Monday, April 1, 2024

25 BEST Panama Cruises 2024 Prices + Itineraries: Cruises to Panama on Cruise Critic

panama canal cruise

Pacific Coast (stopping in Victoria, Vancouver, San Francisco and Los Angeles) before heading to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico and Puntarenas, Costa Rica. The ship makes one Atlantic stop in Aruba before passengers disembark in Fort Lauderdale. The panoramic view takes center stage in The Crow's Nest at the top of the ship, where you can relax just about any time of day and enjoy your favorite drink. A full transit of the Panama Canal involves passing through six sets of locks, crossing an entire lake and contending with other marine traffic waiting to go through the lock system one at a time. It can take a cruise ship 10 hours or so to cover the 48 miles from the Caribbean to the Pacific. On a full-transit Panama Canal cruise, the ship enters the first set of locks (usually from the Atlantic Ocean side, as most cruises originate from there or the Caribbean).

Puerto Caldera (Puntarenas), Costa Rica

Options are plentiful for cruise lines that sail to Panama, including popular ones like Carnival, Royal Caribbean Princess, Holland America Line (HAL), Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL), Celebrity, Oceania and Viking. Your Holland America Line ship’s Casino offers a wide array of gaming options. Whether you prefer slot machines or want to try your hand at blackjack or poker, our dealers and staff are available to provide complimentary instruction — and we offer many engaging tournament options. All selections are included in your cruise fare unless otherwise noted on the in-room menu. These expansive staterooms include include two lower beds convertible to one queen-size bed—our Signature Mariner's Dream™ bed with plush Euro-Top mattresses, premium massage shower heads, a host of amenities and an ocean view. Enjoy a fascinating partial transit of the “Path Between the Seas,” an engineering marvel.

Learn About Credit Cards

Along the route, you're likely to get a glimpse of the resident monkeys, crocodiles, manatees, and more. With four pools (including an adults-only aft Serenity Pool), a WaterWorks aqua park, Camp Ocean kids club and seven restaurants, the ship offers enough diversions for sea-day fun, even at half the size of Carnival's newest megaships. Cruise Critic is not a booking agent and does not charge any service fees to users of our site. When you book with one of our partners, please be sure to check their site for a full disclosure of all applicable fees as required by the U.S. To get the most out of your trip, it's wise to avoid cruising during Panama's rainy season between May and December. The busiest travel months for Panama are from October through April, with temperatures starting off cool in October and getting warmer as the weeks pass.

Learn About Reward Programs

It then travels through Gatun Lake and the other sets of locks to exit the canal on the Pacific side. Explore the engineering genius of the Panama Canal with Celebrity on a thrilling voyage that brings history and human achievement to life. On a Panama Canal cruise, experience the lush rainforests of Costa Rica, teeming with scarlet macaws and slow-moving sloths. On the day of the transit, prime viewing locations on the bow and near windows go quickly. Most cruise lines do their best to give everyone a decent seat -- sometimes opening up "crew only" areas -- but competition can still get fierce. So set your alarm; the sooner you can pull yourself out of bed, the better the spot you'll snag.

panama canal cruise

Silversea Cruises' indulgent 31-day New York to Lima sailing aboard its newest ship, 728-guest Silver Nova features a Panama Canal transit in the middle of the trip. Play the fastest-growing sport in the U.S. with Holland America Line, the exclusive cruise line partner of the Professional Pickleball Association. All our cruise ships feature pickleball courts with amazing top-deck views. The equipment and courts are available for a match anytime, so long as the weather allows. Learn the basics at complimentary beginner’s lessons, starting in spring 2023. Commemorative starter kits will soon be available in our retail shops — purchase as gifts for avid players or as souvenirs, so that you can always look back on your pickleball cruise memories.

Grand Cayman

As David McCullough recounts in his sweeping history The Path Between the Seas, it was a combination of sheer human might and engineering prowess. We craft our Panama Canal itineraries to enrich our guests' experiences to provide the most exposure to this bucket-list destination. You'll be enchanted by Spanish and Dutch cities dating back centuries, as well as diverse tropical rainforests, white-sand beaches, dramatic volcanoes and UNESCO World Heritage Sites. And Princess provides live narration from the bridge while transiting the locks, just one reason we were voted "Best Cruise Line for Enrichment" by Cruise International. Zoom your map way out and Panama looks like a small sliver of land, so a trip through its famous canal is a quickie, right?

Learn From our Guests

The Panama Canal is open to ships year-round, but the most pleasant time to cruise is in the winter season, from November to May. During these months, the climate is less humid and there is less rainfall. Explore the Panama Canal with Celebrity and you’ll enjoy the best of all worlds, from cultural immersion and pristine natural landscapes to a haven of relaxation on our contemporary, design-led ships. Rejuvenate your spirit in The Spa, unwind by the pool as you cruise along emerald shorelines, and toast the end of another perfect day at the Sunset Bar in the balmy warmth of a tropical evening. Enjoy the best of the Panama Canal with a day to explore the locks, kayak the forested fringes of serene Gatun Lake, or admire the fine Spanish colonial architecture of Panama City’s historic Casco Viejo.

Sailing through the Panama Canal makes for a cruise itinerary like none other. For one thing, passengers on board get to witness the mechanics and science of an engineering marvel that's been deemed one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World. And by the end of the day, they'll have crossed from one ocean to another — truly an amazing feat.

panama canal cruise

They offer longer itineraries than partial cruises for those who have the time (and money) to spare. These cruises usually travel between Florida and California, stopping in the Caribbean, Central America, and Mexico along the way. The 40-mile Panama Canal is a common route for cruise ships due to its lush scenery and gentle waters. The canal cuts through a part of protected rainforest—Soberania National Park—that would otherwise be tough for tourists to see.

THE 7 BEST Cruises from Vancouver to the Panama Canal & Central America (with Prices) on Cruise Critic - Cruise Critic

THE 7 BEST Cruises from Vancouver to the Panama Canal & Central America (with Prices) on Cruise Critic.

Posted: Fri, 19 Apr 2024 09:18:21 GMT [source]

When it comes to packing for a Panama cruise, make sure you bring lightweight, breathable clothing to be comfortable in the country's hot and humid tropical climate. From rock and pop to country and beyond, we provide the perfect playlist live, each and every cruise. This sophisticated venue is adorned with an eclectic and whimsical mix of artwork including portraits, landscapes, still life and abstract pieces. Order your favorite cocktail or try one from our signature cocktail menu.

If you have an extended stay in Panama City, consider a trip to the Archipelago de las Perlas (Pearl Islands) in southeastern Panama to view the humpback whales. It's a short flight to the islands, or you can travel by ferry to see the whales that are still in the waters around the archipelago after coming to breed in August and September. If traveling earlier in the month, you may also see nesting loggerheads and green turtles southeast of Panama City in Isla Canas (Cane Island) or Bocas del Toro. In addition to visiting Panama, many itineraries include ports of call in Costa Rica, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Colombia or Mexico, which can be the highlight of the trip, especially for outdoor enthusiasts.

THE 25 BEST 2 Week Cruises to the Panama Canal & Central America (Prices & Itineraries) on Cruise Critic - Cruise Critic

THE 25 BEST 2 Week Cruises to the Panama Canal & Central America (Prices & Itineraries) on Cruise Critic.

Posted: Mon, 23 Oct 2023 22:14:44 GMT [source]

Keep in mind that Panama has a rainy season between May and December so if you're looking to spend time exploring, plan around these months. So stretch out on a Caribbean beach, admire the pristine rainforests, stroll the cobbled streets of colonial towns and journey through the fabled Panama Canal with Princess. Celebrity offers a variety of Panama Canal cruises, with several different ports of call. You could sail from Fort Lauderdale to the ABC Islands (Aruba, Bonaire, and Curacao) and Cartagena in Colombia.

This popular bar is at the top of the atrium and is the perfect locale for cocktails and dancing. Sail the crystalline waters of the Caribbean Sea, a paradise of emerald islands. Enjoy South Florida’s carefree sun-loving coast and explore Miami’s art deco brilliance.

Thanks to a 2016 canal expansion project, a third set of locks can now accommodate larger vessels. It's possible to cruise the Panama Canal on ships of all sizes (from 148 guests to more than 3,000) on itineraries that range from a week in the sun to a six-month world cruise. Experiencing this marvel of early 20th-century engineering appeals to those with a wide array of interests, from history and politics to colonial architecture and wildlife spotting.

The shortest sailings are predominantly offered by small ships, and they begin and end in Central America. The shortest round-trip Fort Lauderdale partial transits are 11 nights; full transits that start on the U.S. East Coast and end on the West Coast (or vice versa) will be at least 14 days long. If you choose a cruise that includes a partial transit of the canal, you can experience Panama’s beauty during a day in Colon. Excursions from here include eco-adventures on Gatun Lake, where you can see capuchin and howler monkeys, caimans, and three-toed sloths.

And if you're in the mood for the city life, head to Panama City, the Caribbean's most urban cluster that's only an hour away by car. Experience a full crossing with our slideshow, Postcards from a Panama Canal Transit on Celebrity Infinity. When to cruise the Panama Canal will depend on what's most important to you.

No comments:

Post a Comment

How the House Voted on Foreign Aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan The New York Times

Table Of Content District 3 U.S. President 2022 legislative session U.S. Senate How the House Voted on Foreign Aid to Ukraine, Israel and Ta...