Panama Canal Transit - Which Side?

[Want2BCruiseN]

We are looking at doing the December 7 Panama Canal transit on the Coral which sails from San Pedro to Fort Lauderdale. Is a Port or Starboard cabin better for this cruise?

[MSN-Travelers]

We are looking at doing the December 7 Panama Canal transit on the Coral which sails from San Pedro to Fort Lauderdale. Is a Port or Starboard cabin better for this cruise?

 

We are booked on the same cruise next March. We have been told both "port side" and "it doesn't matter". The "it doesn't matter" response has something to do with lane assignment while in the canal and it being assigned upon arrival vs. a standard practice.

 

Having been on Panama's west coast before, I can tell you that Panama City and the public viewing stands at the locks on the Pacific end will be on our starboard side as we enter the canal.

 

We booked a port side cabin.

 

Enjoy!

[bhopal21]

We just completed the Acapulco/Fort Lauderdale transit on The Island in February and honestly I don't think it makes a bit of difference on which side of the ship you would be located.

 

Most of the viewing was done on fore and aft public areas.

 

Mike:)

[tjcox9]

And I'd say it doesn't matter. I find that we like to move about the ship, bow, stern and sides. To really see the locks in action, you'll want to see one operate from the bow and again from the stern, IMHO. Also, to get a good view of the bridges you'll need to be out and about.

[lolane1]

We did this cruise Feb. 2008 and had a "port" side room. Fortunately, the ship was assigned the right lane for both transits. Therefore, we got the view of the other canal in both directions. I arose in pitch darkness, somewhere around 5:30 and all you could see were beautiful lights of all the ships waiting to make transit. It was like a tanker convention. Somewhere around 6AM, I secured a front and center seat on the Coral's bow in the dawning light, and it was totally worth the early morning call. Got fantastic pictures. On the return trip, I stayed on our balcony, Caribe deck, and got great pictures of the locks opening and closing in the adjacent canal, pictures of the adjacent tanker which traveled behind us and also of the "mules" at work. The pictures from the balcony were up close and personal, not to mitigate the great front and center pix. I never expected to be sooo excited and truthfully, it was an amazing adventure.

[Grego]

Like folks have said, it really doesn't matter because you won't know which lane you are going to be in until you are in the lane.

The best place for viewing the locks is on the forward open deck of the passenger cabins on Caribe or Dolphin. Just walk down to the very end and go through the 2 sets of doors to the open deck. There is no glass to look through so you get great viewing, but get there early as this will fill up as more people learn of this secret place.

 

My suggestion is to look at the other ports you are going to and see which side you will be coming into or out of and use that as a guide.

[firefly4423]

i personally dont think it matters either.

[j!m]

we have been thru the canal both ways and i vote "it doesn't matter"

 

out and about, forward and aft, port and starboard is our preference to see all we can

 

its fun to be on top deck forward when passing under the bridge and enjoyed aft as ship leaves the locks

 

so i would suggest not booking cabin solely for canal viewing

 

hava great cruise

[BillB48]

The best side is outside:D. For the best viewing, being able to move around and see whatever interests you, as there are lots of things to take in. On a northbound transit, (Pacific to Atlantic) there are more developed areas that can be seen from the starboard side. As you are approaching the Bridge of Americas on the starboard side you can see the Panama City skyline in the distance. Just before arriving at Miraflores Locks you will be able to see the old US Army's Ft. Calyton and at Pedro Miguel Locks the towns of Pedro Miguel and Paraiso. After clearing Gaillard Cut you will pass the town of Gamboa where the Canal's dredging fleet is based. Hopefully you will be able to see some of the various equipment, particularly the two heavy lift cranes Titan and Hercules. These cranes have an interesting history, both were built in Germany. The Hercules was built and shipped to the Canal just before the outbreak of WW1, while the Titan came from Germany to the US as WW2 reparations. The Titan spent a good deal of it's time on the west coast of the US before making the move to the Canal in the 90s.

 

Leaving Gaillard Cut begins your trip across Gatun Lake, more remote and just plenty of scenery. I hope I did not make this sound like a commercial for the starboard side, that was not my intention as there are lots of things to see from the port side. Most of all the visible construction of the new locks will be on the port side as well as Contractor's Hill in Gaillard Cut. I also think it is good idea to see at least a portion of one of the locks overlooking the center wall. This will give you a chance to see to other lane in operation from your ship. Also sometime while you are at the locks, go down to one of the lower decks and get a good look at the locomotives in operation. There just is no predicting which lane you will use. It's possible for you to use the same lane at all three locks or any combination of them. The crowd will thin out after awhile and it is pretty easy to get a good spot to see what you wish to see, but you will have to be early on deck for the first lock!!

 

PS Full disclosure, on our last northbound transit we were on the port side.

[Colo Cruiser]

I agree it does not matter. :D

[Nancyquilts]

We've been lucky enough to be through several times, and , imho, the starboard side would have more of interest going through the canal, assuming you aren't leaving your cabin. We are happier with the port side because it is in the shade in the afternoon all the way to Panama. Nancy

[rcacace]

If you're the type that just sits in a balcony chair then maybe the port side would be better to stay out of the sun in the late afternoon but if you're in to shooting pictures you'll have to bounce around most of the time to take advantage of both sides especially when going through the locks.

[Want2BCruiseN]

Thank you everyone for the great information. The thing that stands out is the tip to move around the ship so we can see the canal from all sides. Honestly I hadn't realized the importance of that. We did book the December 7th cruise today and we chose a port side cabin. But rest assured we will be out and about on the day we transit the canal. This was such a good educational experience that we're open to any other tips you could pass along. Thanks.

[rcacace]

Be prepared for a possible heavy downpour at any time. On our last canal trip the sky's opened up just as we approached the locks in the morning but let up after we went through. I still got plenty of pictures.