recent experience on this excursion? Does the bus ride back stop anywhere? Do you actually "arrive" at a destination where you can shop or sightsee? Any input is greatly appreciated, as this is a costly one for a family of 4 but if it's worth it, I'll be happy. Traveling with hubby, 21 yo, 18 yo, and (2) 75 yo.

[Richard in Panama]

A general comment about the train tour . . . most cruise lines use the same tour by different names . . . Generally it's one way on the train, get off, get on the bus and return to Colon. The road between Panama City and Colon is under construction and is pretty tedious - sometimes 2 hours. The train station is in the outskirts of Panama City, so you're not going to see much. The train route roughly runs parallel to the Canal, but only in a few places can you actually see the Canal. If you are a train buff, and know something of the history of railroading in Panama, I'd definitely recommend the train. But if you want to see and experience the Canal, and see a glimpse of Panama City, I'd take a look at the various options for ferry tours of the Canal itself.

 

Depending on the time you have in port, I'd recommend one of the tours to the Embera Indian villages, but in your case, depending on the health and agility of your 75-year-olds, it may not work. I've got more on my blog at http://richarddetrich.wordpress.com/qa-for-cruisers/

 

Regards, Richard

[DonMar]

We did the Two Oceans by Railroad in Feb 07 and this is what I wrote about it on another thread.

 

On our Carnival booked excursion we took the train both ways. We did get on a bus on the Pacific side to get to the locks, Bridge of America and the trinket mall - then back to the train.

 

We just returned from the Western Caribbean (Panama, Costa Rica and Belize) and took the Two Oceans by Railroad excursion. Since we like to explore on our own, I tried to book the train myself, but they will not do it. So if you want to take the train from Colon to Panama City you must book through the cruise line.

 

We only booked this excursion through the cruise line as it was the only way to ride the train. If we were to return to Panama, we would try to hire a car and driver for the day.

 

 

I hope to answer a few of the questions posted about this excursion.

 

1. Yes, there are bathrooms.

 

2. You do get to see the canal. You do not see the locks on the train, but you can see ships traveling on the lake. If your excursion includes Miraflores, you will go the visitor center and possibly see ships going through the locks.

 

3. Try to reserve the Dome Car and sit on the top level - you can see so much more!

 

4. On our excursion there we so many people!!!! They took us to Miraflores which was a highlight for me.

 

5. They took us to a shopping center - go figure - to buy trinkets, nothing authentic. Not my favorite thing to spend time on when we only have a few hours in port. I wanted to see more of Panama not shopping.

 

6. Be aware that Colon is not a tourist city. On the tour, everything is very safe. The bus ride to the train is an experience as stop signs and traffic signals are up for decoration only. Makes for a good story!

 

7. Bring food. You will not have the opportunity to eat anything until you get back on the train and at that it is chips and crackers.

 

While we enjoyed the experience, we only booked through the ship because it was the only way to take the train and we were uncertain of the driver options in Colon.

Hope this helps!

[98Charlie]

We did a train tour several years ago. It was round trip and we enjoyed it immensely. If you decide to do any train check if there is a domed car.

 

It was about $20 more per person as I recall and worth every penny. The seating is elevated and gives a much better view of the surroundings including being able to see more of the canal, ships, etc.

 

Charlie

[JNCRUISEBUMS]

We did the Two Oceans by Railroad in Feb 07 and this is what I wrote about it on another thread.

 

On our Carnival booked excursion we took the train both ways. We did get on a bus on the Pacific side to get to the locks, Bridge of America and the trinket mall - then back to the train.

 

We just returned from the Western Caribbean (Panama, Costa Rica and Belize) and took the Two Oceans by Railroad excursion. Since we like to explore on our own, I tried to book the train myself, but they will not do it. So if you want to take the train from Colon to Panama City you must book through the cruise line.

 

We only booked this excursion through the cruise line as it was the only way to ride the train. If we were to return to Panama, we would try to hire a car and driver for the day.

 

 

I hope to answer a few of the questions posted about this excursion.

 

1. Yes, there are bathrooms.

 

2. You do get to see the canal. You do not see the locks on the train, but you can see ships traveling on the lake. If your excursion includes Miraflores, you will go the visitor center and possibly see ships going through the locks.

 

3. Try to reserve the Dome Car and sit on the top level - you can see so much more!

 

4. On our excursion there we so many people!!!! They took us to Miraflores which was a highlight for me.

 

5. They took us to a shopping center - go figure - to buy trinkets, nothing authentic. Not my favorite thing to spend time on when we only have a few hours in port. I wanted to see more of Panama not shopping.

 

6. Be aware that Colon is not a tourist city. On the tour, everything is very safe. The bus ride to the train is an experience as stop signs and traffic signals are up for decoration only. Makes for a good story!

 

7. Bring food. You will not have the opportunity to eat anything until you get back on the train and at that it is chips and crackers.

 

While we enjoyed the experience, we only booked through the ship because it was the only way to take the train and we were uncertain of the driver options in Colon.

 

Hope this helps!

Good information!!! I just have one question, is there space to put my scooter? I can climb steps, slowly, but need the scooter to get there.

Thanks so much! Nancie:cool:

[DonMar]

Good information!!! I just have one question, is there space to put my scooter? I can climb steps, slowly, but need the scooter to get there.

Thanks so much! Nancie:cool:

 

Depending upon the size of your scooter it might fit. I would talk to the excursion reps to double check - but I would think that they have had this request before.

 

Things to keep in mind: We took a 15 px van to the train - others took a larger bus. The train platform is up a few steps and not very formal - a concrete platform. I did not notice if there was a ramp. There is a step or two up to get on the train. The dome car has a few seats at the main level, but most seating is up a 1/2 flight of steps.

 

The train platform on the Panama City side is a level surface an d has a ramp to the bus.

 

You board a large coach bus and then get off at various stops. One being the Miraflores Locks and visitor center which is accessible. The Bridge of the Americas stop and the shopping center are also accessible. (If my memory serves me correctly.)

 

Hope this helps. Enjoy the trip.

[JNCRUISEBUMS]

Depending upon the size of your scooter it might fit. I would talk to the excursion reps to double check - but I would think that they have had this request before.

 

Things to keep in mind: We took a 15 px van to the train - others took a larger bus. The train platform is up a few steps and not very formal - a concrete platform. I did not notice if there was a ramp. There is a step or two up to get on the train. The dome car has a few seats at the main level, but most seating is up a 1/2 flight of steps.

 

The train platform on the Panama City side is a level surface an d has a ramp to the bus.

 

You board a large coach bus and then get off at various stops. One being the Miraflores Locks and visitor center which is accessible. The Bridge of the Americas stop and the shopping center are also accessible. (If my memory serves me correctly.)

 

Hope this helps. Enjoy the trip.

Thank you so much! One more question, were the dome seats reserved and if so, so you reserve at the time of booking? Nancie:cool:

[98Charlie]

Thank you so much! One more question, were the dome seats reserved and if so, so you reserve at the time of booking? Nancie:cool:

For ours there were 2 prices listed, one for the dome and the regular seating. Absolutely reserve as early as possible. I think there was seating for about 40. There were 4 or 5 busloads for our trip so the total on the train was 160-200.

 

Charlie

[DonMar]

For ours there were 2 prices listed, one for the dome and the regular seating. Absolutely reserve as early as possible. I think there was seating for about 40. There were 4 or 5 busloads for our trip so the total on the train was 160-200.

 

Charlie

 

 

Ditto. Most times they have two prices and you need to reserve early. In our case we tried to get he dome car, but they were not selling it. It had been reserved by a tour group. They had a few seats available in the dome car. We just happen to get on the right bus and we were put in the dome car to fill the seats.

[OrangeKitty]

My husband and I just did this excursion last November through Carnival. I would recommend it to anyone that has a day in Colon. We were the youngest in the group (in our mid 20s), but it seemed like everyone had an amazing day.

 

We got to see both sets of locks. I believe that we got to see the Gatun locks (Atlantic side) by chance, since the train was slightly late..which was a nice surprise. We were also fortunate enough to see ships in all of the locks (which is not guaranteed) as well as in the canal...one of the ships was a Princess ship.

 

The train ride was relaxing, and my husband and I agreed that this tour might have been better than actually going through the canal itself, since you actually get to SEE most of the canal. You are able to go outside through the back of each railcar to get fresh air, take better pictures, etc, etc.

 

Once on the Pacific side, you will get a short bus tour outside of Panama City to the locks, the Bridge of the Americas, and the Pacific ocean (where you will have a short bathroom break and are able to shop for a quick minute)...then back onto the train for the ride home.

 

This is definitely an excursion that I would highly recommend to my family and friends. :)

[Richard in Panama]

Just one additional comment, the train is not always round trip. It depends, I believe, on the number of ships in port on a particular day, if they are able to get the round trip. It's sweet if you can do it round trip, otherwise you have a 1.5 to 2 hour bus trip over the only road between Panama and Colon, which is still under construction, and generally you are going at the height of the rush hour. If Carnival always gets it round trip, three cheers for Carnival!

 

Regards, Richard