Experiencing the Panama Canal doesn't have to be time-consuming or budget-busting. The array of options means that a Panama Canal cruise experience is possible even if you're short on time or have a limited budget — and chances are high that your favorite cruise line offers one or more itineraries. Most sailings attract couples, typically retirees, but if the timing is right a Panama Canal cruise can also be a great multi-generational experience. From ships custom built to sail the massive locks to immersive onboard programs and onshore adventures that inspire, Princess is the number one way to explore this epic phenomenon. We've sailed the Panama Canal since 1967 and we have more itinerary choices and departures of any cruise line in the region.
2025 Panama Canal Cruises
Should Semana Santa (Holy Week, from Palm Sunday through Holy Saturday) fall in March, there will be more crowds nationwide in Panama with religious processions and reenactments, parades and other special events. Many venues and attractions may be closed on some days during the festivities. For a rainy-day excursion, ride the Panama Canal Railway, one of the world's great train rides.
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Along with crossing the impressive Panama Canal during your vacation, you can also get in touch with the local cultures of different countries, where indigenous peoples still live and where heritage and history are treasured and preserved. Cross foggy suspended bridges or zip-line along the treetops at the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve near Puntarenas, Costa Rica, where local travel guides take you deep within the forest as you learn about its precious ecosystems. A stop in Colón, Panama, lets you lay on the sand at serene Maria Chiquita beach or hike your way through Portobelo National Park to reach the 17th-century San Lorenzo Fort. 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.
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THE 5 BEST Cruises from Port Canaveral to the Panama Canal & Central America (with Prices) on Cruise Critic - Cruise Critic
THE 5 BEST Cruises from Port Canaveral to the Panama Canal & Central America (with Prices) on Cruise Critic.
Posted: Fri, 19 Apr 2024 13:21:26 GMT [source]
For outdoor adventure seekers, it's too wet for hiking in the rainforests, but other activities benefit from the rainy season, including whitewater rafting. In Quepos, Costa Rica, Windstar Cruises offers rafting trips to the town of Santo Domingo, where you can take a float trip on the Savegre River. Experienced surfers can also check out the big swells on both coasts of the country. 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? Cruise the Panama Canal and enjoy a zoomed-in real-life look at perhaps last century’s greatest engineering achievement… along with its surrounding lush, verdant lands. This testament to human audacity joins the Pacific and Caribbean in the most direct way possible, and is worth making a leisurely part of your vacation.
Visitors in the viewing galleries at the locks will wave as you pass through. A full transit of the Panama Canal takes you from the Pacific to the Caribbean, or vice versa. A partial transit, on the other hand, gives you a taste of the Panama Canal on a shorter cruise from Colon, on the Caribbean side, to the Gatun Locks and back again. Calls on Golfito and Puntarenas in Costa Rica offer access to eco-adventure. 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.
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Despite the monumental achievement of engineering that the Panama Canal represents, the drive from Colon to Panama City is just under an hour, so there are plenty of options. On Celebrity’s ships, you can enjoy a different restaurant at every meal, with menus designed by a Michelin-starred chef. Try anything from mouth-watering seafood to steak, flavor-packed Italian, and gourmet French cuisine. Experience The Magic Carpet, high above the ocean, with uninterrupted views. Elevate your cruise with a stay at The Retreat®, with suite accommodation, access to a tranquil lounge, and dining at the exclusive Luminae at The Retreat. Traversing the 40-mile Panama Canal is a rite of passage and something you'll remember for a lifetime.
best Panama Canal cruises for a bucket-list trip
However, it's the holiday season, so cruise fares and other costs, like hotels for pre- and post-cruise stays, will be more expensive if you travel this month. December is one of the peak tourism months in Panama, with Panamanians traveling for the holidays and visitors from North America and Europe escaping the cold weather at home. Regardless of transit type, keep in mind that Panama Canal cruises can be longer-than-average sailings. Most cruises shorter than two weeks are one-way sailings, often beginning or ending in Panama. The shortest sailings are predominantly offered by small ships, and they begin and end in Central America.
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Add in compelling ports like Cartagena, Huatulco and Puerto Vallarta on your Panama Canal cruise vacation, and you're in for a unique adventure. Depart from various cities, including Miami or Los Angeles, and cruise to some of the most exotic and beautiful destinations on Earth. Discover for yourself why Norwegian is the Best Cruise Line in Panama Canal & Central America according to Cruise Critic. For a one-way Panama Canal transit that visits six countries (Aruba, Curacao, Panama, Costa Rica, Guatemala and Mexico) and offers six relaxing and luxurious days at sea, consider Seabourn's 21-day Caribbean & Panama Canal Passage.
The construction of the Panama Canal is one of those epic tales from the past, an old-school feat of engineering, ambition and courage. A cruise along it today is a journey through the centuries, from the Spanish fortifications near Limón Bay to the glittering skyline of Panama City, not to mention the canal itself. Over the course of a decade a little more than a century ago, tens of thousands of workers drilled dynamite holes, drove belching steam shovels and labored with pickaxes, all the while fighting off malaria. While the French builders of the Suez Canal ultimately gave up in Panama, American crews persevered and created a route allowing ships to travel across a continent.
If you've booked a pre- or post-cruise hotel in town, be sure to catch a sunset from one of the city's many rooftop bars. With the high temperatures and humidity — and the threat of rain — you might want to take tours where you can easily escape from the heat and the showers. If you're in Panama City, visit the vibrant neighborhood of Casco Antiguo in the city's historic district.
November can be rainy — and even the rainiest month of the wet season — with temperatures starting to warm closer to December. The month brings a mix of low-priced early-season fares but also several public holidays that bring crowds of both tourists and residents to attractions in places like Panama City and Boquete. To get the most out of your trip, it's wise to avoid cruising during Panama's rainy season between May and December.
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. If having the best weather is your top priority, January, February and early March offer the best weather during the dry season with low humidity — but it's also the most expensive time to travel to the region. Here, we look at Panama's peak cruise season month by month, so you can consider the weather, pricing and crowds to determine the best time to cruise through the Panama Canal. It used to be that only smaller Panamax ships could squeeze through the locks of the Panama Canal. However, with the opening of a new set of locks in 2016, larger New-Panamax-sized ships can transit, as well. That means you take a Panama Canal cruise on a small-masted Windstar ship or luxury Silversea cruise or can sail on a megaship as large as the 1,094-foot-long and 136-foot-wide Norwegian Bliss.
Or take a trip to Panama City itself, a dramatic contrast between glassy skyscrapers and the narrow alleys and colorful facades of the atmospheric Casco Viejo, or old town, dating back to the 17th century. There are excursions to an Embera village, too, where you can learn about the traditional lifestyle of this rainforest tribe. The narrow Culebra Cut, an artificial channel near Panama City, is lined with greenery, while the expanse of the Gatun Lake is dotted with rainforested islands and is a great place to look for wildlife. Entering Gatun Lake, it’s fun to be forward on deck as you can see the procession of ships coming towards you.
See if you can catch a glimpse of an orange-chinned parakeet or a white-faced capuchin monkey. Panamanian food rewards foodies with a fascinating diversity of cooking traditions, a bonus of the nation’s position as an international crossroads and a land bridge linking North and South America. Cruising with Norwegian means more dining and entertainment options than ever. Have a volcanic adventure during San Juan del Sur excursions from Princess Cruises. Find fascinating articles with Panama Canal cruise tips for experiencing unforgettable attractions, regional cuisine, and more on both sides of this epic man-made wonder.
Listen as a historian shares tales of this incredible engineering feat that divided two continents. Explore the intriguing landscapes, culture and people of this amazing region. From engineering marvels to exotic wildlife, there's so much to discover while on your Panama Canal cruise. Extend your cruise vacation, and simplify your travel plans with a hotel stay at the beginning or end of your cruise.
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